The world of Tzu Chi September 2023 (Vol.147)

21 opening of the Healthcare Beyond Medicine Conference on August 6, 2023, at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel. Over 580 healthcare professionals, medical volunteers, and invited guests from various parts of the country and beyond, gathered to delve into the potential of food as medicine in treating and reversing chronic diseases. The pursuit was grounded in scientific evidence and insights shared by esteemed local and international speakers, including Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Director of the Heart Disease Reversal Programme at the Cleveland Clinic; Dr. Michael Greger, physician specialising in clinical nutrition and bestselling author; Dr. Sivaneswaran Poobalasingam, President of the Malaysian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (MSLM); Dr. Ching Chen Hua, nephrologist; and Dr. Ho Gwo Fuang, Professor and clinical oncologist. Food or medicine, the choice is yours Dr. Esselstyn delivered an online lecture titled, “Treating the Cause to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”. He asserted that it is absolutely possible to stop any heart disease, not with drugs, a stent, or a bypass operation, but by changing the biochemistry through a WFPB diet. He suggests to avoid oil, fish, meat, dairy, and other foods that compromise blood vessel health and hinder vessel dilation. Dr. Greger shed light on a common misconception surrounding dementia development, unveiling a bright reality that while Alzheimer’s may be incurable, it is preventable. He highlighted, “Excessive cholesterol in our blood is unanimously recognised as a risk factor for the development TZU CHI 147