Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes over one third of deaths in the US, killing an American every 37 seconds. Want to live an extra seven years? That would be the average increase in life expectancy if CVD was totally vanquished.

The American Heart Association wants physicians to be able to recognize and recommend effective ways to lose weight and exercise more.

To combat CVD, the American Heart Association (AHA) put dozens of researchers to work reviewing hundreds of studies on lifestyle change programs. The goal of this project was to identify the interventions that help people exercise more, lose weight, and eat healthier. The AHA summarized their findings in a 37 page scientific statement published July 12, 2010.

The AHA reinforced the role of activity, weight, and eating in preventing CVD. Their statement points out that black and Hispanic immigrants are initially at lower risk for this condition than US-born citizens in the same ethnic groups. However, as the immigrants adopt an American diet and sedentary lifestyle, CVD becomes a harsh reality for them. Since cardiovascular disease is so closely related to lifestyle and obesity, better habits could help prevent illness and death for everyone.

The AHA statement distilled ten strategies that can effectively change the way people think, act, and feel. These changes, in turn, then lead to different choices about food and exercise. Briefly, here are the ten keys to programs that work.

1. Goal setting. Specific goals maximize success. Goals are most effective when they are set early in the program and are specific, attainable in a reasonable amount of time, realistic, and focused on controllable behaviors. Goals should be easy enough to reach but not so slam-dunk that achieving them provides no sense of satisfaction. An example of this kind of goal would be to eat an extra serving of whole grains at every meal.
2. Self-monitoring. If you are trying to change, you need to watch and measure how you are doing. Examples of this strategy include weighing yourself frequently or keeping a food or exercise log.
3. Frequent and prolonged contact. Effective programs keep in touch with their participants frequently and over a period of several months or more. While face-to-face is nice, programs can also stay in touch through phone, email, or the Internet.
4. Feedback and reinforcement. Information from the program helps you figure out how much you can benefit from changing health habits. As the program progresses, such feedback helps you stay on target to reach goals and determine how to do better.
5. Building self-confidence. If you don’t think you can reach a goal, you might not even try. Effective programs boost a can-do attitude. Small successes build confidence in achieving long-term success. Even watching someone else achieve a goal, such as cooking a healthy meal, can lead you to realize that you can do it too.
6. Incentives. Employers may provide rewards for employees to make specific health-related choices or achieve certain goals.
7. Modeling. Lifestyle programs can use tools such as videos or exercise classes to teach you how to carry out better choices. These models enhance both skills and self-confidence.
8. Problem solving. In making a change in diet or exercise, you are bound to run into problems and barriers. Effective programs teach skills to overcoming these issues and moving ahead.
9. Relapse prevention. Perfection is a scarce commodity, and it’s normal to sometimes go back to previous, undesirable food and exercise habits. Relapse prevention teaches you to recognize when this is most a risk, and to move back to better choices after a lapse.
10. Motivational interviewing. You may be ambivalent about making a change, even if you know it will make you healthier and add years to your life. Motivational interviewing is a style of counseling that works with your ambivalence to help you decide what you really want to do.

The best programs use several of the above strategies. Change is difficult, and each tool reinforces the effect of the others.

You may associate losing weight and getting healthy with deprivation. But it does not have to be that way. On a whole foods, plant-based diet you will permanently lose weight without hunger.

If you are selecting a program to help you lose weight, eat healthier, or exercise, you can use the ten strategies the AHA identified to pick out the best ones. If you are making the change on your own, with some help from family and friends, you can incorporate these strategies into your plans. For example, set specific goals and write them down. Periodically revise your goals to keep them challenging. Find others who have achieved success and find out how they did it. Learn problem-solving techniques to deal with barriers to success.

The AHA does sadly conclude, along with their hopeful take on effective programs, that long-term success with weight loss and exercise is elusive. Interventions that initially achieve impressive results often fail to change weight, behavior, and risk in the long-run. Even those that do help people change behavior may not measurably impact the progress of cardiovascular disease.

The neglected element in the AHA statement is the actual content of their recommended diet. The AHA eating plan contains generous amounts of animal food, focusing on “lean protein” that is lower in saturated fat. This diet is only a marginal change that will not reverse CVD or even much slow it down. This is because CVD is caused by an ongoing inflammatory process related to animal protein, not simply clogging arteries with fat.

The path to permanent, hunger-free weight loss and freedom from chronic illness is a whole foods, plant-based diet. Here’s the best strategy. Set a whole foods, plant-based diet as a long-term goal. Establish a series of short-term goals to get there. For example, week one may include eating an extra cup of vegetables every day. Week two may include an extra cup of fruit daily. Then double those amounts. Go meat-free one day a week, and then two. Start planning not-meals instead of meals. Use all the AHA strategies to stay on track until your goal is a daily pleasure and cardiovascular disease is a distant memory.

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.

Krista and her wonderfully supportive husband Jeff are the picture of health and happiness

For nine years, Krista Watts needed to use an inhaler several times a day just to breathe. Her asthma overshadowed her life. Exercising was difficult, often leading to wheezing and a flushed face.

Krista’s asthma ordeal began after she adopted two cats. Tests led to the conclusion she was allergic to her new furry family. Unwilling to give up her much-loved pets, she resigned herself to living with a condition that was unpleasant at best, and life-threatening if it got out of hand.

For the last two and half years, though, Krista has not used her inhaler – not even once. She still has her cats, and plays with and pets them every day. Now age 38, she is amazed at her vigorous health and plummeting cholesterol, which fell from 255 to 173 as she regained control of her breathing.

The day Krista adopted an animal-free diet was the day she said good riddance to asthma. Recently I enjoyed the opportunity to interview Krista about her dietary transformation.

Growing up, Krista ate mostly meat, dairy, eggs, and processed foods. Ironically, her mother’s aim was to serve low sodium, low fat foods, but the family’s meals did not meet this goal. Krista got stomach aches. To get her to eat, Krista’s mom made such “fun foods” as bologna and cheese sandwiches cut into kid-friendly shapes with a cookie cutter. She felt controlled by food addictions – to sugar as a child and to a daily cheese habit as an adult

Krista was inspired to choose a plant-based diet when she read the book Skinny Bitch. Her reaction: “I felt like I had been woken up, as if I had been sleep walking through my dietary choices with no real idea of the impact of my individual choices on my body, the environment and the animals I was eating.”

Her new diet is liberating and fun. Krista observes “now I enjoy every meal. I crave fresh crunchy organic veggies. I enjoy veggie sandwiches, beans, potatoes, nuts, seeds, brown rice and my new favorite quinoa. I have a great recipe for quinoa salad with black

Would you rather eat this sandwich or use an inhaler? Try quinoa salad or give up your pets?

beans, mango, red pepper and cilantro. Every time I take it to an event I am asked for the recipe! My husband and I have really taken to juicing as well. He makes us his specialty “green juice” every other morning using organic veggies and a high quality juicer.”

These wonderful foods are made even more enjoyable because they are in line with Krista’s belief system. She says “I feel I am living a more authentic life and I am so grateful for the people and organizations who tried to reach me through books, movies, investigations and websites. I only wish I had made these changes earlier in life.”

Two forces keep Krista strongly committed to a plant-based diet. First is her own health. She feels noticeably lighter, enjoys vastly improved health and freedom from asthma, takes pleasure in every moment with her cats, and thinks more clearly on an animal-free diet. Just as important is her empathy for animals and desire to take a stand against “the unspeakable treatment of animals raised for food.” She recognizes that a compassionate diet is the foundation of a life that is compassionate in all ways.

When she first adopted a plant-based diet, Krista was anxious about how her family would respond. At first, she was not sure how to talk to others about her new choices. She discovered “that when I spoke from my heart about why I no longer would be consuming animals and animal products I found a good deal of support and even admiration. I have become a positive role model for my husband and others which feels pretty amazing. I am grateful to be able to share my story. If I can do it you can too!”

Krista so vividly demonstrates that a plant-based diet is not a deprivation. Instead, this way of eating is exciting and liberating on just about every level – health, compassion, and even relationships. Getting rid of asthma, with its scary wheezing and harmful drug side-effects, is only the beginning of the wonderful changes.

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.

Red potatoes, purple, or Yukon Gold are all excellent for steaming. Cut into bite size pieces first.

Potatoes are one of nature’s most satiating foods. This means they get you full and keep you feeling full and satisfied longer than most other things you could eat. These nutritious spuds have gotten a bad name because they are usually made into chips or fried (read unhealthy and weight-promoting oil) or baked and smothered with a dairy topping. So it’s no wonder that potatoes have gotten a bad – but undeserved – reputation.

Baking and roasting are my favorite ways to make potatoes. In the heat of San Diego summer, though, the oven is best turned off. So I experimented with steaming potatoes and am cheering at the results.

First, I scrubbed and cut up about 10 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes into bite size chunks (red potatoes or purple would also be good choices). Then I steamed them about 22 minutes until they were just fork tender. You might have to steam a longer or shorter time, based on the size of the potato pieces and kind of spud.

There, I had the basis all the satisfying not-meals I could want for the next day. I ate some of the steamers mixed with salad. I ate some on their own, sprinkled with pepper and paprika or dipped in barbecue sauce.

If you want a bit more elaborate meal, just sauté the steamed potatoes in a bit of vegetable broth (just enough to cover the bottom of

Saute a chopped onion with the steamed potatoes in a bit of vegetable broth

the pan) with chopped onions, mushrooms, spinach, kale, or whatever other veggies you want. Cook until the veggies are barely tender and still flavorful. Sprinkle on your favorite spices or add fresh herbs. Summer offers basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, and many other choices. A large bowl of this creation is a meal, not requiring anything to supplement it.

Add mushromms or whatever veggies you want to the saute. Be sure to include spices or fresh herbs for more flavor and nutrition.

Give steamed potatoes the thumbs up over junk food choices. Even on a plant-based diet, it’s so easy to just go for a chip, cookie, faux meat or cheese, “ice cream,” cupcake, food bars, candy, or whatever the latest vegan manufactured food choice is lining food store shelves. The resulting health effects, over the long-run, will not make you into a model of health that everyone else wants to emulate. The steamed potatoes and veggies alternative is every bit as filling, delicious, enjoyable, and even really convenient. Why not give it a try?

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.

The obesity epidemic in the US remains a puzzle to researchers and policymakers. A widely publicized report issued in June 2010

Yes, you can enjoy pasta and still lose weight. Just choose whole grain pasta. It will take about 3 weeks for your tastebuds to adjust to its heartier flavor.

concluded obesity “threatens America’s future.” Both the health and financial costs are staggering and unsustainable.

In just the past year, the adult obesity rate rose in 28 states, falling only in the District of Columbia. If everyone were a healthy weight, Medicare costs would be 8.5% lower and Medicaid would be 11.8% lower.

There’s only one problem. The mainstream nutrition guidelines the report describes to get everyone thin don’t work. These dietary recommendations had the Federal stamp of approval for the last five years, yet obesity rates have skyrocketed in that time.

A complete change in how Americans eat is the answer. Half measures are basically useless and give only the illusion of getting anywhere. This illusion is dangerous because it prevents meaningful action.

A whole foods, plant-based diet is the solution to permanent, hunger-free weight loss. Studies consistently find that people on a plant-based diet are significantly thinner than followers of a meat and dairy diet. For example, one comprehensive review of medical journal articles concluded 38 out of 40 studies found those who avoid meat weigh substantially less than those who eat meat. (See references to Chapter Two of The Perfect Formula Diet for many more studies looking at the relative weight of those on animal-free diets.)

Of course, there are plant-based eaters who still weigh too much. This time, whole foods rather than manufactured foods are the answer. Most importantly, Americans consumed an average 640 calories of added fats per person every day in 2008. That equates to almost 67 pounds of fat on your body just in one year. Think margarine, olive oil, and every other vegetable oil as the likely culprits here, if you are overweight on a plant-based diet. Of course, if you consume oil but are not overweight, you might be short-changing yourself the vital nutrients found only in whole foods (by eating fewer whole foods to keep your calorie count in check).

So what is it about a whole foods diet that will get you to a healthy weight without deprivation or a growling stomach?  Six key

Preparing whole foods can be simple and fun.

mechanisms drive success.

1. Your body has exquisitely tuned sensors for both calories and nutrients. When it gets enough of both, your appetite automatically turns off. A meat and dairy diet has loads of calories, but lacks sufficient nutrients. Your body keeps sending you out to get more food in the quest to survive. Natural appetite controls are disabled in the futile mission of getting optimal nutrition from animal and manufactured foods.

2. Animal and manufactured foods have addictive properties. You may eat when not really hungry just for a “food high.” Irresistible food cravings drive eating binges. Whole plants do not have this addictive quality, so it’s way easier to consume them only when you are actually hungry.

3. Whole plant foods are dense with fiber, which is not digestible by humans. Fiber makes you feel full but adds zero effective calories. This is not true for ruminants like cows, deer, and moose, who actually can digest fiber. You would need three more stomachs to be able to equal this feat.

4. Caloric density is the amount of calories in a spoonful or forkful of food. Vegetables and fruits have the lowest caloric density of all foods. In fact, you would have trouble getting enough calories from

You'll have so much more energy on a whole foods diet. You won't be able to wait to take a walk. Make it fun!

just fruits and veggies. Potatoes, beans, and whole grains round out the whole foods menu, allowing you to feel full and satisfied. Animal and manufactured foods, on the other hand, tend to have higher caloric density than whole plant foods. This means you have to eat more calories to fill your stomach.

5. High energy is a great side effect of a whole foods, plant-based diet. With all that vigor, you will naturally want to exercise more. The activity burns calories and can even rev up your metabolism so you burn more calories all day long.

6. The excess proteins in animal foods push up levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1 for short. In addition to being a cancer-promoter, IGF-1 spurs growth. In fact, factory farms feed animal protein to naturally vegetarian animals, such as cows, to speed maturation and make the animal gain weight faster. Animal protein has the same effect on people. IGF-1 may be one mechanism for this outcome.

Here’s the bottom line. Choose a variety of whole plant foods: vegetables, fruits, beans, potatoes, and whole grains. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Take a walk with your new-found energy. Then go shopping for some smaller size clothes.

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.

Is your skin more like a paper towel or a piece of plastic wrap? Learn more in this video.  The personal care and cleaning products you choose are vital to your own health and to the planet.

The problem is that, on diets based on animal and manufactured foods, your blood vessels become clogged with plaque. This life-threatening process begins in childhood and progresses relentlessly. Cardiovascular disease is a leading killer throughout the world. You can stop and reverse this process so easily though – the key is your food choices.

Learn more at this Youtube video.

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.

The start of warm summer breezes and promise of the Fourth of July inspire many to drag out their barbecue grill. Charcoal and lighter

Barbeques deliver a double dose of dangerous chemicals. These hazards get into your body through your lungs and your digestive tract.

fluid join the bestseller list. Outdoor cooking sets the stage for traditional get-togethers with family and friends.

This romance with barbecues has a dark side that few know about. After all, information about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is obscured by millions of dollars of ads and happy images for grilled meat.

As is the case for most toxic chemicals, the long-term health effects of PAH are poorly understood, so easy to ignore. Yet PAH is an insidious public health nightmare that can invade your own life and the next generation.

Truth in labeling would require an explicit warning on bags of charcoal and packs of meat and fish. “Eating grilled or smoked animal foods can cause DNA mutation, cancer, and lower intelligence in your children.” Wide knowledge of these dangers might inspire many to consider alternatives, or at least make informed decisions.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a product of incomplete combustion of materials that contain carbon. Burn tobacco, wood, oil, gasoline, coal, garbage – or meat and fish – and PAHs will form. Over 100 varieties of PAHs can menace our health and the environment.

A widespread nutrition myth touts that the major harm from eating meat results from ingesting animal fat. So barbecuing and grilling have become popular cooking methods. Fat from the meat drips away from the part people will consume, resulting in “leaner” food.

The unintended consequence of this method is that the fat burns once it hits the source of heat. Smoke from the fat plus products of combustion of the heating method (charcoal, wood, propane, etc.) envelope the meat. This smoke is dense with PAHs, which are likely more dangerous than the fat was. In fact, animal protein is at least as hazardous as animal fat in its effect on cholesterol specifically and on health in general. So concern about the fat was not the highest priority to begin with.

Barbecuing produces a double dose of PAHs that get into your body through two avenues. First, breathing the smoke from the burning coals and cooking meat delivers PAHs directly into your bloodstream from your lungs. Secondly, eating the grilled or smoked meat or fish subjects your intestinal walls to PAH. These walls can be directly damaged, and the chemicals are also absorbed with the food into your body. Fish and shellfish accumulate PAHs in contaminated water, and so may be an even more potent source of these chemicals than meat is.

So what are the damages from breathing and eating polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?

• Cancer – PAH is recognized by the federal government as a carcinogen. Given the lax industry oversight that government is famous for, a chemical has to really work to be officially named a carcinogen.

• PAHs can damage your lungs, eyes, liver, skin, red blood cells, immune system, and kidneys

Barbeques are also environmentally devastating and unsustainable. Try solar cooking instead.

Even more disturbing is the effect of PAHs on unborn children.

• PAHs can damage DNA, leading potentially to birth defects

• Exposure to PAHs in utero increases the risk that the child will develop leukemia or other cancers

• Children exposed to high amounts of PAH while in the womb have been shown to lose, on average, about four points off their IQ when they are five years old. This is enough of a decrement to hurt school performance. The chemicals may also impair other aspects of the child’s development.

Grilled and barbecued meats subject you to heterocyclic amines (HCAs) as well. HCAs are another class of hazardous chemicals that form when meat (especially chicken) is cooked at high temperatures. Like PAHs, HCAs increase your risks of cancer and damaged DNA.

Another hazard is in the charcoal itself, if that is how you barbeque. High quality charcoal is made from wood. Forests are cut down and wildlife is wiped out so people can grill carcinogenic steaks.

Cheaper commercial charcoal is actually made of wood scraps glued together and infused with additional chemicals. No one knows the health effects of the burning charcoal additives, especially as these may mix with PAHs and HCAs.

Even if you really love barbecued, grilled, or smoked meat and fish, think about whether you are willing to pay such a hefty price to eat them. Is the cost/benefit ratio favorable to you and your children?

So many delicious alternatives beckon.  In contrast to grilled meat and fish, whole plant foods are healthy and sustainable. You could even experiment with solar cooking if you want to prepare food outdoors. Cooking with the sun – the next generation of fun and challenge!

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.

As the owner of 1106 Design, and an active player in the creation of book covers, interiors, and business logos, Michele DeFilippo

The creative tasks at 1106 Design demand Michele's full energy

draws on physical and mental energy through long days and tight timelines. I met Michele when, impressed by 1106’s strong portfolio, I worked with her and her team on the cover and interior for The Perfect Formula Diet.

Several months later, Michele shared with me that she had decided to try the Perfect Formula Diet eating plan. This diet, based on whole plant foods, includes vegetables, fruit, beans, potatoes, whole grains, herbs, spices, nuts, and seeds. There are no artificial portion sizes. Instead, the diet balances the proportions of the different food types so you can eat whenever you are hungry and stop when you are full. The benefits for both health and permanent weight loss are impressive.

Here is Michele’s account of her experience with the Perfect Formula Diet.

Janice: What kinds of foods did you grow up eating?

Michele: I’m of Italian descent, so our diet was typically American with a lot of pasta and beef. Much of the Italian diet is very healthy…peas and macaroni, chick peas and macaroni, lentils and pasta, escarole and beans were all served regularly when I was growing up, so eating whole foods as specified in The Perfect Formula Diet has in many ways been a trip back to the past.

Janice: What kinds of foods do you eat now?

Michele: All of the above foods plus far more vegetables and fruit. I used to joke that I didn’t eat five servings of vegetables a month, let alone a day, as recommended.

Janice: When did you change your diet?

Michele: Almost three months ago.

Janice: What made you change your diet?

Michele: I wasn’t feeling “sick” but I wasn’t feeling “good” either. When the doctor prescribed medicine for high blood pressure, I realized I had been taking my good health for granted, and now needed to pay more attention.

Plug into energy and vitality with whole plant foods

Janice: What changes have you seen in your health and weight after you changed your diet?

Michele: My energy level has gone through the roof. I don’t feel sluggish and tired after eating anymore, and I’m not exhausted by 9 p.m. I’m losing weight slowly and steadily. I probably would lose weight faster if I were better at limiting grains to 25% of the diet, as specified in the book. I find this the most difficult part. Did I mention I’m Italian?

Janice: How much do you enjoy a diet based on whole plant foods?

Michele: Honestly, this diet is far more varied than the way I was eating before. I thought I would miss eating meat, but I don’t even think about it anymore. I’m discovering fruits and vegetables and new ways to cook them all the time, so I’m not at all bored, as was often the case with other diets I have tried.

Janice: What keeps you going with your current food choices?

Michele: I’ve “fallen off the wagon” a few times, and I immediately feel sluggish and tired — the way I used to feel all the time before following the Perfect Formula Diet. I used to accept that feeling as “normal” but now I know better, so it’s easy to stay motivated.

Janice: Why is it important for people to eat a diet based on whole plant foods?

Michele: The Perfect Formula Diet backed up its recommendations with interesting facts. I used to think that vegetarian and vegan diets and the people who followed them were “odd”, but now I see the value of eating this way.

Janice: Anything else you’d like to add?

Michele: Just that I can’t recommend this book enough. It truly did change my life, and I don’t make that statement lightly. We work on a lot of books at 1106 Design, and I can honestly say that this book rises above the norm in terms of the research and also in the quality of the writing that keeps the reader engaged.

Janice: Is it ok to share your age?

Michele: Sure. I’m 57.

For Michele, virtue is its own reward. The contrast between the energy level generated by whole plant foods and the sluggish inertia from eating animal foods keeps her happy with her new eating choices.

This is how much energy I had when eating animal and manufactured foods every day

I recall this same rocketing vitality myself when I changed my diet in 2000. On a diet filled with animal foods, I often felt I was pushing my way through sludge just to move, and couldn’t stay awake even on my morning bus ride to work. Now I can out-work and out-play people decades younger than I am.

The main reason for this improvement is that animal protein can provoke the immune system, which is designed to protect you against potential threats. If frequent dietary animal protein irritates your immune system, you will be in a near-constant state of chronic inflammation.

Fatigue and low energy are symptoms of inflammation. Think about how you feel when you have the flu. All you want to do is sleep. Just getting out of bed to get a glass of water may seem impossible. The fatigue is protective, designed to make sure you rest while your body puts all its energy into healing. Inflammation from other sources, including poor food choices, will lead to similar symptoms.

Michele’s inspiring example shows the way to a fuller, more intense life. Put your vitality into work or put it into having fun, or a little bit of both. Isn’t it great to have that choice?

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.

Dr. Carolle Jean-Murat has chosen the path of true healing for her patients

“After 21 days your body heals itself – your body talks to you,” Dr. Carolle Jean-Murat shared with me. This dynamic physician graciously spoke with me about her work as a medical intuitive, board-certified gynecologist, holistic practitioner, speaker, teacher, artist, writer, and force for rebuilding Haiti .

She had a successful holistic private practice as a board-certified OB-GYN in San Diego from 1982 until 2005. For more than 20 years, she has provided free medical care to the people of Haiti and underserved clinics in San Diego and around the world.

Dr. Carolle closed her gynecological practice in 2005 because she could no longer fit in the Western traditional medicine even though it included the use of alternative medicine. To her, both modalities were misleading to women, teaching them to treat a symptom, instead of finding the root cause of that symptom and learn to how deal with it. According to Dr. Carolle, “a symptom is the tip of the iceberg pointing to something much deeper. True healing demands that one searches for the root cause and learn how to deal with it.”

She took the time to design and build the Dr. Carolle’s Wellness and Retreat Center of San Diego where she offers “Life Transition Decisions with Clarity” – intuitive consultations for those who are at a major fork in the road on their life journey, as well as “One-on-one Private and Group Retreats” to help suffering women understand their midlife health needs, symptoms, and options for proactive holistic treatment and lifestyle adjustment. This process helps women quickly discover the root cause of their disease, which often are hidden emotions. She guides women on how to bring them to consciousness, and how to deal with them.

Dr. Carolle shares her strength with her patients by empowering them to control their own health. She supports the concept that each person is gifted with a naturally Perfect Body with innate wisdom to thrive. Her mission statement is a call to action:

“My mission is to help those who are stuck at a crossroad on their life journey or who are plagued with physical, spiritual, and emotional problems, to quickly find the root cause and to fix it. We all have the ability to heal ourselves and to live our lives as powerfully as we want.

For those who are ready, I will provide the tools you need to go within and unleash the power that resides within all of us to understand what’s going on, and bring out the healthiest, happiest and best you can be. “

The word “quickly” is one of her keys. When she works with a patient, Dr. Carolle talks to them about every 21 days, but only for four

Dr. Carolle devotes much of her energy to fund-raising for the people of Haiti. She travels to Haiti to assure the aid is used to maximum benefit for those most in need.

sessions. After that, the patient has all the tools she needs to take care of herself.

Dr. Carolle works with people who are truly ready to change. She has little patience with going past four visits, because anyone who wants to get healthy will learn everything they need that fast.

How does the patient learn so rapidly? Dr. Carolle sees herself as a mirror, enabling those who work with her to gain insight into the true roots of their medical or emotional issues. Depth of interaction with her patients replaces length of treatment.

While the roots of patient issues may be recent, more likely they reach deep into the past. People tend to retreat to childhood when under stress. By letting go of decades-old hurts, her patients consciously choose to break out of this damaging pattern.

Why is 21 days the ideal timing between visits or phone consultations? “The cycle for your cells to rejuvenate is 21 days,” answered Dr. Carolle. Her lesson agrees with Dr. Neal Barnard’s observation that your tastes will change in about three weeks if you stop eating one kind of food and start eating another. You don’t need to be chained to your past food preferences, because your taste buds adapt. You learn to love new flavors and ditch old eating patterns. 21 days is emerging as a critical number for healing and change.

Healing blossoms on both individual and community levels. Dr. Carolle attends to the community through her tireless work for the people of Haiti . She is especially focused on helping children and those most desperately in need.

Fundraising is critical now. Dr. Carolle, born in Port-au-Prince, is challenged to rebuild her devastated homeland. She is a woman who will never give up. The desperation of the people drives her to ever greater efforts. Just talking with her on the phone, I could sense she embodies as much power as the January 12, 2010 earthquake unleashed on Haiti . To further her work, she founded the Health Through Communications Foundation. She directs the Foundations’ Angels for Haiti Project.

We are all fortunate that such a true healer carries on the tradition of genuine healing. Drug makers get at symptoms, often with painful, dangerous side effects. Medical intuition and deep focus on the patient, listening to her and sharing insights, can reach the fundamental cause of disease.  Along with a whole foods, plant-based diet, such insight and caring will bring real health.

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet, a nutrition book built on sustainable food choices. Enjoy six kinds of whole foods for permanent, hunger-free weight loss and health.