Thai Lifestyle Medicine and Wellbeing Association

TLWA

Conference

About

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
…from the Constitution of the World Health Organization

About TLWA

As people in countries throughout the world are becoming increasingly interested in the modification of their lifestyle to strengthen their physical and mental health. This will lead to the long term disease prevention and treatment for chronic non-communicable diseases that result from unhealthy lifestyle. A group of medical doctors who are interested in this field of study and realize the importance of having doctors and medically related professionals gathering together in an organization that allows the gaining and sharing of knowledge, experience, understanding and best practices of this field of medicine among those interested individuals who live in the country and abroad. Such establishment will also serve to collaborate with other Thai and foreign institutions in developing the up-to-date knowledge and advanced techniques in practicing Lifestyle Medicine and promoting Wellbeing.

Thai Lifestyle Medicine and Wellbeing Association or TLWA is therefore established by the group of medical doctors with the following objectives:

Widely promote academic knowledge of and medical practice that employs the use of Lifestyle Medicine in accordance with academic principle.
Promote the study and research on Lifestyle Medicine
Promote continuous education of Lifestyle Medicine through collaboration with other institutions, both within and outside Thailand
Support knowledge and experience sharing in the field of Lifestyle Medicine among the association members and members of other associations of similar or different interests, both within and outside Thailand
Disseminate the knowledge and promote disease prevention with the use of Lifestyle Medicine to the general public
Serve as an association that is not directly or indirectly involved in any political or gambling activity.

The association is a not-for-profit organization and is governed by statutes and bylaws. TLWA resides in the house of medicine and is 100% evidence-based. It is a democratically-elected physician-led organization, financially transparent and inclusive. TLWA is neutral in terms of politics, religion, gender, race or nationality.

Lifestyle
Medicine

According to American College of Lifestyle Medicine, “lifestyle medicine uses evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic approaches to prevent, treat and often times reverse lifestyle-related chronic diseases. The lifestyle medicine approach includes a predominantly whole food, plant-based diet, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substance use, and use of other non-drug modalities that promote health and prevent disease”.

And according to the Lifestyle Medicine Board Review Manual, “lifestyle medicine is a distinct field of medicine aimed at “treating the cause” of most of our modern diseases with the strongest evidence-based modalities available. Since most modern diseases are caused by lifestyle, lifestyle changes must be part of the cure. Although portions of lifestyle medicine (especially nutrition and physical activity) are included in other fields of medicine, lifestyle medicine is distinct because lifestyle change is prescribed as the first-line and most important therapy for disease treatment and reversal. Evidence-based medications and other modalities are used, but only to supplement changes in lifestyle. Lifestyle medicine requires patient engagement and responsibility for treatment outcomes. Treatments are long term. A provider acts as both a medical expert and a coach. Lifestyle medicine is cost-saving, unlike most non-lifestyle medical services…..

…Lifestyle medicine elements and intervention modalities