It seemed like a good idea at the time...

I extend my sincerest apologies for publishing unfinished posts earlier this week.  I guess that's what happens when you schedule rough draft posts (very rough on one occasion) for some arbitrary day in the future that seemingly will never arrive and then totally neglect your blog for a month.  I have since taken down the offending posts and will strive to be more "together" in the future.

Well, seeing as the last time I posted a real post was early in the month of December, I'll take this opportunity to say that I sincerely wish everyone had a wonderful Christmas spent with family and friends and celebrating in the true "reason for the season".  If you don't celebrate Christmas I wish the very best for you and your family in whatever celebrations you hold.

I wish you all a very prosperous New Year.  I will continue to post (albeit short posts) filled with an increased knowledge of how our bodies interact with the environment we place them in and therefore how we can choose to be more well by modifying this environment.

Once again, blogosphere, please accept my sincerest apologies and my commitment to be more on it in 2011.

Doctor of the Future (part 2)

Previously we got Thomas Edison's take on health care in America, he discussed the fact that our whole approach to bacteria missed the mark.  I agree.  We may have done some very serious damage to ourselves and our children by disrespecting bacteria.

As previously discussed, medicine has its place for injuries and trauma but wellness doctors ("doctors of the future") will be needed to take care of people at all other times (even when they have NO symptoms).  You see, the sicknesses that we experience, with very few exceptions, are NOT due to our genes, but to an environment that is not in line with the human design.

In my research I am amazed at how far current "expert" recommendations are from what humans actually require in terms of what we eat, how we move, and how we think.

I find it interesting that Edison mentions bacteria.  Bacteria have been advertised to the American public as something we should be afraid of, something we need antibacterials and antibiotics to kill.  The lesser-known fact is that some of these bacteria are actually REQUIRED for us to be healthy.  And medical journals continue to report that indiscriminate use of antibiotics has been and continues to be very damaging to individual as well as public health.  Could it be that our need to use antibiotics is really a symptom of the fact that we are deficient in required beneficial bacteria?

Did you know you have a daily REQUIREMENT for friendly bacteria?  And without this daily need fulfilled your body cannot function as it was designed?

There is a natural balance of bacteria in the healthy human gut which helps us digest food, provides vitamins and other essential nutrients, and prevents overpopulation by harmful bacteria.  Despite all that we do know about them, I'm convinced that we probably will NEVER know the full extent of the beneficial functions these little "bugs" perform for us - and I actually don't really care.  I have seen the evidence that they are necessary and that most people are deficient.

Despite what yogurt advertisements proclaim, our bodies were designed to get a great deal of their bacteria not from dairy but from plants (especially lactobacillus plantarum).  Due to the US's current growing methods of veggies and fruits, the traditional healthful bacteria historically found in our food are killed by pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and soil nutrient depletion.  The sad fact is that in today's industrial food environment it is impossible to have a balance of healthy bacteria without supplementation.

Just like within our own bodies, there was a balance in nature that we changed when we "improved" our growing practices to grow more food more rapidly.  Beneficial bacteria are simply NOT available in modern day United States like they were throughout all of human history.  In fact, living in the United States today it is IMPOSSIBLE to ingest the right amounts and proportions of bacteria from food as our healthy predecessors did.  Proper gut microflora (balance of bacteria) is CRITICAL for proper immune system function.  Knowing this (and more) it is easy to see why Americans suffer so many immune system problems (cold, flu, autoimmune conditions, etc)

Are you supplementing with a high-quality probiotic from non-dairy (plant) sources in order to provide your body with its daily need?

Finding out what our body NEEDS in terms of food, movement, and thoughts is critical in order to fully express health.  As you come to a deeper understanding of what our bodies actually require, you will be amazed at how far off the American way of life is - even those who thought they were eating well (like myself) have a long ways to go.  And as Mr. Edison foresaw, you too will see that we don't need treatments, we need good information and true prevention.

Reconnecting you to the possibility of FULL health through better information - Dr. Steve

Cancer and "The New Medicine"

There is a branch of medicine (although it's not really "medicine" because it's currently unregulated and I know a lot of chiropractors who use it) called functional medicine. 

Mark Hyman, M.D., Chairman of the Institute of Functional Medicine wrote a recent article for The Huffington Post.  In this article, he discussed the proceedings for TEDMED, specifically on the treatment and prevention of cancer in the United States, a disease which continues to rise.  It's a very informative article focusing on the new discipline of functional medicine.  If you've got a minute, it's a very worthwhile read.(Thanks for the reference, Satya.)

Personally, I don't see functional medicine as the be-all and end-all of the improvement of health in the US, but I do see it as a major step up from the current crisis-centered system that poses as "health" care here.  Basically, I see it as a step in the right direction, a step towards wellness.

Why a "step up"? 

I say a step up because at least functional medicine recognizes that the body's natural state is health, not disease and that if disease is present it is due to a deficiency or toxicity in the environment.  Functional medicine is performed using a series of symptom questionnaires and laboratory tests to determine WHY a system of the body is out of balance (rather than simply naming the disease and treating it with a drug).  The remedies offered by functional medicine are usually "natural" supplements and whole foods that treat deficiencies, diet modification, and lifestyle changes (interesting concept).  Another focus of functional medicine is on environmental toxicity and removal of heavy metals and other substances that pollute the body (like sugar).

While I do see functional medicine as a better way to deal with chronic diseases like America's top killers of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, etc, I do not see it as a replacement for wellness.  This is to say that even after you have "treated" the effects of the problem, to be whole you must conitnue to give the body what it needs and stay away from the bad stuff.  Doing this would provide the appropriate environment where disease would have been unable to exist in the first place.

Unfortunately, as a society, we have not yet been conditioned to seek this type of care and it may be a while yet before people come around to wellness, so for now functional medicine may play a critical role in slowly moving us towards improved health.

The Body as a Garden

Here is an excerpt from Dr. Hyman's article which discusses the treatment of cancer, and if you've read my blog before, it may sound familiar:

"Traditionally, we have focused on late-stage curative care, and in doing so, we have missed the thinking and the treatments focused on changing the underlying conditions that led to the cancer in the first place. Diet, lifestyle, thoughts, and environmental toxins all interact with our genes to change the landscape of our health."

As I see it, to "treat" a disease without discussing why the illness developed in the first place and how to prevent future occurences is a disservice to the patient.  The article continues:

"We have been asking the wrong question about cancer. We have asked "what": What tumor do you have? What kind of chemotherapy, surgery or radiation is needed for that tumor? What is your prognosis? Instead, we need to be asking "why" and "how": Why did this cancer grow? How can you change the conditions that feed and support cancer-cell growth? How did the terrain of your garden become a host to such an invasive weed?

"Surprisingly, scientific literature is abundant with evidence that diet, exercise, thoughts, feelings and environmental toxins all influence the initiation, growth and progression of cancer. If a nutrient-poor diet full of sugar, lack of exercise, chronic stress, persistent pollutants and heavy metals can cause cancer, could it be that a nutrient-dense, plant-based diet, physical activity, changing thoughts and reactions to stress, and detoxification might treat the garden in which cancer grows? Treat the soil, not the plant. It is a foundational principle of sustainable agriculture, and of sustainable health."

I see the next decade as a time when an awakening will be brought about in the American public.  Where they will no longer settle for the status quo when it comes to diseases and conditions and treatments, but where they will begin to ask better questions and be given better answers.  I hope to be a part of this movement by continuing my research into what IS the appropriate environment for the human being.  An environment where diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are unable to exist. 

In my eyes, these illnesses exist for two reasons:  People have been given the WRONG advice when it comes to lifestyle (especially what to eat) AND people simply do not believe that lifestyle matters that much as a result of social conditioning (family, friends, school, TV, government, and doctors).

I will continue to strive to correct both of these reasons for our illnesses by sharing up-to-date, scientific information so that you, the reader, can make a conscious decision.  Having acces to this information will reconnect Americans to what they really want but have been missing - freedom to choose sickness or health rather than be victim to circumstances brought on by an IGNOR-ant system.
Cancer is just the beginning - Dr. Steve

As a personal prediction and this is only a guess - I think functional medicine will take over the majority of medicine's current patient load (chronic disease) in the next 15 years which means the drug companies that supply most of the treatment will need to find another line of work (vaccines?) as they will be replaced to a large degree by unpatentable natural supplements.  But of course, this depends on how strong a grip pharmaceutical companies can maintain on the hearts and minds of the American public (TV/magazine/internet advertising).



Reference:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/cancer-new-science-on-how_b_779936.html

Why We Celebrate Veterans Day

To be quite honest, most of my life I was confused about all the many holidays and what we were celebrating.  All I knew was that I didn't have to go to school. 

In fact even during much of my service I never knew what each of the military holidays were about.  I would imagine that many Americans are where I was and I've dedicated this post to clearing some confusion about what it is that we celebrate.

Why do we celebrate Veterans Day?

Veterans Day was previously known as Armistice Day to celebrate the end of World War 1 (officially ending on November 11, 1918).  Armistice Day was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'"  Although in 1954, the purpose of the holiday was expanded to celebrate veterans of all wars.

With all the homecoming soldiers, airmen, seamen, and marines we have more and more veterans to include in that number.


Standing dangerously close to the business end of that camel



Not too long ago, I found out that many of those I served with in Afghanistan are now serving in Iraq, and it is with heartfelt thanks and with deep appreciation I say, "Stay safe out there fellas."

I think this holiday comes at a great time in the year - being so close to Thanksgiving, a day set aside to express true gratitude for all that we do indeed enjoy in our lives. 

The veterans we know and don't know all play a part in our having the privilege of living free.

Honoring fellow veterans on Veterans Day - Dr. Steve

The Doctor of the Future (part 1)

Today's post comes courtesy of one of America's all-time greats - Thomas Edison (1847-1931).

Edison is reported as saying:

"Nineteen hundred and three will bring great advances in surgery, in the study of bacteria, in the knowledge of the cause and prevention of disease. Medicine is played out. Every new discovery of bacteria shows us all the more convincingly that we have been wrong and that the million tons of stuff we have taken was all useless. 

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease...There were never so many able, active minds at work on the problems of diseases as now, and all their discoveries are tending to the simple truth — that you can't improve on nature." (emphasis added)

We'd have been wise to follow his advice in 1903.  What amazing foresight he had more than 100 years ago!  Amazingly, this is BEFORE antibiotics ever became available (did he know how devastating they would be?).

What profound knowledge to see ahead to a day when doctors would ultimately get back to doctoring (the word doctor comes from latin docere which means to teach).  According to this statement, Edison's formula for getting people well is:

1-No medicine
2-Care for the human frame
3-Discuss what foods humans require to be well
4-Prevention OVER treatment

I would add to Thomas Edison's sentiment the following:  Medicine is good for traumas, accidents, very rare genetic illnesses, and helping people feel better (numbing them) before they die.  For the many Americans who've had their lives saved by medicine or been at peace before they die, we all ought to be extremely grateful, however, we must maintain an understanding that once the life is saved, the ONLY way to get well is to promote an environment conducive to health by Eating Well, Moving Well, and Thinking Well.

Daily, when I review the scientific literature, I am amazed at how far we've gone from the core tenets of natural health here in America.  Americans act as if there needs to be a pill for every ill.

I envision a day when Americans are so healthy that we will look back and wonder why we ever took so many drugs.

Next Thursday - Thomas Edison's genius Reconnects you to something new that's actually very old - Dr. Steve

Right location, wrong treatment

A recent article from FOX News discussed an operation to the brainstem (near the top bones of the spine) in 10 patients with type II diabetes. (A disease that's threatening to cripple the economy of the United States not to mention the suffering of the individuals.)

After the surgery, 7 out of the 10 patients were able to reduce their diabetes medication due to an improvement in their condition and one person even stopped the medication completely.  The results of this surgery were nothing less than amazing and the medical professionals involved have a right to be excited about such impressive results, but what if there were something even better?

Upper Cervical chiropractic deals with the same area of the brainstem and takes care of it with precision in a very gentle manner (no knives in my office).  The purpose of chiropractic is to correct the spine of abnormal movement and/or alignment thus removing interference.  The surgery described above was to "decompress" the nerves in the area.  (Read the details of the surgery here.)

Now for some very important questions:

- What was compressing the nerves?

- What is the cost to hospitalize, anesthetize, and operate on an individual? 

- What is the risk associated with cutting someone open and performing this surgery on the neck and brain? 

Compare this to a very natural, gentle and precise procedure using the hands to accomplish a correction of the alignment and motion of the upper spine without any cutting. 

Should such a surgery be considered before less invasive means?  My question is - did the doctors performing this surgery ever think to ask how the compression got there in the first place?

Not to take anything away from medical advances, I readily admit that the surgery mentioned here is truly amazing, but I find even more amazing that such intelligent people can completely ignore very inexpensive, non-invasive means of relieving interference to this critical area.

Reconnecting the brain to the body and the body to the brain non-invasively - Dr. Steve Perry

For all you anatomy lovers out there, here's a video of the area of the spine we're dealing with.  Enjoy:

Monday Video

watch the full video at FORA.tv

Michael Pollan on Food in America

- Here is an informative and entertaining video on "food". 

Enjoy

Don't Try This At Home (AKA - Definition of Death)

On October 12, 1984, on a Hollywood set, actor Jon-Erik Hexum was critically wounded after he placed a prop gun loaded with blanks to his head and pulled the trigger.

Hexum was rushed to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, but the fracture in his skull from the paper used to pack the powder was too great. 

Although his heart was beating, his lungs were breathing, and his gut was digesting, Hexum's brain was no longer functioning.

Was he alive or dead?

Because the year was 1984, he was actually pronounced braindead, or legally dead.  But this wasn't always the case - if this had happened just 10 years earlier, he would have legally still been alive.

It wasn't until 1981 that the brain was used to determine whether a person was alive or dead in the US (except in New Jersey and New York which still use the heart).  Before that the heart and lungs were used as a guide for death which became problematic with the use of respirators which could keep someone alive as a "vegetable" indefinitely.

So, because this happened to Jon in 1984, his family was able to elect to have his organs donated including his still beating heart.

So, if he was braindead, why was his heart still beating?

The part of the brain used for heart, lung, and gut function is the lowest part of the brain (brainstem) where the base of the skull meets the neck.  This part of the brain is responsible for keeping the body alive and can continue to do so even with "nobody home".

We've all seen Kung-Fu movies (for some of us even one is too many) where a person is killed by attacking this very area of the body - the brainstem located in the upper neck.  This happens because this is the area that maintains the major life-giving organs and systems of the body.

So how in the world is this relevant to Chiropractic or to Wellness?  Chiropractic focuses on the nerve system.  The nerves run from every part of the body to the brain and from the brain back to every part of the body. The brain can only function correctly when it is receiving proper signals from the body.  Similarly, the body only functions properly when it receives correct signals from the brain, it's a 2-way street.

Just like the Kung-Fu masters know, interference can be created along this fast communication system of nerves from trauma.  In their case the interference is major, but in many cases there is only minor interference from minor bumps and falls that happen in life, and in fact many times during the birthing process.

Because the nerves have connections to and from ALL major tissues, organs, and systems of the body, interference along these lines can create a whole host of problems - both obvious and silent.  People undergoing chiropractic care have seen improvement in a multitude of conditions from ADD to Asthma from improved digestion to improved immune function.  The list of things nerve interference can create is endless.

Sometimes if the interference is minor, it can exist for years with no symptoms, other times the symptoms come on immediately. Generally, the effects of mechanical interference are cumulative and continue to build over the years.

If there is physical interference along the nerve system what drug is going to remove it?  What surgery?  What yoga pose?  What nutritional supplement?  What stress-relief technique?  All of these things are great, but none of them are specific enough to remove what ails much of the population.

Chiropractors are the ONLY profession trained to look for and correct the cause of mechanical interference of the nerves.  Chiropractors do this through a gentle, natural method without drugs.

The best approach to health is one that incorporates a wellness lifestyle (for health), traditional medicine (for sickness), and of course chiropractic (for optimal nerve function).

When was the last time you had your nerve system checked?

Reconnecting you to Life Reconnected through chiropractic - Dr. Steve Perry, DC

references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon-Erik_Hexum
http://media.photobucket.com/image/jon-erik%20hexum/staclynn72/Jon/GoneToosoon-Jon-ErikHexum.jpg

The best thing I ever did for my health and happiness

Well, ok, the BEST thing I ever did was marry Natalie, but a close second is today's topic.

Today, I'm not going to give a long intro, I'll not keep you waiting and just get right to it:  One of the best things I ever did for my health and happiness was to change my understanding about the way my body works.

Currently, when I look in the mirror, I love who I see because I have an increased understanding of who that is looking back at me.  I understand that this body is merely a shell of dirt, being maintained by an organizing intelligence.  My understanding changed when I realized the absolute truth - that this body renews and regenerates itself continually.  This body is set on automatic to heal and replace itself.  I realized that I am not the same person I was yesterday, last year, or last decade...I realized that my body is earth, it's animated earth.  It comes and goes, it's fleeting - and so is yours.  Take a look:

 

• The lining of the gut is entirely replaced every 5 days.
• Your external-most skin regenerates every 14 days.
• Your blood cells replenish themselves every 3-4 months.
• Your bones and muscles last about a decade.
• Your brain on the other hand lasts a while longer.

All of this put together allowed me to change my understanding of who and what I am.  I am not this body, but this body is a reflection of who I am and everything that's happened to me.  It reflects the environment I'm currently in and every environment that I've been in in the past.  It reflects the choices I am currently making and every choice I've made in the past.  The most important contributors to whether we are sick or well are what the body is fed in terms of nutrition, movement, and thoughts.  Another way of thinking of it is - this body is like my house, only better.  It's smart!  And keeps rebuilding itself constantly - day in, day out - without my thinking about it.

"What I did was change my understanding about the way my body works."  

If I place my body in a poor food environment (feed it poorly), it's like building a house out of rotted wood, if I feed it what it was designed to have, it builds itself very soundly.  This goes for choosing the McFilthy double bacon cheeseburger or the fresh, organic salad with organic, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil dressing and pasture-raised chicken.  This goes for choosing to sit on the couch day after day or choosing to do squats and pushups. This goes for looking at myself and saying, "I wish [my nose, hair, body shape, etc.] were different," or saying, "I love myself and I'm grateful to have this body today, it's doing exactly what it was designed to do given the circumstances."

I could go on and on about all the choices people make all day long, the reality is that your body is absolutely amazing and it wants nothing more than to be healthy and happy.  Of course it does!  The major reason it's not doing this is the environment it is being placed in day after day.  Achieving a solution requires a shift in YOUR thinking, an increase in YOUR understanding that your body is doing (with few exceptions) exactly what it SHOULD be doing based on your choices about what environment you choose to put it in.

If you want to make better choices about what environment you are placing your body in, a wellness expert or coach is the best option to help you change that stinkin' thinkin' over to beneficial thoughts in line with the way your body really operates.  The reality is that the culture in America acts as if what you put into your body isn't important--that if you get sick, you can blame your genes/parents or some virus/bacteria or plain old bad luck.

The reality is that yes, accidents happen and there is an occasional genetic cause (<2% -- and we're lucky to have medicine for these conditions), but over the long haul, people are primarily sick or well based on the thoughts and beliefs that run through their heads all day long.  This constant stream of thoughts will directly control what you choose to eat and how you choose to move your body.

In order to have the best possible body and best possible life, you've got to get control of that steady stream of thoughts that controls every aspect of your life and is also responsible for your happiness.  The main problem is that most people have never evaluated those thoughts, why those thought are there, and how to improve them.  Wellness doctors are trained to help people improve their environment by making better choices and they offer classes on how to evaluate what's going on in that bean of yours.

Although great at stitching us back together again and helping with the occasional genetic defect (<2% of cases), the "Health" Care System in the US is not very good at helping us make better choices and getting us to place ourselves in environments that produce health.  They simply are not trained in getting us to change our understanding of how our body works and WHY it's behaving the way it is.  It's incredible that this is the very thing that will allow us the best possible health and happiness that we all deserve - naturally.

Here's to health and happiness based on choice not chance.

Reconnecting you to Choosing Happiness and Health, day after day based on New Understanding - Doctor Steve Perry, DC

Flu - Are you going to let it get you?

It's on its way again. After last year's flop of an H1N1 threat and the accompanying scandal, I hope I stop seeing advertisements of "free" (e.g. paid for using extorted tax dollars) shots for it!

In deciding how one is going to deal with the dreaded "flu season" this year, there is always the decision to vaccinate in the young, the old, and everyone in between.

I find health care and government recommendations to vaccinate every man, woman, and child (over 6 months) in America quite odd in light of the research. A recent review of the literature failed to show that vaccinating children under 5 for flu was any better than placebo and yet we continue the recommendations - who's running this thing?

So, with all the hype and fear-mongering on the news, internet, magazines, etc, how does one decide what to do concerning flu? Let's apply the two most important questions you could ever ask yourself concerning long-term health and wellness:

Question #1 - Why do Americans suffer so much flu-related illness?

Answer #1 - Simple: Toxicity and Deficiency.

Americans by and large are toxic with most or all of the following: sugar, omega-6 fats, refined carbohydrates and trans-fats, gut bacteria imbalance, sedentary lifestyles, subluxation, anger, stress, and more. All of these things are stressors which reduce the short- and long-term immune system function designed to respond to invaders.

Photo from Flickr.com

Americans at the same time also suffer from epidemic levels of deficiency in: fresh, whole vegetables and fruits, high-quality meat, high-quality fish and omega-3 fats, good bacteria in the gut, sun and Vitamin D, exercise, properly functioning spines, feelings of love and appreciation for self and others, feeling of belonging and life purpose, gratitude . . . the list could go on.

How could we possibly expect to be well when all this is the case?

Should we really expect one shot to be able to take away the problems associated with weak immune systems we created by living toxic and deficient lifestyles?

So, how about. . .

Question #2 - How can we get and stay well?

The answer to this one is SO simple! Supply your body with what it requires (sufficiency) and keep your body free from things that harm it (purity). Sufficiency and Purity are the most logical ways to allow your body to express the lifelong health and freedom from illness and disease (including the flu) that you and your children deserve.

If you want to have the health you deserve (and a strong immune system), be sure that you are putting in nutritious things in terms of Eating and Moving and Thinking. This includes adequate vitamin D (which performed better than the flu shot in studies in children), veggies and fruits, high-quality meat and fish, probiotics from plant sources, exercise, chiropractic care (to ensure a properly functioning spine and nervous system), feelings of belonging and contributing to an economy, working towards a life-purpose, unconditional love for yourself and others, gratitude, etc.

This also means staying away from sugar, too many omega-6 fats (from vegetable oils, grains, and industrial meat), trans fats, dangerous drugs, processed foods, sedentary living, poor posture, accidents/trauma that damage your spine and joints, perceptions of stress, etc.

Only when we begin to ask ourselves better questions (like WHY we are sick) do we have any chance at coming up with a real solution to the pandemics of suffering that we see in modern America. When I think of the little ones, I say to myself, "It's worth it." I get the motivation to love and care for my body the way it was intended to be - this so that my kids will have a good example to follow. And all of this so they can grow up with healthy bodies and great immune systems, naturally.

Reconnecting you to lifelong wellness and prevention.

Yours in Health, Love, and Freedom through informed choices - Steve Perry

PS - Anyone seen an advertisement for raw eggplant yet? I'm still waiting.

Becoming the Doctor

Classes ... Done!

Clinic ... Checked out this week!

National Board Examinations ... No problem!

Deciding on what location to begin practicing ... To Be Determined!

 

I enjoyed the chiropractic curriculum but am glad to be done.  I learned a ton and will continue to strive for lifelong education and improvement of my knowledge and clinical skills.

Checking out of the Health Center this week has been bitter-sweet.  It is sweet to be done and have finished the multitude of requirements in the Health Center, but it is tough to say, "Goodbye" to all those I've been working with to achieve a new level of health and happiness.

I've completed all the requirements of the Life Chiropractic College West doctoral program and all testing for the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.  I am free and clear as far as proficiency examinations go!  Next step is to take the licensing and ethics test for the state (or states) I will be practicing in, and then you can officially call me "Doctor Steve"!

There's only one small thing stopping me from helping all those people out there who really want to get and stay well - I don't know where I'm going to open up shop yet.  I'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on the major decisions that lie ahead.

In the meantime, I'll continue posting relevant discussions about the scientific evidence behind Eating, Moving, and Thinking better to obtain a life of Natural Health and Happiness which results in the Freedom to Live with passion!

Yours in Health, Love, and Freedom Naturally - (almost Dr.) Steve

P.S. - if you're thinking you'd like a new Wellness Doctor and Chiropractor to move to your area to put Health back into your "Health Care", add a comment to this post and I'll be sure to consider you :)

How do your beliefs stack up?

Do as I say, not ... You know the rest.  Today we're talking about beliefs and how powerful these little things are.  People have lost their lives for them and nations have gone to war over beliefs.  They are relevant today to each and every one of us as they are the very cause of the current "Health Care" mess.

I was thinking the other day about beliefs and wondered, "Is it possible to know what other people believe?  After all, beliefs happen on the inside and people can say anything they want on the outside."

Gandhi said it this way:  "Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny."

I believe that it IS possible to tell what people believe.  You can SEE what they believe by looking at their actions (choices).  I've heard people say, "I can't hear a word you're saying because your actions are speaking so loudly."  Actions are in fact physical manifestations of the underlying invisible beliefs.

As just one example, let's apply this to food: if people say that they believe eating high quality food will help them be healthy and yet they regularly eat junk (like most people I know), there's one of two things going on:  Either #1 - they don't really want to be healthy, or #2 - they don't believe that eating high quality food actually IS a large determinant of health. The first option -- that people don't want to be healthy -- is an utterly ridiculous concept.  This leaves us with only one option: that people don't really believe that high quality food matters for our health.  If people WANTED to be healthy, and they KNEW high quality food mattered, then they would CHOOSE high quality foods over illness-producing ones every time.

The reason medicine is failing (Health Care Reform anyone?) is because it does not instill the beliefs that personal choice is important for health.  If it did instill this belief and people wanted health, then everyone under medical care would be making healthy choices.  The reality is that people have become convinced that there's some way to well-being other than making good choices, that there's some system that can compensate for their personal shortcomings and that this system is more important than their personal choices as a determinant of their long-term health.  Sounds pretty ridiculous I know, but that's reality.  The reason I know this is based on what people actually DO, not what they say.  Let's take a look:

Currently in America, the number one source of calories is the High Fructose Corn Syrup in soft drinks (soon to be replaced by "real sugar" as if that's any better).  A recent CDC report stated, "In 2009, 67.5 percent of adults ate less than two fruits daily and 73.7 percent ate less than three vegetables daily."  If people are in control of their actions, and if healthy choices result in health, then one could conclude that either people don't want to be healthy or people have some misguided beliefs controlling their actions.

Medicine does a lot of amazing things (heart transplants, morphine to numb pain after car wrecks, etc) but it HASN'T helped people believe that what they do matters for their health.  Medicine as a whole is an utter failure when it comes to helping people live in ways that could result in them actually BEING healthy for a lifetime.  This is the very reason that heart disease, Type II Diabetes (both very nearly 100% preventable), and cancer (highly preventable) are major health threats in America but not in many other countries (until they adopt our way of life).  Why I started blogging was to show people the evidence that what they do matters and they CAN be healthy once they become aware of their actual beliefs.

Here's to believing that what you do matters.

Reconnecting you to Natural health through accurate beliefs.

Yours in Health, Love, and Freedom - Intern Steve

My current 9/11 (or The epidemiology of obesity)

When I returned from Afghanistan, I thought I left the war behind.  Little did I know that I was in for a rude awakening when I started working toward my doctorate in health and wellness and discovered how sore our health troubles were in the US.  The most shocking statistics I saw had to do with our children who are developing chronic illness (yes, diseases we thought were due to aging) faster than any other group.  Our US children are developing obesity, type II diabetes, and heart disease faster than any other age group.  So much for leaving the war behind, I'm knee-deep in it again.

The first thing I wanted to know was what the cause is.  There are some very intelligent people who seem fixated on the idea that there's a gene as the cause.

With over $1 Billion being spent right now trying to track down and "turn off" (with drugs) the obesity gene, someone like me has a hard time trying to decide whether to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the venture or to cry at the waste of time, resources, and talent.  This idea that we need to find the genetic cause of our obesity is not only ridiculous but is actually dangerous to our children and our economy.

For thousands of years, humans have existed without the current problems of obesity.  It wasn't until about the 1980s that the US and England started plumping up like ripe fruit.  

Does anyone think we've had a genetic shift in the last 30 years - that all of a sudden the genes of certain populations changed?

This is the idea that's being perpetuated with all the outside-in chemical solutions to everything from high cholesterol to eyelash shortness.

The idea of a sudden gene change is absurd, but many people in academia and the public have fallen for it because it's very appealing to think that we had nothing to do with our problems.  It's an easy idea to sell.  

If the problematic obesity gene is "found", the researchers will get glory, the drug companies will get filthy rich for providing the "solution" and the Medical Doctors will push the drug on our kids.  Forget the fact that this has never happened before EVER in the history of all humans.  But today, all of a sudden, it's a gene that caused the obesity.

There's a lot riding on this.  But what's at stake is more than glory for a few researchers, trillions of dollars for drug companies, and more hand-tying for our medical doctors (it'll become malpractice if you DON'T prescribe the "solution").  What's at stake is the identity of our kids as capable and self-actualizing, and as being able to own the consequences of their choices.

What worse sentence can you give someone than telling them, "It's genetic, there's nothing anyone can do"?

If your doctor tells you "It's in your genes and here's the drug to fix your problem, but you should probably exercise and eat right too", what reason in the world do you have for actually eating right and exercising?  They just told you that's not what caused the problem.

What's the point of changing anything if it's in your genes?  What's the point in changing if a drug is the solution?

Wellness and Prevention are illogical within this understanding of the genes as the cause and so too is personal responsibility.  You see, the major fruits of the last 30 years are a production of people unwilling to own the consequences of the things they do.  And why should people take responsibility with everyone (especially the TV and their doctors with pills) telling them they had nothing to do with it anyway?

Please look at the chart above again and realize that the recent spikes in diseases of affluence, also called "Western Diseases" (type II diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity and strokes) are NOT due to a recent genetic shift.  With our kids growing up in this time where everything that's wrong with them can be "undone" by taking a pill (including the length of their eyelashes), is there any worse concept that the TV or their doctor can tell them day after day than "You're genes are messed up, there's nothing that can be done to change, and a prescription is the only solution?"

My question is - If it's not genes that are the problem, what could it be?

- It couldn't be the fact that we are underconsuming diets of fresh, whole foods - foods that humans have consumed forever (except for the 20th century).  

When was the last time you saw a regular apple advertised on TV?  Raw broccoli?  Raw peppers?  Raw zucchini?  Is there any wonder why we eat mostly processed foods?

- It couldn't be that families are consuming things (food additives, chemicals, artificial sweeteners, etc.) that have NEVER been introduced to the human species EVER until the 1980s.  

- It couldn't be that mothers and families are moving (or not moving) in ways that are completely foreign to their genes.  

When was the automobile invented? the escalator? the motorized scooter? the television (where our kids spend hours a day)?

- It couldn't be that kids and parents are plagued with emotional stresses such as constant impending doom and gloom on the NEWS.

- It couldn't be a lack of feeling of belonging and acceptance and love and contributing to a society.

- It couldn't be the fact that many of us don't know our neighbors and live in constant fear of attack from the outside.

9/11 anyone?

Stressors like eating, moving, and thinking in ways that are not genetically compatible have been linked to obesity and every other Western Disease.

Which drug are they going to come up with that will solve the problems we create by putting ourselves in such a stressful environment?  

With a billion people starving in the world right now, is it really a good idea to develop a pill to get Americans to eat more without gaining weight?

Only when we realize the actual cause of the problems do we have any chance of coming up with a viable solution.

Our physiology (or state of function - health or illness) is the genetic expression of our choices.  It's the expression of our past and current environments.  If we develop a problem, the first place we should look is the environment of how we are eating, moving, and thinking instead of assuming that a gene caused the changes in our health status.

Reconnecting you to freedom through responsibility.

In Health, Love, and Freedom with informed choices - Steve Perry


PS - next time someone hears an advertisement on the radio or TV for raw eggplant shoot me an email.



Graphic from:

Journal of Internal Medicine Volume 263, Issue 4, pages 336–352, April 2008

Resource:
http://www.epidna.com/abstract/pm/18312311

Encouragement and Permission

Encouragement and Permission.

This topic is one that's very close to my heart, it's something I've done for a long time, but I never had a name for until I met Dr. Brooks. As a parent, a mentor, a role model, a teacher, a coach, and a doctor, I can't think of any other concept that is more universal in inspiring others to achieve more and to reach higher than that of Encouragement and Permission.

Encouragement - supporting someone in their decision after they have been informed of the consequences of making a choice.

Permission - allowing the consequences to be owned by the individual - for better or for worse - without judgement.

Using this simple approach to parenting as well as patient care, I have seen amazing things in terms of an individual's growth and responsibility and happiness and freedom. It is very encouraging to see people achieving new heights by making decisions on their own with increased knowledge.

My three-year-old daughter shows that she understands this concept when she gets down on her little sister's level, looks her in the eye, and informs her about different options she has while they play together. Often, after informing her of playing options, Sophie will give Ivy permission to make a choice and finally, followup with encouragement about that choice. It's such a fun experiences to witness such a small person helping another in a simple yet profound way.

All playing aside, Encouragement and Permission is about responsibility -- something corporations, societies, and governments tend to shy away from.

The opposite of Encouragement and Permission is Coercion without information. Coercion without information is forced obedience of a person who lacks the knowledge necessary to make decisions with no attempt to educate them.

Although necessary when dealing with very young children, this is an inferior way of upbringing and is very prevalent in today's society and in government. Using this method of behavior change produces a state of dependence and ignorance where people feel no need to take responsibility for their own actions. This is a state where the government, corporation, doctor, or care provider runs every aspect of a person's life and tells them what they must do. People brought up with this mentality aren't interested in increasing their knowledge about their choices and actually seek a parent or government who uses Coercion without information to make decisions for them. By doing this they remove from themselves the need to take responsibility. This philosophy is extremely disempowering and very prevalent.

This mentality is everything I fought against in Afghanistan and what I continue to fight against now. During my tour of Afghanistan I witnessed the first EVER free election of the Afghan people, what a humbling day. Here in America, I blog and teach others about changing their health status through their choices. I teach others how to take responsibility for their lives and their health, to allow them to make mistakes but to be happy in the fact that they made the decision on their own and know that tomorrow is another opportunity to make a good decision.

This is freedom. The use of Encouragement and Permission is how we transmit freedom from ourselves to others.

Reconnecting you to a life of freedom through informed choices.


- (Very-soon-to-be-Dr.) Steve

Got depression?

Depression is something that can be severely disabling and something that a great number of Americans suffer with.  It can transform a person's world.  I was reading a recent article comparing three different treatments for people suffering with severe depression - 1) Exercise alone, 2) Medication alone, and 3) Exercise with Medication. 

The findings were astounding!

The Exercise WITHOUT Medication group had better recovery as well as fewer relapses than either of the other two groups.  Just take a look at the chart!

The amazing thing is that not only did exercise beat medication, but exercise alone beat exercise WITH the medication (meaning that the medicine appeared detrimental to the recovery of these people after they began an exercise program). Say "Wow!"

Important - Exercise is NOT a therapy! Adequate movement (especially movement of the spine) is ESSENTIAL for proper functioning of the brain, heart, lungs, muscles, and every other part of the body.

If these depressed people were deficient in exercise causing chemical changes in the brain, how can we possibly think that medication is the rational solution?

If their bodies NEEDED exercise but didn't have it, what is the only way to reestablish a normal level of health?  If we continue to focus on drug-centered solutions to overcome lifestyle-created issues, where is the hope?

A LACK of an essential nutrient allows the possibility of disease. Having this understanding is absolutely critical for optimal health and wellness!

How can we call long-term drugs without exercise a "treatment" for depression and consider ourselves rational and "evidence-based"?

More important is the understanding that within the human body, there's never a time when you have just one cause of any "condition". If you also helped these depressed persons improve what they were putting into their body in terms of NUTRITION and THOUGHTS, imagine what would happen for their ability to express amazing health and vitality!

Where is this understanding in today's "Health Care"? Is this the conversation that goes on between a depressed patient and their doctor? Are these sick people viewing the drug as a REPLACEMENT for exercise (look at the relapse rates in these two groups)? Are depressed patients being told that exercise alone may be their BEST option? These people are NOT going to get this information in a drug commercial on TV - exercise is FREE! Who's going to tell them the truth?

Here's to getting and staying depression-free by supplying the body what it needs in terms of movement, nutrition, and emotion.

Reconnecting you to health and happines, Naturally.

Reference:

http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/short/62/5/633

Rectification of Names

Most people I know consider Confucius a smart dude.  Confucius taught that if we want to have any hope of repairing what's wrong in the world, we should start with the “rectification of the names.”

This means calling things as they truly are.

Having the wrong name for things can lead people to behave in ways they did not originally intend. 

Many people today behave as though their premiums for health insurance somehow help them obtain a state of wellbeing.  This causes them to disconnect their personal choices from their level of wellness.  I say this is a great tragedy and is responsible for much of the all-too-prevalent sickness and disease we see daily in America.

We recently overhauled our Health Care system but left the wrong name on it.  I propose we begin a "rectification of names" starting with Health Care. Let's call it what it is - "Crisis Care," or "Sickness Care" or "Disease Management."  This will tell people what their dollars are actually spent on.

Today's Sickness Care has nothing to do with health.  A bold statement, I know.  This Sick Care System is primarily concerned with death, dying and disease.  And that's OK because it does save people from dying when they're on the brink and it is with humble gratitude that I say, "Thank Goodness for these loving professionals!!!"  They are good at their job!  And if I am ever in an accident I want the best Crisis Care Professionals taking care of me!

Doing as Confucius suggested will reconnect people with an understanding of the effects of their choices and that health is what happens when you supply the intelligence of the body with what is required (sufficiency) and keep it free from things that harm it (purity).

Current "Health Care" professionals simply don't have the time to study and educate people on health when they are fixated on the pandemics of early death and disease.

We need a health care system that promotes true health and personal responsibility rather than dependence on technology to undo the effects of our choices.  This can be done by a health care system that educates about the simple idea of purity and sufficiency. Our current system is aimed in the wrong direction. We must find prevention professionals who are outside of the crisis care system, but above all, we must apply Confucius' principle of the Rectification of Names.


Reconnecting you to "Health is Normal."


Resources:
UC Berkeley Article
NY Times article
Private contribution :


“If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.”


Picture from:
The Quote Blog

Wellness Made Simple

I find it AMAZING that during any presentation I give, I can ask one question and always get a unanimous response. The question is - "Is there anyone in this room who doesn't want to be well?"

Dead silence...Every time!

Anywhere you go, in any part of the world, when you ask this question, the response will ALWAYS be that every single person, every single time wants to be WELL.

The reason is that this is HUMAN NATURE. It's built in to each one of us, it's stamped into our genes and on our souls - the desire to strive for health, happiness, and wholeness. Sometimes people have been beaten down so badly that they no longer think health is possible, but deep down they still desire to be well. This state of being well, this state of optimal health has appropriately been titled "wellness".

There's a lot of misunderstanding of what Wellness actually entails, so anytime we talk about wellness, we must make sure we're all on the same page. So, let's start with definitions - Wellness is the NATURAL state of the body in a sufficient and pure environment.

It's SO simple!

The body is whole and complete and expresses health, naturally, when it has both  SUFFICIENCY and PURITY - meaning when it has ALL the building blocks that are REQUIRED to express health while remaining FREE of those things that would harm the body (toxins).

These are the first two fundamentally important concepts of true wellness - SUFFICIENCY and PURITY. When we truly understand stress and stress physiology, we will understand that lack of purity and sufficiency is the basis for virtually ALL HUMAN DISEASE and SUFFERING.   There's not the space right now, but when I get to it, I'll show you that there are only 2 causes of ALL HUMAN DISEASE and SUFFERING.  Oh well, I'll just give it away right now, the ONLY 2 reasons that anyone anywhere will express less than 100% health are DEFICIENCY and/or TOXICITY.

Most "pathology" is actually the study of EFFECTS of the body being in a state of stress due to deficiency of required nutrients or toxicity with harmful substances. Look at the major killers in America - Heart Disease, Cancers, Strokes, Type II Diabetes, Obesity, etc. These are all adaptations by the body as a result of STRESS due to toxicity and/or deficiency.

Having a lack of understanding of the intelligence of the body and the environmental influences creating a state of stress is what allows people to believe that HEALTH is achieved by luck or random chance and that SICKNESS is caused by bad genes, bad germs or bad luck. This represents a gross miseducation process.

Health is NORMAL!

Although sickness is VERY COMMON in America, understanding that it is NOT NORMAL is crucial. Sickness, or disease, or illness all result from people either NOT supplying their body with what it needs or by exposing it to things that harm it. In other words, sickness and disease are a result of being in a toxic/deficient environment!  This means that whether we are sick or well is a direct result of what we DO and of the environment we CHOOSE to put ourselves in.

The truth is that Health is a matter of CHOICE, not chance.

Over the next few months, I will post discussions on the topics of Eating Well, Moving Well, and Thinking Well and how they are the very keys to our health and happiness.

Reconnecting You to Well Being, Naturally!

Yours in Health, Love, and Freedom - Intern Steve Perry

Don't watch this while eating!!!

At a recent health fair in Alameda County, I was thrilled to see a booth from the Health Department and to learn of their campaign this summer.  The campaign is entitled "Have a Soda-Free Summer". 

I love the idea. 

But, I knew we'd be going to Aunt Sue's for the 4th of July, and what would the 4th be without a root beer?  So, although I did NOT make the pledge to go all summer without a soda, I did reaffirm my commitment to focus on healthy drinks ALL YEAR LONG (with an occasional toxic soda).  The BEST choice for a healthy drink is pure water or pure water with a squeeze of lemon or lime. 

New York apparently thinks going soda-free is a good idea as well, here is a commercial for their campaign.  This one gives a great visual of just some of the nastiness sodas can cause to a body.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the dairy industry was able to get a promotion snuck into this campaign (fat-free milk with the same color design as the water - sneaky). 

This leaves some explaining to do seeing as how fat does not make you fat (blog topic coming soon).

The best drink you'll drink this summer is pure water - get your energy from food not drinks.

Reconnecting you with a correct understanding of consequences.

Enjoy the video:

What happens to your body when you drink Coke?

Watch what happens when you drink a can of Coke…

In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

After 60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

After 60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

After 60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, excreted away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like being able to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth leaving you more susceptible to the diseases that plague Western Countries - Osteoporosis, Heart Disease, Dental Problems, Fatigue, etc.
 
From Nutritional Research Center
http://www.nutritionresearchcenter.org/healthnews/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/

Food, Movement, Thoughts

Yesterday during church the most impressive moment for me was when someone got up and related a profound story. He asked a coworker what the most valuable thing was in his life. He was inspired by the coworker's response-after thinking for a long moment, the coworker replied, "Relationships."

So true. I even took a moment to write this down (a rare thing for me as I'm usually too busy wrestling with the girls and feeding them snacks to write anything during church services anymore).

Indeed relationships are the most important thing we can cultivate in this life. During the Sunday School lesson I gave, I was sure to repeat this sentiment. Critical relationships in our lives are with our families/friends, our Creator, and also with our own bodies (physical, mental, spiritual). When we lose track of this fact, we become less happy and don't often realize why.

Importantly, many of us are removed from the last relationship - with our own bodies.  Because of the constant bombardment of conflicting ideas, many of us don't truly understand what to feed our bodies in terms of food, movement, and thoughts. Most of us have a general understanding and yet we don't act in ways that produce vibrant health.  Interesting... 

Most of us are disconnected with what our bodies try to tell us on a daily basis.  When we take time to listen, we will sometimes hear, but more often feel whether a behavior was beneficial for our body.  When we learn to listen more intently to our bodies, they will help guide us in becoming more healthy.  When we let the film of interference from outside signals fade away by cultivating an innate awareness from within, we can begin to express the health that our bodies are designed to express.

This is the very reason I created this blog - because our behaviors have consequences and what we do will spill over into what our children do. We need to reconnect with a true understanding of what our bodies naturally require and then figure out how to get ourselves to properly nourish our bodies...for our children's sake.

In Health, Love, and Freedom,

Stephen Perry - Wellness Expert and (soon-to-be) Chiropractor