Lifestyle Medicine for Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Disease in Women

Studies show that unhealthy lifestyle behaviors increase the risk for poor health outcomes, including death, with many common diseases, including diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease and cancer.

At the University of Chicago Medicine, our lifestyle medicine specialists help patients create personal screening, prevention and treatment plans with the goals to live long and to live well.

We also partner with our greater team of women’s health specialists to ensure that lifestyle medicine is an important component in personalized care plans for patients with complex health challenges.

What is lifestyle medicine?

Lifestyle medicine combines traditional medicine with behavioral changes to:

• Treat chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obesity
• Decrease associated risk factors
• Provide screening and preventive care for heart disease and cancer

Personalizing Women’s Health with Lifestyle Medicine

At the Center for Women’s Integrated Health, behavioral changes are the first step to promote better health and prevent or treat chronic disease.

Our specialists offer education and guidance on:

• Diet and nutrition
• Physical activity and exercise
• Weight management
• Following your prevention or treatment plan

If behavioral changes are not enough, our goal is to determine the most effective combination of healthy behaviors and medication to personalize your chronic disease treatment plan.

Tobacco, alcohol and other substance abuse also impact overall health and wellness. In addition, to the Lifestyle Medicine Program, UChicago Medicine offers supportive programs to help with cessation.

Chronic Disease and Menopause: Diabetes, Hypertension and Your Hormones

Menopausal and perimenopausal changes in hormone levels can affect chronic disease risk and treatment in significant ways.

During and after menopause:

• Decreases in estrogen and related sleep loss can affect blood sugar levels and increase risk for diabetes complications.
• Decreases in estrogen can affect blood vessels and cause or worsen hypertension.
• Weight gain can require adjustments in medication for diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases.

At the Center for Women’s Integrated Health, our specialists offer expertise in creating chronic disease prevention and treatment plans with a personalized focus on your total health and wellness, including the impact of health factors like menopause that uniquely affect our patients.