Using Food to Heal PAIN: Part 2: What Did I Do? Also, Effects on Arthritis, Acute Muscle Strains, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Chronic Fatigue, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Cancer!!

Ok, the question you might be asking is what did I ACTUALLY do to treat my neck and back pain with food instead of NSAIDs (Mobic, Ibuprofen, etc)? As you saw in my last post on the power of the anti-inflammatory diet to reduce or reverse pain there is a very long list of both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods.   Discussing the literature is one thing, but what did I do in real life?

Well, basically, I used that Anti-Inflammatory Book as a Bible but made a few tweaks of my own (me, doing it "my" way--shocking?!).  


I first gave up all dairy (which actually wasn't that hard because I already wasn't eating cheese & I hadn't drank milk since I was a teenager because it caused recurent sinus infections).  I didn't notice a massive difference in my pain at that point, but it improved enough to make me a believer.  Then I gave up sugar & gluten--holy cow--HUGE improvement!  


Sugar as an agent of inflammation wasn't a huge surprise to me.  Prior to these dietary changes, whenever I started to feel a cold coming on, I would immediately eliminate all sugar from my diet (including fruit) and eat a ton of nutrient-rich vegetables (SPINACH! Kale, broccoli, green beans, collard greens, etc).  If I did that the very first day I started to feel bad (as well as take 1 day dose of 50mg of Zinc & 1000mg Vitamin C), I rarely every progressed to getting the cold or sinus infection I was heading towards.  I honestly can't tell you why I made this choice--I think that probably about 10 years ago I read about improving children's immune systems in Dr. Leo Galland's book "Superimmunity for Kids" & some of that removing sugar to improve the immune system advice was in there!  Either way, it works like clockwork for me despite the fact that I work in a hospital and get exposed to nasty germs every day!  


The whole gluten thing was a surprise to me though...so I had to do a little research.  One of my medical school classmates (and dear friend) had eliminated gluten from her diet because she was getting recurrent sore throats that stopped when she stopped eating it, so I knew that eliminating gluten from my diet would have some effects.  But, since I didn't have celiac disease (a disease that causes the body to reject gluten & cause severe intestinal & other dysfunction), I couldn't quite figure out why I got such a big bump in pain relief with the gluten elimination.  After researching it,  I now just think that maybe it is because wheat gluten isn't what it used to be.  What do I mean by that?  Well, briefly--if I was eating wheat about 50 years ago I wouldn't recognize the wheat we eat today.  Compared to farmer's products in the past, todays wheat is extremely genetically modified--with many natural nutrients depleted over time.  So my body obviously doesn't like our wheat!  I'll be happy to share more about that research in a future post, but I could go on forever about that so lets focus on the PAIN stuff some more.


Around the time I stopped sugar and gluten I also stopped caffeine!!  I cannot believe that I forgot to mention this in my earlier posts!  It was seriously one of the HARDEST things I've ever done.  I felt horrible stopping the caffeine--a headache that didn't budge for a week was so painful to work through.  But once again, on the other side--less pain, more alert brain.  Crazy how this all works!  I should note that the majority of my caffeine consumption was tea.  I didn't really drink much coffee or sodas even before giving up caffeine.  My "no coffee rule" was because back when I was obese I constantly had GERD (reflux/heartburn) and I eventually gave myself a severe case of gastritis that forced me to eliminate the coffee that kept me awake for most of med school!  My "no soda rule" was because sodas actually contain phosphorus which leaches the calcium out of your bones putting you at much higher risk for osteoporosis as you age.  Yup, its true folks--but sometimes its hard to get that message out about such a profitable product!  I'll write in a future post about why diet sodas are particularly bad (they damage your bones AND they change the way you store your fat so it makes it harder to lose weight)!


Tomatoes, Potatoes, Corn & Citrus fruits didn't really seem to alter my pain levels so I kept them in.  I already don't drink b/c we're 12 steppers so no alcohol to eliminate!  


So I marched along without sugar, gluten or caffeine while consciously eating more Omega-3's, nutrient rich veggies on that anti-inflammatory list, berries, garlic, Roobios team (no caffeine), quinoa (my fav) and other grains.  I did this while maintaining a daily professional traction machine & exercise regimen prescribed by my PT for my neck.  I was doing all those PT directed activities before the food changes so I believe I can isolate the food changes as an independent variable (science speak).  In other words, I think I can safely say that the food was the main thing that changed, and after that change, the pain improved enough to get off the daily anti-inflammatory meds (normal people speak)!  

THEN, comes the Vegan thing.  Literally about 2 weeks after giving up meat of all kinds (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish etc)--I was pain-free nearly all the time.  I even noticed that in the weeks prior to the initiation of the Vegan program we had been cooking out a lot on the grill (with delicious meat from a local beef farm of course--support local farmers!) & my pain seemed to be a bit higher in those weeks despite the lack of sugar, gluten or caffeine.  Then BOOM--goodbye meat, goodbye pain.


So there you go--thats my story!  Remember of course, my repetitive caveat to read my medical disclaimer below!!! 


Here are a few comments on specific ailments: Arthritis, Acute Muscle Strains, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Chronic Fatigue, Heart Disease, Diabetes and Cancer.  Please remember that the majority of the findings discussed below are still deemed "inconclusive as effective" in large scale peer-reviewed research studies--however, I believe there is enough quality data (even in small studies) to support at least considering dietary changes for treating or supplementing treatment of the following conditions.  The arthritis data however ARE very well supported in the literature (see the link below).


1) Arthritis:  eliminating anti-inflammatory foods obviously has a major and rapid impact on this inflammatory condition.  There should be no such thing as "I'm growing old at 50 and my joints hurt"--seriously--I mean it--seriously!  I spent over an hour with a patient a few weeks ago who could barely walk due to his arthritis--he committed to making dietary changes & I can't wait to see him walk into the office in a few months.  I am that big a believer in this! 


A few excellent resources on food as medicine for Arthritis include an outstanding article written by Dr. Neal Barnard from the Physicians for Responsible Medicine.  You can read it here: http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/foods-and-arthritis


2) Back strain, sprained ankles, tendonitis etc--all of these are examples of injuries with acute or chronic inflammation.  Basically the body has a very smart response to injury--in non-medical speak: it draws on its own resources to infiltrate the damaged areas, heat them to protect them from bacteria & stimulate the tissue to heal.  So inflammation is a good thing actually.  But when you pile on a bunch of additional sources of inflammation like food and chronic inflammatory diseases like Diabetes or Heart Disease, the inflammation can get out of control & healing can be prolonged.  


When I face those situations, I recommend eliminating every inflammatory food on that list immediately and starting to consume as many of the anti-inflammatory foods as possible.  Watch for yourself and see what happens.  Of course, the foods can only do so much to overcome the power of inflammatory diseases like Diabetes or Heart Disease but if you aren't severely ill with a chronic disease, I'll bet you'll be surprised with how quickly the injury heals and the pain goes away! That is at least my own experience.


3) Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Syndrome:  Both of these illnesses trap patients in a body that is extremely hypersensitive to normal stimuli.  What this basically means is that, if you touch a fibromyalgia patient during a flare, they are exceptionally sensitive to touch in particular areas of their bodies that occur in a very specific pattern.  They also are overwhelmed with fatigue (and in most cases, depression).  Chronic Pain patients feel pain when normal people do not--their nerve endings are so damaged that they are hyperactive, creating a seemingly "fake" response on physical exam.  True Chronic Pain Syndrome is very very real, and more common than I would like.  It is also accompanied by fatigue and depression.  


Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain patients are two of the most common patient groups in my specialty AND I believe they are two of the main groups that would benefit greatly from dietary treatment of their disease.  Many of these patients are as obese as I once was, and their bodies are in an overwhelming state of inflammation from the obesity ON TOP of the inflammation from the painful diseases!  I would love to see more doctors treating these patients with an anti-inflammatory, vegan diet before doing anything else (such as add narcotic medications to allow these people to function)!


3) Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue, Heart Disease:   These are all diseases of chronic inflammation.  There is a particular marker of inflammation that the body puts out, its called C-reactive Protein (CRP).  When you measure the CRP in people, the result can be predictive of future heart dysfunction if the measurement is done when the patient is not in an acute state of illness. Once again, inflammatory disease, eliminate inflammatory foods (including  oils & fats according to Dr. Esselstyn) & add anti-inflammatory foods!


4) Cancer:  I will devote a whole post to cancer in the future with regards to prevention & how to use foods for healing in conjunction with treatment by traditional Western Medicine.  I need to do some more research to supplement what I know but I can tell you this much.  First, significant studies have been done that demonstrate a reduction in cancer risk with adoption of an anti-inflammatory diet such as a vegan diet.  Second, any patient going through chemotherapy or radiation can tell you how exhausting and depleted the body feels.  They also do not feel like eating due to severe nausea, even though eating is the one thing that can boost their tolerance of the treatments!  They could possibly benefit a great deal by optimizing their intake of anti-inflammatory foods and eliminating inflammatory foods:

1. to reduce the activation of cancer cells (as demonstrated in rat models with casein (found in animal products)-- Dr. Colin Campbell's original research)
2. to provide them with the extra boost they need to manage the chemo and radiation process.  

Ok!  That about wraps it up for this post!  Hope this information is helpful and looking forward to writing more about this in the future!


****
After I wrote this I found some awesome posts from other bloggers on this topic!  Here are a few excellent ones:  


1)  Healthy Librarian: Using Medical Journals to Guide Your Cooking!
2) Vegan Epicurean (scroll down to the bottom to see her comments on a recent JHU conference!)
3) Healthy Girl's Kitchen: great post on sugar!!!


The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

PAIN: How to Treat Everything From Arthritis to Back Strain With Food (Part 1)

About a year ago I was in a car accident and herniated a disc in my neck.  It caused me excruciating constant daily pain.  After 6 months of daily high dose anti-inflammatory medications (I was on Mobic), 2 cycles of physical therapy, 30 acupuncture sessions and a ridiculous amount of money spent on massages, my doctor (another Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Doc) told me rather sadly that he thought I had now completely exhausted conservative measures and it was time for me to think of "facet injections" (steroid injections) to my cervical spine.  This terrified me.


I had been in the OR during many of these procedures with highly skilled attending (senior) physicians specially trained in interventional pain.  These procedures were relatively routine in my world, but every time I thought about getting the injections I thought about the (rare) complication of injury to the spinal cord.  Working in rehab, I've worked with spinal cord injury patients, and I really didn't want to become one myself.  While their stories are often inspiring, no one would willingly choose to sit in their shoes for even one day.  I started doing some research to try to find another way.


Late one night I found a website of a woman sharing her story of how she healed her neck pain with a combination of physical therapy, stretching regimens, acupuncture, massage and "eating an anti-inflammatory diet."  What the heck did that mean?  An "anti-inflammatory" diet??  I had already lost 70lbs, wasn't that enough alteration in my eating habits?


So I started reading, and then I started doing, and now--I am a passionate believer in the power of dietary change to reduce and eliminate inflammation. And by eliminating inflammation I've eliminated pain. 


Two months after starting an anti-inflammatory diet in conjunction with a third round of PT, I was able to get off the Mobic (my daily NSAID medication).  One month later, I no longer had constant pain throughout the day.  


Now, 6 months after starting to reduce the inflammatory foods and increase the anti-inflammatory foods I consume I can honestly say that I can have several days go by without pain--with an even more noticeable improvement in the last 2 1/2 months since becoming Vegan.  Yes, I do sometimes feel the pain--but it hurts when it makes sense to hurt--I'm doing a repetitive action with my neck or back, using muscles that I hadn't strengthened sufficiently.  So duh--I was hurting!

I've been so impressed with this amazing (miraculous to me) transformation in how my body FEELS that I've done even more research and really want to share what I've learned!  In my next post I'll talk about the medical science that backs it up and how to more specifically treat diseases of inflammation, particularly Arthritis, Muscle Strains, Fibromyalgia, and more!  Over this week I'll also post a third post talking about other diseases of inflammation that I do not treat in my specialty--diabetes, heart disease, cancer.

I want to particularly recommend two amazing books with highly relevant information:

1) The Anti-Inflammation Diet by Dr. Jessica Black, N.D.  AMAZING Book--soooo worth the $12 price on Amazon--particularly the table on p.42-43

2) SuperImmunity for Kids! by Dr. Leo Galland (yes its about kids at every lifestage, but if you read through it you can find a whole heck of a lot of good data for adults too!!)  Dr. Galland is what got me interested in nutritional healing of all kinds--I've been reading this book cover to cover for about 10-15 years!!

In closing though, I won't leave you without a carrot for next time (no pun intended):-). 


Here is a GENERAL table of known inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods.  In Part 2 I'll talk more specifically about which of these foods is most important for Arthritis vs Acute Muscle Strain vs Fibromyalgia, etc.  


The degree of inflammation in each individual can be variable--Jessica Black's book does an excellent job of mapping out a plan for how to do a complete elimination diet (she has more foods listed & substitutions for each one) in her book.  If you are interested in embarking on this path, get her book and read it because she is FAR more knowledgeable than me on this!!  


That said, here is a list of Anti-Inflammatory and Inflammatory Foods synthesized from lists by four leaders in this field:  Dr. Jessica Black, N.D.; Dr. Andrew Weil; Dr. Leo Galland and Dr. Neal Barnard.  **Please see the notes below the table--one of my readers shared with me some more information on other potential inflammatory foods!!**

Inflammatory Foods 1.         Sugar (particularly white refined sugar & high fructose corn syrup)*  2.         Dairy Products* 3.         Meat (beef, pork, chicken,            turkey, fish—except wild      Salmon)* 4.         Corn* 5.         Wheat (gluten)*—more on           this later 6.         Caffeine* 7.         Sodas—even Diet sodas*         (Diet sodas manipulate the fat in your body to actually make it harder to lose it!  More on this in a later post) 8.         Tomatoes & Peppers 9.         White Potatoes 10.      Citrus fruits 11.       Alcohol 12.      Peanuts  13.  Peanut butter 14.  Tofu and Soy {* items are for most of the population—items 8-14 inflammatory foods are individually problematic)

Anti-Inflammatory Foods       1.     Omega-3 Fatty Acids (ground flaxseed meal)       2.     Pineapple (more on this later)       3.     Blueberries (see note below), raspberries, cherries, prunes       4.     Papaya       5.     Kale, Spinach, Collards & other dark leafy greens       6.     Broccoli & Cauliflower       7.     Other Fruits & Vegetables—except tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers       8.     Garlic       9.     Ginger      10. Turmeric      11. Most nuts & seeds (not peanuts)      12. Teas (particularly Roobios, Macha, decaffeinated green tea)      13. Shiitake, Oyster & other Asian Mushrooms      14.  Sweet Potatoes      15.  Quinoa, buckwheat (not a wheat product), wild rice, barley, steel-cut oats      16.  Wild Salmon

Additional Notes: One of my readers shared the following information with me from  Dr. Norman Childers: Arthritis Nightshade Research Foundation,  She got outstanding relief from her pain by removing all foods and products that contain "solanine.":  "blueberries, apples, artichoke, okra, sugar beets and all products that contain paprika/chili spice and potato starch (PS is commonly found in bakery products, thickeners for soups/sauces, excipient fillers in vitamins/supplements/medications)."  I have not had an opportunity to investigate this material myself, but she has been kind enough to provide some citations from the ANRF website (above) and Michael Fowler's e-book "Nighshade Free, Pain Free" which she recommends.  Thank you Jen Siskind!!  I'll look forward to checking the citations out myself in the coming future! :-)


The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.


NEXT:  COOKING IN BULK TIPS #1!  This week with recipes from The Happy Herbivore

Coming Soon:

• How To Get The BEST Medical Care: Tips to Patients from a Doc
• RECIPES & Ideas:  Snacks!  YUMMY & Portable Plant-based Snack Food--all Sugar-free, Gluten-Free, & Without Added Oils or Fat!!

What do I eat?? Anti-inflammatory, Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Oil-free....and yet, YUMMY!

In the last four years as I've lost nearly a 100lbs I've learned so much about food & its effect on my body. Over time, my food plan has morphed into the anti-inflammatory, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, oil-free program that it is today. But to get to that specific a point, it has been quite a journey! I'm not telling you that everyone has to eat this way--in fact it is much more restricted that Dr. Esselstyn's actual plan (gluten, sugar & anti-inflammatory foods are ok). 

~I just want to share my own experience--take what you like and leave the rest.~

Before starting Dr. Esselstyn's program I had already made some major changes in my eating habits:
1) Three plus years ago, I gave up cheese because I couldn't eat 1 serving without eating the whole thing! I already did not eat milk because when I was in high school a doctor removed it from my diet to relieve chronic sinus infections (and without the milk, those sinus infections ended!)
2) About 7 months ago, I gave up refined sugar (in every form--esp. high fructose corn syrup), caffeine, other dairy fats (including sour cream, etc) and gluten (wheat products) on the advice of my sponsor--I didn't think I had any issues with these, but I discovered:
            1st:   that all of them are HIGH INFLAMMATORY foods
            2nd:  I was shocked to discover there is sugar in EVERYTHING (frozen chicken breasts, spaghetti sauce, salsa of some kinds, canned soups, etc)
            3rd :  After the initial highly painful withdrawl period (a one week headache that totally made me want to quit--thank God for program support!), I was amazed at how much energy I suddenly had.  I was so much sharper at work and I didn't get the afternoon "fuzzy brain" any more!
3) Over the last year, I had purposefully begun eating mostly "ANTI-INFLAMMATORY" foods and avoiding "INFLAMMATORY" foods.  I capitalize those words because I can't emphasize enough how much of a difference this made in my daily pain level!!  I herniated a cervical disc (a disc in my neck) a year ago in a car accident and it gave me a wicked case of TMJ and significant daily pain for 8-10 months).  I wasn't able to do my usual rehab exercises for my back (chronic degenerative joint disease, herniated discs, sacroilitis--and yes, I'm only 34!), so then my back kept "going out."  A mess. BUT NOT ANYMORE!  


I'm going to devote a whole blog post to what these ANTI-INFLAMMATORY foods are and why this helps--seriously go buy Jessica Black, N.D.'s book: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Recipe Book!  I don't know her personally so I don't have any reason to promote it, but this awesome book--especially the chart on p. 42-43 of what foods to eat and what foods to avoid is SO worth the $12 purchase price on Amazon! The Anti-Inflammatory Diet by Jessica Black, N.D. (Amazon link)


Ok, so that is what I did BEFORE--now, I do all of that, and we follow Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Diet (with a side benefit of it preventing cancer &stroke as well as reversing diabetes, hypertension and obesity!).  


I'll talk more about the "why" for this diet in a later post but here is the "what."


We don't eat chicken, beef, pork, eggs, dairy, fish or added oils.  Here is the direct explanation of the diet from Esselstyn's himself:



"Here are the rules of my program in their simplest form:

• You may not eat anything with a mother or a face (no meat, poultry, or fish).
• You cannot eat dairy products.
• You must not consume oil of any kind—not a drop. (Yes, you devotees of the Mediterranean Diet, that includes olive oil, as I’ll explain in Chapter 10.)
• Generally, you cannot eat nuts or avocados.

You can eat a wonderful variety of delicious, nutrient-dense foods:

• All vegetables except avocado. Leafy green vegetables, root vegetables, veggies that are red, green, purple, orange, and yellowand everything in between
• All legumes—beans, peas, and lentils of all varieties.
• All whole grains and products, such as bread and pasta, that are made from them—as long as they do not contain added fats.
• All fruits

p.5, Chapter 1: Eating to Live, Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease

So there you go...from the master himself.


So what the heck DO we eat? TONS of stuff--and guess what, much to my surprise I really don't miss the meat!  I'll share more of my menus in later posts. Also, The Healthy Librarian's Blog also has a nice sample menu for 10 days on Esselstyn's plan.


The part that is the worst for me is the olive oil!  I'm not going to lie--I'm not perfect and I'm still working on that part.  But overall I have cut that consumption down from about 3 tablespoons per day (somehow I was still losing weight!) to about 1 tsp every 4 or 5 days.  I know I'm going to keep craving fat until I eliminate it completely (like with my other "trigger foods" i.e. cheese, sugar, gluten, etc), so I'm praying for a little willingness on that.  


But like with everything in my life these days, I fall back on the classic "one day at a time!" and make an effort to be gentle with myself.


I've discovered through my 12 Step Program that my overeating illness is spiritual, physical and emotional disease.  My food addiction that ballooned me up to 268 lbs (likely higher b/c thats only my highest weighed point) was more than JUST the food--in later posts I'll talk some about meditation, stress management & good sleep hygiene as a necessary part of the healing process.


Next time:  The Plan for the Blog:  Using Food to Heal Can Change Your Life


Coming up:  

• Recipes: Soups Galore: Butternut Squash, Split Pea & Lentil-Barley!
• PAIN:  How to Treat Everything from Arthritis to Fibromyalgia With Food!
• Recipes: Applesauce (sugar free!!)
• Why Disability Can Be a Scarier Threat Than Death...

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

The Beginning: Using Food to Heal: My Journey

Today I was searching on the web for recipes to do some cooking on one of my rare days off.  If I don't cook and get organized today, it'll be another week of the occasional emergency take-out punctuated by leftover soups that my husband and I cooked last week.  Its now or never because during the week, neither of us have any energy to attempt creative cooking!

Don't get me wrong.  I love Green Pea Soup, Lentil Soup, Butternut Squash Soup and the ever outstanding Lentil and Barley Soup.  The Lentil and Barley Soup is a creation of my husband, aka The Happy Nurse, because according to him "anything with barley tastes amazing!"  I totally agree but after two weeks of tupperwared soups with varying veggie options, I need to branch out.  

I decided to start this blog because tonight, as I searched for recipes (and found an AWESOME blog of a librarian who shares my food philosophy: The Healthy Librarian ), I discovered how little organized, easy to access information there is out there on healing yourself with food.  Google searching turns up a lot of options that look good, but then if you read closely, most of the food has things I can't and shouldn't eat if I'm going to feel good!  So I'm going to do my best to provide you with organized resources, recipes and ideas to truly feel healthier!!  I'll also share some snapshots of my life as a rehab doctor and some HIPPA-compliant sketches of some of my patient's experiences.

I realize that most men and women searching for recipes may have some dietary restrictions that limit their options, but my husband and I have a few more restrictions when we eat.  We are getting "radical" and choosing to treat our health issues with food rather than needing cardiac surgery, cancer treatment or a cupboard full of meds in the future.


Huh?  I know, I'm an M.D. talking against the idea of piling on the meds!!  My patients are always surprised to hear that I'm not big on the traditional, let me pull out my prescription pad, cut you off from talking and send you out the door, brand of medicine.  Granted, I'm still in my final stages of training in my specialty: Physcial Medicine and Rehabilitation but I'm a fairly passionate person once I find a cause, so I doubt I'll be changing my medical approach anytime soon! But, stay tuned to this blog and I'll let you know!!  As a side note, I'll share more about my field later, and yes, we are doctors (MD's or DO's), we went to medical school and Physcial Medicine and Rehabilitation is a medical specialty just like cardiology, orthopedic surgery or psychiatry!  

For the last two months my husband and I have been eating a no-oil, plant-based Vegan diet according to the Cleveland Clinic's Dr Caldwell Esselstyn's program from his book, "How to Reverse and Prevent Heart Disease."  Our program is well-supported by clinical and scientific research (including such notables as Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and more).   We started the plant-based diet because my husband has heart disease--intermittent atrial fibrillation--which lands him in the hospital every other year or so.  We are making a choice to change our lifestyles to prevent disability (stroke, cancer, angina, arrythmias) and to live longer, more active lives.

I add my own twists to the plant-based Vegan diet based on a twelve-step program I have been working for four years to recover from obesity and overeating behaviors.  I also fold in some anti-inflammatory diet practices to treat my chronic low back pain and acute neck pain following a car accident a year ago.


I can hear you now....wait Dr. Cat, no meat???????....(I can hear you wailing from here!)..but give me a chance and keep reading....take what you like and leave the rest.

I truly believe that eating this way has given me a new lease on life.  I've lost nearly 100lbs in the last four years.  I've gotten off all daily anti-inflammatory and pain medications.  I no longer have allergies or sinus infections.  Since transitioning to a no oil, plant-based diet I no longer have the GI issues I struggled with for years.  I have more energy.  I laugh more because I don't hurt as much.  I am a better wife and a better doctor.  

Remember, I'm not your doctor and if you follow any ideas I present on this blog, you understand that I will not be held liable for anything I share or recommend.  That said, I can't wait to get started!  Next post will be on what I eat, why I eat it and how you can too!

A great movie I can recommend that captures the power of the plant-based diet:
Forks Over Knives

Some great resources:

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
Dr. T. Colin Campbell: The China Study
The Anti-Inflammatory Diet by Jessica Black, N.D. (Amazon link)
Dr. John McDougall's Website
Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Blog
Forks Over Knives' Recipe Book (Amazon link)

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.