Lifestyle medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic interventions – including nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, avoidance or risky substances, and positive social connection – as a primary modality, delivered by clinicians trained and certified in this specialty, to prevent, treat, and often reverse chronic disease. It is a branch of medicine dealing with research, prevention, treatment, and reversal of diseases caused by lifestyle factors such as nutrition, physical inactivity, and chronic stress.

The rise in chronic disease trends, and related healthcare spending in the United States and in many other countries, is unsustainable. Type 2 diabetes alone is a looming global pandemic with incalculable consequences.

This being said, there is good news.

The good news is that 80% or more of all healthcare spending in the U.S. is tied to the treatment of conditions rooted in poor lifestyle choices. Chronic disease and conditions – such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, multiple types of cancer – are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health conditions (Lifestylemedicine.org).

Registered Dietitian or Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are food and nutrition experts who have met the following criteria to earn the RD or RDN credential:

• Completed a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a US regionally accredited university or college and course work accredited or approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

• Completed an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program at a health-care facility, community agency, or a foodservice corporation or combined with undergraduate or graduate studies. Typically, a practice program will run six to 12 months in length.

• Passed a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).

• Completed continuing professional educational requirements to maintain registration (eatright.org and cdrnet.org).

Note: RDN is the updated initials for RD, however both are still acceptable initials. There is no difference between RD and RDN in terms of education and requirements for registration.

Yes, we do offer virtual, online, and telehealth appointments.

Yes, we offer in-person appointments for private consultations, group classes, and cooking classes.

Because of the nature of our work (making lifestyle changes), most of our private consultation appointments are 60 minutes. If you prefer to have short visits, just let us know when you are scheduling the appointment.

The number of appointments you will need will mostly depend on you. We can work with your schedule and the amount of time you need to reach your goals. We have clients who are with us for just a few months and feel they have the necessary tools to finish meeting their goals. Other clients have been with us for years. There are many reasons why someone may need more time with us than someone else.

To your initial visit with us, you will need to have all the new patient forms filled out including the Medical Health Questionnaire. If you have had any recent lab work, tests, or procedures done, it would be most helpful to have a copy of those reports.

Yes, we do see children for medical nutrition therapy consultations.

You are welcome to bring anyone who will support you in your goals. If someone is coming to ask questions about their case or needs, we recommend they schedule an appointment or have a shared medical visit. In either case, they will need to fill out all the new patient paperwork including the Medical Health Questionnaire.

Currently, no one at our center speaks any language other than English.

We currently do not bill insurance. However, we are credentialed with most insurance plans. If you would like to bill your insurance plan for your services at AHWC, we will print you a superbill to submit to your insurance. See the Policy Agreement in our new patient paperwork for more information.