Dr. Stancic received her M.D. degree from New Jersey Medical School in 1993. During her residency, she bore witness to the height of the catastrophic HIV epidemic, which made her interested in the field of Infectious Diseases. A testament to her ambition is that she wanted to be part of the solution to the AIDS health care crisis.
Her enthusiasm did not wane: she went on to complete a fellowship in Infectious Diseases, after which she was appointed Chief of Infectious Diseases at the Hudson Valley Veterans Administration Hospital in New York. During those years, she treated hundreds of patients with hepatitis, HIV, and other infectious diseases, working with a multidisciplinary approach.
The events that you are about to read, however, lead her to apply her holistic approach in a different field. Dr. Stancic is currently one of the chief advocates for reforming health care, encouraging a shift in the way we train physicians: she suggests that education should put greater emphasis on prevention and health preservation rather than solely on disease management.
Her story too is a source of hope and inspiration for those who want to change.
“Life can change in a moment. It did for me.”
October 11, 1995 started out like any other 24-hour shift at the hospital. But that night, Dr. Stancic felt more exhausted than usual. She made it to bed only in the morning, when after a short nap, she was awakened by a phone call. As she tried to get up, she experienced that her legs were completely numb and she was shivering with cold.
Shortly afterwards, she underwent an emergency MRI that revealed numerous lesions in her brain and spinal cord, confirming a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Following the advice of her neurologist, she began medication right after the diagnosis. The medication was supposed to slow down the progression of the disease. Over the years, however, her condition only deteriorated, while the drugs’ side effects made her daily life even more difficult. At that point, she did not know of any alternatives that could have supported her body.
Despite the challenging circumstances, Dr. Stancic strove to continue her job as a physician, but it started to take a toll on her. She had to leave earlier for work; she had to rely on more and more support, and eventually needed a cane to be able to walk.
A Pivotal Publication on the Link between Diet and Inflammatory Diseases
By a coincidence in 2003, she came across Dr. Roy Swank’s research, which marked the beginning of her journey towards healing. Swank was one of the first to investigate the link between nutrition and MS. Dr. Swank theorized that overconsumption of saturated fats may negatively affect the progression of the disease. His hypothesis was later supported by his findings. He treated more than 140 patients with a low fat, plant-based diet. 95 % of patients who followed his
diet have managed to stay physically active for over 34 years or longer.
The article sparked her curiosity and although she was skeptical, she was motivated enough to keep exploring the topic. She found several other publications that provided further evidence that nutrition does indeed play a role in the development of chronic illness(es). As she was ready to do anything to stop or mitigate her condition from getting worse, she started doing the diet.
She was encouraged by the initial, small improvements, however – as she points out – it took her years to fine-tune her diet. Well, and it was only one of the many things that she changed radically.
Building Stamina and the Magical Breakthrough
In 2003, Dr. Stancic was easily fatigued, her walk was uncertain, and she could only walk short distances without a cane.
Besides nutrition, she immersed herself in other areas as well. These inspired her to do more and more physical exercise. At the time, indoor cycling was the only thing she could do on a daily basis without assistance. At first, she could only do a few minutes but she observed that by consistent training she
always managed a little longer. In the meantime, she began to feel more invigorated in general.
Her efforts remained, and thanks to that, in 2005, she had one of the most moving experiences of her life.
Dr. Stancic and her husband were invited to the wedding of a close friend. For several months prior to this, Dr. Stancic was struggling with merely walking but that night she danced with her husband in high heels, unassisted. (Although I am not a woman, I know that even just walking in high heels is challenging so I can only imagine how emotional this moment must have been for Dr. Stancic.)
When asked about it in an interview, she said:
“What other people take for granted is in fact a miracle. And this is what happened that night.”
The Approach of a Lifestyle Practitioner
Currently, Dr. Stancic is living an active and symptom-free life. Her chief mission is to raise awareness about the importance of healthy lifestyle practices, as she believes that finding balance mentally and physically could prevent and even cure the majority of diseases.
It is such a preventive approach that she would like to introduce to medical educational institutions. To achieve her goal, she presents at several conferences. She also tried her hand at being a producer in the documentary Code Blue. The film is about the shortcomings of the current health care system while it introduces the incredible potentials of lifestyle medicine.
In her recently published book, What’s missing from medicine, she further elaborates on the areas she has mentioned in Code Blue. Those are the main pillars of Dr. Stancey’s Lifestyle Medicine.
Lifestyle and Nutrition
„Let your life be your medicine”
The well-known quote by Hippocrates is an accurate summary of the advice you will find in the book.
Dr. Stancic is a disciple of the whole-food, plant-based diet. After discovering Dr. Roy Swank’s research, she was determined to adopt this diet and has stuck to it ever since. She recommends the same to her patients, while she is also aware that for some people, cutting out meat is unimaginable, so the suggestions in her book are somewhat less rigorous.
- Eat vegetables with each meal
- “Rainbow diet”: take vegetables and fruits of as many different colors as possible. The more the merrier.
- Cut off or cut down on meat.
- Avoid processed foods
- Eat in moderation
- Enjoy what and how you eat.
Physical Exercise
After nutrition, she shifted her focus more on physical exercise and its advantages. Her doctors warned her against doing sports as overheating can trigger and aggravate symptoms for MS patients.
As I mentioned earlier, she started first with indoor cycling, with support from her husband, as this was the only type of training she could do. She noticed that she was improving day by day and that her symptoms, although initially increasing, began to diminish over time and eventually disappeared completely. Nowadays, she does strength workouts on a weekly basis; she runs and climbs mountains as well.
Her advice relating to physical exercise in bullet points:
- Do at least 150 minutes of exercise per week, including 2 sessions of strength workout
- Bring playfulness into your routine. Exercise should be fun and liberating, rather than another task on your checklist
- Consistency is key. Stick to your goals; if you miss a session, try to get back on track as soon as possible.
Stress Management
We tend to overlook this part. We often think that we are exempt from being negatively affected by stress, or we believe that we are handling it well. Alternately, we may hope that a cleaner diet and more exercise will make up for our shortcomings in this area.
Unfortunately, however, it does not work like that.
In the short term, stress has no doubt a number of positive effects. However, when it becomes chronic, it can have a number of serious repercussions. In order to make these lifestyle changes last, we need to build resilience and develop skills that could help us create and maintain mental wellbeing. There are a number of practices and possibilities. Let’s see what Dr. Stancic suggests to start us off:
- Try not to change the circumstances, change your attitude (Man’s Search for Meaning). You are always going to have stress in your life, but it is up to you how you respond to it
- Meditate and use the various techniques of mindfulness
- Consider further building blocks of Lifestyle Medicine – food, sleep, exercise, and social connections – they also impact how you respond to stress
- Be kind and gentle with yourself
Sleep Hygiene
You may think that sleep is a waste of precious time and in any case, it only minimally affects your mental and physical well-being.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Sleep may seem like a less exciting topic than the others on the list, yet it is important for us to know that sleep is one of our most fundamental daily activities, which contributes to maintaining and resetting our general health.
Dr. Stancic suffered from sleep deprivation for several years. Over time, however, a more consistent routine and improving, adequate sleep quality has paid off for her.
In the chapter on sleep hygiene, Dr. Stancic discusses the following points in detail:
- What are the phases of sleep and what constitutes good quality sleep?
- What are the potential consequences of sleep deprivation?
- How to create your own bedtime routine? What is worth paying attention to? What exercises may help you unwind, and prepare for good sleep in the evening period?
A Few Examples:
- Be consistent: try to go to bed and wake up at about the same time.
- Check room temperature. Sleep in cool if possible.
- Avoid blue light in the evening.
- Try to quiet down before bed: avoid work, watching TV, or eating right before bed
- Make sure your bed and mattress are comfy
- Keep a sleep journal to monitor your progress
Reducing (Substance) Intake
Alcohol, smoking and drugs are harmful for your body. Few people doubt this claim any more.
Besides explaining how these substances contribute to the development of certain diseases, she also draws attention to the risks of taking substances that are normally considered healthy.
People in the modern world typically look for quick fixes. This is typically, what vitamins and supplements are for. However, we should be careful, as the unreasonable and excessive consumption of these may also be harmful. Consult a specialist, determine exactly what and why you are taking and monitor your body’s response to the vitamins you take.
Social Connections
Family, friendship, and the sense of belonging are all basic human needs.
Those who have better relationships tend to be happier and more resilient. A number of studies have shown that the quality of our relationships greatly determines the state of our health. The more loving, supporting and tolerant environment we live in, the better. The longest-ever happiness research conducted at Harvard University proves the same point.
A few examples for health benefits of stable social connections:
- Decreasing inflammatory processes in the body.
- Reduced likelihood of obesity and high blood pressure.
- Reduced risk of heart attack.
- Reduced likelihood of memory loss in old age.
- Increased willingness to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The extraordinary journey of Dr. Saray Stancic and her life in 2022
In closing, it is important to note that Dr. Stancic’s recovery and lifestyle changes happened over time and the process was not a victory march. Her diet needed fine-tuning for several years, and the work she put into exercise only began to pay off after many months. In the meantime, she would experience a return or aggravation of certain symptoms. However, she persisted and she was determined to follow through.
Now she is doing fine and feeling well. There are days when she is more tired, or feels a slight tingling in certain parts of her body, but she says she knows the reason and thanks her body for sending her clear signals.
Her work is incredible, and her story is an inspiration to many of us. She is (also) worth following!