Here it is in a nutshell:

 

Much of my youth was spent as fat and overweight, judged, where it really counts, in the certainty of the court of public opinion.  In that forum, I was ridiculed by others.  I was commonly referred to as "Fatso," "tub of lard," "barrel," and other insulting appellations. Then I did the weight loss thing (improperly, I might add) and was able to reverse the trend from fat to "skinny bones," "railing," "fire pole," etc. So I made some changes in my diet (again, improperly) and was able to develop a soft, flabby body (big deal).

 

A few years ago I had my chest sliced open and cracked, my heart bypassed and partially repaired. Bad valves, apparently from childhood.

 

Like so many other cardiac surgery patients, I was told by presumably well-meaning physicians to engage in physical activities. And like so many other cardiac surgery patients, I was told to severely limit those activities.

 

My recovery was unfulfilling. Following physician advice, I became what we medical doctors call a “cardiac cripple.” I hated it.

 

What I needed to do was get back into life and live every aspect of it; not severely limit it. Health is a function of participation and participation is a function of fitness ^tm. My first objective was to become fitter. So fitter I became.

 

Based upon my knowledge of medicine and the human body, research of the fitness literature and modest prior efforts at exercise, I designed my own nutrition and training programs. My intention was to reverse almost a decade of unsatisfying life that injuries, a bad heart and heart surgery had brought me. My goal was modest: simply to get “better.”

 

So better I became.

 

I paid no attention to how I looked; I just kept at it; “it” being the programs I designed.

 

It was when people started coming up to me asking for help that I became aware of the changes I was undergoing. In response, I taught/coached fitness to groups and individuals.

 

That was not enough. I was approached so often that I was unable to handle all the requests. So I started FitnessMed, Inc., my fitness consulting business, through which I published training manuals containing my training “secrets” (their word) and offered some advice at my websites www.DrApplebaum.com, www.FitnessMed.com and www.FitToParent.com.

 

In addition, and for personal reasons, I undertook to learn what fitness trainers, the supposed experts in helping others achieve their fitness goals, were being taught. So I earned certifications in a number of areas.

 

Regarding my opinions about medicine, health care and health law here are some of them:

• the profession of medicine is oversold to the public

• what medical care can do is characterized by hyperbole

• preventive medicine is an oxymoron

• fitness is the only real preventive medicine ^tm

• there is no health care system only a sick care system

• fat care is an entitlement for the rich

• improving the quality of the patients entering the sick care system will do more to improve outcome than anything else

• current tort reform efforts are misguided

• physician "negligence" is sometimes homicide and such physician behavior should not be protected from prosecution

That’s it. That’s the nutshell.

 

If you want to know more, just give me a call at (312) 337-6476 or check-out my position papers.