Stay Off My Operating Table #208: From Skeptic to Champion: How This Doctor Reversed Diabetes in 73% of His Patients-Dr Stephen Riggs
In this riveting conversation, Dr. Stephen Riggs shares his remarkable journey from conventional primary care physician to pioneering metabolic health specialist. After 30 years of traditional practice, everything changed when his wife handed him "The Obesity Code" by Dr. Jason Fung. Initially skeptical, Dr. Riggs tested the low-carb approach with his patients and witnessed transformations that defied his medical training: patients reversing type 2 diabetes, coming off insulin, and experiencing substantial weight loss in mere months.
Dr. Riggs reveals how he built a comprehensive metabolic health clinic within a traditional healthcare system by meticulously tracking patient outcomes and demonstrating remarkable cost savings—over $550,000 annually in medication reductions from just 220 patients. He discusses his "Low Carb Bootcamp" program that achieves a 73% diabetes reversal rate and how his team approach incorporates health coaches, nutritionists, and food addiction specialists.
Perhaps most fascinating is Dr. Riggs' observation that 95% of patients with food addiction see their addiction resolved within 8-12 weeks on a ketogenic diet—without specific addiction counseling. He offers practical insights on protein requirements, implementing lifestyle changes in America's heartland, and navigating resistance from colleagues and insurance companies.
This conversation offers a powerful glimpse into how evidence-based nutritional interventions are quietly revolutionizing healthcare from within the system, bringing joy back to medicine by truly healing patients rather than merely managing their decline.
BIG IDEA
"Nutrition went from being basically irrelevant to me—I got almost zero nutritional training, what little I did was probably wrong—and now it's the biggest tool in my toolbox by far."
Stephen Riggs, MD Contact Info
Personal Website:
www.livingbyDesignKetonutrition.com
Metabolic Clinic Site:
MercyOne.org/LivingbyDesign
Like what you hear? Head over to IFixHearts.com/book to grab a copy of my book, Stay Off My Operating Table.
Ready to go deeper? Talk to someone from my team at IFixHearts.com/talk.
Stay Off My Operating Table on X:
Learn more:
- Stay Off My Operating Table on Amazon
- Take Dr. Ovadia's metabolic health quiz: iFixHearts
- Dr. Ovadia's website: Ovadia Heart Health
- Jack Heald's website: CultYourBrand.com
Theme Song : Rage Against
Written & Performed by Logan Gritton & Colin Gailey
(c) 2016 Mercury Retro Recordings
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