Lean and Fit: A Doctor's Journey to Healthy Nutrition and Greater Wellness

Dr. Joseph Scherger's career in family medicine has spanned 40 years. His training also included a Masters in Public Health where he studied nutrition at the University of Washington. He has always included preventive medicine and wellness in his medical practice. He is physically active with running, one of many choices for being in good shape. Until 2013 he followed the nutrition guidelines promoted by leading organizations such as the American Heart Association. In 2013 he expanded his knowledge in nutrition by reading the books of physician leaders such as William Davis and David Perlmutter. One of his partners in practice (and now his personal physician) Hessam Mahdavi introduced him to Functional Medicine, a focus on treating the causes of disease rather than just treating disease with drugs and procedures. Following this new knowledge and approach, Dr. Scherger greatly improved his own health and the health of many of his patients. This book is that story, loaded with information and scientific references that validate this exciting new approach to nutrition and good health. We live in a toxic food environment yet healthy foods are readily available. Dr. Scherger will help you make the choices that will result in your becoming lean and fit.

About the Author :
Dr. Joseph E. Scherger graduated from the University of Dayton in 1971, summa cum laude and from the UCLA School of Medicine in 1975, and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed a Family Medicine Residency and his MPH at the University of Washington. He served in Dixon, California as a migrant health physician, which was followed by dividing his time between private practice in Dixon and teaching UC Davis medical students and residents. As a Fellow in the Kellogg National Fellowship Program, he focused on health care reform and quality of life. His career includes being Vice President for Family Practice and Primary Care Education at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and the Associate Dean for Primary Care at the UC Irvine, and serving as founding dean of the Florida State University College of Medicine. Dr. Scherger has received numerous awards, including being recognized as a "Top Doc" in San Diego, voted Outstanding Clinical Instructor at the UC Davis School of Medicine, and Family Physician of the Year by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the California Academy of Family Physicians. He also received the Thomas W. Johnson Award for Family Practice Education from the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Lynn and Joan Carmichael Recognition Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. The UC Irvine medical students selected Dr. "Joe" for the AAMC Humanism in Medicine Award. He has been President of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He served on the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Quality of Health Care in America and also on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Board of Family Medicine. He has authored more than 400 medical publications and has given over 1000 invited presentations in his 40 years of family medicine. Joseph E. Scherger, M.D., M.P.H., is now Vice President for Primary Care & Marie Pinizzotto, MD Chair of Academic Affairs at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He is also Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. He enjoys an active family life with his wife, Carol, and two sons, Adrian and Gabriel. He has completed 36 marathons, nine 50K and five 50 mile ultramarathon trail runs.