eating ourselves to death reducing health care costs and improving care joel fuhrman, md copyright...

Eating Ourselves To Death

Reducing health care costs

and improving care 

Joel Fuhrman, MD

Copyright © Joel Fuhrman, M.D., 2010

• Health care spending (more medical care) does not improve healthy life expectancy.

• 22 industrialized countries spend less than halfof U.S. per person medical expenses and havea significantly better healthy life expectancy.

Healthy Life Expectancy

Copyright © Joel Fuhrman, M.D., 2010

Health Life Expectancy and Per PersonMedical Expenses in 22 Countries

Copyright © Joel Fuhrman, M.D., 2010

World Health Organization Healthy Life Expectancy Estimateshttp://www.who.int/whr/2001/en/annex4_en.pdf

For a person with 3 risk characteristics

• High Cholesterol

• Overweight

• High Blood Pressure

Health care costs is more than three times higher than average costs per person

Health Care Costs

Copyright © Joel Fuhrman, M.D., 2010

Scholze J, et al. Epidemiological and economic burden of metabolic syndrome and its consequences in patients with hypertension in Germany, Spain and Italy; a prevalence-based model. BMC Public Health. 2010 Sep 2;10:529.

Expenditures on prescription drugs grew 40% from 2005 to 2010 due to the combined affect of more people suffering from diabetes, and the use of more expensive treatments.

 10% of the population with chronic diseases utilize 90% of health care spending

Approximately 50% of the British population are overweight

Health Care Costs Increasing among the overweight and diabetic

Copyright © Joel Fuhrman, M.D., 2010

www.diabetes.co.uk/nhs/

  Compelling data from nutritional studies, population surveys, and interventional studies supports the effectiveness of a healthy, plant-based diet to lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, arrest, prevent, and reverse heart disease.

Physicians practicing Lifestyle Medicine focusing on educating and motivating individuals to make substantial changes in their diet-style to achieve the best outcomes at the lowest costs.

Heart disease, Hypertension andDiabetes is preventable and reversible

Copyright © Joel Fuhrman, M.D., 2010

Breslow JL. Cardiovascular disease myths and facts. Cleve Clin J Med 1998;65(6):286-287. Ornish D, et al. Intensive lifestyle changes for reversal of coronary heart disease. JAMA 1998;280:2001-2007.

Dr. Fuhrman’s NutritarianFood Pyramid

Copyright © Joel Fuhrman, M.D., 2010

Copyright 2010 Joel Fuhrman, M.D. All Rights Reserved

Fill Up on Nutrient Rich Food

Losing weight permanently without yo-yo dieting

Sarter B, Campbell TC, Fuhrman J, Effect of a high nutrient density diet on long-term weight loss: a retrospective chart review. Altern Ther Health Med, 2008. 14(3): p. 48-53.

Average weight loss over 2-years 53 pounds. Nobody who adopted the program put weight back on once it was lost.

Diabetes Research Study Results

1. All patients off diabetic meds

2. Average HbA1C in normal range (7.7 5.7)

3. All patients with high triglyceride normalized

4. Average systolic blood pressure 145 118.

Dunaief D, et al. Glycemic and cardiovascular parameters improved in type 2 diabetes with the high nutrient density diet. Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 2010;14(6):500. Results presented at the International Academy on Nutrition and Aging (IANA) Conference on Monday, July 26, 2010

Adrienne 123 lbs in 1 year!

May 11, 2009319 lbs May 13, 2010

196 lbs

Tony His diabetes is gone and his weight is stable!

“Before I had to keep eating just to feel okay.

Dr. Fuhrman set me free. It’s like being let out of prison.”

Rebecca Has Lost 330 lbs

JuliaLost 105 lbs and went from a "cardiac cripple" to a healthy, happy human being

Scott

Before

501 lbs

After

182 lbs

“Eat For Health is not a ‘diet’ and it’s not about a goal weight. I’m just doing what’s healthy for my body, and the results follow.”

CharlotteLost 130 lbs and no longer suffers with chronic disease

Case study # 5 Emily, lost 100 pounds in one year,

no longer depressed and sick

JodiSuffering from psoriatic arthritis most of her life, finally resolved her health conditions, lost weight, and is off medication.

• Plant-based diet containing high micro nutrient

containing foods - vegetables and beans,

mushrooms, onions, seeds, nuts, fruit

• Limit (or eliminate) unhealthy foods– including

processed foods and animal products

• Modern nutritional science provides substantial

evidence that food choice is the major

determinant of health and health care costs.

The Fountain of Youth

Copyright © Joel Fuhrman, M.D., 2010

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e08.htm#bm08

"Households should select predominantly plant-based diets rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits, pulses or legumes, and minimally processed starchy staple foods."