I now have a new paradigm of wellness—for myself and for my patients—and strongly believe that this paradigm is essential for all physicians in our healthcare system.

The former internist for the St. Louis Rams and St. Louis Cardinals, James Loomis, MD, now serves as director of prevention and wellness at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, MO. It was his own personal encounter with a metabolic syndrome diagnosis and a happenstance viewing of the documentary, Forks Over Knives, that he credits with sparking the paradigm-shift that has transformed both his own health and his medical practice.

“The average medical student gets 30 minutes of nutrition education in medical school, so I find it ironic that, as a medical doctor, it took Netflix to open my eyes to the power of prevention through whole foods, plant-based nutrition,” said Dr. Loomis. “The paradigm of our current healthcare system is one of intervention: drugs, treatments and operations; yet, the food we eat is a far more powerful drug than any treatment option available on a prescription pad. For me, the clarity of this was astounding.”

In 2011, when asked about his personal health, Dr. Loomis would have given it a ‘good’ rating. The results of a biometric screening showed otherwise: elevated readings for triglycerides, blood pressure, and cholesterol. The reality of his metabolic syndrome diagnosis was a wake-up call, fueled by the fact that his personal physician wanted to prescribe statins.

Pondering this diagnosis, Dr. Loomis came across the documentary Forks Over Knives. The documentary’s message of prevention through whole foods, plant-based nutrition resonated and sparked what began as a three-month trial and has now been an 18-month journey, what Dr. Loomis calls a permanent lifestyle transformation.

“Based on the compelling information I’d first seen in Forks Over Knives, followed by reading everything I was able to find on PubMed and through other sources, I knew it would be unconscionable not to implement the recommendations for at least three months,” said Dr. Loomis.

What Dr. Loomis found was that implementing a plant-based diet was not nearly as difficult as he had anticipated. His energy level and mood significantly improved. His cholesterol dropped from over 240 to 150. Triglycerides fell from 250 to 70, while blood sugar stabilized and blood pressure fell to 110 over 60. This was capped off with a 25 pound weight loss that now, 18 months later, after having added exercise to the mix, exceeds a 60 pound loss.

Over the past few months, Dr. Loomis has completed five half-marathons, successfully completed the MS 150, and just finished his third triathlon with two more to go leading up to a half ironman triathlon in Muncie, IN on July 13, 2013, just three days following his 54th birthday.

“I now have a new paradigm of wellness—for myself and for my patients—and strongly believe that this paradigm is essential for all physicians in our healthcare system. I can now step back and see that my own interaction with the healthcare system up until a year and a half ago was completely misguided, based solely on a diagnose and treat philosophy. I had to realign my approach to my personal health and to my medical practice. My patients who have embraced the dietary lifestyle shift to a predominantly plant-based diet have experienced results nothing short of remarkable.”

Dr. Loomis now holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition through eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation. He’s eager to attend the North American Plant-based Nutrition Healthcare Conference, scheduled for October 24-26, 2013 in Naples, Florida, and urges his fellow physicians to take the time to educate themselves and their staff members about what he calls the “remarkable and transformative” power of preventive and nutritional medicine through plant-based nutrition.

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About the North American Plant-based Nutrition Healthcare Conference:

Breaking new ground, this CME accredited medical conference transcends the individual experience comprised of anecdotal stories and historical research typically associated with plant-based nutrition.

The conference objective is to prove the benefits of the dietary lifestyle through a review of current and progressive scientific research evidencing the preventive and disease fighting capabilities of plant-based, whole foods nutrition. Geared toward medical doctors from a variety of specialty areas, as well as allied health practitioners, the information on plant-based nutrition will be presented at the conference with a commitment to intellectual integrity, without bias or influence. For details, visit http://www.pbnhc.com.