Medicine has progressed very rapidly over the recent years. Communicable diseases, which were the leading causes of mortality, are not so anymore, especially in developed countries. Currently, non-communicable diseases are more prevalent, and most of them are related to changes in our daily habits (such as reduced physical activity and consumption of an unhealthy diet) and degenerative processes. Most of these diseases are chronic, need continuous care and treatment with limited improvement and high costs. Special emphasis has been given to pharmacological treatments for most of chronic non-communicable diseases with the challenge to discover new drugs for treating, in most cases, chronic degenerative diseases associated with aging. Relatively little attention has been given to non-pharmacological means of treatment. This is especially troubling because of the potential over-treatment of patients with medicine and surgery in low risk situations, poor patient information, polymedication and the sizeable percentage of preventable adverse effects. Evidence indicates that unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are at the root of the global burden of noncommunicable diseases and account for about 63% of all deaths. However, maximizing lifestyle requires skills and competency in addressing multiple health risk behaviors and improving self-management. Optimal health and wellness is achieved when patients adopt positive lifestyle behaviors, including choosing a healthy diet, remaining physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, being a nonsmoker and limiting excessive use of alcohol. We are here to help you acquire and maximize these lifestyle behaviors and skills!
