With two wonderful experiences, I have become a very passionate advocate for Lifestyle Medicine and the Whole Food Plant-Based Lifestyle. Changing a lifetime of sickness, illness, and disease to significantly improved health for my mother and me was a blessing and enlightening.
From childhood to adulthood, I was overwhelmed with food. Suffering from obesity made life very difficult. Sleep was inadequate. Lack of energy led to anxiety and stress. I did not understand the importance of regular exercise. Work and relationships were challenging and stressful. I was very unaware of what health and wellness were.
I suffered from constant fatigue, pain, and hunger. That suffering led to depression, discomfort, and anxiety all day. Later in life, medication tried to help. My life was uncertain.
My life was filled with an abundance of poor, animal-based, and non-nutritious food. My life was filled with a lack of rich, plant-based, and nourishing food.
I was misinformed and misguided by our society, which led me to question and seek true answers about health and wellness.
Through much struggle and pain, I then discovered Lifestyle Medicine and the Whole Food Plant-Based Lifestyle in January 2016.
In February 2016, my health and well-being began to improve. I was now learning about food. I learned to minimize animal-based food and maximize plant-based food.
With fruits, vegetables, and beans a regular part of my diet, physical comfort and a stable mood took shape. Soon after, sleeping well led to increased regular physical activity. Hunger and pain were no longer noticeable. I was now sleeping and living in peace.
Later in my adventures, I would help my mother.
Janaf Mussallam
Like me, my mother also had relied on an animal-based diet. In November 2021, my mother was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease at the age of 86.
My mother was also blessed to have a Lifestyle Medicine doctor from Kaiser Permanente. They also recommended the change to a Plant-Based diet.
Over the months and years, my mother would reverse CKD 100%. Mother was able to avoid dialysis. Mother was able to live in the comfort of her home, in comfort. Proving that healing can happen even in the late 80s.
In addition, under our doctor’s care, further recommendations led to a significant reversal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Mother and I are proof that the best health possible is with Lifestyle Medicine. Working with our doctors ensures the transition is medically supervised and safe. Lifestyle Medicine helps where medication cannot; treating the root cause rather than just managing symptoms.
