Arizona Nurse - October 2021

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Page 4 • Arizona Nurse October, November, December 2021 Will Your Next Prescription be for the Pharmacy or the Farmacy? Joanne Evans, RN Adapted from the Indiana Nurse Association Bulletin Almost 2500 years ago, Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” (Smith, 2004). These words are still relevant today. The leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease, followed by cancer, chronic lung disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease (National Center of Health Statistics, 2021). Diabetes is increasing at a rapid rate in the U.S. (Diabetes Research Institute, 2020). According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), over 20,000 prescription drug products are approved for marketing (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2018). The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2015–2016 shows 45.8% of the U.S. population uses prescription drugs. Nearly 40% of older adults take five or more prescription drugs (Martin et al., 2019). All medications, whether over-the-counter or prescription medications, may have side effects, including nausea, fever, chills, headaches, itching, wheezing, tightness in the chest, vomiting, red and irritated eyes, and the list goes on. Pharmaceutical companies are the ones that benefit the most from people being sick. Is it possible that some chronic diseases could be prevented or reversed through nutrition? There has been extensive research for well over 40 years showing how food can be used to treat and sometimes reverse many chronic diseases. Campbell and Campbell (2006), Esselstyn (2008), McDougall (2013), Greger (2015), and Barnard (2020) have all discussed this in their publications. Their research shows that plant-based nutrition prevents and reverses heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, decreases cholesterol and reduces blood sugar levels. Plant-based nutrition also decreases obesity and complications from being overweight and improves mood, sleep, energy, depression, and anxiety; reverses many chronic diseases and increases work productivity. In a research study conducted at ten corporate locations in the U.S., those participants practicing plant-based nutrition (PBN) showed improvement in body weight, blood sugar levels, and emotional state, including depression and anxiety (Agarwal et al., 2015). In another study, diets that were higher in plant foods and lower in animal foods were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a general population, and the longer the participants adhered to a healthy plant-based diet, the lower their risk of cardiovascular disease (Esselstyn et al., 2014). Research shows that obese patients who followed a plant-based diet had more weight loss than those who followed a vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet that included dairy, eggs, fish, or meat at two-month and six-month intervals (Turner-McGrievy et al., 2015). What specifically is PBN? What does it include? • Vegetables – dark greens, dark yellows and orange, sweet potato, etc. • Whole Grains – pasta, rice, corn, whole grain bread, tortilla, etc. • Fruit – whole fruit, which is better than juice due to fiber • Legumes – beans, peas, lentils, tofu, soymilk, chickpeas, etc. • Nuts and seeds • Limited processed foods • Avoiding oil, flour, and sugar According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2021), there are over 3 million nurses; therefore, it seems we could make a dramatic change in health care for people in the U.S. if we shared information about PBN. I have conducted several 21-day plant-based programs utilizing the free, online Kickstart Program published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (2021). The results were published in the American Journal of Nursing (Evans et al., 2017) and the Holistic Nursing Association Journal (2015). Laboratory data was collected and analyzed, and results showed that several participants lowered their cholesterol by as much as 59 points within a 21-day period, while others lost weight and reported an improvement in energy and sleep (Evans, 2015). In talking with nurses around the country, there seem to be many reasons nurses do not share information about PBN. Some of the primary reasons reported include nurses thought they did not know enough and were worried they could not answer the patient’s questions; they thought it was too difficult; did not know whom to refer patients to; thought it may be too expensive to adhere to a PBN diet; and thought patients may not be interested (Evans, 2020).
October, November, December 2021 Arizona Nurse • Page 5 When I spoke with nurses around the U.S., they shared that this form of nutritional information was not presented in nursing schools. All the nurses who were interviewed for my book, Cultivating Seeds of Health with Plant-Based Nutrition, Nurses Share Educational Approaches to Prevent and Reverse Chronic Disease (Evans, 2020), learned about PBN after graduation from their nursing programs. Some learned about it after their illness and others when a family member became ill. Several nurses saw their patients taking the recommended medications, and they were still not getting well. Others recognized that “everything in moderation” was not working. Another group of nurses read the China Study (2006) or saw the movie Forks Over Knives, both of which convinced them that PBN was the way to treat many chronic diseases (Evans, 2020). Once nurses become knowledgeable about PBN, they have many opportunities to share this information, including - Talking with colleagues about plant-based nutrition - Having plant-based food at all meetings and conferences - Hosting monthly potlucks or lunches with colleagues and community groups -Showing movies on PBN and discuss the information provided - Asking more detailed questions about nutrition on intakes with patients, including: • How many fruits did you eat in the past 24-48 hours? • How many vegetables did you eat in the past 24-48 hours? • How many portions of dairy food did you eat in the past 24-48 hours? • How many portions of meat did you eat in the past 24-48 hours? • Have them complete a nutritional assessment - http://4leafsurvey.com • Having discharge and care plans include plant-based nutrition • Requesting PBN guest speakers in educational settings for undergraduate and graduate-level nursing programs • Incorporating PBN into all discussions about chronic diseases • Collaborating with other health care providers interested in plant-based nutrition • Encouraging hospitals to have plant-based foods at all meals • Hosting a free online 10-day plant-based program https://www.drmcdougall.com/ health/education/free-mcdougall-program/ or hosting a free 21-day (PCRM) online plant-based program – including menus, recipes, cooking classes, and additional Information - https://kickstart.pcrm.org/en There are several groups available for nurses interested in learning more about plantbased nutrition. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) hosts the Nurses Nutrition Network, which provides educational programs for nurses (https://www.pcrm.org/goodnutrition/nutrition-for-clinicians/nurses-nutritionnetwork). The American College of Lifestyle Medicine has a nurse support group and provides educational presentations open to all nurses. https://lifestylemedicine.org/What-is-Lifestyle- Medicine. Our patients need to have a choice on how they will resolve their chronic health issues, and nurses are well-positioned to educate patients on nutritional options to help prevent and possibly reverse many chronic diseases. Patients should be given all the options to make an educated Pharmacy or the Farmacy continued on page 6
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Arizona Nurse - October 2021

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