{"id":5550,"date":"2022-05-24T23:37:52","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T23:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifestylemedicine.org\/?p=5550"},"modified":"2025-07-10T22:08:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T22:08:58","slug":"restored-health-with-lifestyle-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifestylemedicine.org\/restored-health-with-lifestyle-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"“Your results are normal!” The story of how one woman with diabetes and chronic fatigue restored her health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Your results are normal!\u201d The story of how one woman with diabetes and chronic fatigue restored her health<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\n

A team of health experts in the St. Luke\u2019s Health System Lifestyle Medicine Department helped Deena Clark make lifestyle behavior changes that relieved her body\u2019s stress.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

May 24, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Deena Clark had type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver and chronic fatigue when she discovered the lifestyle medicine program at St. Luke\u2019s Health System in Boise, Idaho.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intensive program featured a multidisciplinary health team committed to helping her make sustainable changes to her health habits related to the six pillars of lifestyle medicine defined by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine \u2014 nutrition, physical activity, stress management, restorative sleep, positive social connection and avoidance of risky substances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, it was a little intimidating because I didn\u2019t know what to expect,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It became clear quickly that Clark needed to \u201cjump into the water,\u201d said Jennifer Shalz, MD, DipABLM, medical director of St. Luke\u2019s Lifestyle Medicine Department. Under the care of the St. Luke\u2019s lifestyle medicine team, Clark transitioned to a whole food, plant-predominant diet, addressed her sleep issues and developed a regular physical activity program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon, her energy began to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe plant-based diet allowed me to reduce my medications,\u201d Clark said. \u201cIt had a direct result on my chronic fatigue. It took me awhile to understand the stress that my body was under.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark was fortunate to find a health system committed to integrating lifestyle medicine into its patient care. The World Health Organization estimates that 80 percent of non-communicable conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke are preventable through lifestyle behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Luke\u2019s Health System, a founding member of ACLM\u2019s Health Systems Council, a collaborative learning community of health systems that have actively begun integrating lifestyle medicine programs into their organizations, \u201chad the vision to move into more of a value-based care model,\u201d Dr. Shalz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n