Lifestyle Medicine: A Solution for Mental Health?
If you have ever struggled to get to the root of your mental or health struggles, know that you are not alone. Many people are unaware that their mental health can be closely related to their physical well-being. Therefore, they are left to guide themselves through their wellness journey alone or through trial and error, which can feel extremely frustrating and hopeless. Lifestyle medicine serves as a powerful bridge to achieve lasting health and wellbeing. It does this with an integrative approach, guiding individuals through behavioral changes, sleep hygiene tips, nutritional advice, and precise testing to get down to the core of any medical issue one may have. With lifestyle medicine’s highly influential methods for restoring balance in mind and body alike – it is no wonder why so many are turning towards it for optimal health solutions!
Lifestyle medicine takes into account your habits related to nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress in conjunction with your environmental exposures and genetic predispositions to create a healthcare plan tailored to your needs and goals. Many patients who struggle with their mental health would benefit significantly from making fundamental changes and additions to their lifestyle habits that could support their hormones, gut health, brain health, and more. Recent studies have determined that brain and cognitive issues, including but not limited to cognitive decline, ADD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and memory loss, may be improved and sometimes reversed through diagnosing and treating underlying sleep disorders, gut issues, hidden infections, and more. Lifestyle medicine encourages the seeking out of root causes and does not view mental health issues as separate from the brain and body. In fact, brain function is highly connected to the health of our gut and other organ systems. Therefore, to treat the brain and improve the mind, it would drastically benefit the patient to treat the whole body, mind, and spirit.
At TCLM, both Western medicine and alternative methods are used to create a healing plan that targets both the physical and mental factors related to wellness. Non-conventional testing may be used to get to the root of disease, rather than masking or managing symptoms. Lifestyle medicine addresses a person's whole being—psychological, physical, spiritual, and social—in order to heal. Physicians at TCLM, such as Dr. John Kelley, are highly trained in the Bredesen Protocol, a cutting-edge method for diagnosing and treating neurodegenerative disorders. State-of-the-art equipment is used to test brain function through brain mapping technology. Other diagnostic tools may also be ordered, which often reveal underlying issues that have evolved in mental health issues, such as sleep studies, in-depth holistic dental exams, autonomic nervous system testing, and more.
Of course, we also deeply assess the sleep routines, social health, relationship dynamics, eating habits, and stress management skills of our patients to create better habits that promote mental health. A wonderful way we do this is through nutrition coaching and mind-body medicine coaching consultations. Often, patients notice that they have a greater likelihood of establishing and sticking to major lifestyle changes when they have the guidance and compassionate support of a coach, either in a one-on-one visit or in a safe group setting.
The great news is that there is hope for healing, even when it comes to chronic mental health and cognitive disorders. We know how lonely, isolating, and worrisome mental health issues can be. When you have been suffering for a long period of time, it may feel as if this is your "new normal." But we are here to inform you that there is an alternative, and it starts with receiving the right testing, tools, and information to allow you to step into a brighter future.
At TCLM, we are passionate about empowering you to take charge of your mental health and find lasting healing through lifestyle medicine. We can't wait to see the impact that lifestyle medicine has on your life!
Click the following link to get started!
www.texascenterforlifestylemedicine.org
