I am 78 years of age and have Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a terminal lung disease with no real treatment except high-flow oxygen 24/7.

I am 78 years of age and have Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a terminal lung disease with no real treatment except high-flow oxygen 24/7. When I went for a prospective new-patient interview, Dr. Cal Dodson didnt bat an eyehe said, Welcome to our practice. Lets get you scheduled for an appointment and see what we can do to help you. A week before that 1st MDVIP office visit, my heartbeat suddenly became very weak and irregular and was accompanied by angina pain. Although he had not yet seen me as a patient, Dr. Dodson and his wonderful staff didnt miss a beat. The same afternoon, they scheduled me to see an excellent cardiologist who scheduled a catheterization the next morning. Dr. Dodson sat with my wife throughout the procedure and was the first face I saw while still in the recovery room. He visited again in the evening and the first thing the next morning. The catheterization revealed 3 major blocked arteries, but the team of specialists Dr. Dodson brought in determined that the condition of my lungs could not withstand the needed bypass surgery. Dr. Dodson was with us throughout and after the entire discussion. Thus, before he ever officially saw me as a patient, he watched me change from a patient with a difficult pre-existing diagnosis into a ticking time-bomb. In addition, I was badly overweight and required medications for hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. I would not have been at all surprised if he had deferred to accept me as a patient and referred me to a group of specialistsbut he didnt and that has made all the difference.

Dr. Dodson asked, Have you read The China Study by Dr. Colin Campbell? I had not, but within days, my wife and I completed the book and decided that Dr. Dodsons suggestion of a nutrition-based approach was our only option to try to reverse some of the damage to my arteries. Less than a week after the catheterization (June, 2013), we adopted a no-fat/no-meat or seafood/no-oil/no egg yolk diet and we have not strayed from it since. Also at Dr. Dodsons direction, I began to slowly increase the aerobic portion of my exercise program. I was astounded to find that before the first month had passed, my heartbeat had become strong and regular and I was no longer experiencing angina pain. Every week I added a little time and difficulty to my treadmill and stationary bike time and added seated yoga and seated weight-lifting exercise segments. For the first time since completing pulmonary rehab in 2012, I started to notice that my oxygen saturation was improving and my oxygen requirements were reducing a bit. At the end of three months, Dr. Dodson did a complete blood panel and we were all shocked. I had lost 30-pounds and my lipid profile looked like it surely belonged to a younger, healthier man. My total cholesterol = 97 mg/dL; LDLs = 43 mg/dL; and triglycerides = 57 mg/dLand the only change was dietary.

There are not enough words to adequately express the gratitude my wife and I feel for Dr. Dodson. Not many people diagnosed with IPF (via lung biopsy) 6+ years ago, who also have blocked arteries, an irregular heartbeat and angina can say, I know I am in better health and I feel better today than I have felt in the past 10 years.and without Dr. Dodsons willingness to direct a complicated process, I couldnt say it either.