Hassan “Dr. Pooch” is a holistic health practitioner dedicated to transforming lives through innovative healing methods. Since embarking on his holistic health journey in 2012, he has undergone extensive training in holistic healing systems for both children and adults, eventually establishing his practice.
Dr. Pooch has made significant strides in school districts, implementing holistic strategies to address childhood behavioral issues, academic challenges, and emotional health concerns. His passion for Hip Hop and creative writing led to the creation of the world’s first early holistic health curriculum, The Get Well Johnny 12.
Committed to empowering families, Dr. Pooch focuses on educating them about the fundamentals of holistic health through his engaging books and creative educational content. He continues to inspire a new generation to embrace wellness in mind, body, and spirit.
Food Policy Center: Can you share the story behind your nickname “Dr. Pooch,” and how it relates to your journey in holistic health?
Dr. Pooch: Dr. Pooch is a nickname I’ve had almost since birth! Definitely, before I could speak, my family and close friends called me Pooch or Dr. Pooch.
Food Policy Center: What inspired you to begin your personal holistic health journey in 2012? Were there any specific events or influences that guided you toward this path?
Dr. Pooch: I had always been interested in nature’s curative capabilities. I was fascinated by the Amazon rainforest and knew that the cures for the diseases that plagued humanity could be found in rich forests in the Amazon or the Congo. I was close to becoming a traditional Chinese doctor, but as I was researching I found another path that incorporated more of the modalities I believed in.
Food Policy Center: In your work with the Los Angeles school district, what were some of the most significant challenges you faced when implementing holistic approaches to childhood behavioral issues and academic delays?
Dr. Pooch: Working with such large school districts can be very challenging and limiting because our systems are so compartmentalized. Within the LAUSD I had some advocates rooting for me and also those who placed obstacles in my path for reasons unknown to this day. In my opinion, the basis for children’s health and behavioral issues stems from nutrition (or rather lack thereof).
Thus, having to advocate for change within the classroom with teachers who incentivize children with sugary snacks (with terrible ingredients that promote behavioral and attention issues), getting cafeterias to use fresh, unprocessed foods, and include parents in the discussion of maintaining healthy food options at home, is quite a challenge. Affecting real change requires total collaboration, and this is especially important for children with special needs. Special needs children aren’t given specialized meals to promote their well-being. Unfortunately, it’s the same problematic breakfast and lunch that all other children receive.
Food Policy Center: Your organization, the Dr. Pooch Foundation, aims to raise health-literate and emotionally healthy children. What are some of the foundational principles or strategies that guide your approach to achieving this goal?
Dr. Pooch: Children learn through song, play, and images. We always keep the child in mind, especially children of color who are more directly affected by adverse health events. They are also historically underrepresented in children’s literature, so we keep that in mind when creating stories and designing images that resonate with our core demographic. If we can make health education a “cool” experience, we’ve succeeded in achieving our goal. We also have to support the adults who are the caregivers of these children and who, more often than not, are as ignorant of these holistic health concepts as the children. So, if we can motivate the child to want and love health, accepting it as something cool and necessary, they in turn will engage the adults in their life, and we can support them with our supplemental information and activities within our books.
Food Policy Center: What are some key components of “The Get Well Johnny 12” curriculum, and how does it differ from traditional health education programs?
Dr. Pooch: We cover every major topic in holistic health, including nutrition, social, emotional, and environmental health. We address topics from superfoods to Inflammation. These concepts are broken down so that children from kindergarten through third grade can understand and implement them. Our organization is independent and, therefore, unbiased. No corporate dollars are influencing our storytelling.
Get Well Johnny 12 is so universal that it resonates with all ages. Traditional health education programs don’t address the root cause of disease, and they don’t begin to educate until after the age when habits (especially bad ones) have already been formed. We aim to help families get healthy, incorporating the child as an active participant and advocate for his or her health!
Food Policy Center: What challenges do you see in educating families about holistic health, and how do you address these challenges through your books and educational content?
Dr. Pooch: Black and brown families simply do not have educational content that represents them. The neighborhoods they predominately live in are food deserts, and years of poverty and lack of education have prevented them from realizing that food is medicine. By championing children’s health through our books and content that speaks directly to the families and communities most affected by ill health, we can begin to change the narrative and influence a new generation of content creators that incorporate these values in the content they create, which will begin to normalize healthy habits in our community. Unfortunately, we have huge budgets still promoting material that is harmful to our community’s mental and physical health. Our challenge is to be able to reach communities of color with programming, resources and content that can continuously encourage, educate, and influence them to make the right changes.
Food Policy Center: In what ways do you measure the success of your programs in terms of fostering health literacy and emotional well-being in children
Dr. Pooch: When we see that children are bringing this information home, engaging with school staff outside of our program and amongst themselves, we know that we’ve succeeded in step one of our work, which is to highlight the importance of health. When children are excited to engage in our program and learn about health, we know that we’ve planted the seed in their impressionable minds, so they will always remember that they are responsible for their health and that they can choose health over junk food. When children become active advocates for their communities and their health we know that our job is complete and we have created “a little health coach” in that class, community, and home!
Food Policy Center: How do you keep up with new developments in holistic health, and how do you incorporate these into your practice and curriculum?
Dr. Pooch: I’m always following up with the latest scientific developments. I love reading studies such as NIH and other peer-reviewed studies and attending conferences. I also follow the podcasts and social media posted by doctors, scientists, and researchers who are on the cutting edge of holistic well-being. I engage my community through podcasts, magazine subscriptions, emails, products, videos, music and fashion. and I try my best to provide the latest innovations in holistic health in a simplified, fun, cool way. 9. What advice do you have for parents who are interested in integrating holistic health practices into their family’s daily routine?
Engage your children in those decisions and help them find their favorite nutrient-dense foods. Also look at the toxins in your home–cleaning materials, pots and pans, air fresheners, lotions, etc.–begin reading labels together, and try to swap out the bad for the good. Children’s bodies are more sensitive to the environment than those of adults, and the Get Well Johnny 12 is a great way to take a look at health hollistically and begin to add health into the home in a non-threatening way. The series takes you step by step, with each topic highlighting the problem and the solution. It takes time but, one solution leads to another, and so on.
Food Policy Center: Looking ahead, what are your future goals or projects related to holistic health and education? Are there any new initiatives you’re particularly excited about?
Dr. Pooch: We’re developing a children’s magazine that will launch soon. Think of Highlights with a healthy twist! The more content we can create to engage children and give them daily reminders about their self-worth and health, the better our collective future will be. Imagine a generation of health-literate children! What will the next twenty years look like?! It’s like planting trees–we look forward to seeing the “nutrient-dense fruit” years from now. At present, all we can do is water them and shower them with love.
FAST FACTS
Grew up in: Los Angeles, Paris, and Dakar
City or town you call home: New York, Harlem
Job title: Founder and Health Educator
Background and education: Non-traditional
One word you would use to describe our food system: Problematic
Food policy hero: Ron Finley “The Gangsta Gardener”
Your breakfast this morning: Buckwheat porridge, spelt toast with almond butter and plum jelly
Favorite food: Ethiopian
Favorite food hangout: Farmers’ markets
Food policy social media must follow: FoodBabe
