ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the research and clinical features of intensive therapeutic lifestyle change treatment (ITLC). ITLC can produce dramatic treatment effects in hours or days, such as improved cardiac perfusion and increased insulin sensitivity. Major research studies of ITLC treatment are instructive and should be used to plan and provide patient experiences. The strongest and most compelling evidence for the effectiveness of therapeutic lifestyle change comes from studies of ITLC because it produces the most dramatic treatment effects, just as higher dosing of pharmacological agents does. ITLC utilizes an intensive, total-immersion approach to change rather than the more gradual, incremental changes commonly recommended by clinicians. The dramatic improvements produced by an immersive and intensive lifestyle change, as well as the simplicity of the changes, transforms patients’ perspective about lifestyle change through the development of hope. Participants learned the importance of making healthful lifestyle choices and how to make improvements in nutrition and physical activity.
