Good MedicinePUBLISHED BY THE PHYSICIANS COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 | VOL.XXV, NO. 3

A Prescription

for Change

DOCTORS ARE USING NUTRITION TO RESHAPE MEDICAL PRACTICE

2 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

EDITORIALTH

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When we founded the Physicians Committee 31 years ago, the name “committee” fit pretty well. We were a small group of doctors determined to put prevention first, promote healthful diets, and tackle ethical

issues in research. We’ve grown a lot since then. Today, many thousands of doctors, along with other health care providers, scientists, and concerned citizens work with our 80-person staff to advance our cause. And we’ve succeeded. The Physicians Committee eliminated the “meat group” in federal nutrition policy,

put vegetarian diets front and center in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, carried out human clinical research studies that have revolutionized the treatment of diabetes and other health prob-lems, and provided the scientific data that has helped foster major reductions in meat and dairy consumption in the United States. We brought about the end of the use of animals in medical school

curricula throughout the United States and Canada, were instrumental in ending the use of chimpanzees in medical research, revolutionized chemical testing legislation to favor nonanimal methods, and stopped many cruel animal experiments. What drives these doctors and the work they do? A sense of urgency. Americans now eat 1 million animals every hour, leading to epidemics of obesity, diabe-tes, heart disease, and other health problems, not to mention the massive abuse of animals and environmental destruction. The United States research enterprise continues to favor pharmaceutical development, at the expense of critically needed studies addressing the nutritional causes of disease. And although many people are changing their diets and revolu-tionizing their health, many others still have no access to the information they need. Each of these problems is urgent. And our ever-growing team is committed to tackling them.

Neal Barnard, M.D.President of Physicians Committee

Sense of Urgency

What drives these doctors and the work they do?

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 3

CONTENTS

SUMMER 2016Good Medicine®FROM THE PHYSICIANS COMMITTEE

FOR RESPONSIBLE MEDICINE SUMMER 2016 | VOL. XXV, NO. 3

Editor in Chief Neal D. Barnard, M.D., F.A.C.C.Managing Editor/Designer Doug Hall Editors Michael Keevican | Carrie Clyne Production Manager Lynne CraneSenior Web Designer Lisa Schulz

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

Ron R. Allison, M.D., 21st Century OncologyTed Barnett, M.D., Rochester Lifestyle Medicine, PLLC; Borg & Ide

Imaging, P.C. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., Cornell UniversityNeil Cooper, M.D., M.H.A., M.Sc., Kaiser PermanenteBrenda Davis, R.D. Garth Davis, M.D., The Davis ClinicCaldwell Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., The Cleveland Clinic Wellness

InstituteJoanne Evans, A.P.R.N., Healthy Nurses…Healthy Communities, LLCJoel Fuhrman, M.D., Nutritional Research FoundationRoberta Gray, M.D., Pediatric Nephrology Consultant Daran Haber, M.D., Riverview Medical CenterHenry Heimlich, M.D., The Heimlich Institute David J.A. Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc., St. Michael’s Hospital,

TorontoLawrence H. Kushi, Sc.D., Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente John McDougall, M.D., Dr. McDougall’s Health & Medical CenterJeffrey I. Mechanick, M.D., Mount Sinai HospitalBaxter Montgomery, M.D., Montgomery Heart and WellnessCarl Myers, M.D., Switch HealthcareAna Negrón, M.D.Robert Ostfeld, M.D., M.Sc., F.A.C.C., Montefiore Medical CenterAffiliations are listed for identification only.

Good Medicine is published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 5100 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20016, tel 202-686-2210, fax 202-686-2216. It is distributed as a membership benefit to Physicians Committee members. Basic annual membership is $20 (tax-deductible). Physicians Committee promotes good nutrition, preventive medicine, ethical research practices, and compassionate medical policy.

Readers are welcome to reprint articles without additional permission. Please include the credit line: Reprinted from Good Medicine, Summer 2016, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Articles are not to be reprinted for resale. Please contact Physicians Committee at permissions@pcrm.org regarding other permissions. ©Physicians Committee 2016.

Good Medicine is not intended as individual medical advice. Persons with medical conditions or who are taking medications should discuss any diet and lifestyle changes with their health professional.

“Good Medicine”, “Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,” “PCRM,” “The Cancer Project,” “Humane Charity Seal,” and “The Gold Plan” are registered trademarks of The PCRM Foundation.

PCRM Phone Extensions

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Research Issues .........................ext. 336

Health Charities .........................ext. 384

Literature Requests .....................ext. 306

Media .......................................ext. 316

Membership (change of address, duplicate mailings, renewal questions) ...ext. 304

Nutrition ....................................ext. 395

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 3

PhysiciansCommittee.org

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Staff | Nabila Abdulwahab Data Processor | Zeeshan Ali, Ph.D. Program Specialist | Laura Anderson Communications Coordinator | Court Anker, Research Policy and Toxicology Assistant | Elizabeth Baker, Esq. Senior Science Policy Specialist | Neal Barnard, M.D. President | Aryenish Birdie Regulatory Testing Policy Specialist | Jason Chow Helpdesk Administrator | Andrea Cimino Human Resources Specialist | Carrie Clyne Senior Director of Communications | Sierra Coppage Communications Assistant | Deniz Corcoran Data Entry Manager | Lynne Crane Production Manager | Cael Croft Associate Designer | Sossena Dagne Data Processor | Dania DePas Associate Director of Communications | Paula Diaz Leite Human Resources and Office Services Assistant | Jill Eckart, CHC Associate Director of Nutrition Education | John Evans Web and Database Developer | Morgan Feder Medical Office Assistant | Ashley Felder Human Resource Specialist | Rosendo Flores Nutrition and Clinical Research Coordinator | Carolyn Forte Project Manager | Jessica Frost Public Relations Manager | Noah Gittell Director of Philanthropy, Eastern Region | Stacey Glaeser, SPHR Vice President of Human Resources | Doug Hall Vice President of Publications | Erica Hanna Director of Information Technology | Jodie Hayward Accounts Payable Coordinator | Karen Horrocks Web and Database Developer | Meghan Jardine, M.S., M.B.A., R.D., L.D., C.D.E. Associate Director of Diabetes Nutrition Education | Eric Jonas, Ph.D. Development Specialist | Stephen Kane, C.P.A. Vice President of Finance | Christine Kauffman, Research and Education Programs Coordinator | Michael Keevican Managing Editor | Jessica Kelly Project Manager | Mark Kennedy, Esq. Vice President of Legal Affairs | Ann Lam, Ph.D. Medical Research Specialist | Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. Director of Nutrition Education | Feng-Yen Li, Ph.D. Research Fellow | Bonnie MacLeod Director of Institutional Giving | Lynn Maurer Associate Designer | Jeanne Stuart McVey Media Relations Manager | Lauren Clyne Medley Online Fundraising and Advocacy Manager | Ryan Merkley Director of Research Advocacy | P.J. Murphy Senior Director of Philanthropy | Margaret Neola Dietitian | Josh Oviatt Educational Outreach Manager | Brandalyn Patton Fundraising Program Manager | John Pippin, M.D. Director of Academic Affairs | Reina Podell, M.P.H. Communications Assistant | Dawnyel Pryor Educational Programs and Marketing Director | Leslie Rudloff, Esq. Senior Counsel | Rose Saltalamacchia, Assistant to the Preside and Nutrition Project Coordinator | Alyssa Schaefer Membership Coordinator | Lisa Schulz Web Designer | Karen Smith Senior Dietitian | Erica Springer Director of Philanthropy, Western Region | Kristie Sullivan, M.P.H. Vice President of Research Policy | Kalpesh Suthar Senior Accountant | Caroline Trapp, M.S.N., A.P.R.N., B.C.-ADM, C.D.E. Director of Diabetes Education and Care | Francesca Valente Nutrition Programs Specialist | Anne Marie Vastano Special Events Manager | Ashley Waddell Director of Philanthropy, Western Region | Betsy Wason, C.F.R.E. Vice President of Development | Ali Wasti, Systems Administrator | Rod Weaver Data Manager | Cameron Wells, R.D., M.P.H., C.D.E. Associate Director of Clinical Dietetics | Christopher Wright Staff Accountant | Jia Xu, Ph.D. Program Specialist | Craig Ziskin Director of Annual Giving | Barnard Medical Center Staff | Manuel Calcagno, M.D. Medical Assistant | Ginnette Badran, Medical Assistant | Angela Eakin, M.D. Medical Doctor | Natalie Evans Medical Practice Manager | Mandy Gleason Medical Office Coordinator | Emily Kasmar, N.P. Nurse Practitioner | James Loomis, M.D. Medical Director | Nile Mahbuba Medical Office Assistant | Steven Neabore, M.D. Medical Doctor

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PREVENTION AND NUTRITION

6 A Prescription for Change

7 Kickstart Your Health Rochester: Community Cultivation

8 Member Profile: Forks Over Knives President Brian Wendel

9 The Meal Replacement Bar Replacement Meal

Warning to Egg-Eaters: 'Dump Diabetes. Quit the Carton.'

10 Invitation to the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine

11 Q-and-A: Author of WHO Processed Meats and Cancer Report

13 Hospital Dumps McDonald's

'Drop the Hot Dog' Urge Doctors at First Lady Michelle Obama Event

RESEARCH ISSUES

15 New Test Rules Will Spare Thousands of Animals, Protect Humans

Lautenberg Chemical Act: Historic Victory for Public Health, Animals

16 'Finding Dory' Fans Find Out About Dorrie

Switching to Simulation: Johns Hopkins University Ends Live Animal Laboratory

17 New Paper: Alzheimer's Research Should Shift

to Human-Based Models

DEPARTMENTS

4 THE LATEST IN...

14 MEDIA What’s Trending?

18 MEMBER SUPPORT

20 PCRM MARKETPLACE

23 INFOGRAPHIC Our Big Cheese Problem

24 PHYSICIAN PROFILE Advocate for the Healthiest Option: Jennifer Rooke, M.D., M.P.H.

4 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

THE LATEST IN…

RESEARCH

DRUG TESTING

Animal Testing Failed to Predict Clinical Trial Death and Injuries

A new report concluded that the death of one man and the hospitalizations of others in a phase 1 clinical

trial in France in January was caused by the toxicity of the drug—which was shown to be safe in animal tests on rats, mice, dogs, and monkeys. “At this day, the most likely hypothesis is that the molecule is itself toxic,” says the report from the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety. The report says that it’s “inexplicable” why this wasn’t clear in preclinical trials on animals. To learn more about the dangers of relying on animals for human drug testing and how modern technologies can stop the next pharmaceutical catastrophe, read "Averting Drug Disasters" in the spring 2016 issue of Good Medicine.Bisserbe N. Drug’s toxicity caused clinical-trial death, panel says. http://www.wsj.com/articles/drugs-toxicity-caused-clinical-trial-death-panel-says-1461092409. TH

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DRUG DEVELOPMENT

Fighting the Zika Virus with Computer-Assisted Approaches

Computer-assisted approaches should be used to support vaccine and drug development to fight

the Zika virus, and predict possible emerging strains, according to a recent editorial in Current Computer-Aided Drug Design. The authors call for the use of computer-assisted approaches to search chemical databases to identify existing compounds that may be used to treat Zika, and then test those compounds using high-throughput screening—robotics capable of quickly testing thousands of chemicals. Additionally, computer-aided vaccine design is recommended, as well as mathematical approaches to study the DNA/RNA of the virus to predict possible emerging strains.EurekAlert! Computer-assisted approaches as decision support systems serv-ing to combat the Zika virus. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/bsp-caa031816.php.

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GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 5

THE LATEST IN…

NUTRITION

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GLOBAL HEALTH

Vegetarian Diets Best for the Environment and Human Health

Vegetarian and vegan diets are best for the environmentand human health, according to research published in

the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers assessed several regional models that incorporated environmen-tal, economic, and health impacts associated with a dietary change in the future. A shift to a plant-based diet would lead to projected reductions in global mortality and greenhouse gases by 10 percent and 70 percent, respectively, compared with a control scenario set in 2050. These projections also saw trillions of dollars saved in health care costs by 2050.Springmann M, Godfray HCJ, Rayner M, Scarborough P. Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2016;113:4146-4151.

DIABETES

Animal Protein Linked to Increased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Animal protein increases the risk for type 2 diabetes,according to a study published in the American Jour-

nal of Epidemiology. Researchers monitored food intake and diabetes incidence rates in more than 200,000 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Those who consumed the highest amount of animal protein increased their risk for type 2 diabetes by 13 percent, compared with those who consumed the least animal protein. Participants who replaced 5 percent of their protein intake with vegeta-ble protein, including potatoes, legumes, and grains, decreased their risk for diabetes by 23 percent.Malik VS, Li Y, To-bias DK, Pan A, Hu FB. Dietary protein intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in US men and wom-en. Am J Epidemiol. 2016;183:715-728.

WEIGHT LOSS

Weight Loss Slowed Metabolism in “Biggest Loser” Contestants

S ignificant weight loss slowsthe body’s metabo-

lism, creating an obstacle for weight management, according to a study pub-lished online in Obesity. Researchers measured the resting metabolism and body composition of 14 weight-loss-show contestants at baseline, after the competition, and at a six-year follow-up. Contestants had slower metabolisms than before the competition. Participants also experienced a drop in several hormones that help regulate hunger. Together, these changes made it difficult for participants to maintain healthful weights. Based on these findings, researchers urge health care professionals to consider the body’s response to weight loss in current obesity treatments. An earlier study, using a low-fat vegan diet, showed a 16 per-cent increase in after-meal metabolism (the thermic effect of food) after participants had followed the vegan diet for 14 weeks. Kevin Hall, Ph.D., a co-author of the new study, will pres-ent his latest obesity research at this year’s International Con-ference on Nutrition in Medicine in Washington, D.C., July 29-30, 2016.Fothergill E, Guo J, Howard L, et al. Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after “The Biggest Loser” competition. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published online May 2, 2016.

Barnard ND, Scialli AR, Turner-McGrievy G, Lanou AJ, Glass J. The effects of a low-fat, plant-based dietary intervention on body weight, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. Am J Med. 2005;118:991-997.

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6 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

the board. She presented research from the Black Women’s Health Study that found eating two or more servings a week of restaurant hamburgers increases the risk of diabetes by 40 percent and that two or more servings of fried chicken a week increases the risk of diabetes by 68 percent.

Plant-Based Prescription “There are many benefits as-sociated with increasing fruits and vegetables and reducing red meats—and clear benefits from reducing processed meats, given their salt, fat, and carcin-ogen content,” says Mariana C. Stern, Ph.D., a co-author of the World Health Organization re-port that declared processed meats carcinogenic to humans. “A healthy diet should be part of the conversation between a physician and a patient.” Dr. Stern will discuss her research on nutrition and cancer with 600 other health care providers at the Physicians Com-mittee’s International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine on July 29-30, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Despite the WHO report, many health care professionals still need edu-cation on the link between processed meats and cancer. “In the Western diet, we have grown used to the idea of having meat as the main food item on our plate and everything else on the side,” says Dr. Stern. “Many people still think that without meat they cannot be healthy. We need to reverse our thinking and make plant-based foods the center of our plate.” When Ana Negrón, M.D., a Philadelphia-area Physi-cians Committee member who recently spoke at the Bar-nard Medical Center’s 2016 Summer Speaker Series, saw that her colleagues and patients were unfamiliar with all but the most common whole grains and leafy greens, she embarked on a food literacy campaign and formed Greens on a Budget. “I began interactive cooking workshops, where people used chopping boards and knives to make rainbow salads and cook steel-cut oats with quinoa and fruit.” Dr. Negrón, whose latest book is Nourishing the Body and Recovering Health, The Pos-itive Science of Food, also gives out plant-based prescriptions. “At the clinic, I secure $25 grocery store gift cards,

Jennifer Rooke, M.D., M.P.H.

Mariana C. Stern, Ph.D.

A Prescription for Change

When Physicians Committee member Jennifer Rooke, M.D., M.P.H., graduated from medical school in 1985, she did something few doctors

were doing at the time: She focused on nutrition and spe-cifically recommended plant-based diets to her patients. That’s because Dr. Rooke (read more about her on the back cover) and an emerging group of other doctors don’t settle for “that’s the way it’s always been done.” Especially when the way it’s always been done isn’t protecting people from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and nutrition-related chronic diseases. Every Physicians Commit-tee doctor member and supporter is an agent of change. More and more are giving plant-based prescriptions and speaking out against meaty fast food in hospitals, stand-ing up to industry, and testifying before the government. They are starting plant-based medical practices, teaching cooking classes in underserved communities, and fight-ing for healthier school lunch options. They are persuad-ing their communities to try a plant-based diet. And they are working with the World Health Organization to de-clare processed meats carcinogenic. More than 30 years later, Dr. Rooke is still prescrib-ing plant-based diets as the founder and medical direc-tor of Atlanta Lifestyle Medical Center and at Morehouse Healthcare Optimal Health and Wellness Clinic. This May, Dr. Rooke, who is also an assistant professor in the department of community health and preventive medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., spoke before the board of directors of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta to express her concern about patients who are exposed to McDonald’s in the hospital (see page 13). “We would like you to choose a food outlet that offers healthy low-cost, plant-based meal options,” Dr. Rooke told

PREVENTION & NUTRITION

Ana Negrón, M.D.

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PREVENTION & NUTRITION

donated through a wish list by interested people in the community,” she says. “Then I write on the card ‘only for vegetables, grains, and legumes’ and give them out with a suggested list of items, instead of drug samples.” Physicians Committee member Garth Davis, M.D., hosts the Farmarcy Stand in Memorial Hermann Memori-al City Medical Center. “Patients seem to need a prescription to feel like they are actively combatting disease,” he says. “So I give them a pre-scription for fruits and vegetables. I also want doctors to un-derstand this concept and use food as a medical prescription.” Dr. Davis, who is the medical director of the Davis Clinic at the Methodist Hospital in Hous-ton, Texas, and author of Pro-teinaholic, also recommends the Physicians Committee’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart: “I really love 21DayKickstart.org. I prescribe the website many times daily.” Dr. Rooke started the At-lanta Lifestyle Medical Center

in 2010, because other medical institutions had preventive medicine programs, but the focus was not on plant-based nutrition. “I had long conver-sations with insurance company representatives about coverage for my services,” she remem-bers. “I wanted preven-tive medicine/lifestyle medicine to be a clinical specialty like cardiology or endocrinology, be-cause we were able to re-verse chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes more cost-effectively.” Dr. Rooke sees patients for individual consultations and shared medical visits. In the shared visits, she gives patients meal plans and recipes and they discuss other barriers to good health.

Reaching Underserved Populations On May 5, 2016, Dr. Rooke also helped open the More-house Healthcare Optimal Health and Wellness Clinic.

Kickstart Your Health Rochester

Community Cultivation

In Rochester, N.Y., Physicians Committee member Ted Barnett, M.D., an interventional radiologist, calls

himself “a high-tech doctor with low-tech solutions.” “By moving nutrition from an after-thought to a first-line medical treatment, we’re helping people lose up-ward of 100 pounds, toss their blood pressure medica-tions, restore insulin function, and prevent open-heart surgery,” says Dr. Barnett. This May, Dr. Barnett, who is the founder of Roches-ter Lifestyle Medicine, was a guiding force behind the Physicians Committee’s Kickstart Your Health Roches-ter campaign, which provided residents with all the tools they needed to follow a healthful, plant-based vegan diet for 21 days. Dr. Barnett, alongside Kerry Graff, M.D., Tom Campbell, M.D., Erin Campbell, M.D., M.P.H., and Joy Valvano, M.S., R.D., C.D.E., provided a series of free plant-based nutrition lectures and events, including grocery store tours, cooking demos, and academic lectures, for the entire city to take part in.

Garth Davis, M.D.

The doctors also worked with Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and the City of Rochester to recognize the event with a proclamation: “The city of Rochester encourages residents, businesses and health care professionals to participate in Kickstart Your Health Rochester workshops or events on healthy eating or to test-drive a plant-based diet.” Kickstart Your Health Rochester was also made possible thanks to the following community part-ners: Forks Over Knives, Mrs. Judy Babbitt, Dr. Fred Clasquin, Mrs. Barbara Goldammer, Ms. Peg Haust-Arliss, Mrs. Jan Hellenberg, Mrs. Jenni Holdren, Ms. Meredith Smith, and Ms. Betsy Wason.

"Many people still think that without meat they cannot be healthy. We need to reverse our thinking and make plant-based foods the center of our plate.”

—Mariana C. Stern, Ph.D.

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PREVENTION & NUTRITION

Member Profile

Forks Over Knives President Brian Wendel

Brian Wendel, president of Forks Over Knives and creator and

executive producer of the ground-breaking Forks Over Knives doc-umentary, says he supports the Physicians Committee because “they’re great people doing good things, and they’re committed to a cause that I feel passionate about.” Wendel became vegan in 2001. Seven years later, he had an idea that would change the trajectory of his life. “As I became more and more educated it was very obvious that the lifestyle’s ability to prevent and reverse disease is better documented than people understood,” he said. “If a pill could do the same thing a plant-based lifestyle can do, it would be heralded in magazines around the world. I saw this as a message that wasn’t getting out there. I thought; let’s do some-thing in a big way.” “What’s great about plant-based nutrition for health is that you’re helping people help themselves,” says Wendel. “I love that the Physicians Committee doesn’t

just point out the problems; it’s an organization that’s set up to help with solutions.” Wendel financially supports the Physicians Com-mittee’s Kickstart Your Health 10 Cities Tour, which most recently stopped in Rochester, N.Y., (see page 7). The tour—which incorporates live events including screenings of Forks Over Knives—works in commu-nities across the United States to provide a physi-cian-backed approach to reaching optimal health through a plant-based diet. He also provided support for the Physicians Commit-tee’s Barnard Medical Center and sponsored a room there, because he’s an advocate of “evidence-based health care that focuses on plant-based nutrition first.” “Not enough doctors understand how effective a plant-based diet is in treating patients. Even if they do, they don’t know exactly how to implement it. The Bar-nard Medical Center does both, so it’s a no-brainer.” Wendel is also interested in the Physicians Commit-tee’s work to end the use of animals in laboratories for medical research, education, and testing. “It’s easy for an organization to point out the problems with animal testing,” says Wendel. “The Physicians Committee works with the scientific community to educate and help them adopt alternative practices. I’m interested in the Physicians Committee as an organization because they’re providing solutions.”

“I am particularly pleased to be working with More-house because their mission involves improving health equity and serving underserved populations,” she says. “The clinic focuses on helping patients to transition to a plant-based diet, along with guidance on effective stress management, physical activity, and sleep.” Dr. Negrón also works with members of underserved populations. She recalls a 48-year-old man who came to the United States and adopted a typical American diet. “He gained 40 pounds, developed high blood pressure, high lipids, and finally diabetes. He was placed on the usu-al medications,” says Dr. Negrón, who suggested he change his diet when she began seeing him. “He took control of cooking very simple meals and brought them to work, eliminated all animal products, and reduced sweets,” she says. “It took him four months to lose 25 pounds and one by one drop all his medications. He is an example not only in his circle of friends, but in the community at large.”

Nutrition Guide for Clinicians “The single most important thing that health care profes-sionals who are interested in plant-based nutrition for pa-tients can do is to adopt a plant-based diet themselves,” says

Dr. Rooke, who also recommends the T. Colin Campbell eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Course. Dr. Negrón agrees: “There is nothing like first-hand experience. You will better understand your patients’ questions and challenges if you have experienced them yourself.” But she says that many of her colleagues do not feel confident. “I often see their patients in consultation and write a summary of our visit with recommendations,” says Dr. Negrón. “I use the Nutrition Guide for Clinicians and other Physicians Committee resources to replace traditional edu-cational materials.” She also teaches family practice residents the role of food in medicine. “We go on home visits and tour their patients’ kitchens—where we invariably meet the root cause of their chronic illness,” says Dr. Negrón. “With this shared knowledge, patients can negotiate a plan to reduce their sickness and improve health.”

Prescriber of Change Are you a prescriber of change? Tweet your story to @PCRM with the hashtag #PlantBasedRX, share it on Facebook.com/PCRM.org, or e-mail it to pcrm@pcrm.org with the subject line Plant-Based RX.

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The Meal Replacement Bar Replacement Meal

In an April Fool’s spoof, Alec Baldwin spoke for the Physicians Committee in recommending that meal replacement bars be

replaced with meal replacement bar replacement meals. “Tired of running to the store for expensive meal-replace-ment bars? They cost a fortune!” says Baldwin. “At the Physi-cians Committee, we have the perfect solution. The Meal-Re-placement Bar Replacement Meal. It has all the nutrition of a meal replacement bar—and you can make it right at home!” The TV PSA has a serious side, of course: Eating more fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes and avoiding animal products could save millions of lives and trillions of dollars, according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

MealReplacementBarReplacementMeal.org

“By the time I lost my toe I was up to a carton a week,” warns a man

suffering the complications of diabetes as he dumps a carton of eggs into the trash. His advice in a new Physicians Com-mittee public service announcement: “Dump diabetes. Quit the carton.” Stud-ies show that eating eggs can increase

diabetes risk by 68 percent. During May, National Egg Month, the Physicians Committee also put up billboards in Iowa, Ohio, and Indiana, the top three egg-producing states, urg-ing citizens to visit QuitTheCarton.org to watch the video. A corresponding letter asked the mayors of Des Moines, Iowa,

and Columbus, Ohio, and the governor of Indiana to declare May 15-21 Quit the Carton Week. Today, 422 million adults worldwide are living with diabetes, a four-fold increase from 1980, according to a new World Health Organi-zation report. Since 2010, insulin’s cost rose from $231 a year per patient to $736, according to recent findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “Diabetes is not the only risk associated with eating

eggs,” the letter to the mayors and gov-ernor also cautioned. “An egg habit can be as bad as a smoking habit and lead to many of the same complications. They increase the risk for stroke, heart disease, and other health issues.”

QuitTheCarton.org

PREVENTION & NUTRITION

Warning to Egg-Eaters:

‘Dump Diabetes. Quit the Carton.’

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10 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

LAER

DAL

Continuing Education Activity for Health Care Professionals

Recent breakthroughs have shown the power of nutrition to prevent

and treat diabetes, weight problems, heart disease, hypertension, and

a great many other conditions. This conference will show you the very

latest and give you powerful tools you can use in your practice.

July 29-30, 2016Grand Hyatt Washington

Jointly provided byThe George Washington University and Physicians Committee

Learn more and register at www.ICNM16.org

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 11

PREVENTION & NUTRITION

Q-and-A:

Author of WHO Processed Meats and Cancer Report

Mariana C. Stern, Ph.D., a co-author of the World Health Organization report that declared processed

meats carcinogenic to humans, says that physicians should recommend that their patients avoid processed meats. Be-low, she discusses the link between meat and cancer, the impact of the WHO report, and her single most important piece of nutrition advice. Dr. Stern will discuss her research on nutrition and can-cer at the Physicians Committee’s International Confer-ence on Nutrition in Medicine on July 29-30, 2016, in Washington, D.C.

How does meat increase cancer risk? Several mechanisms have been postulated. One is the presence of heme iron in red meats. This is a component of the protein that transports oxygen in blood. Meats are rich in this protein, as muscle requires a lot of oxygen. In excess, heme iron is known to cause damage in tissues, and can also help in the formation of carcinogens called nitro-

samines in the intestines. These nitrosamines can also form in meats that have been treated with nitrates, like bacon or cold cuts, or inside our intestines when diets are high in red meat and there are sources of nitrates. Another mecha-nism is the formation of a group of carcinogens called het-erocyclic aromatic amines that naturally form in red meat when it is cooked at high temperature. Components in the meat can react at high temperature to form these powerful carcinogens. It is still not clear which of these mechanisms is the most important. There is a chance that different combinations of these may be at play in different people.

Do particular meats increase the risk for particular cancers? To date, the evidence is strongest for an association be-tween red meats (muscle meat from cows, lambs, pigs, sheep, and horses) and colorectal, pancreas, and prostate cancer. Whereas there is evidence that red meat may also increase risk of other cancers, the evidence is still incon-clusive. The evidence is very strong for processed meats and colorectal cancer, and also strong for stomach cancer. Again, there is evidence that processed meats may also in-crease risk of other cancers, such as breast cancer, but the evidence is still inconclusive.

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PREVENTION & NUTRITION

You were a co-author of the World Health Organization monograph that led to the classification of processed meats as a Group 1 carcinogen. How do you think the report has influenced processed meat consumption? There is definitively more awareness. I find that many people who had never heard that processed meats might be bad for us now know this and perhaps are starting to make different choices, or at least know that they should not eat processed meats every day. Unfortunately, this knowledge does not cut across our society, as not all people keep up with the scientific knowledge that trickles to the media. In the scientific community, there is more interest on this topic, more validation, which hopefully may translate into more support for new funded studies to understand the role of processed meats on cancer further.

Do you think policy changes should be enacted to protect people from processed meats? Yes, I think the public should be informed of the known risks of consuming processed meats, so that they can make informed choices. Processed meats are still an affordable staple in many people’s diets, the aisles in supermarkets of-fering processed foods are very big, and particularly worri-some is the role of processed meats in children’s diets. They make convenient and affordable lunch and snack options. Parents should know the risks associated with processed meats and learn to make alternative choices.

Should physicians recommend that their patients avoid processed meats?

I think so. Diets high in red meat may contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Processed meats are now established sources of carcinogens. There are many benefits associated with increasing fruits and vegetables and reducing red meats—and clear benefits from reduc-ing processed meats, given their salt, fat, and carcinogen content. A healthy diet should be part of the conversation between a physician and a patient.

What foods help reduce cancer risk? Fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and nuts. We know diets high in fiber are protective against the development of several cancers, and other diseases as well. We also know of many vitamins and other chemicals present in fruits, vegetables, and nuts that have many beneficial effects re-ducing inflammation, preventing damage to our DNA, and overall reducing cancer risk.

What is the single most important piece of nutrition advice you wish everyone knew? Do not trust all information posted online about nu-trition and health. Go to the most reputable sources. For knowledge about nutrition and cancer this would include the Physicians Committee, the American Cancer Society, the American Institute of Cancer Research, and the World Health Organization, among others. Epidemiological or experimental studies on diet and cancer are published ev-ery day. The press likes them, and they make for great sto-ries, so they appear in the media very quickly. Not all meet the most rigorous scientific standards. And even if they do, the variability across the population is so large that epide-miologists never rely on one single study to make definitive conclusions. We rely on systematic reviews conducted by experts using rigorous methods. There is the misconception that “everything gives cancer, so why worry about one dietary item or another, they will all cause cancer anyway!” This is not true. To date, there are only a handful of dietary items that have been consistently and solidly linked to cancer. Red meat is one of them, so we should take this seriously. Meat does not need to be the main staple of our diet, and it is not the only source of protein for kids and adults to be strong and healthy. We should give a more prominent role to plant-based foods, which when part of a balanced diet can provide all the essential nutrients we need to grow and stay healthy and strong, and also provide us with many disease- and can-cer-fighting nutrients. In the Western diet, we have grown used to the idea of having meat as the main food item on our plate and everything else on the side. Many people still think that without meat they cannot be healthy. We need to reverse our thinking and make plant-based foods the center of our plate.

12 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 13

PREVENTION & NUTRITION

‘Drop the Hot Dog’ Urge Doctors at First Lady Michelle Obama Event

The Physicians Committee educated more than 1,000 nutrition influenc-

ers about the dangers of processed meats at first lady Michelle Obama’s Building a Healthier Future Summit. Attendees at the Summit, which was sponsored by the Partnership for a Healthier America, were encouraged to “drop the hot dog” and make their own banana dogs at the Physicians Committee

booth, which was stocked with bananas, buns, nut and seed butters, jelly, and other toppings. In 2015, the World Health Organiza-tion declared processed meats—such as hot dogs, pepperoni, bacon, sausage, and deli meats—“carcinogenic to humans.” Each 50-gram portion of processed meat—the size of a typical hot dog—eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal

Hospital Dumps McDonald’s “It is surprising to me that major med-

ical institutions would have a fatty fast-food restaurant right in the middle of their campus.” That’s what Physicians Committee member Neil Cooper, M.D., told Atlanta’s NBC affiliate about Grady Memorial Hospital on May 5. Days later, the hospital announced that it will end its 25-year-old contract with the fast-food restaurant and put out a call for new vendors. It was the response Physicians Com-mittee dietitian Karen Smith, R.D., and Atlanta-based member Jennifer Rooke, M.D., hoped for when they told Grady’s board on May 8 that the hospital could improve its food environment by focus-ing on heart-healthy, plant-based options. The Physicians Committee also placed billboards near Grady that asked viewers

to visit www.MakeHospitalsHealthy.org to sign a petition urging the hospital to end its McDonald’s contract. Several hospitals named in Physicians Committee hospital food reports have recently closed McDonald’s. These in-clude Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles,

Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Texas, Memorial Regional Hospital in Florida, Riley Children’s Hospital in Indiana, and the Cleveland Clinic.

MakeHospitalsHealthy.org

cancer by 18 percent. Last year, the Physicians Committee filed a petition urging the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture to stop distributing carcinogenic hot dogs and other pro-cessed meats to children through the Na-tional School Lunch Program.

DropTheHotDog.org

14 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

MEDIA

CONNECT Facebook.com/PCRM.org • Facebook.com/NealBarnardMD • Facebook.com/21DayKickstart

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“If they were

passing students without the course and they were becoming good physicians without using animals, it would be hard to say it’s essential. Every other elite medical school also has stopped using animals.”

—Physicians Committee director of academic affairs John Pippin, M.D., in

Johns Hopkins Medical Students Will No Longer Train on Live Animals

“Preclinical research is critical to gathering safety information before a drug is tested in humans. However, the existing paradigm largely depends on animals to predict what will happen in humans. As evidenced by recent unfortunate events, this system often fails.”

—Physicians Committee senior science policy specialist Elizabeth Baker, Esq., in FDA: Accept Human-Focused Preclinical

Tests to Improve Drug Safety

WHAT'STRENDING?

Cage-Free Eggs: Still Bad for Human HealthThe “cage-free” label is, in fact, little more than another industry ploy to pretend that eggs are something other than inhumane and unhealthy.

Keep Hot Dogs Off Your Plate This Baseball SeasonAs some teams begin to offer healthful, plant-based options, it’s time for the rest of Major League Baseball to start incorporating our country’s health into our national pastime—and to strike out hot dogs for good.

Protein Demand Is Destroying the PlanetAnimal protein is not only linked to serious health problems—like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some types of cancer—but it’s also the most resource intensive and environmentally harmful type of protein to produce.

(The Physicians Committee, of course!)

“The guidelines should have made clear that people who avoid meat and dairy products are

far healthier than other people and that eating processed meats increases one’s risk of colon cancer.”

—Physicians Committee president Neal Barnard, M.D., in What Nutrition Experts Think Is Missing

from the New Dietary Guidelines

14 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

THINKSTO

CK

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 15

RESEARCH ISSUES

New Test Rules Will Spare Thousands of Animals, Protect HumansImagine you are in a room with a group

of people. You are each told to squeeze liquid from a tube onto your hand and rub it all over your body to test the chemical’s safety. Then you wait … until half of the people in the room die. Some-thing very much like this experiment is conducted on thousands of animals each year. The LD50 (lethal dose 50 percent) test determines the dose of a chemical that kills 50 percent of the test animals. Now, with encouragement from the Physicians Committee, the Environ-mental Protection Agency agrees there

is a better way to predict chemical haz-ards. The EPA announced in March that to “better ensure protection of human health … its immediate goal is to sig-nificantly reduce the use of animals” in pesticide tests, sparing more than 3,000 animals per year. In addition to targeting the LD50, the EPA is also aiming to reduce the use of the Draize eye and skin irritation tests, and skin sensitization tests. Alternative methods, often using hu-man cells and tissues, offer more accurate predictions of human toxicity at less cost.

The Physicians Committee has been a driving force in the stakeholder pro-cess, working with the EPA as well as nonprofit organizations, industry, and test-method developers.

Lautenberg Chemical Act

Historic Victory for Public Health, Animals

VHS. Eight-track tapes. Animal tests. These were state-of-the-art in 1976.

New technology made them obsolete. But this summer, President Barack Obama signed the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, modernizing the Toxic Substanc-es Control Act by placing a priority on human-relevant methods instead of ani-mals to quickly and more effectively test chemicals. The Lautenberg Act is the culmination of a decade of work by the Physicians Committee—including Congressional testimony, hundreds of meetings with members of Congress, media coverage, and more than 80,000 member e-mails and calls.

The new law allows the Environmen-tal Protection Agency to gather bet-ter chemical safety information more quickly than current animal tests allow. It requires that alternatives to animal tests be considered and used, and plac-es restrictions on animal testing that will over time facilitate the development and adoption of human-relevant methods. The Physicians Committee has worked closely with many members of Congress includ-ing New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall, who introduced the Senate version of the bill, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Kristie Sullivan, M.P.H., vice president of research policy at

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a Lautenberg Act co-sponsor, and Dr. Barnard

Physicians Committee member Janell Lundgren, M.D., Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Physicians Committee president Neal Barnard, M.D., and regulatory testing policy specialist Aryenish Birdie

Physicians Committee billboards posted in the Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station at Secaucus Junction in New Jersey.

the Physicians Committee, has worked to educate Congress on the importance of fixing the way we test chemicals since 2007, when the National Academies of Sciences released Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy, a re-port that called for modernizing the toxic-ity testing and assessment of chemicals by using nonanimal approaches. “Science and technology has pro-gressed so much in the last 10 years that we have begun to transition to some of the test methods recommended in Tox-icity Testing in the 21st Century,” says Sullivan. “The Lautenberg Act now pro-vides the resources and incentives to ulti-mately realize this vision.”

ReformToxicityTesting.org

THINKSTO

CK

16 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

RESEARCH ISSUES

Switching to Simulation: Johns Hopkins University Ends Live Animal Laboratory

In 1985, when the Physicians Commit-tee was founded, most U.S. medical

students learned surgery skills by train-ing on live dogs or other animals. The Physicians Committee has spent years working to end this practice in all medi-cal schools. On May 18, 2016, that came one step closer to reality. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, one of the world’s leading medical institutions, announced that it would stop using live animals to train medical students. “Given that almost all medical schools have stopped using live animals in med-

ical student education and that the experi-ence is not essential, the School of Medi-cine has decided that the use of live animals in the surgical clerk-ship should stop,” Johns Hopkins told students. The university will now use simulators and other human-rel-evant methods fa-

vored by all but one of the 197 accred-ited medical schools in the United States and Canada. That decision came after years of hard work by the Physicians Committee and its members, including tens of thousands of member messages to Johns Hopkins leadership, physician-led demonstrations, bus and subway ads, ex-tensive media coverage, op-eds and let-ters to the editor, and legal complaints. Along the way, Physicians Committee director of academic affairs John Pippin, M.D., who made that first request to Johns Hopkins, employed dozens of let-

ters, e-mails, and phone calls urging nu-merous Johns Hopkins decision-makers to switch to simulation. His efforts gradually paid off. In June 2012, Johns Hopkins sharply reduced the number of pigs in the surgery clerk-ship. The following year, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service—an agency of the U.S. Department of Ag-riculture responsible for protecting an-imal health and welfare—inspected the university’s animal facilities and found several Animal Welfare Act violations. But what proved to be the final straw in the years-long effort happened on Feb. 12, 2016, when Physicians Committee member doctors went to the Maryland State House to testify at a hearing for a bill, which the Physicians Committee helped introduce, that would have pro-hibited the use of animals for medical training if alternatives were available and implemented by other medical schools in the state. “My alma mater, Johns Hopkins, has always been a leader in medical training, with the exception of this single area—introductory surgical instruction,” said Physicians Committee member Mar-tin Wasserman, M.D., in his testimony. “Maryland should adopt this legislation before Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is the only U.S. medical school still using animals to teach students.”

Drs. Sahdev and Wasserman review their testimony.

16 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

'Finding Dory' Fans Find Out About Dorrie

Detroit-area moviegoers who saw the animated film Finding Dory in June

also found out about a dog named Dor-rie who died in a Wayne State University laboratory after being used in heart fail-ure experiments. Ads that were shown at a movie theater before each screening of the movie urged viewers to protest the ex-periments that claimed the life of Dorrie. Dorrie was a black and brown shep-herd mix, according to medical records acquired via the Michigan Freedom of

Information Act from Wayne State Universi-ty, where she had three surgical procedures to artificially induce high blood pressure and was forced to run on the treadmill. After seven months of exper-iments, experimenters at Wayne State University killed her. The Physicians Committee has spent several years pressuring Wayne State to

end the hypertension experiments it has performed on hundreds of dogs for the past 25 years.

EndDogExperiments.org

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 17

Dr. Wasserman was joined by his wife, Barbara Wasserman, M.D., both Johns Hopkins alumni, as well as Johns Hopkins resident Richard Bruno, M.D., Maryland surgeon Pradip Sahdev, M.D., and the Physicians Committee’s Ang-ie Eakin, M.D. Twenty-six Physicians Committee member doctors from Mary-land also signed a letter in support of the bill, which was offered as testimony at the hearing. Delegate Shane Robinson—who cham-pioned the bill with support from the Physicians Committee—withdrew the bill because of the Johns Hopkins decision. “Since we began urging Johns Hop-kins University to eliminate its surgery clerkship pig labs, 26 other medical

schools have done so. Now, Hopkins has regained its position as a leader in medical school education by choosing to train students with modern medical sim-ulators instead of live animals,” says Dr. Pippin. “The university’s decision sends a clear message that the end of live animal use in medical education is near.” Now, the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga is the only medical school in the United States and Canada that continues to use live animals for student training, despite the fact that the Memphis and Knoxville campuses of UTCOM use only nonan-imal methods to teach the exact same procedures. At UTCOM Chattanooga, training

involves practicing suturing and knot- tying skills, making incisions into the pig’s abdomen to insert endoscopes (long tubes with lighted cameras), and insert-ing surgical instruments to practice pro-cedures. At the end of each session, the animals are killed. Widely implemented nonanimal training methods include partial task trainers, laparoscopic simulators, virtual reality surgery modules, and purpose-de-signed human body simulators. These human-relevant methods allow trainees to repeat procedures and hone skills at their own pace, without sacrificing ani-mals or endangering patients.

TennesseeDeservesBetter.org

U.S. Medical Schools with Animal Laboratories

1985 2016

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 17

New Paper

Alzheimer’s Research Should Shift to Human-Based Models

Every minute of every day, someone in North America develops Alzheimer’s

disease. But progress on preventing and treating the disease has been frustrating-ly slow, and a new paper in the journal Oncotarget—based on a scientific round-table conducted by the Physicians Com-mittee—finds experiments on animals are part of the problem. The scientists call on more funding for human-based methods

such as stem cells and organs-on-chips. Treatments that seem to work in an-imal models—often transgenic mice—have failed to translate into substantial therapeutic improvements for humans. In an analysis of Alzheimer’s research funded by the National Institutes of Health, the researchers found that the number of projects using animals be-tween 2007 and 2014 was much higher

than the number of research projects fo-cused on the use of human-based models and methods. The authors recommend a transition to research methods that include Alzhei-mer’s-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, microfluidics/organ-on-chip systems, post-mortem Alzheimer’s brain tissues, neuroimaging, and computational models. The scientists also recommend in-creased funding for preventive medical research that evaluates the roles that diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors play in Alzheimer’s.

PCRM.org/Alzheimers

RESEARCH ISSUES

18 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

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Lifetime Partners are members who have included the Physicians Com-

mittee in future giving plans—in a will, trust, or as a beneficiary of a life insur-ance policy or retirement account. Planning ahead so that your hard-earned assets support the work that moves you is a way to ensure that the Physicians Committee can continue to lead a revolu-tion of change far into the future. Typically, less than half of Americans have created a will. Without one, the distribution of your assets will be decid-

ed by someone else. Creating a will is a simple process and can give you peace of mind and ensure you are able to support the causes that are close to your heart. To request information on how to cre-ate a will, please return the form below or contact lifetime partners program man-ager Brandalyn Patton at 202-527-7318 or bpatton@pcrm.org. If you already have included the Physicians Committee in your future plans, please let us know so that we can activate your Lifetime Part-ner status and say thank you!

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 19

MEMBER SUPPORT

Peer-to-Peer Birthday Program Launch

New! Dedicate Your Birthday to Saving Lives!

Ask your friends and family to

support our lifesaving work in your honor. We make it easy for you.

1. Sign up at PCRM.org/Birthday at any time of the year.

2. A couple of months before your birthday, we’ll let you know how to get your friends and family in-volved in the celebration.

3. Our easy-to-use website makes it simple to customize your very own donation page and send e-mails to your network.

4. And it’s fun—you can also earn a great birthday present for yourself.

5. Enjoy your birthday knowing you are helping others!

BMC-sponsored Speaker Series

Ana Negrón, M.D., author of Nourishing the Body and Recovering Health: The Positive Science of Food

Michael Greger, M.D., author of How Not to Die

Dr. Pam Popper of the Wellness Forum

The Barnard Medical Center is spon-soring a summer speaker series to

help inform people about the benefits of plant-based nutrition. Each featured expert brings a unique and entertaining perspective to diet and health. Details can be found at PCRM.org/Events.

Dr. Milton and Arlene Berkman, left, and family at the grand opening reception for the Barnard Medical Center

Milton and Arlene Berkman

Putting Values into Action

When Milton and Arlene Berkman left New York for retirement in

North Carolina, they planned to slow down and relax. But their retirement turned out to be anything but slow-paced. Arlene’s “RespectAbility Foundation” tackles the issue of school-age bullying through music. Part of her passion is teaching children to turn from bystanders to “upstanders”—people who recognize when there is a problem and take action to help. “Upstanders” certainly describes the way the Berkmans have tackled an-other passion—helping promote the life-saving benefits of a plant-based diet/life-style that they were first introduced to by the Physicians Committee. After watching a PBS program featur-ing Neal Barnard, M.D., Arlene ordered his book on reversing diabetes. But it

was Dr. Berkman who got first crack at it when he intercepted the mail and began reading right away. By the end of the book, he had decided to completely overhaul his diet because, as Milton re-counts, “This is the first guy who made sense!” Taking advantage of additional Phy-sicians Committee resources, including medical conferences and online offerings, they began to see dramatic differences in their own health and became an influ-ence on their family and community. When they learned of Dr. Barnard’s plans to open a medical center with a focus on nutrition and prevention, they jumped at the opportunity to support an undertaking with the potential to help so many people. Visitors to the Barnard Medical Center will see their support with a listing on the Wall of Visionaries and a plaque in the reception area rec-ognizing their dedication to advancing modern medicine. “People need to take responsibility for their own lives and understand that what you put in your body affects your health” says Dr. Berkman. “The medi-cal center is educating patients and also providing a place for doctors to practice and learn as well.” The Physicians Committee is fortunate that the Berkmans have no intention of slowing down any time soon. They are true “upstanders” who are changing the future of medicine!

20 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

Resources for Physicians

You already know diet is a major factor in chronic disease prevention. Help your patients make the connection with our Waiting Room Literature Kits. Add our award winning educational literature to your office to start the conversation and help your patients make diet and lifestyle change a practical reality.

PhysiciansCommittee.org/LitStore

PCRM MARKETPLACE PhysiciansCommittee.org/Shop

Nutrition Education Curriculum DVD

PCRM’s Nutrition Education Curriculum is designed for use in medical offices, worksites, and any-where people will benefit from learning about the lifesaving effects of healthful eating. Please use the DVDs in this package where indicated on the curriculum found at pcrm.org/curriculum. $8.00.Free Shipping on this item!

A Waiting Room Starter Kit

A Waiting Room Starter Kit contains everything you need to start talking prevention with your patients. You will get samples of our most popular literature to share in your practice. $25.00, Free Shipping on this item! Prescription for Health poster

Finally, a prescription with side effects you want. This colorful 18"x24" poster is great for advertising the benefits of a plant-based diet. Encourage your pa-tients to try food as their medicine with this Prescription for Health poster. $6.00

Nutrition Guide for Clinicians, second editionPhysicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

This comprehensive medical reference manu-al covers nearly 100 diseases and conditions, including risk factors, diagnoses, and typical treatments. Most importantly, it provides

the latest evidence-based information on nutrition’s role in prevention and treatment. Includes an in-depth examination of general

nutrition, macronutrients, micronutrients, and nutritional requirements for all stages of life. 745 pgs, $19.95 Special Discount $17.95

The Nutrition Rainbow Poster

The more naturally colorful your meal, the more likely it is to have an abundance of cancer-fighting nutrients. Pigments that give fruits and vege-tables their bright colors represent a variety of protective compounds. The Nutrition Rainbow poster shows the cancer-fighting and immune-boosting power of differ-ent-hued foods. 18"x24", $6.00

Power Plate Poster

These healthful food groups help you live longer, stay slimmer, and cut your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pres-sure.18"x 24", $6.00

Many Physicians Committee fact sheets and booklets are downloadable without charge or

available in print at minimal cost at PhysiciansCommittee.org/Lit

From the Physicians Committee

GOOD MEDICINE | SUMMER 2016 21

PCRM MARKETPLACEPhysiciansCommittee.org/Shop

The Best in the WorldFast, Healthful Recipes from Exclusive and Out-of-the-Way RestaurantsNeal D. Barnard, M.D., Editor

This popular collection of won-derfully healthy recipes comes from the world’s best and most unusual restaurants. Enjoy these vegan delicacies at home. Hard-cover, 71 pgs, $11.95

The Best in the World IIHealthful Recipes from Exclusive and Out-of-the-Way RestaurantsJennifer L. Keller, R.D., Editor

Travel around the world to dis-cover treasures from side-street cafes and elegant hotel dining rooms. Attractively illustrated. Hardcover, 71 pgs, $11.95

The Best in the World IIIHealthful Recipes from Exclusive and Out-of-the-Way RestaurantsNeal D. Barnard, M.D., Editor

Discover delicious and unique recipes from restaurants across the globe. Join monks in a tem-ple courtyard in the Far East, passengers on a French luxury yacht, or even a rock star in Akron, Ohio, for an unforgettable culinary adventure. Hardcover, 71 pgs, $11.95

The Best in the World IVHealthful Recipes from Exclusive and Out-of-the-Way RestaurantsNeal D. Barnard, M.D., Editor

Find delicious and healthful recipes from unique restaurants all around the globe. Visit a rustic hotel in England’s Lake District, enjoy a friendly street side cafe in Rome, and dine on a ter-race overlooking black volcanic beaches. Recipes are designed to be within the abilities of any amateur chef. Hardcover, 71 pgs, $11.95

From the Physicians Committee

The Best in the World, Volumes I-IV Boxed SetHealthful Recipes from Exclusive and Out-of-the-Way RestaurantsNeal D. Barnard, M.D., Editor

Since 1998, the Physicians Committee has col lected healthy, exotic recipes from distinctive restaurants around the globe. Now you can own all four hardcover The Best in the World cookbooks in one beautifully boxed set. 284 pgs, $40.00, Special Discount $37.95

From Neal D. Barnard, Physicians Committee President

Power Foods for the BrainAn Effective 3-Step Plan to Protect Your Mind and Strengthen Your Memory

In Power Foods for the Brain, Dr. Barnard has gathered the most important research and studies to deliver a program that can boost brain health and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and other less serious problems, including low energy, poor sleep patterns, irritability, and lack of focus. 320 pgs, $16.00

21-Day Weight Loss KickstartBoost Metabolism, Lower Cholesterol, and Dramatically Improve Your Health

Based on the Physicians Committee’s popular online Kickstart pro-gram, Dr. Barnard’s 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart will help you get fast results: drop pounds, lower choles-terol and blood pres-sure, improve blood sugar, and more. With more than 60 recipes, daily meal plans, and tips for grocery shopping, this book will get you on the fast track to better health. 368 pgs, $15.99

Turn Off the Fat Genes

Genes, including those that shape our bodies, actually adapt to outside influences. Dr. Barnard explains the process and provides a three-week gene-control program complete with menus and recipes by Jennifer Ray-mond. Here are powerful tools for achieving long-term weight loss and better health. 350 pgs, $16.00

Breaking the Food Seduction

We all have foods we can’t resist, foods that sabotage our health. But banishing those cravings for chocolate, cookies, cheese, or burgers isn’t a ques-tion of willpower; it’s a matter of biochemistry. Drawing on his own re-search and that of other leading institutions, Dr. Barnard reveals how diet and lifestyle changes can break the craving cycle. 324 pgs, $16.99

Foods That Fight Pain

Did you know that gin-ger can prevent mi-graines and that coffee sometimes cures them? Drawing on new re-search, Dr. Barnard shows readers how to soothe everyday ail-ments and cure chron-ic pain with common foods. 348 pgs, $14.95

Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes

If you have diabetes or are concerned about de-veloping it, this program could change the course of your life. Dr. Barnard’s groundbreaking clinical studies, the latest funded by the National Institutes of Health, show that diabetes responds dra-matically to a low-fat, vegetarian diet. Rather than just compensating for malfunctioning insulin like other treatment plans, Dr. Barnard’s program helps repair how the body uses insulin. Includes 50 delicious recipes. 288 pgs, $15.99

The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook125 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Jump-Start Weight Loss and Help You Feel Great

These recipes are based on Dr. Neal Barnard’s landmark two-year study, which shows that a vegan diet effec-tively controls type 2 diabetes. In fact, it’s also beneficial for weight loss, the reversal of heart disease, and the improvement of many other conditions. Dr. Barnard and nutritionist Robyn Webb offer easy, delicious meals to improve your health. 248 pgs, $18.95

22 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

Kickstart Your Health with Dr. Neal Barnard

More than 400,000 people have participated in the Physicians Committee’s Kickstart program. Here Dr. Barnard describes the 21-day plan for a smarter, slimmer, and healthier you. Achieve lifelong results with this quick and easy approach. 60 mins, $9.95

Tackling Diabetes with Dr. Neal Barnard

Drawing on the latest scientific research, Dr. Barnard explains how a low-fat vegan diet can fight diabetes by controlling blood glucose, weight, and heart disease risk. In many cases, it will even eliminate the need for some medications. 60 mins, $9.95

DVDs from PBS

Unlocking the Power of Plant-based Nutrition dvd series

You can buy all three Unlocking the Power of Plant-based Nutrition DVDs–Food for Life, Weight Control, and Heart Health–for $29.95. That’s a savings of nearly $15. Each disc features the segments “Getting Started” with Neal Barnard, M.D., and “In the Kitchen” with TV’s Totally Vegetarian chef Toni Fiore. Discs average 58 minutes in length. $29.95

PCRM MARKETPLACE

The Cancer Survivor’s GuideNeal Barnard, M.D., Jennifer Reilly, R.D.

Find out how foods fight cancer and the advantages of a high-fi-ber, low-fat, dairy- and meat-free diet. Includes updates from the latest research, special prostate and breast cancer sections, tips for making the dietary transition, and more than 130 recipes. 245 pgs, $19.95

Eating Right for Cancer Survival dvd

Neal Barnard, M.D., Chef Sualua Tupolo, Stephanie Beine, R.D.

This exciting two-disc set is designed to work hand in hand with the com-panion book, The Cancer Survivor’s Guide. Nine nutrition presentations and nine cooking lessons provide powerful tools for making changes in health and well-being. 270 mins, $19.95

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22 SUMMER 2016 | GOOD MEDICINE

Food for Life Apron

Created for the Physicians Committee’s Food for Life instructors, this Power

Plate-themed apron in polyester/cotton twill features two large

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Blue, $20.00

Power Plate Tote Bag

Share the Physicians Committee’s revolutionary Power Plate with this 10"x13"x15" polypropylene bag (20% post-industrial recycled content ) w i th reinforced handles and plastic bottom insert. Black, $5.00

Protect Your Memory with Dr. Neal Barnard

Dr. Neal Barnard confronts yet another debilitating disease—memory loss. Through proven research, Dr. Barnard provides vital steps to boosting cognitive function along with valuable insight on how to protect your memory. $9.95

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Advocate for the Healthiest Option

Jennifer Rooke, M.D., M.P.H. “I was struck by the notion that the body could heal itself with the right food,” recalls Dr. Rooke, a Physicians Committee member whose specialties are preventive medicine, public health, and occupational medicine. “I proved this to myself when my allergies and acne cleared up after I eliminated dairy prod-ucts. And I was encouraged when physi-cians such as Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D., and Dean Ornish, M.D., published their research that supported the role of plant-based diets in the management of cardio-vascular disease.” After finishing her preventive med-icine residency training in 1990, she worked in Grenada as the Medical Offi-cer of Health for three years. “I did my best to promote plant-based nutrition while I was in Grenada,” says Dr. Rooke, who also completed an oc-cupational medicine residency. “When I visited last year, I met a woman who told me that she remembered me and that she had dramatically changed her diet be-cause of my advice.” In 2010, Dr. Rooke founded the At-lanta Lifestyle Medical Center, where

she’s seen several successes, including a woman named Hattie. “Hattie was told by her primary care physician that she would have to start medications for diabetes at her next visit. She got this news on a Tuesday and came to our clinic on that Thursday,” says Dr. Rooke. “She adopted the plant-based diet we recommended and never looked back. She lost 52 pounds, never needed diabetes medications, and was able to stop most of her other medications.” Dr. Rooke also gives presentations about plant-based nutrition in her com-munity. “Our clinic has a community arm. We conduct lifestyle interventions in com-munity settings such as churches, pro-fessional organizations, and social clubs.” says Dr. Rooke. “The goal is to encourage the community group to have monthly follow-up sessions where they have a plant-based pot-luck meal and discuss health topics. This activity is funded by the members of the community orga-nizations to make them stakeholders in their own success.” Read more about Dr. Rooke and other Physicians Committee members who are working in their practices and communi-ties to promote plant-based nutrition in this issue's cover story on page 6.

“I’ve always told my patients that a plant-based diet is the healthiest

option,” says Jennifer Rooke, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor in the de-partment of community health and pre-ventive medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga., who has prescribed plant-based diets since grad-uating from medical school in 1985. But her interest in food as medicine began in high school.