Dr. Marcum and Lee Fulkerson discuss how and why he founded his organization Heartwise Ministries and what its goals and missions are and why he decided to use plant based nutrition to treat his patients. We also talked about the prevailing attitude among his fellow cardiologists about the idea of using plant based nutrition as a treatment for heart disease. He reveals his thoughts about the serious drawbacks of statins, bypass surgery and stents, three of the most the most common treatments for heart disease today.

Dr. James Marcum is a Cardiologist practicing with Chattanooga Heart Institute.  He is also the director of Heartwise Ministries and is very active in the television, radio, and print arm of that organization.

Featuring Dr. James Marcum: Conversations with Lee Fulkerson

Lee Fulkerson, of PlantPure Nation,  interviews experts in plant-based nutrition and people with inspiring stories about the impact of a whole food, plant-based lifestyle.

Nutrition

Health & Fitness

Dr. Mike Nelson and Lee discuss how his personal plant-based journey began and how significantly his health and that of his family improved as a result.  Dr. Nelson reveals how and why he began incorporating the message of plant-based nutrition into his dental practice and how his patients reacted.  He also shares how and why he formed his PlantPure Pod, what its activities are, and his hopes and expectations for its future growth, as well as for the future acceptance of plant-based nutrition in America as a whole.  Mike Nelson is a dentist with 35 years of experience. During that time, he’s broadened his health message to embrace a wide range of subjects, including plant-based nutrition.  This message has helped transform his own health, as well as that of his patients and family.  He has received notable awards for his activities and is currently a PlantPure Pod leader in Redding, California. 

Featuring Dr. Mike Nelson: Conversations with Lee Fulkerson

Dr. Jonathan Balcombe and Lee discuss the role of an ethologist in studying animal behavior, how he came to be interested in the subject, and his work examining the thought processes of several different animal species.  Dr. Balcombe reveals the scientific evidence demonstrating that animals that we have believed for millennia are of a ‘lower order’ actually have rich inner lives that in many ways are not much different from those of human beings.  These species include fish, which are the subject of Dr. Balcombe’s latest book, What a Fish Knows. Jonathan Balcombe is an ethologist and author. He currently serves as Director of Animal Sentience with the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy and Department Chair for Animal Studies with Humane Society University, in Washington, DC. He lectures internationally on animal behavior and human-animal relations.

Featuring Dr. Jonathan Balcombe: Conversations with Lee Fulkerson

Sharon McRae and Lee discuss the devastating prevalence of cancer in her extended family and how that made her fearful of the disease, which launched her on a life-long quest to avoid the same fate.  This eventually led her into a career in applied microbiology, but she changed her focus completely after having a family.  She never ended her quest for better health, however, which ultimately led her to adopt a plant-based diet.  After seeing the film Forks Over Knives in 2011 she started a monthly Meetup group which now has over 800 members.  Her present focus is sharing her message as an individual Health Coach and a Food for Life instructor with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine.      Sharon McRae is a Food for Life instructor for the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine.  In this role, she conducts nutrition and cooking classes to teach disease prevention through a low fat plant-based diet.  As a Health Coach, she also works with individual clients to help them make the dietary and lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results.  In addition, she started a Forks Over Knives Meetup Group in Columbia, Maryland in 2011.  Starting with just under 20 members, the group has now grown to over 800 and holds monthly potlucks which draw anywhere from 60 to over 100 people.

Featuring Sharon McRae: Conversations with Lee Fulkerson

Doug Schmidt and Lee talk about the near-fatal heart attack Doug suffered in 2008 and how that led him to adopt a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet (WFPBD).  As Health and Wellness Coordinator for his school district, Doug recently organized a PlantPure Nation Jumpstart for the staff.  The results for the 30 participants were amazing and many of them have continued eating plant-based. Additionally, word is spreading throughout the district and, as a result, Doug is fielding requests from an increasing number of staff members who want to get more information about a WFPBD.  There is even a possibility that students in the district’s schools will receive more information about what really constitutes good nutrition.


Doug Schmidt is a teacher and the Health and Wellness coordinator for his school district.  He adopted a plant-based diet following a serious health scare in 2008.  He also recently organized a PlantPure Nation Jumpstart for his school district staff that was partially funded by the district’s health care provider.

Featuring Doug Schmidt: Conversations with Lee Fulkerson

Nina Gheihman and Lee discuss her transition to a plant-based diet and how her family background helped influence that choice.  They also discuss her PhD dissertation, which explores how and why France seems to be a bit behind many other European nations in the adoption of plant-based nutrition, but how that seems to be changing. They also discuss the membership and activities of her PlantPure Group in Boston and why she believes the issue of plant-based nutrition is particularly important for millennials.



Nina Gheihman is a PhD student in Sociology at Harvard.  Her dissertation compares veganism in the US, France, and Israel. She also founded a PlantPure Group in Boston called "Boston Plant-Based Millennials".

Featuring Dr. James Marcum: Conversations with Lee Fulkerson

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