Lifestyle Medicine Strategies for Risk Factor Reduction, Prevention, and Treatment of Coronary Heart Disease: Part II

Abstract

Coronary heart disease remains the leading killer of men and women in the United States. Coronary heart disease also represents one of the quintessential lifestyle-related diseases. Many of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease, including elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, an inactive lifestyle, and obesity, have very significant lifestyle-related components. In part I of this review, the authors discussed the rationale for using lifestyle medicine strategies as part of a comprehensive approach to preventing, reducing the risk, or treating coronary heart disease. In part II, the authors focus on practical strategies for incorporating lifestyle medicine techniques into clinical practice. The overall framework is based on the American College of Cardiology's Bethesda Conference, which places risk factors into 4 categories depending on the likelihood that modifying a particular risk factor will result in lowering the risk of coronary heart disease. The authors have similarly grouped lifestyle medicine strategies to explore how these interventions can be employed in each of the classes of interventions defined by the American College of Cardiology. Although the authors recognize that individual clinicians have time constraints which affect utilization of lifestyle medicine strategies, the best outcomes can be achieved by combining these interventions with more traditional modalities for reducing the risk, preventing, or treating coronary heart disease.