Dr. Miriam Maisel, a pioneer in plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine, is this week's featured expert on the Health Science Podcast with host Dr. Frank Sabatino. Dr. Maisel shared her personal journey and professional experiences, as well as her work in stress management and palliative medicine.   Growing up, Dr. Maisel was inspired to become a vegetarian, driven by her love for yoga and environmental concerns. While in medical school, she had to hide her vegetarianism due to stigma.   Her exposure to the internet led her to explore medical fasting and plant-based nutrition. As a result, Dr. Maisel visited True North Health in California and began reading works by renowned experts like Colin Campbell, John McDougall, and Dean Ornish.   During her younger years, Dr. Maisel lived in a community in Israel that was among the first to practice organic farming.   She also became interested in meditation and Tai Chi, which eventually led her to Japan for three years. Her experience there inspired her to return to conventional medicine, seeking an evidence-based approach.   In Israel, she has observed a strong focus on tertiary care and hospital medicine. While there is some emphasis on prevention, diet is often overlooked. However, she emphasizes that there is a growing interest in plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine.   Throughout her career, Dr. Maisel has been drawn to palliative and hospice medicine, working in various hospice departments in the UK.   In recent years, she has also focused on stress management, earning a qualification from the Benson Henry Institute at Harvard. The program, called Smart Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART), teaches individuals to recognize and manage stress.   Dr. Maisel believes that teaching stress management to doctors can help them better understand their patients and provide more effective care. She has taught several groups of doctors in the UK, offering continuing education credits for her course.   In her practice, Dr. Maisel takes a compassionate approach, offering extended consultations and making her services accessible to those with limited resources. As a semi-retired physician, she feels privileged to practice medicine in a way that aligns with her values and beliefs. http://www.HealthScience.org/Podcast/029-Miriam-Maisel