Calgary woman credits plant-based diet for reversing chronic lung disease, restoring sight

Eight years ago, Kate McGoey-Smith spent most of her days at home, reliant on oxygen and unable to see.

“I had been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, a very rare disease with no cure. At the time, doctors told me I had two to five years to live.”

Essentially, high blood pressure within McGoey-Smith’s lungs was putting so much pressure on the right side of heart, it was causing right-sided heart failure. As the disease progressed, she became legally blind and unable to do most of the activities she had once loved.

Today, McGoey-Smith no longer relies on oxygen and her vision has returned.

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“It’s just really wonderful. I can more fully participate in my children’s lives… go on activities, go out and do things.”

McGoey-Smith says her health began to turn around after she adopted a plant-based diet that she began to follow under the supervision of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, the director of the Cardiovascular Prevention and Reversal Program at the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute.

“We take a certain hit, an injury, let’s say –  every time certain foods pass our lips. The body is so remarkable, it repairs 90 per cent of that injury,” said Esslestyn.

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The remaining 10 per cent of that injury, he says, accumulates and contributes to chronic disease. Esslestyn has been studying plant-based diets for more than 30 years and has authored a number of books on the subject. He recommends patients follow a diet free of animal products and oils, focusing instead on whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruit.

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“A seismic revolution in health can come about when we in the profession have the will, the grit and the determination to share with the public what is the lifestyle and most specifically, what is the nutritional literacy that will empower them to destroy chronic illness.”

Esselstyen is making a presentation in Calgary on Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. at the John Dutton Theatre at the Central Library.