The expanding role of lifestyle medicine in the Philippines – highlights from a recent review
21 hours ago
By Dr Michelle Yap Siao
The Philippine healthcare system has traditionally focused on treating illnesses instead of preventing them and promoting health. It currently faces the challenge of managing both infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Palma et al. (2025) recently reviewed the history of lifestyle medicine (LM) in the country and how this discipline is central to primary healthcare, especially in addressing the growing NCD crisis. Recent legislative efforts under Republic Act 11223, the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, have started shifting the focus from reactive disease treatment to proactive prevention, led by the Philippine College of Lifestyle Medicine (PCLM). As of 2024, Philippine Statistics Authority reported 68 percent of annual deaths resulting from NCDs, which are linked to lifestyle factors such as unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking. [Am J Lifestyle Med 2025 Mar 15:15598276251326548]
According to Palma et al., before PCLM was established in 2019, LM gained track in the country in the late 1980s via a community-based health program that melded LM with spirituality. This early initiative strongly resonated with Filipino sociocultural values. Then, the Complete Health Improvement Program made LM more organized in the next decade, with evidence-based approach to measurable improvements in chronic disease risk factors. It was said to be established first at the Adventist Medical Center Manila, which marked the mainstreaming of LM as a practice. A similar government initiative was also reportedly implemented nationwide in 2010. PCLM’s precursor was the Philippine Organization of Lifestyle Medicine, which was founded in 2015. Despite growth, LM, Palma et al. said, had many skeptics in the medical community, as it was said to be commonly mistaken for alternative medicine.
Current status of LM
PCLM, Palma et al. said, has played an essential role in professionalizing the education, practice, and research in LM, working together with LM entities around the world, such as the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Educational institutions have followed suit; for instance, the Adventist University of the Philippines, the authors said, introduced an LM-focused master’s coursework in public health, while its medical school embraced LM in its curriculum. Significantly, the Philippine Medical Association accredited PCLM in 2022 as a family medicine subspecialty society.
Furthermore, the review highlighted the Competency-Based Lifestyle Medicine Education (CBLME), which helps guarantee standard training in LM for healthcare professionals in the Philippines. It is a framework centered on measurable outcomes, including patient assessment, behavior-change counseling, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, and substance cessation. The training, they said, involves foundational learning, mentorship, clinical immersion, Community-Engaged Lifestyle Medicine (CELM), and research exposure. Trainees go through various evaluations, including direct observation and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), culminating in certification. A clinical fellowship in Preventive and Lifestyle Medicine, they noted, is offered by UP-Philippine General Hospital and Antique Medical Center for advanced training on complex chronic disease cases.
Palma et al. also noted the need for a synergistic multi-professional partnership in education and policymaking, with educators, coaches, nurses, midwives, and various non-medical professionals, as highlighted by the founding of the International Federation of Lifestyle Medicine Professionals.
Institutions and platforms embracing LM
The UHC Act (RA 11223), according to the authors, requires embracing lifestyle interventions in primary healthcare. Administrative Order 2021-0063, they said, established a national health promotion framework focusing on reducing behavioral risks and incorporating LM into public health strategies. Both Joint Administrative Orders (JAO) 2022-0001 and JAO 2023-0001 were said to establish LM in educational institutions and offices, indicating a commitment to preventive health and supporting a cultural shift toward health-promoting environments.
In fact, programs, as the reviewers noted, are increasingly integrated into hospitals, outpatient clinics, and communities nationwide. Specialists in cardiology, endocrinology, psychiatry, obstetrics-gynecology, rehabilitation medicine, and oncology are now said to refer patients for lifestyle medicine interventions, showing wide acceptance across various specialties.
Local government units have also passed laws to institutionalize lifestyle medicine practices, they noted. These laws are said to secure continued funding for lifestyle-based public health programs and protect against political changes, ensuring service continuity at the local level. A significant achievement discussed by the authors is the Department of Health's initiative for physicians in regions like Calabarzon and Mimaropa to undergo LM training. Over 130 healthcare workers reportedly completed basic training, with half pursuing advanced certification, with support from DOH and PCLM scholarships.
In the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the review noted that the Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo Station Hospital (AFP-CGEASH) was converted into an LM and wellness center to alleviate the burden of NCDs on hospitals. Selected military staff have been required to complete LM training. The Philippine National Police, on the other hand, was noted to be integrating LM through routine assessments and counseling programs, with plans to extend this to regional offices.
Another LM-forward institution that the review discussed is the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), which, together with PCLM and Remnant Institute, is noted to develop nutrition-sensitive agriculture programs that link farming, culinary medicine, and LM. Such program teaches communities to grow and prepare healthy food, addressing gaps in access to healthy options and supporting LM at the community level. Notably, the Asian Institute of Culinary Medicine, Palma et al. said, offers courses that connect nutrition science with cooking skills, helping clinicians provide better meal planning advice and promote adherence to dietary recommendations.
As for digital lifestyle medicine platforms, Palma et al. cited Lifestyle Medicine Solutions (LMS) for expanding access to lifestyle medicine via telehealth, remote monitoring, and interactive educational tools, facilitating continuing care and real-time patient interaction.
Future
As LM is integrated into the UHC framework, it will help achieve UHC’s goal to improve “chronic disease rates, [h]ealth outcomes, and [h]ealthcare costs.” Palma et al. opined that LM in the country hinges on three priorities: expanding training programs, establishing reimbursement systems, and enhancing local research. Reimbursement is noted to be critical for successful integration into primary care, as it allows providers to be compensated for LM services such as counseling, shared appointments, and behavioral programs. They recommended increasing collaboration across sectors, strengthening academic integration, and reforming policies to make LM a reimbursable standard component of healthcare in the Philippines.
The Philippine healthcare system has traditionally focused on treating illnesses instead of preventing them and promoting health. It currently faces the challenge of managing both infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Palma et al. (2025) recently reviewed the history of lifestyle medicine (LM) in the country and how this discipline is central to primary healthcare, especially in addressing the growing NCD crisis. Recent legislative efforts under Republic Act 11223, the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, have started shifting the focus from reactive disease treatment to proactive prevention, led by the Philippine College of Lifestyle Medicine (PCLM). As of 2024, Philippine Statistics Authority reported 68 percent of annual deaths resulting from NCDs, which are linked to lifestyle factors such as unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking. [Am J Lifestyle Med 2025 Mar 15:15598276251326548]
According to Palma et al., before PCLM was established in 2019, LM gained track in the country in the late 1980s via a community-based health program that melded LM with spirituality. This early initiative strongly resonated with Filipino sociocultural values. Then, the Complete Health Improvement Program made LM more organized in the next decade, with evidence-based approach to measurable improvements in chronic disease risk factors. It was said to be established first at the Adventist Medical Center Manila, which marked the mainstreaming of LM as a practice. A similar government initiative was also reportedly implemented nationwide in 2010. PCLM’s precursor was the Philippine Organization of Lifestyle Medicine, which was founded in 2015. Despite growth, LM, Palma et al. said, had many skeptics in the medical community, as it was said to be commonly mistaken for alternative medicine.
Current status of LM
PCLM, Palma et al. said, has played an essential role in professionalizing the education, practice, and research in LM, working together with LM entities around the world, such as the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Educational institutions have followed suit; for instance, the Adventist University of the Philippines, the authors said, introduced an LM-focused master’s coursework in public health, while its medical school embraced LM in its curriculum. Significantly, the Philippine Medical Association accredited PCLM in 2022 as a family medicine subspecialty society.
Furthermore, the review highlighted the Competency-Based Lifestyle Medicine Education (CBLME), which helps guarantee standard training in LM for healthcare professionals in the Philippines. It is a framework centered on measurable outcomes, including patient assessment, behavior-change counseling, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, and substance cessation. The training, they said, involves foundational learning, mentorship, clinical immersion, Community-Engaged Lifestyle Medicine (CELM), and research exposure. Trainees go through various evaluations, including direct observation and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), culminating in certification. A clinical fellowship in Preventive and Lifestyle Medicine, they noted, is offered by UP-Philippine General Hospital and Antique Medical Center for advanced training on complex chronic disease cases.
Palma et al. also noted the need for a synergistic multi-professional partnership in education and policymaking, with educators, coaches, nurses, midwives, and various non-medical professionals, as highlighted by the founding of the International Federation of Lifestyle Medicine Professionals.
Institutions and platforms embracing LM
The UHC Act (RA 11223), according to the authors, requires embracing lifestyle interventions in primary healthcare. Administrative Order 2021-0063, they said, established a national health promotion framework focusing on reducing behavioral risks and incorporating LM into public health strategies. Both Joint Administrative Orders (JAO) 2022-0001 and JAO 2023-0001 were said to establish LM in educational institutions and offices, indicating a commitment to preventive health and supporting a cultural shift toward health-promoting environments.
In fact, programs, as the reviewers noted, are increasingly integrated into hospitals, outpatient clinics, and communities nationwide. Specialists in cardiology, endocrinology, psychiatry, obstetrics-gynecology, rehabilitation medicine, and oncology are now said to refer patients for lifestyle medicine interventions, showing wide acceptance across various specialties.
Local government units have also passed laws to institutionalize lifestyle medicine practices, they noted. These laws are said to secure continued funding for lifestyle-based public health programs and protect against political changes, ensuring service continuity at the local level. A significant achievement discussed by the authors is the Department of Health's initiative for physicians in regions like Calabarzon and Mimaropa to undergo LM training. Over 130 healthcare workers reportedly completed basic training, with half pursuing advanced certification, with support from DOH and PCLM scholarships.
In the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the review noted that the Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo Station Hospital (AFP-CGEASH) was converted into an LM and wellness center to alleviate the burden of NCDs on hospitals. Selected military staff have been required to complete LM training. The Philippine National Police, on the other hand, was noted to be integrating LM through routine assessments and counseling programs, with plans to extend this to regional offices.
Another LM-forward institution that the review discussed is the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), which, together with PCLM and Remnant Institute, is noted to develop nutrition-sensitive agriculture programs that link farming, culinary medicine, and LM. Such program teaches communities to grow and prepare healthy food, addressing gaps in access to healthy options and supporting LM at the community level. Notably, the Asian Institute of Culinary Medicine, Palma et al. said, offers courses that connect nutrition science with cooking skills, helping clinicians provide better meal planning advice and promote adherence to dietary recommendations.
As for digital lifestyle medicine platforms, Palma et al. cited Lifestyle Medicine Solutions (LMS) for expanding access to lifestyle medicine via telehealth, remote monitoring, and interactive educational tools, facilitating continuing care and real-time patient interaction.
Future
As LM is integrated into the UHC framework, it will help achieve UHC’s goal to improve “chronic disease rates, [h]ealth outcomes, and [h]ealthcare costs.” Palma et al. opined that LM in the country hinges on three priorities: expanding training programs, establishing reimbursement systems, and enhancing local research. Reimbursement is noted to be critical for successful integration into primary care, as it allows providers to be compensated for LM services such as counseling, shared appointments, and behavioral programs. They recommended increasing collaboration across sectors, strengthening academic integration, and reforming policies to make LM a reimbursable standard component of healthcare in the Philippines.