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