A few months ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to a man in Detroit, Michigan, named Paul Chatlin. I’ll get to his story shortly. I’m sure most of you reading this have never heard of Paul, but he is one of the true lifestyle medicine heroes.
In the past, I have quoted many well-known doctors, people like Dr. Ornish, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Joel Kahn, Dr. Barnard, and, of course, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, the lead researcher and author of The China Study. Paul isn’t a doctor or even a healthcare provider of any type. Yet, he is an example of how one person can make such a big difference – in this case, both to his own health and that of tens of thousands of other people.
First, Paul’s story about his rebound from advanced ischemic heart disease is nothing short of amazing.
I first ran into Paul’s story when reading a book called Disease Reversal Hope! by Dan Purjes and Dr. Scott Stoll, MD. This book is a series of short descriptions of people who have done the impossible by turning around their chronic or autoimmune diseases that modern mainstream medicine generally only manages. The common denominator among the people discussed in the book is the use of lifestyle, primarily diet, in order to reverse or cure these various diseases. Subsequently, I saw him interviewed in documentaries.
Paul Chatlin’s was ravaged with heart disease. He got to a point that he couldn’t walk more than a few steps without excruciating chest pain. His doctors were sure that he needed coronary bypass or even a heart transplant. One artery was 100% blocked, and two others were 65% blocked. But that wasn’t all. He had leaky heart valves, an enlarged heart, thickening on the right side, and a bundle branch block. Needless to say, he was in very bad shape.
Paul went to the Cleveland Clinic for further examination and consultation. He was wheeled into the catheterization lab, where they injected dye and examined his arteries. It was determined that a coronary bypass open-heart surgery was called for. They started wheeling the gurney toward the operating room in order to prep Paul. Needless to say, he was uptight and nervous. Just then, his cardiologist leaned over him and told him there might be another option. If Paul would commit to a life of plant-based nutrition, he just might be able to avoid open-heart surgery. Without even a basic understanding of what that was, he said he would try anything.
This cardiologist then called Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who told Paul they would speak in the morning. Paul left the hospital, went home, and spoke to Esselstyn the next day. He began eating a whole-food plant-based regimen with very low fat. After all of his pain and agony, after living with terrible pain and discomfort, in three weeks his cholesterol dropped 220 points and his chest pain disappeared. Over a short time, he dropped 28 kilograms which have never returned. It got to a point where Paul and his wife only had medical bills over one year of $188.
Paul was filled with gratitude for the miracles that happened to him, including having a doctor who wasn’t mired in one way to do things and had been a student of Esselstyn in medical school. He put out a small advertisement in a local paper inviting anyone interested to hear his story on avoiding bypass surgery. Twenty people came. With the initial help of plant-based cardiologist Dr. Joel Kahn, he started a support group. At the first meeting, 123 people showed up – amazing. At the second meeting there were more, and then at the third even more. Paul’s group, Plant-based Nutrition Support Group, or PBNSG grew quickly and today is helping more than 10,000 people to prevent and reverse heart disease.
Paul’s story is inspirational from beginning to end. After I spoke to him, I realized he is someone committed to helping anyone in any way possible to achieve good health and avoid the pitfalls that can come with the standard care most people are offered.
Taking cardiac rehabilitation seriously
The evening before writing this article, I went to the synagogue for evening prayers and saw someone I haven’t seen for a long time. I had heard that he had a heart attack, and he confirmed that. He is taking his cardiac rehabilitation very seriously. He told me that in terms of diet, they told him as long as he keeps the sodium and white sugar out of the diet, he’ll be fine. I just turned and looked at him and told him that “that’s not true.” I gave him the information about the book Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease, and I truly hope he will read it and enact Esselstyn’s program.
The fact that Paul had a doctor by his side who gave him this information probably saved his life and will help to ensure a longer and healthier life than had he not turned to a whole-food, plant-based (WFBP), very low-fat diet. He exercises every day. Unfortunately, most of our medical professionals just don’t have this knowledge.
DR. KIM Williams is the former president of the American College of Cardiology. He is currently chairman of the University of Louisville department of medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. He turned his own health around when he discovered the research of Dr. Dean Ornish – a program based on WFPB eating along with other lifestyle interventions like exercise, good sleep, and stress management.
Williams now states unequivocally that either your cardiologist is a healthy vegan or he simply hasn’t read the research. More and more doctors are coming around to understand the major impact of food on our health, but we still have a long way to go.
People like me (I, too, avoided coronary bypass surgery) and Paul Chatlin will not rest until we see the changes necessary to have a healthier society and keep people out of the hospital, living long and healthy lives.
The other thing to remember? Don’t wait until something happens to make the changes; make them now. Prevention is everything. You will save yourself a lot of grief, and you will “add hours to your days, days to your years, and years to your lives.”
The writer is a wellness coach and personal trainer with more than 25 years of professional experience. He is a member of the International Council of the True Health Initiative, the board of Kosher Plant Based, and director of The Wellness Clinic. alan@alanfitness.com