Medicine from the farm alleviates symptoms in children and adults

Author: Ivanhoe Newswire
Published: Updated:
Farmacy food. (Ivanhoe Newswire photo)
Farmacy food. (Ivanhoe Newswire photo)

We all know the saying, ā€œan apple a day keeps the doctor away.ā€ But what if you canā€™t afford the apple ā€¦ or any other vegetable? One in four American children regularly goes hungry. So, one San Francisco hospital developed an innovative program.

Monika Russi is always on the prowl for ways to keep her son healthy, especially after he was diagnosed with Autism last year. She was surprised when doctors pulled out their prescription pads and ordered food, not pharmaceuticals.

ā€œBeing a single mom with two kids and trying to eat healthy is a challenge most of the time,ā€ explained Monika.

'Farmacist' packs food. (Ivanhoe Newswire photo)
‘Farmacist’ packs food. (Ivanhoe Newswire photo)

Twice a month, low-income patients can pick up fresh produce, lean protein and whole grains free of charge. The food ā€˜farmacyā€™ program comes after a four-month hospital study where patients were prescribed food as their ā€˜medicineā€™.

ā€œAnd what we ended up finding was that it improved not only the health of the household, but we also saw changes in the children,ā€ stated Larissa Estes, DrPH, UCSF Benioff Childrenā€™s Hospital Oakland.

ā€œIā€™m a medical doctor and I prescribe medicine but I always like to take the natural approach whenever possible and food is medicine,ā€ shared Gena Lewis, MD, UCSF Benioff Childrenā€™s Hospital Oakland.

The study also revealed healthy eating not only alleviates symptoms among children, it can even reduce the impact of chronic diseases among their parents.

Monika says the difference in her son since starting the program is remarkable.

ā€œIt does alleviate a lot of the symptoms associated with some of his medical challenges,ā€ Monika said.

Dr. Lewis continued, ā€œIf we donā€™t deal with, and know about, and help families with the basics of their life, then we canā€™t get to the important medical issues at hand.ā€

Doctors also report once children are introduced to more fruits and vegetables, they get more interested in trying new fresh foods. Other programs similar to the food farmacy have sprouted up in Pennsylvania and Boston.

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