RIVERSIDE, Calif., Jan. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM) today announced 1,124 physicians and other clinicians earned Lifestyle Medicine board certification in the United States in 2020 in the first virtual exam. The U.S. total for 2020 is a record, representing 825 physicians, 234 professionals and 65 practitioners.

Since the exam was first given in 2017, certifications globally now total 2,473 physicians, along with 564 professionals and 210 practitioners across 65 countries.

ABLM and the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM) grant certification to physicians; the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and IBLM grant professional certification to PhD- and Master's-level health professionals; and ACLM also provides practitioner certification to Bachelor's-level clinicians.

Lifestyle Medicine is defined by ACLM as the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention—including a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of 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.

"The totals show that Lifestyle Medicine is one of the fastest growing specialties in medicine," said ABLM Board Chair Wayne Dysinger MD, MPH, FACLM, DipABLM. "With the pandemic and racial unrest in the U.S. highlighting the urgent need to address the root cause of the lifestyle-related chronic disease that is so prevalent and so disproportional among vulnerable populations, the time for Lifestyle Medicine is now."

"What excites me the most is that under the leadership of the U.S., Lifestyle Medicine has proliferated all around the globe, with many national Lifestyle Medicine societies being brought to life, and regular exams held on every continent and in a variety of languages", said Stephan Herzog, executive director of both the American and International Boards of Lifestyle Medicine. "This translates to diplomates now being active in 65 countries around the globe!"

"So many physicians understand the importance of lifestyle in their patients with chronic disease and yet they receive little to no education in the therapeutic use of evidence-based lifestyle interventions," said ACLM President Cate Collings, MD, MS, FCC, DipABLM. "It is very gratifying to see the interest in Lifestyle Medicine certification growing because it sets a common practice standard and indicates that the individual has mastered the science of preventing, treating and reversing chronic disease in an evidence-based manner."

Learn more about certification and its requirements here.

ABOUT ABLM: The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM) sets and maintains standards for assessment and credentialing of physicians in Lifestyle Medicine. Certification as an ABLM diplomate signifies specialized knowledge in the practice of Lifestyle Medicine and distinguishes a physician as having achieved competency in Lifestyle Medicine. Learn more at http://www.ablm.co.

ABOUT IBLM: The International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM) is the global peak certification body, licensing the lifestyle medicine board exam across the world, co-issuing all certifications together with the national bodies and maintaining certification standards globally. Learn more at http://www.iblm.co

ABOUT ACLM: The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) is the medical professional society for those dedicated to the advancement and clinical practice of Lifestyle Medicine as the foundation of a transformed and sustainable health care system. Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic intervention—including a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of 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. Learn more at http://www.lifestylemedicine.org.

Media Contact

Jean Tips, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, 9719835383 x 119, [email protected]

SOURCE American College of Lifestyle Medicine