Dr. Akil Taher: Book Review of the Transformational Journey of a Doctor
Dr. Akil Taher is not your ordinary man.
Imagine a doctor late in his career suffering a heart disease that required a surgical correction. Most people in their sixties would be advised to take it slow after the medical corrections are over. They are expected to toe the line, i.e. rest, and blissfully retire to a sedentary lifestyle.
But Dr. Taher took this as a second birth and decided to squeeze every ounce of what life had to offer. He developed a passion for endurance sports. The adventures took him around the world. The courageous manner in which Dr. Taher handled a mini-crisis to turn around his life is the stuff that his book Open Heart is made of. Dr. Akil Taher is a fine storyteller and his book is part adventure story and part inspiration. His words, “We are capable of doing much more than we think we can do,” is an undeniable truth.
How did Dr. Akil Taher reverse his health condition?
Two themes toward the road to wellness come out very prominently from Dr. Taher’s book: A WFPB (whole food plant-based) lifestyle and physical fitness in the form of marathons, triathlons, long-distance cycling, mountain-climbing, and such.
Here is a summary of some treasures from Dr. Akil Taher’s story:
Running marathons
It is said that training for a marathon is worse than the marathon itself. It requires dedication, focus, and doggedness and putting in the necessary miles takes plenty of planning and time. Dr, Taher took baby steps toward a marathon under the guidance of an expert coach. His first half marathon at Nashville, Tennessee (April 2010) set the tone for his first full marathon. He did well at the Chicago Marathon which was followed by the greatest of them all, “The Boston Marathon.” He then decided to take his running adventures to Mumbai, a city he grew up in and ran the Mumbai marathon (SCMM) in 2016, alongside family and friends.
Every marathoner has a story to share. Marathons, in fact, are a great metaphor for life. You are challenged at every mile, just like you are challenged in life with business decisions, family issues, or health conditions. Whether we win or lose, we can always face those challenges with courage.
Climbing mountains
When he wasn’t running marathons, Dr, Taher would love to be on the mountains. His love for the mountains took him to Mount Kailash in Tibet and he saw himself atop Mt Kilimanjaro. High altitude trekking is no mean feat. It requires planning, coordination, and teamwork. Dr, Taher took it all in his stride and went to explore the magical heights at an age where most retire and turn into a couch-potato. His never-say-die spirit took him to the extreme sport of triathlon, which is three disciplines rolled into one: swimming, biking, running. Did we mention that he dabbled into obstacle running as well?!
Changing perspectives on living
How is it possible that somebody late in his life developed so much zest for life? What was his motivation? It was certainly not to live longer but his second life perhaps brought the epiphany that life is to be enjoyed to the fullest.
Dean Karnazes, one of the greatest runners of all time put it succinctly when he says, “Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not demanding more from yourself—expanding and learning as you go—you’re choosing a numb existence. You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”
Changing eating habits
Dr. Taher is a practicing physician with a keen eye for detail. His personal tragedy had him looking for answers. Family history was an angle but he figured that despite his relatively slender frame, it was largely his eating habits that contributed towards his predicament.
The final chapters of Open Heart carry the undeniable wisdom that a diet heavy in meat, dairy, eggs, and sugar could lead us into a slippery slope and from his personal experience and studies from reputable resources, it is to be said that a WFPB diet is a panacea for all modern day illnesses.
This review wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t summarize Dr. Taher’s dietary advice. So here are some of the big takeaway for our readers, all of which point toward a vegan way of eating with emphasis on holistic living:
- * Diet is more important than exercise.
- * Eating an unhealthy vegetarian diet is just as bad as consuming the flesh of any animal.
- * Egg, meat, dairy, and sugar are the four biggest adversaries of your health.
- * It is not bad genes that run in the family, it is a bad diet that runs in the family. Even if you do have a high genetic risk, a healthy plant-based diet is capable of negating most, if not all, of the risk.
- * The best diet to prevent and treat (or reverse) heart disease is a whole-food, plant-based diet.
- * We are living longer but not necessarily living healthier. Transition to a WFPB diet to live longer and healthier.
- * Follow a whole-food, plant-based diet and cut your grocery bill in half.
- * Try plant-based food today. It isn’t just healthy, it’s filling and delicious too.
OPEN HEART : The Transformational Journey of a Doctor Who, After Bypass Surgery at 61, Ran Marathons and Climbed Mountains is available on Amazon, Flipkart, and Norton Press. Dr. Taher has pledged all royalties from the book to charity.
Summary message of Dr. Akil Taher
There is a great lesson in Dr. Taher’s story that will serve to benefit our readers. If you are already a plant-based eater, transitioning to a WFPB is the next logical step. And taking a leaf out of Dr. Taher’s book—include some form of exercise in your daily regimen and see how it improves the quality of your life. Dr. Taher’s story is set to inspire a legion of people facing adversity in various stages of their lives and serves as a roadmap for their recovery process. If one were to summarize Dr. Akil Taher’s message in a line: “Eat well and keep moving.”
