September 1, 2021 | Issue 9 |
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The Non-physician's Perspective: Pioneering Lifestyle Telemedicine, Together |
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First of all, thank you!
My primary purpose in writing this is to thank you for your contribution in pioneering lifestyle telemedicine. You’ll read more in the coming paragraphs about why I feel so compelled to say thanks to you, and I sincerely wish for you to understand that Plant Based TeleHealth would not exist without each and every one of you. You as the patients, you as community members, you as doctors, staff, and contractors. We are all working together to make lifestyle telemedicine possible, whether you realize it or not.
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Anthony Masiello
Co-founder & CEO
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Before I dive into the details of why I feel that way, I want to introduce myself. My name is Anthony Masiello. Some of you may know me as the person who answers the phones, others may know me as the person who responds to your emails, and a few of you may know me as someone who lost 160 pounds and reclaimed my own health by switching to a whole food plant-based diet. I am all of those things, and I’m also a co-founder and the CEO of Plant Based TeleHealth.
I’ve been working on Plant Based TeleHealth since January 2019, and from day one I’ve been diligently trying to figure out how to assemble all the necessary components to create a safe and compliant lifestyle telemedicine service for health, wellness, and healing. We have a unique opportunity in time, to extend the reach of these incredible doctors, using a collection of leading-edge technologies, so that patients everywhere can have access to the life improving power and potential of lifestyle medicine and whole food plant-based nutrition. It’s important to realize though, that taking on an endeavor like this is not without challenges, and that’s where my gratitude to all of you stems from.
We know that our systems are not perfect. We understand that it may seem complicated to set up your patient portal. We know our Terms of Use are complicated, and we understand that the Informed Consent and Patient Agreement is long and a lot to read and understand. We wish we could answer all of your phone calls right away, and respond to your emails faster. We’re trying to make it clear which doctors are licensed to see patients in which states, so it’s easier for you to schedule your appointments. We also look forward to you being able to cancel and/or reschedule appointments on your own. And, together, we are all helping Quest and LabCorp to understand that a doctor in Utah can in fact order lab tests for a patient in Florida from a telemedicine service based in Colorado while the practice manager is working from New Jersey. These are just some of the challenges and obstacles that we understand you are dealing with, and we are working very hard to improve them all.
At the same time, especially when I think about all of the potential complications, it’s impressive to me that the service works at all. But, despite these challenges, it most certainly does! Thousands of you are registered as patients, and every month hundreds of you have fully licensed medical appointments with one of these incredible doctors. I humbly refer to them as healers. Every time we receive patient feedback, or a patient testimonial I’m absolutely tickled with joy! The vision that sparked this project is coming to fruition, and it’s doing so because of all of us. Without you, the early believers who are willing to work through these imperfections with us, none of this would ever be possible. And for that, I’m incredibly grateful.
I’m grateful to you as patients, for all of your patience and understanding. I also appreciate your drive and determination to take care of yourself in the best way possible, it’s remarkable and I hope you are each proud of yourselves. I also appreciate the physicians, the incredible doctors who are working with us and have figured out how to make lifestyle telemedicine work in the real world. I also appreciate all of our technology, lab service, and other business service providers who each play a key role in making these valuable services available and accessible to everyone who wants them. It’s not an easy task, but all of us are figuring it out together, and that is why I’m continually grateful to all of you.
I look forward to seeing continual improvements in all of these areas in the coming months, just like I’m sure you do. I look forward to the time when we can reflect back and realize how much we’ve improved, and how much our healthcare systems have evolved. I look forward to a time when this type of care, centered around the prevention and reversal, rather than management of disease, is the norm. I don’t know exactly when those scales will tip, but until then I’m truly grateful to be pioneering lifestyle medicine together, with all of you.
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Overnight Oats
This time of year many of us are readjusting to new schedules as family heads back to school. This is a great nutritious, grab-and-go meal!
Steel-cut oats have a delicious, nutty, flavor and texture, but they take longer to prepare than oatmeal. Using a few simple steps the night before, you can create an incredibly tasty breakfast that is waiting for you the next morning!
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Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned or steel-cut oats (or buckwheat, or oat groats) – or use a combination for different textures
- 3/4 cup nondairy milk (almond, hemp, soy, etc) – can substitute with water
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon raisins
- Dash of real vanilla, or 1/2 vanilla bean* (optional)
- 1 cup berries or fruit of choice (can use fresh or frozen)
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Directions:
- At least 3 hours before you plan to eat, add all the ingredients except for the berries and stir well with a spoon.
- Top with berries.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
It will be good for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
A little preparation makes for an excellent breakfast on the run.
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Building Your Support System |
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What is meant by a support system?
Whether you are just starting a whole food plant-based journey, a new exercise routine, or maybe trying to re-implement other healthy lifestyle habits that have taken a back seat lately, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to build a support system!
A great predictor of how successful you'll be with any new goal you have set is whether or not your environment is intentionally set up for success. A large part of this successful environment is having someone or a group of people you can go to for support. This is your support system. It's social connections or professional support that will assist you and "support" you in achieving your goal.
A great example of a strong support system
The doctors with Plant Based TeleHealth recently chatted during a live Q&A with our friends from Plant Based Nutrition Support Group (PBNSG). PBNSG, founded by Paul Chatlin and Lisa Smith, offers communities to anyone looking to use a plant-based diet to treat their chronic diseases. There are specialized support groups that are focused on specific chronic diseases where people can join to get support in their healing and treatment journey through plant-based eating. For a small monthly fee, the organization offers support starting at the very beginning, for example, with label-reading on foods in the grocery -- and also dives into the psychological changes and prepares members for what to expect as they build a long-term lifestyle change. Members can select what type of area they want to focus on and receive support through events and communities throughout the month (and their journey). This is a great place to start if you're looking for a support system with your plant based journey.
So, why is this type of support so important?
Having a support person when you are striving to make a change is like positive peer pressure. Your support system should be made up of people who are going to give you encouragement, who understand your journey and can offer reinforcement of your values and the benefits you are achieving with the changes you are making.
Support systems also hold you accountable and check in to ensure you're making the choices that you need to be making. If you have support systems that include people who have walked a similar path before you, they are going to be able to share thoughts with you on tough situations you may encounter during your transition and how to cope.
If you need help getting started and building your support system -- talk to your doctor at Plant Based TeleHealth. Here are some other ideas of how to find others on a similar journey that will support you:
- Visit pbnsg.org
- Search online for local meetups
- Talk to your current friends and neighbors about your goals -- you may be surprised to find many who are interested in the same thing (or have other friends that are who they can introduce you to)
- Start a book club in your community with books that support your goals
- Facebook has many groups you can join for specific interests -- local ones may have fewer participants and help you to more quickly find people you're interested in getting to know better
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