Fourteen Days to Amazing Health: Success Strategies to Lose Weight, Reverse Diabetes, Improve Blood Pressure, Reduce Cholesterol, Reduce Medications, and Become Physically Fit and Mentally and Spiritually Energized

FOURTEEN DAYS

TO

AMAZING HEALTH

Dona Cooper-Dockery, MD

FOURTEEN DAYS TO AMAZING HEALTH

SUCCESS STRATEGIES TO LOSE WEIGHT, REVERSE DIABETES, IMPROVE BLOOD PRESSURE, REDUCE CHOLESTEROL, REDUCE MEDICATIONS, AND BECOME PHYSICALLY FIT AND MENTALLY ENERGIZED AND SPIRITUALLY ENERGIZED

Copyright © 2017 Dona Cooper-Dockery.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The information, ideas, and suggestions in this book are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. Before following any suggestions contained in this book, you should consult your personal physician. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising as a consequence of your use or application of any information or suggestions in this book.

All Biblical quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James version, (NKJV)

The names of the persons mentioned in this book have been changed to protect their identity.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-1087-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-1089-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-1088-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016920246

iUniverse rev. date: 03/25/2017

Medical Disclaimer

This book is intended to educate, inspire, and empower you to make lifestyle changes that will propel you to a healthier, happier, and more fulfilled life. You should use the information received in this book wisely. Always consult with your primary health care provider if you have questions or concerns. The information presented in this book should be used to supplement, not replace, medical advice from your primary health care provider.

To all my patients who have had life-changing experiences using this program—and to you. It is my desire that you too will be inspired and empowered to embrace a healthier lifestyle that will propel you on your journey to a longer, healthier, happier, and more abundant life.

CONTENTS

Preface:   A Doctor’s Paradigm Shift

Acknowledgments

Introduction:   The Book—What’s in It for You?

PART 1:   Amazing Health Facts

Chapter 1:     Change Belief and Live

Chapter 2:     The Health Program You Need

Chapter 3:     Establishing Good Habits and Meal Planning

Chapter 4:     Healthy Food Pantry

Chapter 5:     Fill Up with Whole Grains

Chapter 6:     Fats—the Good and the Bad

Chapter 7:     Legumes—Love Them or Hate Them

Chapter 8:     Fruits and Vegetables: The Super Foods

Chapter 9:     Meats: Red and Processed—Are They Safe?

Chapter 10:   Physical Exercise Is Medicine

Chapter 11:   The Program Made Simple

PART 2:   Living the Amazing Health Plan

Chapter 12:   Fourteen Days Program Details

Chapter 13:   The Makeover Results

PART 3:   Amazing Fitness Program

Chapter 14:   The Twenty-One-Day Fitness Challenge

Chapter 15:   Exercise Routines in Motion

PART 4:   Eat to Beat and Treat

Chapter 16:   Amazing Meal Plans and Recipes Guide

Where Do You Go From Here?

Bibliography

PREFACE

A Doctor’s Paradigm Shift

The poll numbers are out. My city made breaking news! The McAllen metropolitan area ranked as America’s fattest. This was in 2012. We held on to that position for two consecutive years and are now in second place. Wow! Just under 40 percent of the people living in the McAllen area, my hometown, are obese. What a position to hold! You will agree with me that this is not a statistic to be proud of but one to cause concern. With this high incidence of obesity come the dreaded diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and even early death.

The unfavorable obesity statistic of McAllen, Texas, was my reality a few years ago. The surge in the incidence of poor health is not only a local problem. Throughout the world today, so many people, young and old, are experiencing very poor health. There is an alarming number of people with chronic disease who are dying daily despite the advancement of medicine in this modern era. What, then, is the real problem behind this epidemic of chronic disease and death? Surely there must be a cause. There must be a reason for this gigantic problem that plagues not only the United States of America but many other countries in the world.

As a responsible physician facing this startling reality, I decided to take action and thus become more effective in changing my patients’ health care outcomes. During medical school and residency training, the emphasis is on carefully diagnosing and treating diseases, while minimal attention is given to treating the root causes or preventing chronic illnesses. For more than twenty years of my internal medicine practice, I have been faithfully practicing this type of medicine. While I have become very successful, with a very large practice including offices in different cities, there was something missing, something very important, and that was sharing the success strategies for health and longevity with my patients. I needed a paradigm shift in the way I approached health and wellness. The emphasis must be on empowering my patients to take control and make changes that will change lives for the better and positively impact their health destinies. I wanted to influence miracles as patients changed their lifestyles and improve and reverse chronic diseases.

As a practicing physician, I have treated thousands of patients with various illnesses. While I take pleasure in my work, it saddens me to diagnose young patients with diseases that used to be predominantly present in the older and geriatric age groups. Diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease were once known as diseases for the older folks but are now seen in younger populations. This is frightening. You would think that in this modern age and with the advancement of medicine, diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer would be eradicated, as were smallpox and polio. However, sadly, the reverse is happening. Patients continue to develop complications from their diseases, and many are dying despite the best medicines on the market and exposure to world-class health care. So how do we stop this generation from getting sick and dying young?

The news media and health journals have confirmed that the incidence of lifestyle diseases is rapidly rising in the United States of America and other parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), millions of deaths occur each year as a result of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and obesity. In 2012, in the United States, health care spending was $3.8 trillion. Yet people remain sick and die just the same. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; in 2011, there were 787,000 deaths as a result of heart disease and stroke. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in America; it is estimated that in 2015, 1,658,320 people were diagnosed with cancer and there were about 589,000 deaths. The incidence of diabetes is at an all-time high. One in every three persons in the United States is either diabetic or prediabetic (meaning the person has higher-than-normal blood sugar levels but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis). A few years ago ABC News reported that in the year 2020, that number will increase to one in every two persons (50 percent of all Americans will be either diabetic or prediabetic). The incidence of obesity is at an astounding high, with more than two-thirds of American adults being overweight or obese. In children, the number is one in five. If this trend continues, our children’s life spans will be much shorter than those of their parents.

The United States is a leader in scientific research, technology, the pharmaceutical industry, large hospitals, and the finest doctors, yet it ranks below many developed countries in health and longevity. Why, then, is America not leading in health and longevity? Could poor lifestyle habits be the leading cause for the health care problem in the United States? Is there any hope for this health care crisis?

The astounding reality of the state of health in my local community has propelled me to become an activist for health and wellness and not merely a good physician. I have become intentional about educating, inspiring, and empowering patients and the community at large to take control of their health destinies.

For the past several years, I have integrated lifestyle medicine into my internal medicine practice, and I have found that these have been my most successful and rewarding years. Patients who carefully follow the principles that I have laid out in my wellness program, the same principles shared with you in my book, Fourteen Days to Amazing Health, are now enjoying better health. Many are on a reduced number of medications, and some patients are even off medications altogether. Some patients who were once diabetic now have normal blood sugar without medication as they practice healthy nutrition and regular physical exercise. Other patients are losing weight and feeling great. These actual miracles have propelled me to reach a broader community, and therefore, in 2015, I launched the Get Healthy with Dr. Cooper TV show. My message is also in printed form, the Get Healthy magazine. There is much joy in knowing that I am touching lives and positively changing the health destinies of tens of thousands of people. It is very rewarding to hear stories like the following: Hey, Dr. Cooper, I have lost thirty pounds, and I am now ready to proceed with my surgery. Several months ago, a pharmaceutical representative walked into my medical office and said to me, Dr. Cooper, I lost fifty pounds and am feeling great.

I replied, What happened? How did you lose the weight?

He said, I picked up one of your magazines a few months ago and decided to follow your recommendations and recipes. That was the kickoff. He added that his entire family had changed their lifestyles. Even his three-year-old daughter now frequently asks for kale smoothies.

I have written this book because I want you to have the same opportunity and results that I have seen in those who have followed my wellness program. I want your stories or miracles to be similar or more impacting than those I have shared with you. I want to empower you to change your health destiny. There is absolutely no reason to remain fat, sick, and unhappy for the rest of your life; there is indeed hope beyond the many medications that you take daily. If you are not yet on medications, this book is also for you. The secrets to happiness and long life can be found on these pages.

Fourteen Days to Amazing Health is the answer that you seek as you embark on this journey to a longer, happier, healthier, and more abundant life. Access to this book is like having a personal physician, health coach, and a motivational speaker at your side twenty-four hours a day. Welcome to the journey!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It is impossible to express my sincere thanks to all those who have contributed to this project. However, I will begin by acknowledging my wonderful family. Thank you to my husband of twenty-seven years, Nelson Dockery, who was my biggest support. Nelson, I thank you for your patience and your understanding and for encouraging me to keep focused in order to produce the best book possible. Thank you also to my children, Donnel, Nelson (N. J.), and Dondre; you all have inspired me. Thanks for the vote of confidence and the encouragement to pursue this dream. Donnel, I remember you encouraging me just to do a booklet, and you, N. J., remarking that a cookbook would be much easier to start with. Dondre, you never complained or refused to assist with my never-ending needs to have computer guidance. Thank you all!

I must also thank my mother, Cynthia Ferguson; my sisters, Rosemarie Redway and Carolyn Hannah; and my niece Nickesha for giving your opinions on the initial manuscript and for assisting me with the title of the book.

My heartfelt thanks and deepest appreciation is extended to the staff at Cooper Wellness Center and Cooper Internal Medicine, who have worked tirelessly with this project. Thank you to Maribel Cortina for her work in assisting with the recipes, to Elda Llazos for assisting with the fitness section, and to Donavan Taylor for assisting me with the statistical analysis of the patients’ information.

Special thanks to my nephew Christopher Hannah for the role he played in the development of the fitness section of this book. I would also like to thank two very important licensed physical therapists, Vicki Innis and Floyd Courtney, for the time they spent in reviewing and giving valuable advice on the various exercise routines outlined in this book.

To Pastor Randrick Chance, who took time from his busy schedule to share valuable information on how to begin this book project, thank you, and may God continue to bless you and all those lives that you touch. To you Kimasha Williams, my initial editor, words cannot express my sincerest thanks and gratitude for all the hard work that you have put into this project. May God continue to bless you always.

Thanks to those who have assisted me with typing or formatting the manuscript. Jackie and Susana, you both are angels sent to me at the right time. What a blessing you have been!

INTRODUCTION

The Book—What’s in It for You?

George Garza, a twenty-five-year-old man, walked into my office seeking help. His weight was over 390 pounds, his blood sugar was over 350 (normal blood sugar is between 70 and 105), his hemoglobin A1c was more than 14.0 (normal is between 4.0 and 6.5), and his blood pressure and cholesterol were also above normal. This patient had all the classic features of someone destined for heart disease, renal failure, and early death. His mother, a health care provider, sat in the room with us. She was in disbelief and desperation