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September 2025
Welcome member to
Your Home of Lifestyle Medicine News
September is always a special month for BSLM, and this year in Brighton was no exception. Our annual conference brought the community together by the sea, filling the city with energy, ideas and inspiration.
We are so grateful to everyone who joined us, whether in person or online, and to our Members whose support makes this work possible. The passion and commitment within this community continue to drive Lifestyle Medicine forward.
Below you will find your guide to what’s been happening in Lifestyle Medicine this month, highlights from September at BSLM, and a look at what’s coming up in October.
In this month's Newsletter...
HEADLINE NEWS
BSLM25: A Snapshot
Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback, whether directly or through social media. It has been such a pleasure to see the impact BSLM 2025 has had on you, your work, and your enthusiasm for Lifestyle Medicine.
We are so happy that so many of you could join us, whether in person in Brighton or virtually from around the world. The energy, ideas, and connections made at the conference were truly inspiring, and it’s wonderful to see them translating into action in your practices and communities.
Below is a visual snapshot capturing some of the highlights and memories from the conference. We hope it brings back a little of the magic and excitement from BSLM 2025!
A huge thank you from all of us at Team BSLM. It was wonderful to connect with so many of you at BSLM 2025, and we look forward to seeing you again next year!
Looking Ahead to BSLM2026 in Warwick
Looking to beat the post-conference blues? We have some exciting news. BSLM2026 is already in motion and will take place in Warwick from 10th to 12th September 2026. We can’t wait to see you there!
Make sure to grab your exclusive Early Bird Special Delegate ticket to BSLM2026. This is the lowest price the conference will ever be and is available to anyone attending. You can find your ticket on the CrowdComms platform.
If you have suggestions for future speakers or topics you would like to see at BSLM2026, please email us at office@bslm.org.uk.
General ticket sales are expected to open at the end of January, so act fast to get the best price during the Members Super Early Bird period. Don’t forget the Gala Dinner, which has sold out for the last three years. Please note there is an additional cost for the Gala Dinner ticket.
LIFESTYLE MEDICINE IN FOCUS
Some noteworthy lifestyle medicine features within the recent news in Britain.
Dr Trevor Thompson, who teaches Lifestyle Medicine at Bristol University, has recently published an article in the British Journal of General Practice examining the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) and opportunities to better integrate Lifestyle Medicine into medical education.
The article highlights the importance of equipping doctors with practical skills to support patients’ health, lifestyle, and wellbeing, while also understanding the wider social factors that influence health outcomes. Dr Thompson emphasises that recognising and responding to inequalities in patients’ lives is as important as clinical knowledge:
“Where a doctor perceives discriminatory inequities, they need the skills to advocate in support of the individual.”
He also highlights the value of preparing medical students to initiate meaningful lifestyle conversations and guide patients to appropriate support:
“Candidates should also be able to initiate meaningful lifestyle conversations around nutrition, sleep, physical activity, and alcohol use, and demonstrate competence in signposting patients to appropriate support for challenges such as unsafe housing, safeguarding concerns, or trauma.”
By exploring how Lifestyle Medicine can be integrated into medical education, the article offers insight into how future doctors can be better equipped to provide patient-centred care that considers both patients’ health and social complexity.
Youth-led charity Bite Back is using this year’s Party Conferences to spotlight its #CommercialBreak campaign. The campaign draws attention to the influence of unhealthy food advertising on young people and calls for stronger measures to protect children from commercial pressures.
Bite Back campaigners have already shared their message at the Liberal Democrats’ conference and will continue their work at the Labour Party Conference. By bringing their campaign to these events, they aim to ensure that decision makers hear directly from young people about the issues that matter to them.
You can keep up with the campaign and hear from the youth activists involved by following Bite Back’s social media channels throughout the conference season.
BSLM 2025 Abstracts now available!
If you joined us at BSLM25, you may have seen the Poster Tour or noticed selected abstracts featured in the conference programme. Many of these submissions are now published in the Lifestyle Medicine Journal.
We are proud of the high-quality work submitted and showcased at this year’s Annual Conference. You can explore the abstract categories and submissions online here.
Other Lifestyle Medicine News and Events
We want to advise our followers that we as a charity welcome membership from organisations aligned with our aims, and in line with strict ethical and sponsorship policies in order to provide funding sources to the charity.
If you have a query around the subject matter we will happily discuss this with you, do drop us a DM or email: Office@bslm.org.uk as we want to make sure this content is a good fit for you.
Linwoods Health Foods: Support Your Gut Health Naturally
A healthy gut is essential for a strong immune system. Linwoods Health Foods’ Immune Support contains Ganeden BC30 culture, is a source of fibre, and is high in Vitamin D.
Simply add 30g daily to your breakfast, yogurt, or salads for a simple boost to your gut health and overall wellbeing.
Institute for Optimum Nutrition: The Colourful Kitchen Collection
We are excited to share The Colourful Kitchen Collection from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION). This cookbook features 80+ nourishing recipes created by ION alumni, from energising breakfasts to wholesome dinners, all designed with health and wellbeing in mind.
All proceeds support ION’s mission to make personalised nutrition more accessible for everyone.
Eat well. Live well. Make a difference.
LATEST NEWS AT BSLM
As some of you may have seen at BSLM 2025, we are excited to announce the upcoming launch of our new journal, Lifestyle Medicine Advances, expected in spring 2026. The journal will showcase research, reviews, and letters from across the health and care spectrum, highlighting the multidisciplinary and global nature of Lifestyle Medicine.
To support members in contributing, Dr Ed Maile, BSLM’s Director of Science and Research, will host a webinar on 28th October at 7pm UK time (also recorded) on How to Publish Lifestyle Medicine Research. This will be a great opportunity for students, early-career researchers, and established professionals to learn more about the publishing process and how to get involved.
We encourage submissions from across regions, cultures, and professional backgrounds, and hope to inspire younger researchers and conference participants to share their work, including through poster submissions at our annual conference. Further details and guidance will be shared once our Editor in Chief is confirmed, and we will continue to provide updates and support as the journal develops.
Don’t forget to sign up to receive Lifestyle Medicine Advances articles straight to your inbox.
Launching Let's Walk More
We were thrilled to launch Let’s Walk More at BSLM 2025, alongside the new Walking Health Service (WHS) developed by Prof Sir Muir Gray.
This initiative highlights brisk walking as a simple and powerful tool for prevention and better health. As Sir Muir explains in The Walking Cure, just 30 minutes of brisk walking a day at a pace that raises your breathing while still allowing conversation can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia, and certain cancers. Walking also supports mental wellbeing, strengthens mobility, and improves quality of life at any age.
Now it’s your turn to get involved. Make sure to fit in your brisk walking each day, which you can track using the NHS Active 10 app, and share your walks with us on social media using #LetsWalkMore.
Discover more about the vision for the Walking Health Service and Let’s Walk More through the links below.
If you missed the launch, Sir Muir’s full conference talk will be available on demand via our website soon.
BSLM 2025: Purpose in Life Values & Principles – What do they mean for us?
BSLM 2025 brought together over 1,300 delegates from 44 countries and 62 expert speakers. It was inspiring to see so many healthcare professionals connecting, learning, and driving change in Lifestyle Medicine.
As we reflect on the conference, Sir Al Aynsley-Green’s closing thoughts highlighted four important questions for the future of healthcare:
Are Allied Health Professionals fully included in our thinking?
How are we recognising the impact of family, relationships, grief and loss?
Where is the platform for the Voice of Lived Experience?
How are we promoting the importance of compassionate care across membership and workplaces?
These questions sit at the heart of BSLM’s mission, and we are proud of the progress being made in each area.
For those who could not join us at BSLM 2025, the full video of Sir Al Aynsley-Green’s reflections is available on our website. You can also explore the four themes and see how we are advancing them across our membership and practice.
“Working in the NHS is hard, but because of Lifestyle Medicine, I’m not going anywhere” – Dr Sheena Fraser, GP & Trainer
In her latest blog, Dr Sheena Fraser reflects on the challenges facing GPs today, from rising workloads to burnout, and how Lifestyle Medicine has transformed her career. After discovering Lifestyle Medicine at BSLM 2018, she completed the IBLM Certificate in 2020 and has since been actively contributing to BSLM’s learning academy.
Dr Fraser, alongside Dr Siobhan McCormack, developed one of BSLM’s first microbiome courses and launched the Microbiome Medics podcast, now in the top 10% of medical podcasts. Incorporating Lifestyle Medicine into her practice has allowed her patients to manage and even reverse chronic diseases, while also reducing her own prescribing workload and stress levels.
Sheena’s work now includes group consultations for the Scottish Government’s cardiovascular disease prevention program, which have been highly successful and well received by patients. Lifestyle Medicine has not only revitalised her career but also helped prevent burnout and given her hope for the future of general practice.
On Day One of BSLM 2025, we were delighted to welcome Dr Margaret McCartney for a session on Lifestyle Education: Conflicts of Interest and the Distortion of Evidence. Her talk highlighted the importance of understanding how conflicts of interest can influence healthcare evidence, a crucial topic for anyone working in the field.
You can learn more about Dr McCartney’s work at the Centre for Evidence and Values via the link below.
Have you been inspired by the conversations at the BSLM 2025 Annual Conference and want to continue your learning?
A good place to start is Essential Lifestyle Medicine, a textbook with chapters from leading experts including Richard Pinder, Rob Lawson, Alex Maxwell, Kate Woolley and Ellen Fallows, with contributions from BSLM and Imperial College.
The book explores the current consensus on Lifestyle Medicine, how it is defined and practiced in the UK, and the three core principles of practice.
Use code BSLM2025 at checkout to receive 20% off via Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
If you are ready to take a deeper dive into the evidence base for Lifestyle Medicine, you can also sign up for our Core Accreditation.
What's happening in Our Communities?
Voices of Lived Experience Update
Thank you to our wonderful voice of lived experience team for attending BSLM 2025 and sharing their experiences living with and recovering from chronic illness. The sessions included a brief overview of why the team has been set up with each member introducing themselves giving a rundown of their story of recovery in action. It was then over the audience to ask questions and engage. The feedback from delegates has been fantastic. They especially valued the opportunity to engage openly and honestly in discussions on sensitive topics—such as the language used when giving a diagnosis —and how healthcare professionals can improve their communication and relationships with patients.
Please remember to signpost your patients to their new peer webinar series running every other Thursday.
One of our Voices of Lived Experience group members, Emma Toms, has shared their reflections on BSLM 2025 in a Substack post. Opening the Space offers a personal perspective on the conference experience and the conversations that unfolded.
Is there something like Live Well East Lothian that you refer your patients to, or something that instills a sense of community and wellbeing? Let us know below, we'd love to share initiatives like this one near you!
FEATURED BSLM EVENTS
Head to the dedicated BSLM events page for the full list of upcoming events...
With September focused on BSLM 2025 in Brighton, our webinar series took a short pause. We’re now back for October, so make sure you sign up for the upcoming session.
Our previous webinars are below if you want to catch up on them!
Schedule the below in your diary for October 2025!
NHS Lothian Diabetes MCN Professional Education Conference 2025 | 1st October 2025 | COSLA Conference Centre, Edinburgh
Join us for a day of learning, discussion, and networking with colleagues across NHS Lothian. The conference will cover key updates in diabetes care and provide a platform for shared insights and collaboration.
Voices of Lived Experience Webinar Series | 9th and 23rd October 2025/ 9th and 20th November | Online
We are excited to share a new fortnightly webinar series, taking place every other Thursday! This free webinar series is aimed at people living with a chronic illness or condition who are looking to hear from others navigating similar paths.
Social touch; and experience of using and working with the NHS: “Good in parts”- Ageing Well Public Talks Series | Webinar | 15th October 11:00am-12:30pm
In this talk Susannah will explore social touch and engaging with people across the lifespan. Positive social, tactile interactions support our well-being, a lack of physical contact is detrimental to both our physical and mental health. We will also be joined by Alan who will discuss his lived experience of living with Diabetes type 2 and how he used his expertise of project management from the world of work, to address his own health challenges. He also shares his experiences with his mother’s care in her last years. “We should remember the great service the staff provide to millions, even when we have a concern.”
Digestive Health Edusocial with Culinary Medicine UK | 17th October 2025 | The Vincent Rooms, 76 Vincent Square London SW1P 2PD | 18:00-21:00
Join this edusocial with Culinary Medicine UK: learn more about digestive health, watch culinary demonstrations and network with fellow HCPs.
Diabetes Professional Care | 21-22 October | Olympia London
Join them on 21-22 October 2025 at Olympia London for insightful case studies, key clinical and policy updates, cutting-edge developments in treatments and technologies, and compelling patient stories on their unique journeys. You'll discover ways to foster collaboration across the spectrum of care and improve the quality of life and outcomes for people living with diabetes.
How to Publish Lifestyle Medicine Research | Online | 28th October 2025 19:00-19:45pm
Undertaking and publishing research is crucial to the continued development of Lifestyle Medicine as an evidence-based discipline. However, it can often be challenging to get started in research and even harder to publish your outputs in a peer-reviewed journal. The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM) is here to help with this webinar.
Nursing Live | 5th-6th November 2025 | Hall 6, the NEC, Birmingham
Discover the latest updates on clinical practice helping you to deliver evidence-based care.
Living Well Live! A one day event from Overcoming MS | 15th November 2025 | 9.00am-17.00pm | University of Warwick
Be part of Living Well Live! Everyone is welcome at this all-day event. Attend online or in person at The Slate at the University of Warwick – a modern, fully accessible, lakeside venue nestled in beautiful green surroundings. The day is yours to personalise and enjoy.
Other events to note...
Learning Academy
This Month’s Learning Academy Update
Post conference greetings from the learning academy team!
It was a brilliant 3 days and lovely to engage with all our learners. I hope the learner catch up and networking session for current LMCA students was useful! We also launched the first of our new CPD courses, “Transforming brain health, integrating lifestyle and self-management in MS care”. We have three more new offerings coming in the next few months so watch this space…
Thought about doing our Core Accreditation?
NHS NETWORKS
Top News Stories in September
Healthy living for people with type 2 diabetes
Transforming the NHS estate to enable a neighbourhood health service
Social prescribing survey
The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) has launched a survey to shape its new strategy and explore how social prescribing can thrive across England...
Childhood flu vaccination patient group direction
NHS England has authorised and published the patient group direction (PGD) for use in the new Childhood Flu Vaccination Advanced service from 1 October 2025...
Email us - office@bslm.org.uk
