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Providing you with the assistance

and resources you need to move

forward.

 

When a farmer is facing a crisis, it can create an emotional toll on every aspect of life. From paying bills, to feeding their children and caring for the livestock and crops. The Kansas agriculture community has always come together to help our neighbors in a time of need and that is what this effort is all about: pulling together to help our own through a stressful time. Below you will find resources designed to help those in the agriculture community deal with a crisis. If you are a farmer in crisis, or know of someone in need of immediate assistance, contact your local Kansas Community Mental Health Center or call the

National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255.

How much does the program cost?

Prices will be determined as program is finalized and becomes available.



Are there refunds?

There are no refunds, with the rare exception of cases of major personal medical status changes (hospitalization, for example) prohibiting participation. In these cases, documentation from a physician will be required. For a behavioral intervention like this, we want you to be fully committed when you sign up. It's difficult to run group programs and fill available openings if people are free to change their minds regarding their participation after signing up.



Is this program right for me?

The program is intended for those who are interested in changing or reinforcing their personal diet and lifestyle choices. You could have one of any number of goals. One of the most common goals people have is weight loss, but there are also participants who may be a healthy weight but who want to optimize their diet and lifestyle due to a diagnosis of heart disease or cancer or some other ailment. The majority of participants will have weight to lose and because weight is easily trackable and reportable, we will maintain some degree of focus on getting to a healthier weight. This program is NOT appropriate for those people solely looking for academic education to enhance their advanced knowledge of plant-based nutrition research. 1/2 of every class is check-in/coaching/discussion with participants reporting how their week went. This may not be of use or interest to those who just want scientific lectures. The education is a mixture of basic practical content (cooking without oil, for example) and research material that is understandable to an interested layperson. That being said, many people who may be extremely knowledgable about plant-based diets may need the same support and accountability as others do to help them do what they know they should be doing. This program may be a perfect fit for them. Attend the free information session to get a better sense of whether this program is for you.



Is the consultation prior to starting group a medical visit?

No, it is not, unless you are located in New York State. Because of medical licensing laws, Dr. Campbell can only perform medical diagnosis/treatment services (ordering and interpreting lab tests or imaging tests, or prescribing or adjusting medication, for example) for those individuals located in New York State, where he holds his medical license. For not located in New York State, your consultation will be focused primarily on diet and lifestyle, behavior change factors, and goal setting. Dr. Campbell will provide you with a letter to take to your primary care physician explaining what you are doing so that they may provide medical supervision. This letter will include recommendations for basic laboratory testing that would be useful for you to get before and during your participation in the program.



Is the program medically supervised?

No it is not. Dr. Campbell is careful to practice within medical licensing laws and will provide you with a letter to share with your primary care physician so that they may provide medical supervision. If you have a high risk medical condition (examples: end stage renal disease or advanced kidney disease with high potassium levels, diabetes requiring insulin or sulfonylureas, clotting disorder on warfarin/Coumadin), you will need to discuss your participation with your regular physician and they will have to agree to monitor your conditions and adjust your treatments as necessary before you begin participation in this program. Dr. Campbell is happy to communicate with their office as needed in this circumstance.



What will be required of me?

We will ask that you adhere to a strict whole-food, plant-based diet, which means that you avoid all animal foods and added pure fats, including ALL oils and solid fats like margarine, coconut oil, etc... The good news is you can eat as much as you want to be comfortably full, whenever you want. The diet composition is based, in part, on heart disease research showing a strict plant-based diet without added pure fats may cause regression of athersclerosis (blockages in the blood vessels) in the heart. You will be asked to track several measures of compliance every week (days on plan, exercise, etc...) and report them to Dr. Campbell every week. You will also have to weigh yourself weekly and report your total weight to Dr. Campbell. Each participants' tracking information and weekly weight change (but NOT total weight) will be shared openly with the group to make the check-in/coaching session in each class more useful. It's important you do an honest assessment of your interests and motivations. Many people like the idea of doing a strict plant-based diet but think they might only do this strictly 1 or 2 days a week, and maybe follow it 85% of the time on the other days. If that describes you, then this group is probably not for you. You will not get maximal benefit and you will not make the most of your investment. This is hard work, but our interest is helping you go as far as you possibly can in this journey. What you decide to do after your participation in the program is totally up to you, obviously.



Are supplements recommended or required for this program?

Dr. Campbell recommends that everyone following a strict plant-based diet take a daily multivitamin that contains vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that must be supplemented regularly on a strict plant-only diet and will be in a multivitamin at a reasonable dose. Otherwise there are no supplements required, unless warranted by specific medical conditions (history of gastric bypass surgery, etc...). While he honors patients' personal experiences with alternative treatments like herbal products and other types of supplements, he does not prescribe these himself, as his expertise lies in evidence-based, whole-food nutrition and related lifestyle changes, along with traditional medical/procedural intervention as warranted.