Dr Taisia Cech
My name is Taisia and I created this website to empower people to optimise their own health and wellbeing and support them with this transformation. I am a family medicine doctor and board certified in lifestyle medicine. I am also the mother of three small children who inspire me daily about the importance of kindness to ourselves and our planet.
Why did I study to be a doctor? Because I wanted to help people feel better. I wanted to learn how the human body worked and what made people tick. After working in the hospital in various specialties such as orthopaedics, rehabilitation, surgery, paediatrics, emergency, obstetrics and gynecology I decided to train as a general practitioner. I wanted to hear people's stories, meet their families and keep people out of the hospital and feeling well.
After a few years of working as a family doctor, I felt like something was missing. With 15-minute appointments and a lack of appropriate funding, I felt like I was patching up the wounded. A wave of chronic disease was upon us and it felt relentless. A quote I read recently summed it up beautifully:
“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
It wasn't until I was encouraged by a friend to undertake studies to become a board-certified lifestyle physician that I found the missing piece of the puzzle. I had found my tribe - a group of health professionals who were interested in ‘health care’ as opposed to ‘sick care’. A new global movement of lifestyle medicine using a scientific, evidence-based approach, to prevent, improve and cure chronic disease through lifestyle change. A way to stop people falling into the river and support them to walk upstream and find their own path to wellness, through empowerment and autonomy.
My own journey in health has taught me a lot. I grew up in New Zealand in a small rural farming community before attending boarding school. At boarding school my health was significantly impaired by chronic fatigue and irritable bowel issues. With a supportive family, I tried homeopathy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, muscle testing, conventional medicine, and healing through food. This journey made me very aware of how lifestyle, especially food, impacted on my physical and emotional wellbeing. I struggled through my symptoms but it wasn't until many years later that I found a way to improve my health and resolve my symptoms.
Fast forward after eight years of medical training, to my first few years as a hospital doctor when I came across a documentary called Forks over Knives. The story it told fascinated me, surely this couldn't be true? That lifestyle factors, especially food, could be such a potent and powerful tool to improve chronic disease. I was amazed at claims that heart disease could be reversed, diabetes put into remission and sustainable weight loss achieved. I was curious to find out more. My entire medical training had only included a few lecture hours on lifestyle, so I needed to do some research to see if there was any evidence behind these claims. I signed up and completed certification in plant-based nutrition. The information was compelling and scientifically sound.
Through incorporating a healthy lifestyle of regular exercise, whole foods- mostly plants, prioritizing sleep and reducing alcohol and stress, I have noticed a significant improvement in my own health. I was inspired to create this website to share what I have learnt- a platform to help others improve their health, wherever they may be in their health journey. I want to help people move upstream, by providing solid scientific resources, delicious recipes and offering personalized lifestyle support to empower a sustainable change.
“I have always believed that planetary health is inextricably linked to human health but now as a mother of young children, I have a sense of urgency to promote a healthy lifestyle that also supports a healthy planet. I want my children to be able to explore the beauty of nature as I have been privileged to. It makes sense to me that eating more plant-based is not only good for human health but also plays a significant role in healing climate change, deforestation, water pollution and species extinction”
I want to encourage you to take control of your own health- whatever wellbeing means to you. To feel empowered and to begin a ripple of change towards personal and planetary vitality, supported by the information on my website.
As Gahndi once said “be the change you wish to see in the world”.
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