Dr. Monica Aggarwal

Episode 5: Finding Joy with Dean Ornish

Podcast, Seeking Voices: Exploring the Science of Health and Healing /

In this episode of “Seeking Voices of Health, Healing and Hope” I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Dean Ornish

We talked about purpose, joy, happiness and social connection. It was a wonderful talk. I thought a lot about what he said. He tells his story of how he struggled with depression and how he overcame. We talked a lot about how people are lacking connection, joy and love and how important those components are to healthy living. We talk about education and how one needs to understand peoples’ suffering in order to really change. We talked about plant based eating, healthy lifestyle and how that can have impact on illnesses. We talked about how we all need an “undo it” button. This is one I thought about for a long time and you may have to listen to twice.

Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF. For over 44 years, Dr. Ornish has directed randomized trials demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. Medicare created a new benefit category to provide coverage for this program. He directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that lifestyle changes may slow, stop, or reverse the progression of early-stage prostate cancer. In other research, he has shown that comprehensive lifestyle changes affect gene expression, “turning on” disease-preventing genes and “turning off” genes that promote cancer and heart disease. And in collaboration with Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, he has shown that these lifestyle changes may begin to reverse aging on a cellular level by lengthening telomeres. He is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of seven national bestsellers, including his most recent book, UnDo It! He received many awards, including the University of California, Berkeley, “National Public Health Hero” award; the inaugural “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine; was recognized as “one of the 125 most extraordinary University of Texas alumni in the past 125 years;” by TIME magazine as a “TIME 100 Innovator;” by LIFE magazine as “one of the fifty most influential members of his generation;” by People magazine as “one of the most interesting people of the year;” and by Forbes magazine as “one of the world’s seven most powerful teachers.”

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Vegan Colonoscopy Prep

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Colonoscopy prep as a plant-based person is not easy and is a little annoying. The options that the doctor provided me were quite disappointing. No consideration for vegetarians and different ethnicities. Really surprising. Here is an example of my prep that turns out to be very standard unfortunately.

So, I worked with another GI friend to come up with a program that would work for me. While we plant-based people eat loads and loads of fiber, the week before your colonoscopy, you can’t eat fiber. This is because it leaves a residue in the gut, and they simply can’t see. Alot of plant-based people tell me that they won’t do a colonoscopy because they eat so well. My husband had a colonoscopy and is plant-based, and he had a polyp that requires more frequent screening. You don’t want to ignore that genetics plays a role here. Not worth the risk in my mind. So I proceeded to get my colonoscopy scheduled. The new recommended screening age for LOW RISK PEOPLE IS 45 years of age. Please consider scheduling your procedure today. A week of pain is fine. You can do this!

I had my colonoscopy on a friday. So on the Monday prior (4 days before the procedure), I started my dietary change and I have outlined it here and I have a perfect prep and full visibility.

4 days prior (Monday)
Breakfast: cheerios and almond milk, green tea
Lunch: white rice and wok stir-fried tofu
Dinner: cantaloupe, air-fry potato without skin and ketchup

White Rice and Wok Fried Tofu

3 days prior (Tuesday)
Breakfast: Cheerios and almond milk, green tea
Lunch: White rice and stir-fried tofu
Dinner: Air-fry potatoes without skin with ketchup
Snack: few saltines

2 days prior (Wednesday)
Breakfast: Cheerios with almond milk, cantaloupe, green tea
Lunch: Annie’s brand vegan Mac and cheese
Dinner: pasta with marinara sauce, asparagus heads steamed, cantaloupe
Snack: few saltines

1 day prior (Thursday): day before should be a fasting day
Green tea
Loads of water

I did the low-volume, two dose prep. This apparently has been shown to be more successful that other options. I used Clenpiq and took the first dose at 5pm Thursday evening with 20mg Dulcolax. Then since my colonoscopy was at 10am, I did the second dose between 4-5 am. This is not a fun week, but it needs to be done so do what you have to do.

What is your experience?

I certainly don’t have all the answers for vegan colonoscopy prep. What guidance did your physician give you? What do you want to share about your experience?

Let me know through the form below. I’m listening!

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Episode 4: Food Addiction with Chuck Carroll

Podcast, Seeking Voices: Exploring the Science of Health and Healing /

In this episode of “Seeking Voices of Health, Healing and Hope” I had the pleasure of speaking with the brilliant Mr. Chuck Carroll from PCRM’s, The Exam Room. He is an incredible host: inquisitive, insightful and kind. 

What many of you might not know is that Chuck struggled with food addiction and once weighed over 300 lbs. Every person is an onion. So much of the time we just see the outside layers. It takes time to peel back the layers though and see the colors and character inside. Everyone has a story. I know you will enjoy hearing Chuck’s story and his message of hope.

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Episode 3: Driving Change with Jane Esselstyn and Brian Hart

Podcast, Seeking Voices: Exploring the Science of Health and Healing /

In this episode of “Seeking Voices of Health, Healing and Hope“, my guests are a dynamic duo: Jane Esselstyn and Brian Hart.

Jane Esselstyn RN is a lovely human being who I am lucky enough to call my friend. She is a skilled nurse, a researcher, mother, and teacher on the forefront of the plant-based movement. She and her mom, Anne, have been actively bringing the world energy and love through food. She is the host of the annual conference, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease for Women, which is focused on the power of plants that I have been honored to speak at. Jane is an avid and inventive designer of plant-strong recipes and the co-author of The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook. She created the recipe sections of #1 NYTimes bestseller, Plant-Strong and The Engine 2 Seven Day Rescue, by Rip Esselstyn. And she has a new cookbook coming out that focuses on plant based warriors—so exciting!

Brian Hart, Jane’s husband, is founder and executive director of The Esselstyn Foundation, a non-profit with the mission to “Eradicate lifestyle related diseases through whole food, plant-based nutrition.” Brian is a highly experienced educator with over twenty-five years in the field as a teacher, administrator, and advocate for school change in both the public and private sectors. Brian specializes in collaborating with educators to help them create immersive, hands-on, experiential programs designed to transform thinking and build problem-solving skills. He is a has worn so many cool hats– wilderness EMT, plant-based chef, teacher, middle school principal, and carpenter—if you haven’t seen his cutting boards, they are amazing

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Metabolic Health Symposium

Event /

Join me at the Metabolic Health Symposium in Seattle, Washington and VIrtually!

Registration is open for Swedish’s Metabolic Health Symposium: A 3-day in-person & virtual #CME event to explore & apply the science of #metabolichealth and #nutrition to patient care. Coming June 9-11, 2022 to Seattle, Washington and online. I will be speaking at this event on inflammation and chronic illness. This is going to be a great event with amazing speakers. Sign up and listen in. I am particularly interested in listening to the talk on soil health!

Link to register

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Seeking Voices, Kyler Pettry

Episode 2: Don’t Say Gay with Kyler Pettry

Podcast, Seeking Voices: Exploring the Science of Health and Healing /

In this episode of “Seeking Voices of Health, Healing and Hope“, my guest is a man named Kyler Pettry. Kyler is a fabulous person that I have been lucky to know. I met Kyler as my massage therapist—the best massage of my life by the way. He quickly became my friend and someone that I have learned so much from. What I love is that the person that I first met is hardly the person that I know now.

Kyler has been many things in his life: a massage therapist, an artist, a minister, an unrepentant nerd and aspiring academic/theologian. He is the go-to friend for so many and knows more about most things than the smartest people that I know.

Kyler and I spoke about so many things. Here are some of the highlights?

  • How would you describe yourself? What makes you you?
  • I have known you a long time, you always seem self-assured, confident, you know who you are. Has it always been that way?
  • You identify as a gay man, what was that like growing up in rural Florida? How did you family react?
  • How do you deal with the stigmas that go along with being gay? In a time where there is so much GAY pride. But then there are others who feel it is too much. Especially in a time where Florida has the “don’t say gay” bill.
  • Tell me about your weight. I know this has been part of your adult life but when did your eating become an issue?
  • Why do you think you became overweight?
  • What was it like to be large in a world that celebrates skinniness? How did the world’s view affect you?
  • Why do you think we stigmatize people as youths? As kids we make fun of the people who are different; yet we tell people to embrace differences.
  • How did you learn to be strong?
  • What would you say to your younger self?
  • I have always seen you as an optimistic, positive, fun-loving person—something that I admire. You have had your share of hurdles to overcome. How do you keep hopeful and so positive? What gives you the light in your life?

 

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Episode 1: Plant-Powered Olympian Dotsie Bausch

Podcast, Seeking Voices: Exploring the Science of Health and Healing /

In this episode of “Seeking Voices of Health, Healing and Hope“, my guest is the amazing Dotsie Bausch. Dotsie has been a pioneer in the plant-based movement and runs an amazing campaign called Switch4Good that focuses on eating more plant based and the “ditching dairy” movement. She has caught national news with her campaign against companies that don’t allow milk alternatives or charge extra for them. Dotsie has been remarkable in every step of her life. She was once a journalism major, a New York runway model and an Olympian cyclist who won silver! I marvel at the images of Dotsie on the Olympic podium. She is beautiful and a lovely human being. I have had the pleasure of talking to her about so many things: about plant-based nutrition, health, removing dairy and she has even given me amazing makeup tips which I have yet to do by the way! Sometimes when we see people, we only see those beautiful parts, but Dotsie has had hardship too. Some people might not realize that Dotsie suffered from anorexia/bulimia, attempted suicide twice and had a cocaine dependency. I hope to talk about some of these important parts that make up the amazing Dotsie Bausch.

Some of the highlights we talked about:

  • How do you describe yourself?
  • What makes you happy?
  • How do you keep the joy in your life?
  • You had anorexia. Can you speak to this?
    • Why do you think you developed this?
    • What advice do you have for me, a mother of two girls, who want social media, have kids talking about calories.
  • You comment in your TED talk that you were loved as a child and that maybe you didn’t have some grave moment that made you go down the path you did. Can you speak to this?
  • What’s it like to be addicted to cocaine?? How did this start and how did you stop?
  • I have worked with many addicts and at times, have been jaded by seeing the same face in the ER after they had overdosed. How do I start seeing the human behind the addiction?
  • Why did you stop? What made you do it? What does one need to do to get someone out of this state?
  • You attempted suicide two times. What do you remember about those moments?
  • What was it like to be an Olympian at near 40? Did you feel like you had to compete with the young people? How did you?
  • Do you have down moments now? What do you do to get out of your funk? How do you stay out of your dark places? Is that the goal? To stay out of the dark places.
  • You have become so passionate about plant-based eating and in your TED talk, you show pictures of how seeing slaughterhouses impacted you. You talk beautifully about the benefits of plant-based eating. What two things would you like to say about this?
  • Hope is a hard thing to have sometimes. What would your message be to offer other people hope? How would you use your voice to impact others?

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Launching Podcast on Health, Healing and Hope

Podcast, Seeking Voices: Exploring the Science of Health and Healing /

I have decided to launch a new podcast called “Seeking Voices of Health, Healing and Hope“. As most of you know, I am a preventive cardiologist who focuses on nutrition and lifestyle to heal illness. But I also have a chronic illness. Over the years, as a nutrition specialist, as a cardiologist and as a patient, I have met so many people who feel sad, stuck, hopeless and confused. There are so many people looking to understand their lives, their purpose, the meaning of things and they are struggling. We are struggling as a society, as humans, as women, as moms, as patients, as husbands, as children.

I wanted to start this podcast to bring voices to people of hope, health and healing but also to share how people have overcome their sadnesses, their struggles, their pain. I think we have so much to learn from each other—not always from people in the limelight; but sometimes from the people around us living the day to day, drudging through, overcoming and being. I hope that this podcast makes people consider others more deeply, considers themselves more importantly and reminds us all to have hope, and look for the joy and happiness in the day to day. This is my hope. Stay tuned!

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New Year’s Resolutions, Illness and Anxiety

Blog /

I have been reflecting a lot this month about life and I want to share that. January marks one year since my family had COVID. We were so lucky not to have significant symptoms and I believe it is our clean living that got us through it well. My husband was doing his MBA last year and working full time plus helping manage our 3 kids, and with all that stress and lack of sleep, my husband developed Shingles in his eye. It was horrible. He was in constant pain. He would describe electric shocks going through his eye every other second. There was so much anxiety and worry about him losing his eye. I would wake up every hour to check on him and you feel helpless.

There has been some correlation between COVID and Shingles likely to the immune suppression. But I am always reminded about the impact of stress on the body. Even if you eat a plant-based very healthy diet, but then you don’t take care of your stress, you are still at risk for illness. My husband learned this last year the same way that I learned it 10 years ago. He is better now. He takes more time to breathe, walk and relax. His eye is better and we are okay. Lessons are important but sometimes back-breaking.

Since that time, I have developed a bit of an anxiety problem. Anxiety is not something we like to talk about, especially not as physicians. It is a sign of weakness, isn’t it. Amazing how pride pops in there without realizing it. The anxiety was significant. I am a great sleeper and all the sudden, I wasn’t. I couldn’t go to sleep at night, thinking that someone I loved was going to get sick and die. Or each cough that I heard was COVID and each headache was a brain tumor. Amazing, how our minds work, how anxiety works. This went on for about one year and now I am thankful to feel much better. How did I change? I wrote in my journal daily, thinking of all of the things that are good in my life. I thought about joy. I reflected on how my kids are sturdy and that they would be okay. I thought a lot about my own death and how, my family would be okay. I meditated a lot.

Every day, I learn something new about myself and about life. Each day, there is a new lesson. I have been reading books by Thich Nhat Hanh like Being Peace and Mindful Movements, both of which I recommend. I felt saddened by his recent death but remember Mitch Albom’s Stranger in the Boat and remember to think of death as an extension of life. Hard but important. I take from these books, this mantra, (breathe in), “I calm my mind and body.” (Breathe out and smile), “I smile at myself.” I was at the dentist this week and while I had scrapers and suction and spit everywhere, I did this meditation and my anxiety went down and I was o-k. Dr. Richard Edlich, my mentor in college, used to say, that it is not about finding peace on a mountain but finding it in daily life, in the here and now.

Some of my 2022 resolutions:

Get a job on my terms. I get to choose.

Work on my anxiety.

Make more connections.

Build more muscle.

Heal my inflammation, work at it every day.

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