Starting My Second Revolution

It was 10 years ago this month that Minnesota Monthly, the magazine formerly published by Minnesota Public Radio, included me in its story called The Revolutionaries: 12 Minnesotans who are changing the way we think about the world—and its future.

I had started Mayo Clinic’s social media program as part of my role as manager for media relations, beginning with a makeshift podcast in 2005 and then branching into experiments with blogs and the various social networks.

By 2008 we were on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn, and also had a news blog that eventually became the Mayo Clinic News Network.

I understood that as Mayo Clinic’s reputation had been built for 150 years through word-of-mouth, these platforms would be ways that word would spread between people in the 21st century.

While the rest of the world uses youtube to post videos of their cats curled into shoeboxes, Lee Aase is using the medium—along with Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, and blogs—to upend health care as we know it.

Minnesota Monthly, February 2012

Along the way I met up with co-belligerents as we created what would become the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network, and we even wrote a book called Bringing the Social Media Revolution to Health Care. Meredith Gould, Ph.D. was our editor, and besides Farris Timimi, M.D., my great friend and medical director for social media at Mayo Clinic, our contributors included

That was a magical time, as we experimented together and encouraged innovative applications of social media to promote health, fight disease and improve health care.

I have many fond memories from that revolutionary movement, and now I’m excited to help start another one through HELPcare and HELPcare Clinic.

Instead of a health care communications revolution, it’s a revolution in health care practice. My experience in the former has equipped me for this next one.

So has my personal health journey.

HELPcare is my new venture that provides metabolic health coaching, education and peer support for people who want to turn back the clock on their health through lifestyle changes.

HELPcare also provide management services for HELPcare Clinic, a new direct primary care practice my dear friend and high school classmate, David Strobel, M.D., opened in our hometown of Austin, Minn. on Feb. 1.

In just its first month of part-time operation, HELPcare Clinic already has more than 200 members, and positive newspaper and TV feature stories in our local market.

Today we’re announcing HELPcare Clinic’s Corporate Membership program, which gives small businesses who can’t afford ACA-compliant insurance a way to support their employees’ health and well-being.

Direct primary care is a growing trend. Likewise, many people are finding a low-carb, ketogenic diet combined with intermittent fasting is enabling significant health restoration.

I think the synergy between an affordable, membership-based medical practice that provides unhurried, unlimited primary care services in concert with lifestyle coaching that equips members to address underlying causes of disease will be powerful.

Hopefully even Revolutionary.

Weekend Watching: Fat Fiction

Somehow I had missed this outstanding documentary when it was released last Feb. 27.

But then, nothing really was going on at that time that might have distracted me, right?

Although I missed it until a couple of weeks ago, please don’t make the same mistake I did.

Fat Fiction features 11 of my Health Sherpas, including:

These are my peeps!

It also introduced me to a few new fellow travelers, who have become members of my Health Sherpas list (which you also should follow) as of today, including:

I watched Fat Fiction free on Amazon Prime a couple of weeks ago, but you can buy or rent it on Vimeo, Google Play, or several other sites. Here’s a a complete list of where you can view it.

Director/Writer Jennifer Isenhart does an amazing job of summarizing arguments for a low-carbohydrate, high (healthy) fat eating pattern.

And healthy fat isn’t what you might think it is.

Here’s an appetizer through the official trailer:

In writing this post, I just rewatched Fat Fiction to make sure I gave a shout-out to all of my featured Sherpas.

It’s so inspiring to hear the stories of several of Dr. Lenzkes’ patients who reversed their type 2 diabetes and are now off insulin using a low-carb diet.

He had never had a patient on a low-fat diet reverse diabetes.

Dr. Westman and Jennifer Gallagher’s patient stories were amazing, too.

And while I’m generally proud to be a Minnesotan, this documentary highlights why Ancel Keys is not our favorite son, and the scientific fraud in suppression of the Minnesota Coronary Survey’s real findings is absolutely maddening.

If you’ve wondered what’s behind the grassroots surge in popularity of low-carb/ketogenic eating diets, Fat Fiction will tell you that story.

It runs just under 1:45 and is totally worth your time.

It will probably blow your mind, and could change your life significantly for the better.

Watch it this weekend.

See the whole series about my health journey. Follow along on FacebookTwitter and LinkedIn or subscribe by email

And if you’re ready to get started yourself, use my #BodyBabySteps.