It’s not often that a doctor is inspired to make a lifestyle change because of a patient, but this is exactly the incredible Galileo moment that Dr. Brian Asbill shares today on the PLANTSTRONG podcast.
As a cardiologist for 19 years, Dr. Brian Asbill had become adept at diagnosing and treating patients with medications and procedures, a variety of chronic diseases, and yet many of his “optimally managed” patients continued to suffer from recurrent cardiovascular events.
A couple of years later, a patient gave him a copy of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and, shortly after finishing reading it, he met with a patient who was having daily angina and had been told that he would require a third open-heart surgery. Instead of immediate surgery, Asbill gave him the book and told him to come back and see him in three months unless his symptoms worsened.
Three months later, that patient returned and both of their lives were irrevocably changed. He had lost 27 pounds, dropped his cholesterol by 100 points, and, within a week of changing his diet, had started walking on a treadmill thirty minutes daily while requiring NO nitroglycerin tablets for relief of chest pain.
Procedures and prescriptions would not have matched the difference that he had made by simply changing to a whole-food, plant-based diet.
Why was this not routinely taught in medical school?
Because of this new truth, in August 2018, Dr. Asbill made the decision to fully transition from cardiology to lifestyle medicine, becoming the first in the world to do so. It was time to leave the “sickcare” system behind and begin building a true “healthcare” system founded upon optimal nutrition, physical activity and stress management.
He is now part of Ruckus Health and committed to helping clients prevent, treat, and even reverse their chronic medical conditions through permanent lifestyle change. Today, Dr. Asbill shares his personal journey and the inspiring stories of his patients. "
Episode and PLANTSTRONG Resources:
