January 20, 2024
J Diagn Treat Oral Maxillofac Pathol 2025;9: 100301.
DOI: 10.23999/j.dtomp.2025.1.100301
Under a Creative Commons license
Kilipiris EG. Lifestyle medicine in maxillofacial surgery physicians' training: A hidden power. J Diagn Treat Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2025 Jan;9(1):100301. https://doi.org/10.23999/j.dtomp.2025.1.100301
In the rapidly evolving and highly complex healthcare ecosystem, surgeons, particularly young surgeons in their training, often exhibit poor lifestyle habits and face a high risk of experiencing burnout. To be able to continue to serve their patients effectively, maxillofacial surgeons should adopt sustainable lifestyle changes. However, many of us who are unfamiliar with the concept of lifestyle medicine (LM). This article provides effective ways to improve LM in maxillofacial surgery physicians` training. Six important recommendations from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) are highlighted. Maxillofacial surgeons should establish novel lifestyle goals. Their exposure to the basic education and practices of LM is essential for behavioral change to improve their short-term and long-term wellbeing and to empower them to make positive lifestyle decisions. Elevating awareness, education, and practice regarding such critical factors is paramount. Behavior modification based on healthy lifestyle principles may be challenging but is a key component of this journey. In conclusion, by practicing LM principles, a new generation of maxillofacial surgeons will be created uniquely, allowing them to redesign their way of working and living for themselves and their teams but also to reconsider their sustainable contribution and long-term impact on the global healthcare community.
Lifestyle medicine, maxillofacial surgery, physician, American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM)
Today, in the rapidly evolving and highly complex healthcare ecosystem, surgeons, particularly young surgeons in their training, often exhibit poor lifestyle habits and face a high risk of experiencing burnout. To be able to continue to serve their patients effectively, maxillofacial surgeons should adopt sustainable lifestyle changes [1]. However, many of us who are unfamiliar with the concept of lifestyle medicine (LM) may find it challenging to understand what it is in reality and what role it serves, specifically for physicians. According to the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), it is a rapidly deployed, evidence-based field based on the following six pillars:
Nutrition, including the consumption of minimally processed fruits and vegetables, that plays a key role in healthy lifestyle habits and positively impacts metabolism, immunity, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
Regular and consistent physical activity is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle that prevents obesity, cardiac diseases, and stroke and reduces hypertension. In addition, it improves brain health, cognition, sleep, and the general feeling of wellbeing while reducing anxiety and stress.
Eliminating the consumption of risky substances like alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking.
Restorative sleep with 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep that allows the body to recover and function properly.
Stress management by incorporating stress-reducing behavioral activities. Excessive stress in the daily working environment of surgeons is common and results in decreased professional and personal performance. Techniques to handle it should be popularized, including physical activities, visits to the natural environment, listening to music, and practicing mindfulness.
Social connectivity by maintaining and strengthening meaningful and purposeful relationships and connections makes us healthier and happier. Surgery is traditionally a team-based sport and fostering resilient and positive social relationships in safe working and learning environments with encouraging constructive feedback will lead to flourishing, innovation, and progress. These connections should develop not only in the workplace but also in society and personal life. After stressful days and events, meeting and interacting with people from our social network that rejuvenate us is catalytic to our wellbeing [2].
The foundations of LM are ancient and go back to Hippocrates, the Greek physician and philosopher who is considered the father of medicine. More recently, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that approximately 80% of premature deaths in the United States are the result of a poor lifestyle [3].
An increasing number of LM programs that bring evidence of the impact of the six pillars of LM in everyday life is reported [4]. Modern maxillofacial surgeons should be able to fit these six pillars into their daily routine life, and they should integrate them into their academic institutions, hospitals, maxillofacial surgery community, and healthcare organizations. Several organizations offer certified educational activities on LM, like through the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM), and clinical institutions introduce new curricula with teaching on evidence-based LM principles integrated into residency programs and medical schools [5, 6]. The ACLM Undergraduate Medical Education Task Force has incorporated the role of physician health and the physician's personal health as one topic area across ten different topic groups [7]. Student-led LM Interest Groups have been formed in some medical schools to express medical students' interest in LM [8]. Several residency training programs have incorporated dedicated hours covering theoretical knowledge of LM principles combined with practical activities into their curricula. Comprehensive online and in-person continuing medical education (CME) courses are organized, and a competencies-based fellowship has been created. Harvard Extension School has introduced LM courses and made them accessible to its entire campus [9]. LM has also gained international presentation through the development of the LM Global Alliance [10].
Maxillofacial surgeons should establish novel lifestyle goals. Their exposure to the basic education and practices of LM is essential for behavioral change to improve their short-term and long-term wellbeing and to empower them to make positive lifestyle decisions [11]. Elevating awareness, education, and practice regarding such critical factors is paramount. Behavior modification based on healthy lifestyle principles may be challenging but is a key component of this journey.
With their extensive training and specialization, maxillofacial surgeons can become influential figures by holding leadership roles and developing a leadership culture by modeling personal health behaviors and implementing new strategies and policies in their organizations [12].
Surgeons who practice the principles of LM are more likely to serve as role models by educating their patients and counseling their colleagues, residents, and students on the benefits of using LM practices correctly in their careers and lives [13]. They will have the knowledge and skills to improve and sustain their own health behaviors that promote personal resiliency, and from that personal engagement can also benefit their patients' health behaviors. They can master interpersonal and communication skills, and by teaching professionalism and modeling an authentic journey of healthy lifestyle choices, they can effectively lead an interprofessional healthcare team that shares similar goals and culture. In addition, they will be capable of supporting the role of LM within their healthcare system framework, something that will be transformational not only for the surgeons but also for the organizations in which they work and the society in which they live.
In conclusion, by practicing LM principles, a new generation of maxillofacial surgeons will be created uniquely, allowing them to redesign their way of working and living for themselves and their teams but also to reconsider their sustainable contribution and long-term impact on the global healthcare community.
Evangelos G. Kilipiris, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6107-8790
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Harvard Extension School: Introduction to lifestyle medicine [document on the internet]; Apr 29, 2023 [cited 2023 Apr 29]. Available from: https://www.extension.harvard.edu/courses/introduction-lifestyle-medicine
Lifestyle Medicine Global Alliance: Home page [document on the internet]; Jan 08, 2025 [cited 2025 Jan 08]. Available from: https://lifestylemedicineglobal.org/
Lippman D, Stump M, Veazey E, et al. Foundations of lifestyle medicine and its evolution. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes. 2024 Jan;8(1):97-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2023.11.004
Barrett S, Begg S, Sloane A, Kingsley M. Surgeons and preventive health: a mixed methods study of current practice, beliefs and attitudes influencing health promotion activities amongst public hospital surgeons. BMC Health Serv Res. 2019 Jun;19(1):358. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4186-y
Frates B, Ortega AH, Freeman JK, et al. Lifestyle medicine in medical education: Maximizing impact. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes. 2024 Aug;8(5):451-474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2024.07.003
У складній екосистемі охорони здоров’я, яка швидко розвивається, хірурги, особливо молоді хірурги, які навчаються, часто демонструють погані звички життя та стикаються з високим ризиком вигорання. Щоб мати можливість продовжувати ефективно обслуговувати своїх пацієнтів, щелепно-лицеві хірурги повинні прийняти стійкі зміни способу життя. Однак багато хто з нас, хто не знайомий з концепцією медицини способу життя (МСЖ). У статті наведено ефективні шляхи вдосконалення МСЖ у підготовці лікарів щелепно-лицевої хірургії. Виділено шість важливих рекомендацій Американського коледжу медицини способу життя. Щелепно-лицеві хірурги повинні встановити нові цілі способу життя. Їхнє знайомство з базовою освітою та практиками МСЖ має важливе значення для зміни поведінки для покращення їхнього короткострокового та довгострокового добробуту та надання їм можливості приймати позитивні рішення щодо способу життя. Підвищення обізнаності, освіти та практики щодо таких критичних факторів має першочергове значення. Зміна поведінки на основі принципів здорового способу життя може бути складною, але є ключовим компонентом цього шляху.Підсумовуючи, завдяки застосуванню принципів МСЖ буде створено унікальне нове покоління щелепно-лицевих хірургів, що дозволить їм змінити свій спосіб роботи та життя для себе та своїх команд, а також переглянути свій сталий внесок і довгостроковий вплив на глобальну спільноту сфери охорони здоров’я.
Медицина способу життя, щелепно-лицева хірургія, лікар, Американський коледж медицини способу життя