Okanagan Health Forum

Dr. Neal Barnard, is a nutrition researcher, an author, and the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in Washington, D.C., a U.S.-based organization of physicians and laypersons that promotes preventive medicine and addresses controversies in modern medicine, including ethical issues in research. Dr. Barnard has conducted numerous studies on the ability of nutritional interventions to treat high cholesterol levels, hormone imbalances, diabetes, and other conditions. He has been instrumental in reforming federal dietary guidelines.

Dr. Barnard has published groundbreaking findings in journals such as The American Journal of Cardiology, Diabetes Care, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Preventive Medicine. He is the author of 14 books including Breaking the Food Seduction, Foods that Fight Pain and Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes.

Ron Cridland, M.D. is a member of the Canadian College of Family Physicians and the American Board of Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Cridland has lectured extensively to lay and professional audiences on the principles of healthy living in Canada and the U.S. He has established two multidisciplinary Health Promotion Clinics, one in Ontario and in California. These clinics integrated family medicine, chiropractic, massage therapy, biofeedback and exercise physiology professionals with a unifying health philosophy.

Following his studies with neurologist, Dr. Jon Sassin, at a Sleep Disorders Center in California, and his full time position in sleep medicine at the Canadian Sleep Institute with psychiatrist Dr. A. Moscovitch, Dr. Cridland established the Kelowna Sleep Clinic, the first publicly funded, private sleep lab in BC. He has an avid interest in optimizing sleep as a key ingredient for health.