Lifestyle Medicine Program
617-726-1920
Call the lifestyle medicine program at 617-726-1920
About this program
The Lifestyle Medicine Program offers personalized one-on-one consultations with our lifestyle medicine team. These visits are currently being held virtually and you will be booked for an appointment regardless of Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute location, and as appointments are available.
During these virtual visits, you’ll meet one-on-one with a physician or nurse practitioner who specializes in lifestyle medicine in the oncology setting. After your initial consultation, this provider will refer you to any appropriate additional services, including but not limited to:
- Behavioral Medicine
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
- Cognitive Toxicity Clinic
- Cancer Rehabilitation Center
- Mass General Weight Center
- Nutrition
- Physical Therapy
- Sexual Health
- Sleep Medicine
- Stress Management and Resiliency Training Program for Cancer
To make an appointment for the Lifestyle Medicine Program please ask your oncology team to place a referral.
What is lifestyle medicine?
Lifestyle medicine uses evidence-based changes in everyday habits to support overall health, improve quality of life, and help prevent disease.
The Lifestyle Medicine Program at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute offers personalized consultations and group visits for patients with cancer and those with a history of cancer. Our experts work with you to understand your needs and goals, develop a practical plan, and help you build healthy habits that fit your life.
The foundations of our program include:
- Exercise: Discuss ways to be active and resume exercise based on your current fitness level, personal goals, and cancer treatment.
- Nutrition: Individualized, evidence-based sustainable advice to help you make healthy eating choices that fit your lifestyle.
- Positive Behavior Changes: Making healthy lifestyle changes is more than the sum of these parts. Finding ways to put these principles together into a workable action plan to build resilience is the goal.
- Risky Substances Avoidance: Reduce or eliminate use of substances that cause harm such as tobacco and alcohol.
- Sleep Improvement: Improve sleep health by creating an achievable plan that incorporates behaviors such as bedtime routine and relaxation strategies.
- Social Connections: Encouraging individuals to maintain and strengthen valued relationships as well as form new connections that bring meaning and purpose to their lives.
- Stress Management: Develop strategies for reducing stress levels, integrating mindfulness into your life, and adopting other healthy lifestyle behaviors to improve your quality of life and mood.
We understand that when making lifestyle changes it can be hard to know where to start! Our experts will evaluate your personal needs and work with you on defining the steps needed to help you achieve your goals. We look forward to meeting you.
Who is the program right for?
Any Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute patient can benefit from this program.
Virtual group visits
The Lifestyle Medicine Virtual Group Visit Program is a 6-week clinical program during which our lifestyle medicine experts will provide education, tools, and resources on various healthy lifestyle topics related to cancer survivorship. Participants will have the chance to discuss their experiences regarding starting or resuming healthy habits after cancer treatment in a supportive group setting.
Group visit models can offer an informative, supportive and interactive environment to learn the skills that will help you to make lasting healthy behavior changes.
Group visits FAQs
Group Visit Topics:
- Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine: we will define lifestyle medicine and its role in cancer care as well as explore the six pillars (physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and social connections).
- Physical Activity and Goal Setting after a diagnosis of cancer: learn about the science that supports exercise to prevent, treat and help manage chronic disease, including cancer as well as to manage side effects of cancer and cancer treatments.
- Nutrition in Cancer Survivorship: learn the evidenced-based nutrition recommendations for cancer survivors and for chronic disease risk reduction.
- Sleep and Stress Management: learn tips for improving sleep with lifestyle and strategies for managing stress. We will review the science of sleep and stress management and provide practical tips for relaxation strategies.