Information for Physicians

This Page is for Physicians only

Links to my recent talks on Food as Prevention: Cancer (5/11/22),  Diabetes

A few years ago after learning that I had pre-diabetes I explored the medical literature and learned that diet and lifestyle play a significant role in many chronic diseases (eg obesity, NIDDM, atherosclerosis and perhaps 1/3 of cancers).  I also learned that a Whole Food Plant-based (ie no animal products) diet is the most healthy and can prevent (and in some cases reverse) these and other chronic diseases.

Since I addressed diet & lifestyle in my own life, I am no longer pre-diabetic.

I have now launched a website (foodasprevention.com, overview here) to explain this to the public and have set up a special dedicated clinic to see patients who are interested  in changing their diets to a Whole Food Plant-based diet in order to be healthier. This clinic is not for regular GI patients or to investigate GI symptoms.

**  Ideal patients would be those who are motivated to change their diets and have metabolic syndrome, NIDDM, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or are pre-diabetic.**

 While I would be addressing the diet, the adjustment of the dosing of any medications (eg those for hypertension or diabetes) as their health improves would be done by the prescribing physician (eg yourself or another specialist) – I will send out a fax with this information when I first see the patient.

The referral process is probably slightly  different to what you are used to:

1. Once you have a patient in front of you who sounds interested, you need to give them an information sheet (copy.here) which explains the benefits of a Whole Food Plant-based diet and also directs them to my web page where they can learn about the diet and its benefits.
2. At the same time as you give them the sheet, you fax me a referral form (referral form) with their demographics and answers to a couple of simple questions which will take less than a minute to complete. At this point our program cannot accommodate patients with renal failure (Cr > 200 mmol/L), on warfarin, or who have undergone bariatric surgery.
3. The information sheet (copy.here) which you give the patient tells them that once they have reviewed the information on my website, IF THEY WISH TO SEE ME to assist them adopting a Whole Food Plant-based Diet they can phone my office and indicate this – only after they call our office will we will book an initial consultation visit.

In order to be seen, patients need to:

1) Be willing to change their diet

2) Have internet / email access & understand English

3) Not have GI conditions requiring active investigation

4) Be willing to attend six small group meetings (held on Zoom on Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm) which are part of the intervention.  The person who prepares the food needs to come to these meetings.

5) If you have questions, please email  me at subhasganguli@gmail.com or call me at St Joseph’s at 905 522-1155 x 35109.