The Six Pillars
Six evidence-based pillars, one whole-person approach to preventing and treating chronic disease, at the heart of everything ASLM teaches.
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Six Pillars, One Whole-Person Approach
The six pillars, healthy eating, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, social connection and the avoidance of risky substances, are the evidence-based foundations of Lifestyle Medicine. Together, they address the everyday drivers of chronic disease, rather than treating symptoms in isolation.
No single pillar works alone. A practitioner might start with one conversation about sleep or movement, but the real impact comes from treating each pillar as a connected part of a person’s whole life, not a checklist to work through one by one
Purpose
The six pillars target the everyday causes of chronic disease, not just symptoms.
Evidence
Each pillar is backed by peer-reviewed research and mainstream clinical guidelines.
Who it supports
Every discipline: GPs, nurses, allied health professionals and specialists, in daily practice.
Next step
See how each pillar applies in practice, and where to start.
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Six Pillars Working Together
Each pillar, healthy eating, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, social connection and the avoidance of risky substances, matters on its own. But Lifestyle Medicine’s real strength is treating them as connected parts of one person’s life. Improving sleep, for example, often makes it easier to manage stress, stay active and eat well.
There’s significant evidence behind all six pillars individually. Where the research is still developing is the cumulative effect of addressing several pillars together. Yet, this is where evidence-informed practice and clinical judgement matter most. What matters is working with each patient to decide where to start, based on their life, not a script.
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Your Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Not sure where to start? These are the questions practitioners ask us most.
What is ASLM, and who is it actually for?
ASLM is the peak multidisciplinary professional body for Lifestyle Medicine in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, bringing together GPs, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers, students and health coaches around evidence-based, whole-person care.
Is Lifestyle Medicine an evidence-based clinical discipline, not a wellness trend?
Lifestyle Medicine is a clinical discipline delivered by qualified health professionals and held to the same evidence standards as any other area of medicine. ASLM draws a clear line between wellness as a trend and wellbeing as a genuine clinical outcome.
I already talk to patients about lifestyle. Why is this different?
Lifestyle Medicine goes beyond a conversation. It’s a structured, evidence-based clinical approach with defined pathways, tools and outcomes, backed by training, credentialing and a body of research most general lifestyle advice doesn’t draw on.
Why is Lifestyle Medicine multidisciplinary, isn't this mainly for GPs?
Lifestyle Medicine belongs to every health profession. Nurses, allied health professionals, health coaches, researchers and GPs all play a genuine role, working together rather than in separate silos to support whole-person care.
Does Accreditation or Fellowship change my scope of practice?
ASLM is a professional association, not a Registered Training Organisation. Accreditation and Fellowship don’t grant the right to practise independently or change your scope of practice, they add recognised Lifestyle Medicine competencies to your existing qualifications, recognised by your colleagues, RACGP, RNZCGP and ACRRM.
What's the difference between Accreditation and Fellowship?
Accreditation (AALM) recognises your foundation training in evidence-based, whole-person care. Fellowship is ASLM’s highest honour, recognising sustained expertise and leadership. Explore our education pathways to find the right starting point.
Is this only for prevention, or does it treat disease too?
Lifestyle Medicine is used across the full spectrum, from preventing chronic disease to treating and, in many cases, reversing it, alongside conventional care for existing conditions.
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