14 minute read
Plant Based Health Online
Lockdown has transformed the way healthcare professionals interact with patients, and in June 2020, a group of vegan doctors started to set up a new service for patients – Plant Based Health Online.
Born out of the Plant Based Health Professionals UK, PBHO offers lifestyle medicine consultations, including advice on plant-based diets via video consultations.
Dr Shireen Kassam, founder of the PBHPUK, details the background and purpose of this ground breaking new initiative.
ORIGINS
I founded PBHPUK back in 2017 when I realised there wasn’t a health professional organisation providing evidence-based education on whole food plant-based diets. For several years prior I was learning and educating myself on the topic and realised most of this education was coming mainly from the US. I realised there was a gap within the UK and felt compelled to fill this through the work of PBHP UK. We have always modelled ourselves on PCRM.org led by Dr Neal Barnard. He has really been a leader in this field and provided the basis for me to start the UK equivalent. I also wanted to provide likeminded health professionals and other individuals a forum and network to belong to so that we could learn and support each other and ultimately have a stronger voice in the area of food and health within the UK.
GROWTH
We are a membership organisation, with membership open to all, not just health professionals. This is because we recognise that as healthcare professionals, we have a lot to learn from ‘ordinary’ people who have used a dietary approach to prevent and management chronic illness. We want our network and education to be relevant to all. We started membership in 2019. Year 1 we gained 200 members, year 2 we totalled 600 members and if we continue at the current pace we will reach over 1000 members by the end of 2021. Approximately two-thirds of members are healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, dietitians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, pharmacists etc and if we continue at the current pace we will reach over 1000 members by the end of 2021. Approximately two-thirds of members are healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, dietitians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, pharmacists etc and one third general public and students.
With this increasing support and funding opportunities we have been able to increase our educational offering through conferences and events and during the pandemic, regular webinars. We produce regular articles on topics of interest, our collection of factsheets continues to grow, we work with groups like Animal Rebellion, VegfestUK, also Proveg and Vegfund, and we also offer a free 21 day plant-based health challenge which is an email based support created by Dr Leila Dehghan where people get daily emails with information, videos and recipes.
We are now also connected globally with the plant based health movement. This includes organisation such as PCRM, Plantrician project and Physicians Association for Nutrition, with individuals such as Dr Kim Williams and Brenda Davis RD, so our network and support is immense.
TEAM
Our core team is a multi-disciplinary and diverse one so to be inclusive of all the members we represent. The team involves doctors, a pharmacist, dietitian, nutritionists, a patient advocate, student reps and our very own videographer too. We have two part time funded roles, Dr Leila Dehghan is our education lead and Rohini Bajekal, nutritionist, is our communications lead. We also work closely with Eden Green PR, of course VegFestUK, and our wonderful website designers MadIdeas.
AIMS
PBHPUK provides education and advocacy on whole food plant based diets for healthcare professionals and the general public. We do this through all the resources we provide, conferences, events, webinars, factsheets, articles etc The ultimate goal is of course to also influence UK food policy. That is more of a challenge. We are part of the APPG on food and health where we have the opportunity to represent our members are highlight the role of healthy plant-based diets for promoting optimal health and well-being.
plantbasedhealthprofessionals.com
Plant Based Health Online
DEVELOPING PBHO
During the first couple of years of PBHPUK some of my most frequent requests and queries were from people and patients wanting to seek an opinion from a plant-based health professional from various different specialities and disciplines. It seemed that those wanting to use a plant-based diet to improve their health were struggling to find the support they needed within the NHS. To help with this issue, I first started an online directory of healthcare professionals who were able to provide people with the relevant appointments and we have a number of specialities and expertise represented in this directory. With the pandemic and the lockdown, we recognised the urgent need to address chronic ill health, which was worsening the impact of COVID-19, and support patients to use diet and lifestyle intervention to improve their health. The lockdown also transformed the way healthcare professionals interact with patients, with many consultations being moved to virtual – either via telephone or video consultations - and this has been an effective way of managing chronic illnesses over the last year. We noticed that in the US a new healthcare service called plant-based telehealth had launched. They were offering lifestyle medicine consultations, including advice on plant-based diets via video consultations. We had a chat with them and learnt about what they were doing, and it seemed to be successful and popular with patients. This is how PBHO came about with planning starting in June 2020.
PURPOSE
PBHO is borne out of the recognition that up to 80% of chronic illness in the UK could be prevented by health diet and lifestyle habits, including a predominantly plant-based diet, regular physical exercise, restorative sleep, healthy social connection, avoiding toxins such as smoking and alcohol and managing stress. These are the founding principles of the global movement known as Lifestyle Medicine. In 2004 the American College of Lifestyle Medicine was founded and is now a global movement including here in the UK with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine flying the flag. Lifestyle medicine is not embedded within clinical care in the UK yet and we wanted to speed up the implementation of this type of medical practice through the launch of PBHO. We also wanted to have plant-based diet front and centre in our approach to helping patients as this diet pattern is so well researched and backed by a lot of evidence. It is also sustainable for the individual and for wider society and the planet.
TARGETS
We have targets that we made upfront to ensure we are financially sustainable and able to put back money into our community interest company to drive down the price of consultations for our patients. At the moment our team altogether provides the equivalent of 2 full time practitioners. We hope to grow and include more practitioners in our team as we better understand what patients are looking for and as we get busier. We have had many inquiries from health care professionals wanting to join the team.
WHO WE CAN HELP
We specifically help patients who have or are wanting to prevent common chronic illnesses. This includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre or type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, gut health conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, fertility issues and pregnancy planning, migraines, skin conditions autoimmune conditions and those recovering from cancer. We are also keen to support people to adopt health lifestyle habits before the onset of chronic illness and we also have the expertise to support athletes to achieve their potential through health plant based and other lifestyle approaches. We only see adults aged 18 years and older. The aim is to help people regain health and come off their medications, return to full energy and vitality.
Lifestyle medicine consultations, including advice on plant-based diets via video consultations. We had a chat with them and learnt about what they were doing, and it seemed to be successful and popular with patients. This is how PBHO came about with planning starting in June 2020
PURPOSE
PBHO is borne out of the recognition that up to 80% of chronic illness in the UK could be prevented by health diet and lifestyle habits, including a predominantly plant-based diet, regular physical exercise, restorative sleep, healthy social connection, avoiding toxins such as smoking and alcohol and managing stress. These are the founding principles of the global movement known as Lifestyle Medicine. In 2004 the American College of Lifestyle Medicine was founded and is now a global movement including here in the UK with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine flying the flag. Lifestyle medicine is not embedded within clinical care in the UK yet and we wanted to speed up the implementation of this type of medical practice through the launch of PBHO. We also wanted to have plant-based diet frontand centre in our approach to helping patients as this diet pattern is so well researched and backed by a lot of evidence. It is also sustainable for the individual and for wider society and the planet.
TARGETS
We have targets that we made upfront to ensure we are financially sustainable and able to put back money into our community interest company to drive down the price of consultations for our patients. At the moment our team altogether provides the equivalent of 2 full time practitioners. We hope to grow and include more practitioners in our team as we better understand what patients are looking for and as we get busier. We have had many inquiries from health care professionals wanting to join the team.
WHO WE CAN HELP
We specifically help patients who have or are wanting to prevent common chronic illnesses. This includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre or type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, gut health conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, fertility issues and pregnancy planning, migraines, skin conditions autoimmune conditions and those recovering from cancer. We are also keen to support people to adopt health lifestyle habits before the onset of chronic illness and we also have the expertise to support athletes to achieve their potential through health plant based and other lifestyle approaches. We only see adults aged 18 years and older. The aim is to help people regain health and come off their medications, return to full energy and vitality.
OPERATION
PBHO is a fully online, video consultation service. Patients book a new patient package with the practitioner of their choice which includes one 45 minute appointment and one 15 minute follow up. Further appointments are then booked as 30 minutes slots. We have a multi-disciplinary team and a patient might see more than one practitioner. We have 3 GPs Dr Laura Freeman, Dr Sue Kenneally, and Dr Sonia Gandhi. Laura will see patients with a range of conditions and has particular expertise in autoimmune conditions, thyroid issues and cancer care. Sue specialises in weight management and Sonia in skin conditions. Our dietitian Lisa Simon is happy to support a range of conditions and has a special interest in infertility, pre pregnancy care and gut health problems. Dr Leila Dehghan is a nutritionist with an interest in weight management, chronic fatigue, migraines, nutrition for athletes but will also see a wide range of other conditions and help clients optimise their diet. Our health coach Jenny Fernandez is on the team to help our patients adopt and sustain healthy habits and support them to make changes that are right for them.
NHS
The implementation of lifestyle medicine within in the NHS is slowly taking off. There are teams within primary care networks that have set up similar services but so far only a small number of patients have been able to access these services. In addition, other doctors have set up private lifestyle medicine clinics although not all are accepting of the advantages of a plant-based diet. We hope in due course that we will be able to demonstrate the efficacy of our work to improve the health and lives of individuals and their family members. Then perhaps the NHS will also commission our services. That’s our hope anyway. For more information, visit:
plantbasedhealthonline.com
Dr Laura Freeman
Dr Laura Freeman obtained her Medical Degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2006. She completed her vocational training in General Practice in Manchester in 2011. Between May 2012 and May 2019, after attaining full accreditation from the Medical Council of Canada, Dr Freeman ran her own Family Medicine practice in midtown Toronto, taught medical students at the University of Toronto and worked with the MedicalCouncil of Canada as an examiner for International Medical Graduates.
Quick Quiz!
Favourite Food?
Baked potato with any vegan filling
Favourite form of exercise?
Oh I love my exercise and I like to vary it - cycling/spinning is my current favourite but pre pandemic, swimming
TV Programme?
Anything that is light and easy to watch that I can switch off in front of - really loved Schitt’s Creek
Inspirational character?
Robin Arzon
Vegan for …?
My health
What tipped you into going vegan?
A cancer diagnosis five years ago
Any ‘naughty’ or ‘junk’ food?
Yes! The vegan twix bar from Soul Food Kitchen in Glasgow - the best thing I have ever tasted
Dream destination?
Santorini
De-stress practice?
Hiking
Have you achieved your dreams?
Yes I like to think many of them - my husband, my kids and now working as a doctor who uses plant based lifestyle medicine with my patients! Now it’s just about building on these dreams, making them bigger and more accessible to as many people as possible…
Hi Laura! What’s your take on how Plant Based Health Online began?
I won’t forget receiving an early morning text message from Shireen with a picture of Dr Neal Barnard and his announcement of a plant based telehealth service in the US. I think the text read something like ‘could we do this?!”. We were both really driven to provide a similar offering for those in the UK in order to bring a plant based lifestyle medicine approach into mainstream healthcare. We were just a short time into the first lockdown and digital healthcare was really starting to take off - it seemed like an opportune time to get going.
What would you say the motivation is behind PBHO?
After my own cancer diagnosis five years ago, I have felt the benefits of a plant based lifestyle in my personal life and I have witnessed much success in the lives of my patients - so the drive for PBHO is strong. We believe that everyone deserves a fresh approach to healthcare where getting to the root cause of disease is the main focus and where optimal health is the outcome.
What ailments can you help people with specifically – and what is out of your sphere?
There are lot of conditions that lend itself very well to the evidence based lifestyle medicine approach. These are the common chronic conditions that as a GP I see day in, day out - high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. There are really very few exceptions for where a healthy plant based diet and lifestyle medicine approach can’t help. That being said, PBHO is an online only service so we are not able to see acute medical problems such as bleeding, infection, injuries seizures, new onset of severe headache for example and we are registered to see those over the age of 18.
Do you see this idea spreading – or even being adopted by the NHS?
I do see that an increasing number of people are thinking more carefully about their food choices and beginning to make the connection between their diet, their health and the health on the planet. I hope that it won’t take long for the NHS to take notice of what we are doing, the success of our patients, their family members and loved ones.
Have you seen any results so far?
Yes! Even in the earliest of stages, we have seen patients transition to healthier diets, achieve healthier body weights, improve their sleep patterns and reduce their blood pressure for example. For those who have contacted us and are already following a whole food plant based diet, they have been very grateful for the reassurance and support in doing so and have been thankful for recommendations to further optimise their diet and other healthy lifestyle habits.
Do you see a plant based future ahead of us?
I try to stay as confident about this as possible. Most recently I noticed that Scottish schools were going to be offering plant based milk alternatives in nurseries and schools. Initiatives like this help me to stay positive and hopeful!
I do think that the COVID-19 pandemic has made many people more aware of their health - we do not feel so invincible any more! I think that this has encouraged some to think about their health more carefully and to consider healthier choices. Alongside this, campaigns like Veganuary are increasing in popularity and more celebrities/athletes/public figures have been announcing their plant based lifestyles - this seems to have created space for others to start the important conversations around reducing animal products.
