Dr. Kachmann isn't a full-blown vegetarian, but he's very attuned to Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's message about a plant-based diet being the one sure route to avoiding - or recovering from - cardiovascular disease.
Here are the two together this past Tuesday at the Live Healthy Summit, which was held at the Grand Wayne Center. Dr. Kachmann, his wife Rhonda, and I (with some help from Faye) also had a booth at the summit. We sold Dr. Kachmann's books, handed out brochures, and had some great conversations about wellness, flexitarianism, and all-around great health.
Dr. Esselstyn talked about his work treating people deemed untreatable because their cardiovascular health was in such a shambles. Most of them recovered when they switched to the plant-based diet he advocates. His son Rip then talked about how he got his colleagues in a fire station in Austin, TX to try out the same diet. They all lost weight, lowered their cholesterol, and felt better. Rip went on to write a couple of books about the transformations he witnessed.
This sort of treatment - relying on diet and lifestyle instead of medications and procedures - is at the heart of Dr. Kachmann's own message. That's why he pushed so hard to get these guys to our city. (Dr. Kachmann is also a big fan of the documentary "Forks over Knives," which features Dr. Esselstyn and his work.)
And Dr. Kachmann practices what he preaches. Here's an image of him from the Rotary 5K Run/Walk to End Polio back on August 18th. He's holding a plaque awarded to the longest-lived participant. It's easy to imagine him winning this award for every year for another decade or two, the rate he's going.
If you're interested in meeting up with Dr. Kachmann this weekend (Sept 8 and 9th), come out to the Jefferson Pointe Arts Festival. We'll be working from a tent. You can talk to us about his work, pick up a copy of one of his books, or buy DVDs and CDs.
Hope to see you there!
(Update: despite the inclement weather, the Arts Festival was a hit; Dr. Kachmann and I sold a few books and had a series of great conversations.)
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Dr. Kachmann braving the cold and wet to man his tent at Jefferson Pointe.
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You can see Dr. Kachmann's Access TV Shows Mondays at 6:30 pm or Wednesdays at 6:00 pm on Comcast channel 57.
You can hear him on the radio at 95.7 WELT on Tuesdays at 12:00 pm and Thursdays at 8:00 am.
You can attend one of his monthly evening lectures at the Kachmann Auditorium in Lutheran Hospital (check Facebook for event details).
Or you can visit him after 9:00 am on Fridays at Three Rivers Pharmacy on North Anthony, where he gives free consultations.