Humanities and Humanism: A Personal Essay from a Disease Prevention and Reversal Team

Using Houses of Worship as Lifestyle Education Centers—The Story of Salient Center

Authors

  • Gabriel Bardan
  • Deepa Deshmukh DuPage Dietitians
  • Ashwani Garg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22230/ijdrp.2025v7n1a537

Keywords:

Lifestyle education, Houses of worship, Community health, Faith-based health initiatives, Total well-being, Salient Lifestyle Center, Evidence-based wellness, Health promotion, Spiritual well-being, Collaborative healthcare, Plant-based nutrition, Behavior change in health, Culturally adapted nutrition, Church wellness programs, Public health, Health disparities, Faith and health integration, Community engagement, Social determinants of health, Holistic health

Abstract

“Health is not just the absence of disease,” said Dr. Ashwani Garg, a family physician in Hoffman Estates, IL. “It is total well-being—physical, mental, social, and spiritual.” Pastor Gabriel Bardan of the Elgin Adventist Church replied, “Then, health cannot be achieved in hospitals because the main focus of hospitals is disease.” This conversation in early 2013 marked the beginning of a decade-long friendship, ultimately leading to the Salient Lifestyle Center in Elgin, IL, dedicated to lifestyle education outside the clinical setting.

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Published

2025-03-17

How to Cite

1.
Bardan G, Deshmukh D, Garg A. Humanities and Humanism: A Personal Essay from a Disease Prevention and Reversal Team: Using Houses of Worship as Lifestyle Education Centers—The Story of Salient Center. ijdrp. 2025;7(1). doi:10.22230/ijdrp.2025v7n1a537

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Medical Humanities