Having practiced in trauma, general surgery and outpatient medicine, I’ve helped put bandages on problems without providing any long lasting relief until my colleague and mentor introduced me to lifestyle medicine and the whole, food plant based diet. Having a medication to treat a side effect of chronic illness falls short of most people’s goals in health whereas helping guide people to optimize lifestyle and diet trully has resulted in life changing benefits for the patients I’ve seen in my practice. Not only do I recommend changes, but I’ve made the changes in my life and my family’s life which means I’ve also experienced the challenges that comes with change. Working together with people to face those challenges is what drives my everyday interactions with patients.