Healing Through Habits: A Doctor's Journey to Reversing Chronic Disease

Tired of the "pill for every ill" approach that treats symptoms but ignores root causes?

Discover the revolutionary framework that's transforming healthcare and empowering patients to take control of their wellbeing.

Lifestyle Medicine represents a paradigm shift in how we approach chronic disease, not as inevitable conditions requiring lifelong medication, but as largely preventable outcomes influenced by daily choices. Research shows that up to 80% of heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers respond to comprehensive lifestyle interventions, often more effectively than pharmaceutical approaches alone.

I break down the six evidence-based pillars that form the foundation of Lifestyle Medicine: whole food plant-predominant nutrition, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connection. Each pillar works synergistically to create an environment where your body can heal and thrive. From activating the vagus nerve through social connections to understanding the four macros of sleep, I provide practical insights you can implement immediately.

My personal journey from severe chronic conditions to optimal health illustrates the transformative power of these principles. 

Once unable to run 5K without asthma medication, I've since competed in World Ninja Warrior Championships medication-free after transitioning to a plant-predominant lifestyle. But transformation doesn't happen overnight, I share my month-by-month approach to sustainable change that avoids the all-or-nothing mindset that derails most health journeys. Whether you're battling chronic conditions or simply want to optimize your wellbeing, these science-backed strategies offer a pathway to living fully and vibrantly for decades to come. Ready to write your own prescription for life? 

Listen now and take the first step toward becoming the healthiest version of yourself.

Go check out my website for tons of free resources on how to transition towards a healthier diet and lifestyle.

You can download my free plant-based recipes eBook and a ton of other free resources by visiting the Digital Downloads tab of my website at https://www.plantbaseddrjules.com/shop

Don't forget to check out my blog at https://www.plantbaseddrjules.com/blog

You can also watch my educational videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMpkQRXb7G-StAotV0dmahQ

Check out my upcoming live events and free eCourse, where you'll learn more about how to create delicious plant-based recipes: https://www.plantbaseddrjules.com/

Go follow me on social media by visiting my Facebook page and Instagram accounts
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Last but not least, the best way to show your support and to help me spread my message is to subscribe to my podcast and to leave a 5 star review on Apple and Spotify!
Thanks so much!

Peace, love, plants!
Dr. Jules

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Hey everyone, welcome to Season 2 of the Dr Jules
Plant-Based Podcast, where wediscuss everything from
plant-based nutrition to themain pillars of lifestyle
medicine.
Lifestyle Medicine Yo,plant-based buddies, welcome
back to another episode.
Today we're going to be talkingabout the power of lifestyle

(00:43):
medicine as a prescription forlife.
Now, although this podcast iswell into its second year and I
talk about lifestyle medicineall the time, I wanted to
dedicate a full episode to goingin detail about the
transformative movements inmodern healthcare, which is
lifestyle medicine.
Now, this isn't about a quickfix or a fad or a gimmick.

(01:07):
It's about science-backed andsustainable changes that could
dramatically extend lifespan andhealthspan.
That's the years that we livein good health.
So in today's episode, we'llexplore the six pillars of
lifestyle medicine and how eachof them contributes to long-term

(01:28):
health and why this approach iskey to reversing chronic
disease, and then we'll take acloser look at the work of the
American College of LifestyleMedicine and the future of
healthcare.
So if you're asking yourself,what is lifestyle medicine?
It's an evidence-basedtherapeutic approach that uses

(01:49):
lifestyle interventions toprevent, treat and even reverse
chronic diseases likecardiovascular disease, heart
attacks, stroke, diabetes,hypertension, cholesterol,
cancers of all types, autoimmuneand allergic conditions and
neurodegenerative diseases.
A lot of these conditions willabsolutely respond to lifestyle

(02:13):
interventions.
Now think of it as getting tothe root causes rather than just
treating the symptoms, wherethe focus is on sustainable
behavior change.
Now the American College ofLifestyle Medicine defines it as
the use of whole food, plantpredominant nutrition, regular

(02:36):
physical activity, restorativesleep, stress management and
avoidance of risky substances,with positive social connections
, and research shows that up to80% of chronic diseases like
heart disease, type 2, diabetesand many cancers are preventable

(02:57):
through lifestyle change.
Now let's go through these sixpillars one by one.
The first pillar is nutrition,and the foundation is a whole
food, plant predominant diet.
That's a diet that's rich infiber, rich in antioxidants,

(03:17):
rich in anti-inflammatory foodcompounds, and it's low in
saturated fat, low in addedsugar, added fat, added sodium,
low in ultra-processed foods,and studies have shown that
diets that are high in fruits,veggies, legumes, whole grains
and nuts and seeds can preventand even reverse conditions like

(03:40):
coronary artery disease.
Nutrition isn't just about whatyou remove.
It's about what you add in, anda colorful, plant-forward plate
can support gut health, reduceinflammation and nourish your
mitochondria.
I want people to focus onadding healthier foods to their

(04:01):
diets instead of focusing onremoving unhealthy foods.
This abundance mindset offocusing on nourishment instead
of focusing on restriction tendsto lead to better, sustainable
outcomes, and by addinghealthier foods to your plate,
you naturally crowd out theunhealthy ones.

(04:24):
Now the second pillar oflifestyle medicine is physical
activity, and exercise is one ofthe most powerful medicines
that we have.
It improves cardiovascularhealth, it boosts mental health,
it helps with weight regulationand can even stimulate
neurogenesis, the growth of newbrain cells.
Just 150 minutes of moderateactivity per week, like brisk

(04:48):
walking, can reduce mortalityrisk by up to 30%.
Now our third lifestylemedicine pillar is sleep.
I've already dedicated a fullepisode to explaining how sleep
impacts health.
We describe all of the sleepstages, specifically N3, or the

(05:12):
deep, slow-wave sleep, wherephysical repair happens.
Then we describe REM sleep,where emotional repair happens,
and we also discuss how sleepdeprivation can drastically
increase disease risk.
Sleep deprivation candrastically increase disease

(05:35):
risk.
In fact, sleep is so importantthat it's linked to obesity,
insulin resistance, mooddisorders and weakened immunity.
Now the four macros of sleepinclude sleep quantity, sleep
quality, sleep regularity andalso sleeping in accordance to
our sleep chronotype.
We want to make sure that wesleep at least seven to nine

(05:58):
hours per night.
But we also want to make surethat the quality of that sleep
is maintained, and this meansthat we progress naturally
through the different sleepstages and we have repetitive
and recurrent and predictablesleep cycles.
If you're lacking deep sleep orthe N3 repair stage, then even

(06:24):
if you were in bed for ninehours, you still might fall
victim to the increased risk ofsleep deprivation.
And so sleep hygiene and havinga good wind down routine,
making sure that you sink yourcircadian rhythms with light
exposure and you lower stresshormones before going to bed

(06:47):
they all play a role in havinggood sleep.
Now the fourth lifestyle pillaris stress management, and we
know that chronic stress is asilent killer.
It increases cortisol, itincreases blood pressure, it
increases inflammation and setsthe stage for many of our

(07:11):
chronic diseases.
And that's why it's importantto have mind-body practices like
meditation, breathingtechniques, journaling or even
simply walking in nature,because they can all reduce
stress hormone levels byactivating the parasympathetic
nervous system.
We know that 80% ofparasympathetic traffic travels

(07:35):
through the vagus nerve, and thevagus nerve can be activated
through things like socialconnection or walking, breathing
techniques or humming orsinging.
Things like cold exposure canactivate parasympathetic tone.
All things that lower bloodpressure, lower stress, lower

(07:56):
heart rate and helps you managestress better to reduce chronic
disease risk.
Now our fifth lifestyle medicinepillar is the avoidance of
risky substances, and this wouldinclude substances like tobacco
, excessive alcohol,recreational drugs or even the
overuse of prescriptionmedications.

(08:17):
We also can't forget theartificial preservatives and
additives basically the crapthat's in our ultra-processed
food.
Things as simple as quittingsmoking alone reduces
cardiovascular risk within weeksand lowers cancer risk
significantly over time.

(08:38):
Last but not least, our sixthlifestyle medicine pillar is
positive social connection.
Loneliness is now considered asrisky to health as smoking half
a pack a day, and people whofeel connected and supported
tend to have lower rates ofdepression, better immune

(09:00):
function, heal quicker and theyhave longer life expectancy.
The blues ones are a greatexample of this, where
centenarians in these regionsmaintain close social ties and a
sense of purpose and they livelonger for it.
Now lifestyle medicine mattersbecause our current healthcare

(09:22):
system is highly reactive wewait until people get sick and
then we intervene.
But lifestyle medicine isproactive and empowering.
It actually shifts the paradigmfrom a pill for every ill to
self-care and long-term,sustainable transformation.
And that doesn't mean that weabandon medicine and surgery,

(09:46):
but it means that we no longeruse them as first-line therapies
for preventable conditions.
The American College ofLifestyle Medicine is at the
forefront of this movement andis advocating for training
healthcare professionals inbehavior change, health coaching
and preventative medicine.
I'm very proud to be a member,and this is especially important

(10:10):
as we face rising rates ofchronic disease, rising rates of
burnout amongst healthcareproviders and unsustainable
healthcare costs.
Providers and unsustainablehealthcare costs.
Now I've seen the power oflifestyle medicine firsthand,

(10:34):
not only in my patients, but inmyself and with my kids.
When my oldest daughter was bornin 2012, she was born with the
same conditions that had plaguedmy own life for decades.
Within weeks of being born,there was blood in her stools
and she was diagnosed with amilk protein allergy.

(10:56):
She had eczema.
She had asthma Conditions thatI was battling myself, and
that's when I decided totransition towards a
plant-predominant diet andwithin about a year, I was on a
100% whole foods plant-baseddiet.
Now, within months, I noticedmy recovery after workouts

(11:20):
improve.
Months, I noticed my recoveryafter workouts improve and about
three or four months aftertransitioning, I had my first
workout without a hive.
I had been suffering withchronic idiopathic urticaria for
years, which then deterioratedinto cholinergic angioedema,
into cholinergic angioedema,basically a condition which

(11:43):
caused my throat to swell up,full hives to cover my body.
My face swells up, and thefourth attack, my most serious
one yet, put me in a hospital,thinking that I was going to die
.
Basically, I transitionedmyself and my whole family

(12:03):
towards a plant-predominant dietand in no time our conditions
improved.
Not only did my own personalconditions improve, they
reversed completely, and withinabout a year, year and a half,
of transitioning, I had stoppedmy heartburn pills, my migraine

(12:23):
medications, my allergymedications, and I've not had a
hive ever since.
I used to not be able to runfive kilometers without having
to use my puffers, and now I caneasily run a sub-two-hour half
marathon without using anypuffers at all.
And not only that, the exerciseand workout that usually

(12:48):
triggered my symptoms are gone.
I basically competed threetimes at the World Ninja Warrior
Championships in 2022 in Vegas,at the World Ninja Warrior
Championships in 2022 in Vegas,23 in Orlando and 24 in
California without anymedication at all.

(13:10):
Now, lifestyle medicine isn'talternative medicine, it's
foundational medicine, and thesix pillars nutrition, movement,
sleep, stress management,avoiding risky substances and
connection aren't just good forpreventing disease, they're
essential for living fullyliving a healthy life.

(13:32):
Now, if you're a healthcareprofessional, I encourage you to
go check out the AmericanCollege of Lifestyle Medicine,
and if you're someone on ajourney towards better health,
know that small, consistentchanges can add up over time and
lead to extraordinary results.

(13:54):
Now some people need education,some people need information,
but some people simply need acheerleader in their corner.
Some people need to be coached,but some people will change as
they consume science-backed data, and I'm one of these persons.

(14:15):
I saw the data, I was amazed bythe statistics and immediately
started to make small,incremental changes.
Now, when someone says to me,oh, you convinced me, I will
transition towards aplant-predominant diet, I say
take your time.
Although I'm a very intenseperson, I did recognize that we

(14:39):
cannot be black or white.
We need to see shades of grayand we need to make small,
incremental changes thatcompound, and that you need to
set yourself up for positivesuccess, positive experiences
that will then positivelyreinforce themselves men

(15:03):
positively reinforce themselves.
So what I did is, every singlemonth, I decided on one goal,
one objective that I wanted toattain.
The first month was cutting outred meat.
The second month was cuttingout dairy and, most important
thing is not just cutting outfoods, but also having a plan on
how you're replacing them, whatyou're substituting them with.
Now, for example, if you justtomorrow decide to cut out red

(15:28):
meat from your diet, well then,where are you going to obtain
your protein and your iron ifthese were the main sources?
If you decide to cut out dairy,then you need to have a plan on
where you're going to get yourcalcium.
So don't just focus on whatyou're cutting out of your diet.

(15:52):
Make sure to have a plan on howyou're going to substitute
something in that covers thesenutrient requirements that were
covered by that previous foodyou're cutting out.
Now.
An easy swap is swapping dairymilk for soy milk, because plant
milks like soy milk areequivalent in protein, calcium,

(16:15):
b12, and vitamin D.
But if you need more help,definitely go and reach out to a
registered dietitian or to ahealthcare professional that has
knowledge and expertise in thatarea.
Now the goal is adopting asustainable lifestyle.

(16:35):
Going on a plant-based diet isnot a diet.
Going on a plant-based diet isnot a diet.
It's a dietary pattern thatneeds to be sustained for
decades, because your chronicdisease risk will not be
determined by what you do for aweek or two, much in the same
way as working out once a monthor eating broccoli once a month

(16:59):
is not going to make you healthy, eating a piece of cake once a
month is not going to make youhealthy.
Eating a piece of cake once amonth is not going to make you
unhealthy.
It's what you do most of thetime over the long term that
will determine your chronicdisease risk.
Now everyone's balance will bedifferent and everyone's needs
are different, and that's whyit's important to find your way

(17:23):
of living a healthy, sustainablelifestyle, which includes plant
predominance, exercise,avoidance of risky substances,
social connections, stressmanagement and proper sleep
Quality in sleep quality andquantity Right on.
I hope this episode has clearedup the importance of lifestyle

(17:45):
medicine, which includes all ofthese six lifestyle pillars
combined into a lifestyle thatis meant to be lived sustainably
while creating minimal frictionwith your life.
While creating minimal frictionwith your life, focus on
low-friction behaviors first andchange things that you know you

(18:06):
can succeed.
This will create positivereinforcement and build
confidence that you can tacklethe next step and crush your
goals.
Start low, go slow, and theseincremental changes will add up
and compound over time and willlead to a healthy, balanced

(18:29):
lifestyle Right on.
Thanks so much for tuning in.
I hope to see you at the nextepisode.
Make sure to share with thosewho care.
We'll see you next time.
Peace, hey, everyone.

(18:52):
Go check out my websiteplantbaseddoctorjulescom to find
free downloadable resources andremember that you can find me
on Facebook and Instagram at DrJules Cormier and on YouTube at
Plant-Based Dr Jules.