Taking Personal Responsibility for Your Health

There’s only one diet that’s ever been proven to reverse heart disease in the majority of patients—a diet centered around whole plant foods.  So, anytime anyone tries to sell you on some new diet, do me a favor. Ask them one simple question: “Has it been proven to reverse heart disease—you know, the number one reason you, and all your loved ones, will die?”  If the answer is “No,” why would you even consider it, right?  Only one diet has ever been proven to do that.  That’s not cherry-picking—there’s only one cherry.

In fact, if that’s all a plant-based diet could do—reverse the number one killer of men and women, shouldn’t that be the default diet, until proven otherwise?  And, the fact that it can also be effective in preventing, arresting, or reversing other leading killers—like type 2 diabetes, and hypertension—would seem to make the case for plant-based eating simply overwhelming.

So, why don’t more doctors prescribe it?  How could there be such a disconnect between the science, and mainstream medical practice?  Well, look; it took 25 years before the first Surgeon General’s report against smoking came out. It took more than 7,000 studies, and the deaths of countless smokers, before the powers-that-be officially recognized the link. You’d think after the first 6,000 studies they could have given people a little heads up, or something? Powerful industry, right?

In fact, even after the Surgeon General’s report came out, the medical community still dragged their feet. The American Medical Association actually went on record refusing to endorse the Surgeon General’s report. Why? Could it have been because they had just been handed a ten million dollar check from the tobacco industry? Maybe.

So, we know why the AMA may have been sucking up to the tobacco industry—but why weren’t individual doctors speaking out? Well, there were a few gallant souls ahead of their time writing in, as there are today, standing up against industries killing millions. But, why not more?  Maybe, it’s because the majority of physicians themselves smoked cigarettes—just like the majority of physicians today continue to eat foods that are contributing to our epidemics of dietary disease.

What was the AMA’s rallying cry back then? Everything in moderation. “Extensive scientific studies have proven that smoking in moderation…” Oh, that’s fine. Sound familiar?

Consumption of animal foods and processed foods may cause at least 14 million deaths around the world every year. 14 million people dead. Those of us involved in this evidence-based nutrition revolution are part of a movement with 14 million lives in the balance, every year.

Plant-based diets may now be considered “the nutritional equivalent of quitting smoking.” How many more people have to die, though, before the CDC encourages people not to wait for open heart surgery to start eating healthy, as well?

Until the system changes, we have to take personal responsibility for our own health, for our family’s health. We can’t wait until society catches up to the science again, because it’s a matter of life and death.

Last year, Dr. Kim Williams became President of the American College of Cardiology. He was asked, in an interview, why he follows his own advice to eat a plant-based diet. “I don’t mind dying,” Dr. Williams replied, “I just don’t want it to be my [own] fault.”

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.

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• Debakey M. Carcinoma of the lung and tobacco smoking: a historical perspective. Ochsner J. 1999 Jul;1(3):106-8.
• Gugiu PC, Gugiu MR. A critical appraisal of standard guidelines for grading levels of evidence. Eval Health Prof. 2010 Sep;33(3):233-55.
• Schamberg IL. Campaign against Smoking. N Engl J Med 1965 Dec 2; 273:1283.
• The Advertising of Cigarettes. JAMA. 1948 Oct 30;138(9):652-653.
• Wagner KH, Brath H. A global view on the development of non communicable diseases. Prev Med. 2012 May;54 Suppl:S38-41.
• Barnard ND. The physician's role in nutrition-related disorders: from bystander to leader. Virtual Mentor. 2013 Apr 1;15(4):367-72.
• American College of Cardiology. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2016, from http://www.acc.org/
• Top cardiologist touts vegan diet to patients. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2016, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-met-vegan-cardiologist-20140817-story.html

Videography courtesy of Grant Peacock

• American Medical Association
• animal products
• blood pressure
• cardiovascular disease
• CDC
• chronic diseases
• diabetes
• Dr. Kim Williams
• heart disease
• high blood pressure
• hypertension
• industry influence
• Introductory Videos
• longevity
• meat
• medical education
• mortality
• plant-based diets
• processed foods
• smoking
• surgery
• tobacco