Hello, I am Dr. Joan Hunter, an Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine Board Certified physician and wellness advocate. I am glad you are here to learn more about Lifestyle Medicine and how it might work in your health journey.
As a native of Louisiana, I grew up loving food. However healthy lifestyles are not prevalent in the South and I grew up overweight and inactive. Some of that changed when I moved to Atlanta for college, but medical school back in New Orleans led me back to some old habits. My professional journey took me to the Pacific Northwest, where I learned over the last decade to be active and enjoy a new style of eating and living. I spent most of 2020 building upon my personal interest in nutrition and wellness to become Lifestyle Medicine Board certified. I love pairing the simple tenants of Lifestyle Medicine with my knowledge as a physician, as well as my experience as someone who has personally changed her habits to move into a healthy lifestyle. I would love to help you find your own path to wellness and vitality.
Lifestyle Medicine is the use of evidence-based lifestyle therapeutic approaches, such as a plant-predominant dietary lifestyle, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and other non-drug modalities to treat, often reverse, and prevent lifestyle-related chronic disease.