Dr. Steven Lome: Empowering Patients to Take Control of Their Health Through Lifestyle Medicine

Steven Lome, DO, entered the cardiology field because it’s where he believed he could make the biggest impact in saving lives and improving the health of patients.  

“I always was interested in the sciences and I’m a people person. I liked interaction [with patients] so I tried to figure out a way that I could do both and not just be stuck in the lab doing science work. So, I thought medicine would be perfect,” he recalled. “I always had the feeling that I wanted to do something positive for the world and so I thought, ‘Hey, what better [way] than medicine, and specifically cardiology?’”  

A 2004 graduate of the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM), he pursued his training here predominantly because the osteopathic philosophy appealed to him. He also understood the distinct advantage of being a fully licensed physician while also gaining the additional skill set of osteopathic manipulation – something allopathic counterparts do not learn, “yet we [as DOs] are fully licensed and can do everything they can do.”  

Although his passion for practicing medicine has remained unwavering in the 20-plus years since he began his journey at CCOM, his approach to care has evolved to embrace a greater focus on prevention and treatment through lifestyle medicine.

“Heart disease is the number-one killer [among Americans], despite it being nearly 100% preventable through proper lifestyle changes,” he said. “I really feel as though that should be our focus – treating the cause of the problem and preventing disease vs. waiting for something bad to happen...”

“Lifestyle is more powerful than genetics. Because our current diet is so unhealthy and getting worse, America is becoming more overweight and obese. We are seeing younger and younger people developing heart issues compared to 20 or 30 years ago.”  

During the early years of physician life, Dr. Lome’s frustrations with both the state of his health and his clinical practice grew. He was 100 pounds heavier than he is today and followed a standard American diet, until he experienced a personal reckoning in 2014 when his health hit a low point from obesity-related complications.  

The realization that he needed to make changes to his health coincided with wanting to transition to a new way of serving patients at his clinical practice.  

“…I just felt like something was off. And the missing piece was taking a lifestyle medicine approach, a preventative approach – focusing on the cause of the problem both for my patients and then myself, because my health was falling apart.” 

Becoming certified in lifestyle medicine, he learned about nutrition and used that knowledge to lose 100 pounds. Now he leverages that profound transformation to help patients at his clinical practice take control of their own health, modify their diet, and reach healthy weight goals. Many times, he says, they can be taken off medications thanks to the effectiveness of successful lifestyle changes.  

“Obviously, we still use medicine. People still need stents and bypass surgeries intermittently, but a lot of times those things can be avoided with lifestyle medicine.”

The experience of losing weight also helped him build greater empathy for patients who are embarking on a similar health path.  

“I struggled with it [losing weight] so I understand the struggles that my patients have. It’s not easy to lose weight,” he said. “There are so many barriers. …And when I have someone who needs to lose weight, I tell them I used to be 100 pounds heavier, I get what you’re going through. I know how hard it is, but I’m trying to tell you as your cardiologist how critical it is for you to change your diet and do these proper things. I’m here to guide you with that as best I can.”  

Now the Cardiovascular Disease and Lifestyle Medicine Medical Director at Montage Cardiology Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula in California, Dr. Lome sees the lifestyle medicine and prevention approach as a natural extension of the underlying principles of osteopathic medicine he learned at CCOM.

“In general, with the osteopathic tradition, [we are] trying to see the whole person. The typical western medicine approach is literally just, ‘Here’s a bunch of pills.’ … Whereas [through] the osteopathic philosophy you can see the whole picture, treat the whole person. …It’s just common sense that you need to address the underlying cause of the illness, which is lifestyle-related: Predominantly diet, but other things like exercise, tobacco, stress reduction, and good sleep.”

He believes that the osteopathic training he received “was very helpful for me to have my own personal epiphany to get my own health in order and change my clinical practice. Had I gone to an MD school, I may not have had that background and baseline to be able to make that shift.”

Dr. Lome’s weight loss journey also taught him that his fellow physicians have a unique opportunity to support patients as they set out to achieve healthier daily habits, but embracing this role begins with setting a healthy example.  

“Every physician needs to get their own health in order first. Educate yourselves, make sure you are at a healthy weight, are exercising, and eating more plant-based nutrition personally. Because if you don’t do it, how can you expect your patients to do it?” 

He also encourages physicians to consider:  

• Spending more time with patients during office visits.
• Providing actionable resources.
• Including a nutritionist or lifestyle health coach when engaging patients, if possible.
• Exploring the American College of Lifestyle Medicine or getting board certified in lifestyle medicine to help attract patients seeking doctors who will help them prevent disease and optimize health.
• Taking modules on behavior change to better connect with patients and embrace “motivational interviewing.”  

Dr. Lome looks forward to sharing these tips and other insights with colleagues when he delivers one of the keynotes (“Lifestyle Medicine and Heart Disease”) at the ACOI 2024 Annual Convention & Scientific Sessions (October 30-November 2). He will draw on lessons from his own weight loss journey to illustrate the power of prevention through healthy plant-based eating, explain the six pillars of lifestyle medicine, share the incredible story of saving two runners during the 2022 Monterey Bay Half Marathon, and much more.

We are excited to welcome him to ACOI 2024 in Scottsdale, AZ, and look forward to seeing you there too!