World-renowned Dr. Rani G. Whitfield is using his rhyme skills and a comic book series to promote good health practices particularly among African Americans.

While the United States of America welcomes the first African-American President, it seems that the political landscape isn’t the only realm ready for change. Dr. Rani G. Whitfield MD is revolutionizing the heath care industry by incorporating new methods to reach his patients about taking care of themselves. Rani, a board-certified family physician practicing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is using Hip-Hop to speak about preventive measures for HIV, hypertension, diabetes and other death-threatening illnesses that are affecting the African-American community at alarming rates.

Recently releasing his album, State of Emergency, Rani, known in the world of Hip-Hop as “The Hip-Hop Doc” and “H2D,” is using lectures and music to promote a healthy lifestyle which the youth can carry into adulthood. “What better way than to start with the youth because they’re impressionable? They are listening and if you have a positive and good message that’s supported by the community, they’re going to listen to what you’re saying and start to influence their peers and their family members. I’ve got young people telling their parents that ‘Doc’ said you need to stop smoking and parents will listen to them. I use the kids to help me educate the parents as well.”

Having appeared on lecture circuits across the country and performing as well, H2D has been featured on 106 & Park and national talk shows hosted by everyone from Michael Baisden and Tom Joyner. Encouraging exercise, eating healthy and seeing your family physician on the regular, H2D manages to promote better living without sounding gimmicky. His efforts in encouraging lifestyle changes also led to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission contracting him to educate kids on the matter of drinking and driving.
The H2D plans to help stomp out illiteracy as well with his comic book line, The Hip-Hop Doc and The Legion of Health. Going the extra mile, Rani elaborates, “Health is a major issue in our community, but illiteracy is as well so why not incorporate both? Comic books are used to teach people from foreign countries how to speak English, so I’m trying to teach people who have problems reading how to read and I work with inmates and kids to help them overcome that matter.”

Realizing that today’s kids are far more advanced, Rani’s series focuses around seven superheroes that fight all evil advocates of unhealthy practices. “The typical comic books that doctors put together have a heart with hands and a carrot talking; children today aren’t really feeling that,” asserts Rani. “I felt I needed to do something that kids are really going to vibe on and influence them to make changes that could be positive in their lives and through adulthood. The characters have real issues and we address substance abuse, HIV, suicide, black-on-black crime and unhealthy eating habits, but we use it in a method that’s going to be educational. It’s a hot product and the comic books are a really good deal – especially when they compliment the CD when I speak.”

For more info on H2D, log on to www.h2doc.com.