Dr Gislason wears several hats. You can find him every morning, reviewing the scientific literature and updating his articles and books. His first interest was brain science which he pursued since he was a premedical student in his teens. Dr. Gislason graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1967 and practiced medicine in British Columbia  from1971 to 1995. His Allergy Practice in Vancouver from 1984 to 1995 was a center of innovation and collaboration with patients and colleagues that lead to the development of the Alpha Nutrition Program and  Alpha Elemental Nutrient Formulas. He was a member of the American College of Allergy and Immunology from 1984 to 1999.  He has been the President and CEO of Environmed Research Inc since 1984 and, since 1995, he manages the company full time.

The development of the Core Program,  now the Alpha Nutrition Program, has  been a collective effort and has evolved over the past 20 years.  The first "Core Program" book was published in 1986 along with a book of Recipes. A book written for parents followed in 1989, The Core Diet For Kids and an associated book Core Program Cooking. He developed an interest in allergy and nutrition after becoming ill on the early 80's and continues to follow the dietary discipline that he advocates to others.

His health education books developed gradually from lecture notes and other presentations. In 1991 Dr. Gislason wrote "Nutritional Therapy, his survey of the theory and concepts behind his method of diet revision. In 1993 Nutritional Therapy Vol. 2 was published as a large format book that emphasized the practical instructions required to successfully solve health problems with diet revision. In 1998, the Core Program was transformed into the Alpha Nutrition Program. A series of texts acted as interfaces to the program, describing specific health concerns and were published under the banner of Alpha Nutrition Health Education, abbreviated to Alpha Education in 2008.. Dr. Gislason has continued to revise and expand these books into informative guides to common medical problems.

Philosophy & Neuroscience Series

Dr. Gislason had an early start in the study of philosophy and neuroscience. At age 16, he decided his main life task would be to pursue understanding the human mind.  In the intervening years, he studied neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, electronics, computer science, neuropsychology and at the same time he studied Buddhist philosophy and practiced a variety of meditation techniques. His medical career veered toward general practice in rural areas, because he wanted to live outside urban environments and loved the natural world of British Columbia. He attributes much of his education to living in close relationship with the pacific ocean, with wind, waves, plankton, fish, sea mammals and ocean birds." They taught me about life, minds, communication, networks and the interconnections of all living things." An illness interrupted his coastal life and sent him on another journey to resolve and understand his own experience and to apply his insights to helping other sick people. The results of this medical journey are found in the Alpha Nutrition Health Education Series. In 2000, he resumed his study of neuroscience topics and began assembling notes from over 30 years of study and contemplation to write books in the Philosophy and Neuroscience Series. The Book of Brain acts as a bridge between the practical and medical emphasis in the Health Education Series and the Philosophy Series. The first book in the Philosophy Series, Existence and the Human Mind is an introduction to the essential topics that link Philosophy and Neuroscience. Subsequent books in the Philosophy Series will expand on these essential topics.

In his preface to the first book, Existence and the Human Mind, Dr. Gislason states:

"As a physician- philosopher, I have many vantage points. I allow my vantage point to shift from a detached observer viewing planet earth from the safety of distant space to an intimate and personal discussion of what life is like for me on a daily basis. Often, I am describing a physician’s point of view since I have spent more than 40 years serving in that role. Sometimes I am a visiting anthropologist making notes in a neighborhood café. At other times, I am concerned about the confusions and misunderstandings so common among my family, friends and patients. At other times I am a paleontologist or evolutionary psychologist imagining what life was like on planet earth 100 million years ago or what humans were like 50,000 years ago. Sometimes I am free spirit, a mystic, wandering this planet alone without profession or social status, an animal among animals, in love with nature and the primal feel of existence."

Selections from Dr. Gislason's  Philosophy, Psychology & Neuroscience Series.

From the Land of the Eagle Sechelt  British Columbia, Canada