Practice Spotlight: Dr. John Kelly
Rocky Mount Lifestyle Health Center

At age twenty-eight, thinking to take up medical studies, John Kelly was advised he was too old to pursue a medical career. Instead, he became active in health education and wellness while pursuing a career in health-related business systems that included working with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Not until he was forty-eight was his long-dormant dream “to become a lifestyle medicine physician” realized. He indeed has accomplished that, and much more, in following his heart to help others enjoy better health.

In 1996 Dr. Kelly completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Shepherd College. He then completed a medical degree at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 2000, and his MPH in Epidemiology in 2002. Medical residency in Preventive Medicine was completed in 2003 and he is now Board Certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

After completing medical training Dr. Kelly accepted an appointment as Assistant Research Professor in the Nutrition Department at Loma Linda University as lead faculty for the Lifestyle Research initiative.  He conducted a multi-center outcomes analysis of lifestyle centers in the U.S. and is now using randomized studies to investigate the use of therapeutic lifestyle interventions in the treatment and management of type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome and related diseases.  He is currently involved in a number of trials in the U.S. and abroad.

He served as the founding President for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) from 2004 until 2007. “Lifestyle Medicine is an idea whose time has come; we need to find ways to bring it into being in society,” he says with great resolve. “What’s more important even than ACLM is the advancement of Lifestyle Medicine in the treatment of disease. If ACLM can be part of accomplishing that, let’s do it.”  He received an Excellence in Medicine Award as a Young Physician from the American Medical Association for his work in establishing the ACLM.

When not speaking nationally, Dr. Kelly, along with his wife, Sally, who is accomplished in the preparation of delicious plant-based dishes, share their expertise and passion for Lifestyle Medicine with the staff, volunteers and patients at the Rocky Mount Lifestyle Health Center in Virginia—a non-profit formed in 2007.

John, in collaboration with others in the Rocky Mount community, led the initiative to launch Lifestyle Health Education, Inc., a 501.c.3 established to provide therapeutic lifestyle interventions to treat and prevent disease. The Rocky Mount Lifestyle Health Center is the first facility opened by the organization. The Center’s vision of a healthy, balanced and productive life for every member of the community, lived with gratitude to God and in service to one other, is the cornerstone of John’s work.

Expert application of evidence-based lifestyle interventions using proven group health education programs and techniques is his specialty, treating chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease and high cholesterol. “In my practice, lifestyle changes truly are the treatment. I use other modalities at times, but lifestyle change is the mainstay of our treatment. I work as a specialist, not a primary care doctor. While I can’t unconditionally promise lifestyle changes will happen, we have good statistics showing that they will. Nothing breeds success like success. Encouragement is important to each patient, as is education— understanding why change is needed and how the change will affect their disease.”

In particular, “Dr. John” (as he is affectionately called by his patients) utilizes the award-winning Coronary Health Improvement Project (CHIP), a lifestyle intervention program with numerous published studies showing its effectiveness.  “CHIP is one of the best-studied lifestyle intervention programs in the world. With close to 50,000 who have completed the program, it is also one of the most successful.”

CHIP consists of a 32-hour DVD-based video lecture series by Dr. Hans Diehl—founder of the Lifestyle Medicine Institute. CHIP is not only being used by individual physicians but in hospitals and corporate wellness programs as well. It is evidence-based, having over one dozen peer-reviewed articles published, including 18-month outcomes.

Dr. John says, “I am excited to be introducing Lifestyle Medicine not only to those who come to our clinic, but to the medical community here as well.  We conducted a CHIP study at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia, for a cohort of diabetic patients. The improvements in their blood sugar and other risk factors were remarkable. The average drop in fasting blood sugar in just thirty days was 43 mg/dL (26% reduction). Their average weight loss was over 5 pounds. Average drop in cholesterol was 26 mg/dL (14%) with a drop in triglycerides of 84mg/dL (30%). One of the goals of this collaboration is to incorporate Lifestyle Medicine into the Carilion Family Practice residency program by including a rotation in Lifestyle Medicine as part of the training. There is growing interest. Recently a medical resident did a rotation with us here at the Center, and another is scheduled.”

The Patient Process at Rocky Mount:

The program encompasses an entire year so participants can learn the concepts, apply them with expert guidance, and receive long- term follow-up support. Ninety-nine percent of patients are seen in a group setting. “I see very few patients individually because research shows LM intervention is more effective when delivered in a group setting. Our groups include a variety of diseases; even if the information is not correlated to their own particular condition, it will likely relate to friends or relatives.”

The initial intake includes vitals, measuring various biometrics, clarifying the chief complaint/issue for which they are seeking treatment, and their primary treatment goals. Well-described protocols are established for each patient with variations based on their particular illness and medications.

Patients meet four times a week for the first month. Viewing and discussing the videos takes about half of each session. Cooking classes, nutrition workshops, health presentations, exercise tracking are other important components. After the first month, patients meet once a week for 9 weeks, then once a month for nine months. Fasting blood testing is done five times, at 0-, 1-, 3-, 6- & 12-months. At the completion of the year participants are invited to join the alumni support group, and are eligible to retake the 4-week intensive classes any time.

Dr. John emphasizes that, “As practitioner and staff, we live it ourselves; we believe it; we are consistent. We really do view diet and exercise as the primary modalities for treating, reversing, and preventing chronic disease.”

Viability

The clinic is non-profit and the patients are largely self-pay. Fees are $495 (prepaid) for a single participant, or $695 for a couple. To encourage participation, a special “volume discounted” fee is being offered of $295 for groups of 25 or more. At present the Center has one paid part-time assistant and a dozen or more volunteers largely drawn from CHIP graduates. John receives a nominal salary.

In addition to the CHIP Program, Dr. Kelly and the Center offer off-site Health Education Seminars, Private Phone Consultations, “Dinner with the Doctor” talks, Comprehensive Computerized Lifestyle Assessments (for CHIP participants only) and a Whole-food “Farmacy” - a specialized health foods store with products geared towards a healthy whole-foods, plant-based diet, and special products for diabetes and typical chronic disease patients (basic foods, salt substitute, hard to find products, etc.) including a small deli with ready-to-eat delicious therapeutic dishes. “It is important that our dietary treatments taste good while they treat disease.”

When asked about the multi-facets of service, Dr. John replied, “All of the above programs contribute to community awareness of our presence as well as contributing to our revenue. We are continually finding new ways to make a culture of healthful lifestyle appealing and sustainable, while hopefully earning some revenue in the process. The CHIP treatment program is the most effective thing we do in the way of improving health and treating disease. The Farmacy is very effective for those who utilize it on a regular basis. The success of phone consultations is hard to evaluate and this is a relatively small part of what I do. The “Dinner with the Doctor” talks are mostly our monthly meetings where patients bring guests. Currently I do not receive a fee for off-site health presentations—they serve more to advertise than to provide income.

He continued: “We are in the process of setting up medical billing. We have offered a super bill so patients could file for reimbursement on their own, but few have been able to successfully do so. We plan to offer a more traditional fee-for-service option and bill insurance for our medical services. This is just getting underway and we have no experience to share yet. To understand our financial perspective, it must be kept in mind that we are a non-profit community service, not a typical for-profit practice.”

Power of changing, or not changing ‘toxic’ lifestyle habits

The day before being interviewed for this article, Dr. Kelly received a distress call from one of his patients. He shared this: “She was crying, her heart deeply saddened and deeply frustrated at the same time. This particular patient had, for many years, been concerned about her landlord, and had tried, numerous times, to talk with him about his health and the value of making lifestyle changes. Yesterday she went to his door to take him his newspaper. He had a massive heart attack and died right in front of her.”

Hearing the ache in Dr. Kelly’s voice, for a man he didn’t know, says it all. Each of us, practitioners and patients alike, make choices every day that shape our life and the lives of those around us. May each of us, like Dr. Kelly, live well and from the heart.

Story by Tricia McMahon

ACLM Disclaimer: Our Practice Spotlights are intended to provide examples of Lifestyle medicine in practice. We recognize that Lifestyle Medicine practices vary widely, and inclusion in Practice Spotlight is not intended to imply official endorsement of individuals or practices.