From The Heart #27: A Doctor Becomes A Patient

The day my face swelled shut and I landed in the hospital, I stopped feeling like the “indestructible” doctor and started feeling like a patient who was genuinely scared. That experience, plus years of asthma, eczema, chronic hives, and exercise-triggered angioedema, forced me to confront something I had ignored for too long: health is not just prescriptions and procedures. It’s the daily inputs, the stress, the sleep, the food, and the habits we repeat when nobody’s watching. 

Then my daughter was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy and started showing similar allergy and skin issues. That’s when I finally went looking for answers beyond the usual, and I realized how rarely we’re asked the simplest, most important questions about nutrition and lifestyle. We get into evidence-based nutrition and why a plant-predominant diet built on whole, minimally processed foods shows up again and again in the research. We also talk through realistic options, from DASH to Mediterranean to other proven dietary patterns, and why “well planned” matters more than internet labels. 

You’ll also hear how my journey through nutrition training and lifestyle medicine led to coaching, medical education, and a bigger mission: healthcare reform that actually addresses root causes. Social media played a surprising role in building a community around that mission, and I ask for a small favor that can expand the reach of this work. If you care about lifestyle medicine, whole food nutrition, and changing the culture of healthcare, share this with a friend, subscribe, and leave a quick review so more people can find it.

Go check out my website for tons of free resources on how to transition towards a healthier diet and lifestyle.

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Thanks so much!

Peace, love, plants!
Dr. Jules 

Transcript

From The Heart Format

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Yo, plant-based buddies, welcome to a new segment that I'm calling from the heart. Of these are bonus episodes, there's no script, no plan, just honest conversations and lessons that come straight from real patience and real life. And most of the time I just hit record and I speak. So what you're hearing is raw, it's unscripted, and it's intentional. But if you're ready for something a little bit more spontaneous, this is from the heart. Um, where I had the chance to tell my story and kind of revisit old memories that I had forgotten about. So I just wanted to summarize this here so that people who are new to my content have an idea of where I'm coming from. Alright.

When Chronic Hives Turned Dangerous

SPEAKER_01 1:15

So, number one, I used to be sick. And what I'm what I mean by sick, and I was plagued by some medical conditions. I had asthma, eczema, urticaria, which is also called hives, and also a condition called cholinergic angiodema. Angiodema, you can imagine it looks a lot like an allergy to peanuts or shellfish, and then you eat it. My eyes would swell shut, my my throat, my lips, everything. Although I had been plagued with chronic hives for years, angiodema episodes happened to me four times. Fourth one put me in a hospital with symptoms of anaphylaxis. Basically, trouble breathing, um, my eyes were swollen shut. I remember not being able to put my glasses on because I was my face was completely deformed. It was actually so traumatic for me that I took a photo, but I deleted it because I could not bear to scroll through my phone and to see it. Well, when that happened, I wasn't on social media and I wish that I would have kept the photos. I mean, it would make for great social media content to show up before and after of my face. But honestly, I don't want to revisit those years. From 2007 to about 2012, I was taking medication, dealing with chronic hives, and that condition that I just called cholinergic angiodema was brought upon by exercise. Other conditions were considered at the time, like mass cell activation syndrome or exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Some people use these terms interchangeably, but moral of the story is that when I exercised, I had facial swelling and life-threatening symptoms.

The Humbling Reality Of Hospitalization

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Now, after that fourth episode, I really got a glimpse of being a patient, and being a patient when you are a healthcare provider, it's a weird experience. And this morning on the interview, I talked about being admitted with an intravenous and medication and an and and being taken care of by doctors that you work with and colleagues that your were your friends, and it was just a really embarrassing moment. And I I tried to look cool and I tried to look in control, but I was scared shitless that day. I thought I was gonna die. And just revisiting these memories humbles me, but also makes me look back and how I've I've changed. So when I was a doctor starting out, I probably had a much bigger ego than I have now. I mean, I thought I was indestructible, I thought I could stay up late and party all weekend and then work on a Monday, and I was not necessarily living a life that's aligned with the same values that are shared today. When I got sick, I hid in my closet to take my medications, I hid in the locker room before basketball games to take my puffers. I was almost embarrassed of suffering from chronic diseases, and I'm sure that that resonates with a lot of people here.

My Daughter’s Diagnosis Changed Everything

SPEAKER_01 5:07

But it's really when my daughter got diagnosed with a milk protein allergy that I really started to kind of search out of the box. Now, one thing's for certain, we can't medicate our way out of lifestyle-induced diseases, and we will will not medicate ourselves out of the healthcare crisis that we've dug it ourselves into. A new pill or a new procedure or new technology is not gonna cure 20 years of bad lifestyle habits. And so when my daughter got diagnosed with the same condition as I had and had allergies and urticaria and eczema, we really started to kind of look out of the box for solutions. And the weird thing is that over years of suffering with these symptoms, I had never been asked about my diet, I've never been asked about my lifestyle, and I didn't even consider that it may impact my health.

Evidence Based Plant Predominant Eating

SPEAKER_01 6:13

So when we saw a dietitian that said you maybe you want to consider changing your diet and reducing dairy and red meat, I kind of chuckled it off, but I did my own research and started seeing that there's actually a lot of data showing what a healthy dietary dietary pattern looks like, and they all seem to point towards this thing called evidence-based nutrition. And I think that even though online there seems to be a lot of controversy around what consists of a healthy diet, there's not that much controversy in the scientific community. A diet that is built on a foundation of whole, minimally processed plants is kind of the whole key to a healthy lifestyle, right? So a diet where most of your calories are coming from fruits and veggies and whole grains and legumes and beans and chickpeas and nuts and seeds and soy products and herbs and spices with a special focus on adding more protein coming from plant sources seems to be the common theme when looking at all the dietary patterns that are recommended by major medical associations and that are linked to lower risk of chronic disease. Now, I just described the Canadian food guide in a much more cooler, sexy way. But the end at the end of the day, what we know is that 75 to 80 percent of our calories should be coming from whole minimally processed foods when today less than 5 to 10% of our calories are coming from minimally processed plant foods. So there's a long way to go, but the point I'm trying to make here is that food does matter and the cells you are built with are built from the raw materials that you get from your food, right? So if you do not have enough omega-3, six to nines in your diet, well, there will not be as many omegas in your red blood cell membranes. And if you do not eat enough magnesium in your diet, well, your intracellular stores of magnesium will be low. I mean, we know these things. Now, any diet can be problematic if it's not well planned. So instead of just saying plant-based diets, I rather call it evidence-based plant-predominant diets because not everyone here wants to go on a 100% whole food plant-based diet, and you do not need to be healthy. You do not need to eat that way to be healthy. Some of the most commonly studied dietary patterns, like the DASH diet, the portfolio diet, a low-fat, whole food plant-based diet, the Mediterranean diet, vegetarian dietary patterns, they all can permit some minimal amounts of ultra-processed foods or animal products, and they can still lead to great like chronic disease outcomes, right? So it was interesting.

Training In Nutrition And Lifestyle Medicine

SPEAKER_01 9:34

We talked about when my daughter got sick and I started to learn more about nutrition. I was part of the first cohort of students of the plant-based nutrition certification program from the Guelph University in Ontario, then completed uh certifications from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, then the Doctors for Nutrition certifications, then I'm looking at my diplomas, got my certifications in lifestyle medicine from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. I've been on this journey for a long time, and a lot of people are just now kind of discovering me or my story. Social media is a powerful place. Years ago, my social media journey started by documented my documenting my training for the World Ninja Championships. I was documenting my fitness workout regimes and routines with my wife, and we're doing funny videos and trying to encourage people to do push-ups and squats and other fitness challenges, and it was all in good fun. But very quickly, we noticed how many people we would be reaching with our

Social Media That Fuels Healthcare Reform

SPEAKER_01 10:58

content, and and some of our earlier videos were getting thousands of views, and people were saying, Oh, I've started working out more after seeing your videos. And so my wife said, You may want to consider doing that, but for kind of your nutrition and lifestyle medicine background. So I told my story, started blogging, and that leads us to today, where I'm now director of our lifestyle medicine residency curriculum at our medical school, and I've been on this mission for advocating for healthcare reform. I've given over probably two to three hundred conferences and virtual talks. I've coached hundreds of people, and I've tried to change the way we practice and teach medicine to the future generation of doctors. And the thing is, is that a lot of doctors are on board. And in July, we're going to be teaching future doctors about lifestyle medicine. So social media does help. Social media and this platform in particular created a whole community of people who advocate for the same reform that I'm advocating for. And this whole social media thing has gotten much bigger than I would ever have imagined. And although I do get criticized a lot either because I post too much in English or post too much in French, or I don't advocate for other things outside of my scope of expertise, I understand that criticism comes with the territory. But your support here has opened a lot of doors. And your support of my podcast and of my social media platforms opened doors this year, where I was able to interview a Claire Johnson, Dr. Lejard, a public health chief, a medical officer, Dr. Jennifer Russell, and a whole bunch of influential people that can have major impacts on the health of our communities. So never for a second I want you to doubt that you can make a difference. Anyone and everyone who engages with my content helps it to be seen by more people. And if my content aligns with your values and your beliefs, then I appreciate any engagement and sharing and commenting and whatever else way you want to interact. I do appreciate it, and I also recognize that a lot of people are closet consumers of my content. People don't want to comment because fear of being criticized or don't want people to see that they're active on social media. I get it. And you don't need to apologize to me when you see me because a lot of people do that. Now, that being said, the visibility that everyone here has created for me has opened up doors, has led to creating significant, meaningful change in how we practice medicine, how we teach it, and how I'm able to advocate for lifestyle medicine in my community, in my medical school, and with my patients.

A Quick Favor: Awards Voting

SPEAKER_01 14:42

So all of this is to ask a favor, and that's for voting for two different awards that'll be coming up. The community votes campaign is coming right around the corner, as well as the People's Choice Awards. Last year, my page won the People's Choice Awards for Favorite Podcast, and it also won the Community Votes Awards for best in the physician and surgeons category. Now it takes 10 seconds to vote, and I know a lot of people will not vote, and that's okay. But I just want people to recognize the reach and the impact that that simple vote can have. I don't look for people people's approval. I'm looking for a gang of people who are on a similar mission and who understand that we can't medicate ourselves out of this healthcare crisis. And I think that lifestyle medicine is one of the best shots we have at changing the culture and the way that we practice and teach medicine. At the beginning of this whole journey, all I wanted to do was share information about how eating healthier will make you healthier and how exercising more will help you live longer. But this page has helped me grow my reach and grow my mission. So if you have a few minutes of your time, I want to ask two things. I'm gonna post two links in the comments, one for the community votes award and the other one for people's choice. I would really, really enjoy when the time comes to go vote. I will keep you updated. The People's Choice Awards are not yet open, but I'll come back when they are. But the community votes nominations are open. So I would much appreciate anyone who wants to consider nominating me so I can be pushed to the next round. All this does is help create more awareness and visibility for this whole mission that we're all on. I don't win any prizes. If I want a plaque, I need to pay for it. So it's not about winning any prize, it's about gaining visibility, right? So if you're on that same mission as I am, please help me out. If not, no worries, I will still keep creating content for you here.

Future You Versus Past You

SPEAKER_01 17:26

Reflecting on how we've grown over the years is a pretty intense process. And I tell my patients who have trouble changing their habits to do one of two things: to project themselves into the future and to ask themselves, are the lives that you're living now setting you on a path towards your goals? If I'm 44 now, I picture myself in my 60s and 70s being able to run and lift and do pull-ups, and being strong enough to put my own luggage on the overhead compartment in a plane, and be able being able to go sightseeing in Europe and walking five miles, visiting museums and learning about other people's culture. Never could I imagine a life where my physical health keeps me from doing that. And so ask yourself, where do you see yourself in 10-20 years? And are the choices and habits that you have today bringing you close or far from these goals? Now, if you're living a life that is not aligned with the person that you person that you want to be in the future, try to see if you're willing to make some changes. That's what this whole page is about, just making small, small changes. The small changes are the big ones because they will compound and accumulate over time. Now, if projecting yourself into the future doesn't really work for you, project yourself in the past. I really, really often project myself into the past. When I look back on my past, I come from a broken home, a home filled with love, but filled with a lot of stressors. My father and my mom split when I was very young, and we were left to fend for her ourselves. My mom raised me, my twin sister, and my older brother by herself on a minimum wage job. We were dependent on our family, on our community, on aunts and uncles to pay for school, to pay for clothes. Looking back, we had a very intense and uh and um difficult childhood that made me into the person I am today. And when so when I look back at broken 10-year-old Jules and I look through his eyes at the man that I've become today and the things I'm able to do and accomplish, I know that a younger version of me would be very proud. So if you can project yourself into the past and project yourself into the future and see where whether or not your daily behaviors you have today are aligned with who the younger version of yourself wants to be, wanted you to be, or are you exhibiting behaviors that are putting you on a path towards the person you want to be in the future? I mean, I'll let you reflect on that on your own time. It's difficult to look yourself into the mirror sometimes and have that aha moment that you are not living the life that you really want to live. It can feel overwhelming to change, but just kind of keep in mind that small behaviors do add up, and that's what this page is here for. Hopefully, I can give you a few tips and tricks here and there on my podcast, on my Instagram, on my Facebook, or on this private group that will help you nudge yourself towards being an improved version of the person you want to be.

Small Changes And Where To Find Me

SPEAKER_01 21:32

That's all I had to say for today. So I'm gonna put the link in the comments. If you care about my content and you care about supporting my mission, please go nominate me for the Community Votes Awards. I'll come back here once the final voting period starts and once the voting starts for the People's Choice Awards, because that helped put my podcast on the map. And that was just because of you guys here. So there is strength in numbers, and even one vote can make a difference. So if you care to vote, please do it. I'll put the link below. And thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for advocating for lifestyle medicine and an improved healthcare system because this is what this is what this community is all about. Cool. Have a happy Friday and weekend. We'll see you next week.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Hey everyone, go check out my website, plantbasedrjoules.com, to find free downloadable resources. And remember that you can find me on Facebook and Instagram at Dr. Jewels Cormier, and on YouTube at Plantbase Dr. Jewels.