Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Better Medicine than Pills and Surgery, Doctor Says

Americans are being treated for health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and depression to the tune of $43 trillion a year. One doctor believes up to 80 percent of these illnesses could be avoided by addressing what truly causes them. After watching her beloved mother suffer from poor health for decades and then die relatively young, Casey Means pursued a career in medicine to help others avoid what happened to her mom.

After becoming a head and neck surgeon, Dr. Means became disillusioned with the entire process and walked away from mainstream medicine. She believes the system is ignoring the root cause of many diseases, which she labels metabolic dysfunction. This dysfunction is linked to various chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, dementia, type two diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, migraine, infertility, and erectile dysfunction.

In her book, Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, Dr. Means explains that metabolic dysfunction refers to how cells make energy, right down to the mitochondria. She emphasizes that a proper diet is crucial to avoiding or reversing metabolic dysfunction, with exercise and sleep also playing important roles.

Dr. Means advocates for a more aggressive approach to diet by healthcare professionals, suggesting that many patients could avoid medications and surgeries with proper dietary interventions. However, she highlights a significant gap in medical education, stating that the average medical student in the United States does not receive any nutrition training during their years of study and residency.