Some great things are happening at your local hospitals! I recently had the pleasure of interviewing someone you should know, namely Dr. Sal, whose office is located in the Lee Memorial Health System (LMHS) Wellness Center at Cape Coral Hospital. Dr. Sal specializes in Internal Medicine and Preventive Health care (and is now completing a fellowship in Anti-Aging medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine); he’s also the System Medical Director of Wellness and Employee Health for LMHS.
A few years ago, Dr. Sal was instrumental in forming a “Food is Medicine” committee with the goal of influencing patients through their health care providers. The committee includes physicians, nurse practitioners and health care workers who focus on using nutrition with their patients for the prevention, treatment and reversal of disease. Since most physicians are not trained in nutrition, and because nutrition has such an impact on health and disease, the hope is to get more doctors aware that nutrition has to be a part of the conversation with every patient they see every day.
Dr. Sal says that changing your diet changes both your present and future risk of chronic disease and cancer. Staying healthy – or regaining lost health – starts with nutrition, specifically a whole food, plant based diet. Inflammation is a key factor when it comes to the source of many of our health problems; data shows that regardless of what the health problem is, using plant based nutrition along with exercise, stress management and good sleeping habits can reverse the inflammation and reverse the disease. Whether it’s Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, ADD, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or other chronic conditions, lowering the inflammation can improve a person’s health.
Over 300 employees and staff members at LMHS have gone through the CHIP Program (Complete Health Improvement Program), and the hospital has now trained its own facilitators. CHIP focuses on changing people’s diets to include more plant based fare, and employees who are at risk for disease or already have chronic illness are encouraged to participate. Dr. Sal reports dramatic improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetic parameters and weight control as a result of this program; but what people typically cite is that they just feel so much better and have more energy.
Dr. Sal explained that our mitochondria (parts of all cells which produce energy) are adversely affected not only by the consumption of processed foods filled with chemicals and additives, but by consuming animal products which contain antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, fecal material and other contaminants as well. Every cell in our bodies is affected when we take in “bad fuel”, but all of that reverses when we change our diets. The benefits of a plant based nutrition program are very wide spread; we tend to focus on heart disease and cancer because they’re our top two killers, but plant based nutrition cuts the risk of all other common diseases as well, including Alzheimer’s disease – which is on the rise.
And here’s more exciting news for you! LMHS has recently partnered with PlantPure Nation (a plant-based awareness movement based on the scientific evidence of Dr. T. Colin Campbell); together they are offering the “10-day Jumpstart to a Healthier Life” program to the community. Facilitated by Dr. Brian Taschner, M.D., a cardiologist with the Lee Physician Group, participants receive food, lab testing, resources such as DVDs and a cookbook, daily internet support, and questions answered by Dr. Taschner. There are local on-going support groups (called ‘pods’) for those who complete the program. Several Jumpstarts have taken place, and the goal is to get 1000 people involved. Dr. Sal commented that by offering programs such as this to the community, “we will be seen as a health system that is engaged in keeping people well and not necessarily curing them after the fact”. For more information on the Jumpstart program, call Lee Health Solutions at 239-424-3121.
Dr. Sal and other physicians offer monthly seminars, classes, cooking demos and workshops as part of their “Healthy Living Series”. These events take place almost daily at the LMHS Healthy Life Center at the Coconut Point Mall in Estero. To learn more about these events, call 239-495-4475 (or google Healthy Life Center, Estero, FL). Lastly, if you’d like to contact Dr. Sal about any of his amazing programs, upcoming events, or a possible speaking engagement, he can be reached at Dr.Sal@leememorial.org.
Written by Cape Coral resident Cyd Notter
