Campus organizations, the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) and the Sports Medicine Club, collaborated to host a lifestyle medicine conference to contribute to the continuing and complementary education of future osteopathic professionals. compassionate and patient-centered healthcare. Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM) alumnus Michael Ladewski, DO, (CCOM ’05), visited his alma mater to provide insight into lifestyle medicine for future healthcare professionals. Lifestyle medicine focuses on evidence-based methods for incorporating changes into a patient’s lifestyle, including a diet of whole foods and plants, sufficient hours of sleep, management stress, regular exercise, socialization and staying away from risky substances.
Dr. Ladewski emphasized that these aspects of lifestyle medicine “are all synergistically important.” He also explained that helping to change a patient’s lifestyle also involves collaboration with other healthcare professionals, such as nutritionists and physiotherapists.
“It’s nice to learn about lifestyle medicine and how important it is to patients, as well as the importance of exercise and diet and quitting smoking and all that which is part of their overall well-being and their comorbidities (a patient with two or more health conditions). This adds greater context to the didactic lessons. You also learn by actively listening to the doctors who are in the clinic. every day, so you know what you are going to be faced with the future,” said Marwa Sahloul (CCOM ’27), medical student and ACOFP treasurer.
Dr. Ladewski also emphasized the importance of doctors having difficult conversations with their patients while considering that their feelings can be delicate, especially for patients who are overweight or obese. “I usually tell them their weight isn’t healthy and I want to try to help them become healthier,” he said, adding that these difficult conversations also apply to other topics, including unhealthy blood pressure and smoking. He emphasized that these conversations about unhealthy habits should focus on the facts and not shame the patient but rather help them adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Medical student Drashti Sikligar (CCOM ’28), a member of ACOFP, discussed the value of Dr. Ladewski’s ideas on how to talk to patients who may be overweight or obese and work on a plan with them. “I like the idea of stating the facts. It’s difficult to start a conversation about difficult topics.
Marwa added: “We have learned to phrase our advice in a way that patients feel comfortable and are not offended. There is a fine line when it comes to how to talk to patients about the subject.
Dr. Ladewski pointed out, “Some people change their behaviors for quite a long time, whether it’s diet or exercise, and it’s consistent enough to form a new habit. These are the people who succeed.
Medical students also enjoyed learning about lifestyle medicine scholarship applications. Opportunities like this allow them to receive advice from successful healthcare professionals, particularly alumni with similar experiences, which helps them in the decisions they make throughout their professional journey in the health field.
“Attending different conferences gives us the opportunity to learn more about each specialty and hear about positions and personal experiences,” said Spencer Mackovitch (CCOM ’28), medical student and member of the ACOFP.
“It’s good to hear the different specialties talk about what they do and how we get there.” We learn different things to expect during our journey,” Marwa added.
Midwestern University regularly offers additional educational opportunities, such as lifestyle medicine lectures, to students from various fields of study in healthcare to prepare them to become future physicians and other professionals .