Dr. Michael Greger, American physician and writer (NY Times Best-Selling Author)
Anthony William, aka The Medical Medium, NY Times Best Selling Author
No, you’re not seeing double. These two amazing health advocates look similar. Not EXACTLY alike, but enough to call them doppelgangers. And enough for me to get very mixed up! Embarrassingly so!
Let’s go back to 2015. A friend asked me if I read The Medical Medium. I hadn’t yet and immediately ordered the book. And a great book it was! Anthony William shared his endearing story about knowing the health issues of family members, via psychic visions as a little boy. If you get this book, the story about his dog almost drowning in a current will give you chills. I get choked up just thinking about it, and how destiny laid out Anthony William’s life for him, helping others. His protocol is healing with fruits and vegetables; and eliminating processed foods, dairy, and animal products.
Dr. Michael Greger is also an advocate for eliminating processed foods, dairy, and animal products. In fact, at his recent lecture, he said that including meat in a meal is equivalent to smoking two cigarettes!
So, not only do these two authors look similar, they share the same health protocol. When Dr. Michael Greger’s face appeared in my Facebook feed years ago, I began following him. Because of how he looks, I got mixed up and thought I was following Anthony William!
When I heard that Dr. Michael Greger was speaking at a church just an hour away from where I lived, I immediately got tickets for my husband and I to see him. Greger is a vegan advocate and I was thrilled to go to a vegan event. This was happening on a weeknight, which was great, because usually on the weekend I’m too busy reporting. (Which is why I miss out on many vegan festivals and events; though maybe that’s a good thing because unless it’s a concert I’m not big on crowds).
So, I’m walking into this church, getting all choked up, thinking I’m going to hear Anthony William speak; thinking about the story of him saving his dog (and seeing an angel who guided him!)
But at the table, there was no Medical Medium book.
Oh, but there were books. By Dr. Greger! (At this point, I still have the authors/health gurus mixed up. I thought, “Okay, he’s just promoting his newer books).
Dr. Greger’s books include How Not to Die, How Not to Age, and a How Not to Diet cookbook. I opted for the How Not to Diet cookbook because I’m always cooking at home, seeking new healthy recipes.
As Dr. Greger was signing my book I excitedly said, “I love your story about the dog!”
He looked confused and said, “I have five dogs. I think you have the wrong person.”
When I got back to my seat, I Googled, “Who wrote Medical Medium?” Yes, I did have it WRONG. How embarrassing! And I never get embarrassed! But, as you can see, both authors look similar!
You’ve heard of celebrity doppelgangers, well here we have it, health guru doppelgangers!
Nevertheless, Dr. Michael Greger gave a great speech. It’s always wonderful to have official confirmation from an expert that you are doing the right things when it comes to health. It’s fascinating to hear about statistics and the science behind it all.
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta and Dr. Michael Greger
My takeaways from Dr. Michael Greger’s talk were:
- He confirmed I am correct in that I’ve always been a fan of eating my largest meal for breakfast and lighter throughout the day. This is my norm. Of course it changes for holidays and certain occasions. Then I’m grumpy for a few hours the next day because it throws me off. Eating late just feels so dirty and toxic! I tell people all the time, DO NOT EAT LATE AT NIGHT! When friends want to make plans to go out to dinner, I suggest as early as possible. Then I’m made fun of when they say, “Oh, the senior special.” No! Why don’t you get it?! Don’t go to bed on a full stomach! It’s not good for you. It will ruin your sleep and make you grouchy.
- And not that I needed the confirmation, but yeah, vegan is the way to go for optimal health. Hearing from an expert how toxic meat and fish are, I’m so glad those items are years away from my stomach. Since becoming vegan three years ago, my thyroid health is excellent, my blood pressure is excellent (almost as low as when I was in my 20s!!), my bloodwork is excellent, and my eyesight improved, going from -9.50 to -8.50. I had to get new glasses that were less heavy! YAY! (But don’t get me wrong, veganism is for the animals first; and health second!)
- Grains are healthy. THIS is where I fail. Many years ago I was brainwashed by a nutritionist who praised me for shunning grains. I was a raw foodist at the time and the only grain in my diet was manna bread. For YEARS I was grain-free, and to be honest, too thin. When I was grain-free, people were falsely assuming I was anorexic. I wasn’t. I ate a lot! (And I still do!) But it’s safe to say I had orthorexia, because I was afraid of certain foods — like grains. I slowly got over my fear of grains. I have brown rice almost every day (in the form of pasta), and sometimes oatmeal or quinoa. (And I will have whole grain bread when I go to a vegan restaurant). Sifting through Dr. Greger’s cookbook, there are many lovely grains I should incorporate into my meal plans. I have a beautiful friend who is vegan. She attributes her success as a vegan to eating grains. I need more grains in my lifestyle. But I’m not ready yet. I put Dr. Greger’s cookbook at the bottom of my current pile of cookbooks I’m working through, as I un-psych myself out about grains. I never said I was perfect and this is something I have the challenge of working out in my head. Send me positive vibes, please, and don’t judge! We are all works in progress.
Anyway, it was super cool meeting Dr. Greger. I will continue to follow him on Facebook. He’s a cool guy, and was actually putting his phone number in everyone’s book, letting us know we could contact him if he could help us or our families!
I still can’t get over how similar Michael Greger and Anthony William look. I’d suggest the two get together and make a Wrigley’s Doublemint gum commercial, but I assume it’s safe to say neither of them chew gum. At least not the unhealthy, sugary kind. Maybe double mint, as in mint fresh from the garden?! Okay, enough of my silliness….maybe đ
And now, will the real Medical Medium please stand up! I want to meet you too, Anthony William!
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Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta is an award-winning journalist, author, and speaker. She can be reached at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com.
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