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Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes Prediabetes
Chronic Conditions
High Blood Pressure High Cholesterol Heart Disease Vascular Disease Fatty Liver Excess Weight PCOS Mild Cognitive Impairment Metabolic Syndrome
GLP-1
GLP-1 Companion Program
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Evidence-based lifestyle medicine for chronic disease care.

LifestyleRx provides physician-led programs designed to complement your care by addressing the root causes of chronic disease through structured, evidence-based lifestyle intervention.

Download referral form How referrals work
LifestyleRx patient outcomes
From outcomes of 6,859 patients
85%of patients with type 2 diabetes improve or maintain their A1C
1.05%average A1C reduction among patients with type 2 diabetes
Explore our outcomes data in more detail
The evidence

Why lifestyle medicine?

From type 2 diabetes to conditions like hypertension, dyslipidemia, fatty liver disease, and chronic inflammation, lifestyle change is not just helpful. It is foundational.

Clinical guidelines across specialties consistently recommend lifestyle interventions as first-line and ongoing therapy. But time constraints, system limitations, and competing priorities often make it difficult to deliver this care within routine practice.

Learn more about the scientific background
Referrals

When to refer.

Patients’ motivation and readiness to change fluctuate throughout their health journey, and you see the moments when they are most ready. Any one of these is a good time to refer:

New diagnosis

When patients learn that they have reached the criteria for a chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes, they are highly motivated to understand and address the root cause. A well-timed referral turns that motivation into a plan.

New prescription

Starting a new medication, especially the initial prescription, causes most patients to re-evaluate their overall health and how they are managing their disease. This is the perfect time to introduce them to our program.

Medication side effect

Patients are often caught between significant daily side effects from taking their medications and the potential for disabling complications of their disease if they don’t. Introducing patients to a comprehensive lifestyle program can be the ideal solution to this dilemma.

New lab result

The regular cadence of routine lab results provides repeat opportunities to have the lifestyle conversation. Providing brief, simple advice on a regular basis increases the likelihood that patients will take action.

These are signals, not requirements. Eligibility itself is simple: a diagnosis matching one of the referral indications below, and a provincial health card from BC, Alberta, or Ontario.

Download referral formComplete it and fax it to 1-877-735-0289. We take it from there.
The Program

One program, built around each patient.

Better Health Program

A 12-week, physician-led virtual program built on nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress resilience, with streams personalized to each patient’s condition and goals.

You identify the patient; LifestyleRx delivers the program: weekly group medical visits, 1:1 physician appointments, and dietitian support, with progress reported back to you.

85%
of patients with type 2 diabetes improve or maintain their A1C
86%
of patients for whom weight loss is a clinical goal lose weight
Source: LifestyleRx patient outcomes data
Free for patients with a provincial health card (MSP, Alberta Health, OHIP)
Referral indications
Diabetes & metabolic
Type 2 Diabetes Prediabetes Insulin Resistance Metabolic Syndrome Post GDM
Cardiovascular
Hypertension Dyslipidemia Heart Disease Atrial Fibrillation Atherosclerosis (CAD, PVD, CVA, TIA)
Weight & liver
Excess Weight (BMI >30) Fatty Liver PCOS
Also treated
Osteoarthritis Lymphedema Mild Cognitive Impairment
As listed on the referral form, which also includes an “Other” option.
Also available: GLP-1 Companion Program
Lifestyle support for patients taking a GLP-1 medication. On the referral form, you choose whether to prescribe and manage the GLP-1 yourself or have LifestyleRx prescribe and manage it, including special authority and insurance paperwork.
Download referral formComplete it and fax it to 1-877-735-0289. We take it from there.
How It Works

A proven strategy, delivered step by step.

Every Better Health program is 100% virtual.1 Weekly sessions and materials, from the comfort of home.

1
Today

Register online in minutes

Sign up from home and confirm your coverage. If a referral is required, we will arrange it for you.

Account created
Provincial health card confirmed
Intro call booked
2
This week

Start with an intro call

Your first step is a virtual info session led by our patient success team. See how the program works and make sure it is right for you before committing.

Intro Call
Booked intro call
Thursday, 6:00pm
3
Week 1

First visit: 1:1 with a physician

Your first visit is a private appointment. Review your health history and medications, and set the plan for your 12 weeks. You will also meet 1:1 midway and at the end.

Intake Visit
Dr. Byrne
Booked with Dr. Byrne
Tuesday, Jul 14, 11:00am
4
Weeks 1 to 12

Attend weekly group sessions

Every week, a physician and dietitian lead a live virtual session with a small group on the same journey, with videos, lessons, and self-assessments in between.

WEEK 3
The Turning Point
Week 3
The Metabolic Switch
Trigger fat burning with a simple 12-hour overnight fast.
Week 1 Tap a week to explore Week 12
5
After week 12

Keep building in the 12-Month Program

The first 12 weeks are just the start. The optional 12-Month Program adds monthly group visits and continued education to help you sustain your results, with community, recipes, shared wins, and real support.

Monthly Group
Booked monthly group visit
First Thursday of the month, 6:00pm
Refer a patient

One form. We handle the rest.

Download the referral form, complete it, and fax it to us. Our team contacts your patient, confirms coverage, and books their intake. You receive progress reports along the way.

1Download and complete the referral form
2Fax it to 1-877-735-0289
3We enroll your patient and keep you updated
Download referral form PDF, fillable
LifestyleRx Referral Form
Opens in a new tab

How to discuss with patients.

Three questions are usually enough to recognize a good referral:

1
Does the patient need greater awareness of how sleep, stress, nutrition, or activity affects their health?
2
Does the patient need a practical strategy for improving these areas?
3
Does the patient want help making and sustaining these changes?
A LifestyleRx physician in conversation

If the answer to any of these is yes, LifestyleRx can help.

Recording

Practitioner webinar.

Dr. Brendan Byrne
LifestyleRx Chief Medical Officer
1Background
2Physiology of type 2 diabetes
3LifestyleRx program
4Supporting primary care providers
5Results & impact
6Case studies

Frequently asked questions.

Program

Our program is an evidence-based, physician-led program that teaches patients why lifestyle changes impact insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, what they can do to improve and reverse the disease progress, and most importantly how to implement these changes in the context of their own lives.
The program starts with a lifestyle medicine consultation where patients are provided a detailed action plan based on their own behaviour, biometric and lab data.
Patients work through a 12-week curriculum supported with weekly group medical visits. Each week teaches a core behaviour of the 4+2 Diabetes Reversal Strategy and progresses through three phases: foundations, nutrition and fine-tuning.

This is the evidence-based strategy that is the basis for the program. The scientific foundations of the program is the work by Dr. Roy Taylor, whose body of work, including the DiRECT study, demonstrated that type 2 diabetes can be reversed and that remission is possible for up to half of patients.
In practice, insulin resistance is reversible with significant weight loss of up to 15%. Improvement of pancreatic function is more variable and depends on a patient’s genetics and duration of diabetes. Data from our work shows that 92% of patients have significant insulin resistance that will benefit from the 4+2 strategy. The key elements of the strategy are:
  1. Eat to lower Insulin - We teach the principles of whole-food, low glycemic load, adequate protein and fibre. These principles can be applied to any dietary or cultural preference.
  2. Use your muscles - Recognizing the important role that muscles play in metabolic health, we encourage 150-300 minutes of exercise per week building gradually from easy aerobic activity.
  3. Be kind to your liver - Since insulin resistance is driven by hepatic fat, we pay special attention to the role of alcohol, fructose and gut inflammation on the liver.
  4. Restore fat burning - Ultimately the reversal of insulin resistance is dependent on losing hepatic fat. Nutritional changes, time-restricted eating and aerobic exercise all help to improve the ability to use stored fat for energy.
The +2 reflect the role of stress and sleep play on type 2 diabetes, specifically through the impact of cortisol.

No - we teach the principles of whole-food, low glycemic load, adequate protein and fibre. These principles can be applied to any dietary or cultural preference.

We measure success through improvement we see in blood glucose control as measured by A1c.
85% of patients improve or maintain their A1C, with an average reduction of 1.05% from outcomes of 6,859 patients. In our initial efficacy review, every group of patients show significant improvements, from poorly controlled diabetics to prediabetics, with an average A1c reduction of 1.37.
Detailed outcomes data, click image to expand and open in a new tab:

No - the program is offered free to anyone with provincial health care coverage (currently in BC, Alberta and Ontario).
Patients have the option to have 1:1 coaching from a registered dietitian should they feel they need more help. Dietitian fees are not covered by provincial plans, but many third-party insurers do provide coverage. About 20% of patients opt for 1:1 coaching.

Referring

In Ontario, all of our LifestyleRx physicians are internal medicine specialists, so you will not be penalized.
In British Columbia, we have internal medicine specialists available and if you indicate a preference on your referral, we will ensure they are seen only by specialist providers.

No - LifestyleRx was designed purely to provide the lifestyle guidance that is part of every clinical practice guideline in the world. We recognize that there is a lot more to diabetic care that requires ongoing follow-up from the primary care provider and/or specialist.

Unless specifically requested, we do not prescribe and only provide suggestions back to the primary care provider. The only exceptions will be guidance we provide to patients to reduce dosages of insulin or sulfonylurea medications due to imminent threat of hypoglycemia.

No - we only bill for consultations, follow-ups and group medical visits. These billings have no impact on chronic disease incentives.
In practices with alternative payment structures, where our GP billing may penalize, consultation and visits exclusively with an internal medicine specialist may be requested. In Ontario, all practitioners are specialists.

Get in touch & we would be happy to talk with you more. Please fill out this form.

We start by doing an intake call with your patient to answer all of their questions about the program, schedule their appointments and group session, and get them oriented.

No - at most patients may have to wait 4-6 weeks for their first physician appointment.

We have multiple start dates available every month. Patients can enroll any time.

Download referral formComplete it and fax it to 1-877-735-0289. We take it from there.
Ready to refer?

Download the referral form, complete it, and fax it to 1-877-735-0289. We handle enrollment from there.

Download referral form
Posters & handouts

We can ship you posters, handouts, and other LifestyleRx materials for your clinic.

Request Materials