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Using Lifestyle Medicine to Optimize Outcomes in Connective Tissue Diseases
This session is a recorded presentation from ACLM’s LM2024 Annual Conference, featuring leading experts and timely, clinically relevant content in lifestyle medicine.
When we delve into autoimmune connective tissue diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), our focus often centers on medications to manage inflammatory activity. While biologic medications and disease modifying drugs (DMARDS) have been instrumental in reducing joint damage, rashes and other manifestations, often patients still don’t feel “well”. There is a crucial aspect we tend to overlook: lifestyle interventions that can significantly impact how patients feel. From a broad perspective, physical environment, mindfulness, physical activity, sleep hygiene, and diet can positively impact disease activity in a complementary fashion to traditional allopathic therapy. In this session participants will explore why, while it is imperative to treat active inflammatory activity with immunomodulatory agents, it is equally important to treat lifestyle factors that can contribute to worsening disease activity or long-term sequela.
This course expires September 21, 2027 at 11:59 PM PST.
Target Audience
This course is applicable for the interprofessional healthcare team including physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician associates, registered dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, other health professionals working with chronic disease prevention or treatment, certified health coaches, and clinicians in training.
Learning Objectives
- Discuss the impact of nutrition and stress on rheumatic autoimmune diseases.
- Describe how physical activity and sleep disturbances influence autoimmune disease.
- Identify lifestyle medicine and education interventions to optimize outcomes for patients with autoimmune disease.
Neha Bhanusali, MD
Dr. Neha Bhanusali, an integrative rheumatologist, brings a wealth of experience in diagnosing and treating diverse auto-immune disease states and health concerns, with a central focus on enhancing patients’ lives through personalized and patient-centric care. In her pursuit of an individualized health care approach, she explores the multifaceted impact of diet, nutrition, mindset, sleep, exercise, and stress reduction on inflammation associated with rheumatic diseases like gout, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, myositis and other autoimmune conditions. Her ultimate goal is to elevate disease management and enhance the overall quality of life for her patients. By blending allopathic medicine with complementary therapies, she provides a holistic and integrative approach to patient care, ensuring a well-rounded and personalized treatment experience. Dr. Bhanusali holds triple board certifications in Rheumatology, Internal Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine. Her academic journey includes earning her medical degree followed by a residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai West in New York. She further honed her skills through a fellowship in Rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, solidifying her foundation in the field. Before joining UCF Health, Dr. Bhanusali served as an Assistant Professor of Immunology, Allergy, and Rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. As an Associate Professor of Medicine at the UCF College of Medicine, Dr. Bhanusali continues to impart her wealth of knowledge to medical students, residents and fellows fostering a new generation of compassionate and well-informed healthcare providers. Dr. Bhanusali is an active member of the American College of Rheumatology, highlighting her dedication to staying abreast of the latest advancements in her field. Beyond her clinical and academic pursuits, she has demonstrated a humanitarian spirit by traveling around the world as a medical volunteer, contributing to global health initiatives.
Accreditation Statement, Disclosure Information, and Credit Designation Statements
Joint Providership Statement: In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by RUSH University Medical Center and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. RUSH University Medical Center is Jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing medical education for the healthcare team.
Disclosure Information
Unapproved Uses of Drugs/Devices: In accordance with requirements of the FDA, the audience is advised that information presented in this continuing medical education activity may contain references to unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices. Please refer to the FDA approved package insert for each drug/device for full prescribing/utilization information.
It is the policy of the Interprofessional Continuing Education office at RUSH to ensure that its CE activities are independent, free of commercial bias. Therefore, we manage all financial relationships associated with accredited continuing education activities. RUSH asks everyone who has the ability to control or influence the content of an educational activity to disclose information about all of their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months.
An ineligible company is an entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. There is no minimum threshold; individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. Individuals must disclose regardless of their view of the relevance of relationships to education. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any potential conflicts of interest prior to the planning, implementation, or evaluation of the continuing education activity. If a financial relationship is identified for the person in control of content, conflict mitigation strategies will be used to mitigate the financial relationship before they assume their role.
Individuals in control of content for this activity have the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose and all financial relationships have been mitigated.
| Name | Disclosure |
| Rohit Moghe, PharmD, MSPH, CDCES | Member, Speaker's Bureau - Novo Nordisk |
All other individuals in control of content have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.
Available Credit
- 1.00 AAFP Prescribed
The AAFP has reviewed Using Lifestyle Medicine to Optimize Outcomes in Connective Tissue Diseases and deemed it acceptable for up to 1.00 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credit(s). Term of Approval is from 9/18/2025 to 9/18/2025. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. .
- 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participation completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
- 1.00 ABLM MOC
The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine has approved 1.00 maintenance of certification credits (MOC) for this learning activity.
- 1.00 ABS Accredited CME
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.
- 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy
Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacists.
- 1.00 ACPE Technician
Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacy technicians.
- 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Rush Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- 1.00 ANCC
Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 nursing contact hour(s).
- 1.00 APA
Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 CE credits in psychology. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship in the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
- 1.00 ASWB
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Rush University Medical Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved continuing education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 general continuing education credits.
- 1.00 CPEU
This enduring material has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Completion of this activity awards 1.00 CPEUs.
- 1.00 Occupational Therapy CE
Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.
- 1.00 Participation (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for non-MDs)
Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- 1.00 Physical Therapy CE
Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.
Price
ACLM member and category discounts are applied at checkout.
| Non-member | ACLM Members |
|---|---|
| $40 | $30 |
Access to online material is granted through the term of approval, which ends September 21, 2027.
Participant User Agreement (Terms of Use and Copyright)
Before registering for a Continuing Education/Continuing Medical Education Course (“Training”) for the first time, carefully review the following conditions of usage at https://lifestylemedicine.org/terms-of-use-and-copyright/
Registering for an American College of Lifestyle Medicine Course indicates your acceptance of the Participant User Agreement and its terms and conditions.
Required Hardware/software
This course can be viewed on desktop or tablet using a modern browser and most mobile devices. Speakers or headphones are required for this course.