After practicing medicine for several years and raising two children who were officially off to college, Dr. Melissa Sundermann decided it was time to pursue her own passions and expand her knowledge and scope of practice. 

While she loved being an internal medicine physician in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she wasn’t fulfilled by the revolving door aspect of the system - quick appointments, multiple patients, and prescription-based treatment. 

So, Melissa did what we all do when we’re searching for an answer - she went to Google. Lo and behold, she discovered Lifestyle Medicine and knew instantly that she had found her calling - helping people treat and prevent diseases through the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: movement, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky behaviors, positive social connections, and of course a whole-foods plant predominant diet. 

In this episode, she shares some of the advice and resources she gives to her patients who come in for lifestyle consultations and the great impact she is able to make in her patients’ lives. She also talks in-depth about the benefits of a whole food plant-based diet and the pillars of lifestyle medicine for women in perimenopause and menopause, and how she puts these pillars into practice in her own life. 

Dr. Sundermann helps patients reach their health and longevity potential at any age and I know you’ll love her enthusiasm and zest for life. She is living her dream so that you can live yours.

Episode Timestamps

3:20 Dr. Sundermann’s Introduction and a House Transitioning! 

5:10 Dr. Sundermann’s inspiration for becoming a Doctor

8:30 What exactly does an Internal Medicine do?

13:45 Google to the Rescue!

22:20 The Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine - #1 Nutrition

23:05 #2 Movement 

24:05 #3 Restorative Sleep

28:14 #4 Avoidance of Risky Behaviors - Smoking, Alcohol

29:10 #5 Stress Management - Managing Cortisol with Breathing Exercises

31:25 #6 Social Connection

32:40 Bonus #7 FRESH AIR

33:15 Promising research and advice for treating symptoms related to the perimenopause and menopause transition

Episode Resources

Watch the Episode on YouTube

PLANTSTRONG Foods - shop our official unsalted broths- and our growing assortment of other delicious products made without oil, added sugar, or excessive sodium .

PLANTSTRONG Sedona Retreat - October 10th-15th, 2022 - Dr. Doug Lisle - the esteemed evolutionary psychologist and co-author of The Pleasure Trap - is attending our upcoming Sedona Retreat to give three of his paradigm shifting lectures that help us understand all the forces working against us in our quest to live plantstrong. Once you SEE the system we live in - you can’t UNSEE it. And Dr. Lisle is a master in giving us language and tools to set ourselves on a permanent path to success. And great news! Our Sedona retreat has been approved for 21.5 CME credits for physicians and physician assistants. And 21.5 Nursing Contact Hours for nurses…. And 2.2 CEUs for other healthcare professionals as part of the registration fee for our PLANTSTRONG Retreat. 

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Theme Music for Episode

Promo Music: Your Love by Atch License: Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0