You could stop brushing your teeth, but why?

Now, I get asked all the time, "I love the fact that we're making progress with my spine, I'm moving better, and I'm standing straighter, I have more energy than I've had in years, but how long do I have to keep coming in to see you?"

Great question.

The way I think about alignment and proper movement of the spine and other joints of the body is similar to the proper maintenance of your teeth. If you've lived your whole life u p to this point and never seen a dentist, you're probably going to come out of the office the frost time with a fair amount if work to do. Once you get the bulk of the problem fixed, should you discontinue care and expect to never have to see another dentist again? Or does it make more sense to maintain a regular schedule of check ups and do your part to prevent (spinal) cavities between visits?

What is the opposite of faith?

The opposite of faith is the same as the opposite of love, it's fear and doubt.

Faith is love in action.

Faith, nothing doubting is how I got through school. It's how I found a job with the exact techniques and values that I wanted, it's how I surrounded myself with the people and the circumstances that could help me grow like I knew I needed to. It's how we went on vacation with no money and no job, and came home to the promise of a new life. It's seeing the end from the beginning. And it's amazing.

When Natalie and I came together with only 3 months of school left and saw the mountain that we would have to climb, it was indeed scary. But, we put our heads together and really focused our intent on the circumstances that we wanted to create. We saw the end so clearly. We could see graduation. We prayed fervently, we doubled our efforts, we increased our faithfulness. We had no idea HOW it would happen, the only thing we knew was that it would. And we succeeded, right on time--something that looked virtually impossible ony a few short months before. They say seeing is believing. I say--having vision creates the ability to see AFTER believing. That's love in action. When you have the vision and proper motivation, you find the resources and skills to make it happen. You find the power you need to draw upon to accomplish the desire of your soul.

Am I crazy?

I was recently perusing the internet visiting parent sites, you know, because I want some information on how to be a better parent and help my kids be well.  So, while I'm on these parent sites, I see drug ads.  And I'm always interested in those drug ads - you know the ones that look like they have a really good web designer and have a really pretty website.  Well, I came across Abilify (R) - I wonder how they come up with these names (Intuitiv, Abilify...) - they really sound like they make your life better. [blog post =-removing a symptom versus making life better]

Anyways, of course I'm looking over the fine print (because I haven't written in a while and I need some good material) and oh my goodness, I didn't need to read very far until they were talking about death and stroke and diabetes, wow!  I was amazed at how many contraindications there were and how many side-effects beyond the minorly annoying ones like death and stroke.

Now keep in mind that depression is a serious issue, however treatment with drugs that produce a worse state than the actual "condition" scare me, especially when they're advertised!!!  I mean, it's ok that such drugs exist, but they shouldn't be TELLING people about them!

So, here's the kicker, look at this statement:

Elderly people with psychosis related to dementia (for example, an inability to perform daily activities as a result of increased memory loss), treated with antipsychotic medicines including ABILIFY, are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. ABILIFY is not approved for the treatment of people with dementia-related psychosis (see Boxed WARNING).

What does this statement mean?

It means that people actually DIED during the testing of this drug due solely to taking the drug!!!  

And it got approved!!!!  

How can we call this approach sane?

Now put that together with this statement:

If you have diabetes, or risk factors for diabetes (for example, obesity, family history of diabetes), or unexpected increases in thirst, urination, or hunger, your blood sugar should be monitored. Increases in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), in some cases serious and associated with coma or death, have been reported in patients taking ABILIFY and medicines like it

What are the major contributors to depression? 

That's right, lack of proper body movement (exercise) and eating horrible diets. 

What are the major contributors to diabetes?

 That's right, lack of proper body movement (exercise) and eating horrible diets.  So, if elderly people (a risk factor in and of itself for diabetes) have depression due to lack of exercise and are eating bad diets, then there isn't any time that this medication COULD be prescribed for these people without increasing the blood sugar levels and "in some cases...coma or death". 

Did you get that?  The warning might as well simply read:

Do not take this drug

The logic behind approving and using these drugs really does scare me.

I would NEVER knowingly allow my parents or anyone I love to fill one of these prescriptions without me getting in their face about it.  I would go over there myself and pull them around the block, I'd rather force feed them vegetables than allow them to get onto something that I KNOW will make them worse and could kill them!  I'm not saying there is never a time for this drug, but I am saying that there is never a time for this drug in place of walking every day and eating really good, wholesome food!!!!!

Phew, that was intense!  When you're ready to move beyond drugs and discover super simple, easy ways to get and stay the healthiest you've ever been in your life, seek out a wellness care provider.  They'll show you how to do it right - because your children need you to stick around for a few more years, and it wouldn't hurt to be healthy.

If you want some light reading, go ahead and peruse the fine print below:

Elderly people with psychosis related to dementia (for example, an inability to perform daily activities as a result of increased memory loss), treated with antipsychotic medicines including ABILIFY, are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. ABILIFY is not approved for the treatment of people with dementia-related psychosis (see Boxed WARNING).

Antidepressants may increase suicidal thoughts or behaviors in some children, teenagers, and young adults, especially within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. Depression and other serious mental illnesses are themselves associated with an increase in the risk of suicide. Patients on antidepressants and their families or caregivers should watch for new or worsening depression symptoms, unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. Such symptoms should be reported to the patient’s healthcare professional right away, especially if they are severe or occur suddenly. ABILIFY is not approved for use in pediatric patients with depression (see Boxed WARNING).

Contraindication: Patients should not use ABILIFY if they are allergic to aripiprazole or any of the ingredients in ABILIFY. Allergic reactions have ranged from rash, hives, and itching to anaphylaxis, which may include difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue.

Serious side effects may include:

• An increased risk of stroke and ministroke have been reported in clinical studies of elderly people with dementia-related psychosis
• Very high fever, rigid muscles, shaking, confusion, sweating, or increased heart rate and blood pressure. These may be signs of a condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), a rare but serious side effect which could be fatal
• Abnormal or uncontrollable movements of face, tongue, or other parts of body. These may be signs of a serious condition called tardive dyskinesia (TD), which could become permanent
• If you have diabetes, or risk factors for diabetes (for example, obesity, family history of diabetes), or unexpected increases in thirst, urination, or hunger, your blood sugar should be monitored. Increases in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia), in some cases serious and associated with coma or death, have been reported in patients taking ABILIFY and medicines like it

Lightheadedness or faintness caused by a sudden change in heart rate and blood pressure when rising quickly from a sitting or lying position (orthostatic hypotension) has been reported with ABILIFY.

Decreases in white blood cells (infection fighting cells) have been reported in some patients taking antipsychotic agents, including ABILIFY. Patients with a history of a significant decrease in white blood cell (WBC) count or who have experienced a low WBC count due to drug therapy should have their blood tested and monitored during the first few months of therapy.

ABILIFY and medicines like it can affect your judgment, thinking, or motor skills. You should not drive or operate hazardous machinery until you know how ABILIFY affects you.

Medicines like ABILIFY can impact your body’s ability to reduce body temperature; you should avoid overheating and dehydration.

ABILIFY and medicines like it have been associated with swallowing problems (dysphagia). If you had or have swallowing problems, you should tell your healthcare professional.

Tell your healthcare professional if you have a history of, or are at risk for seizures, or are pregnant or intend to become pregnant, and about all prescription and non-prescription medicines you are taking or plan to take, since there are some risks for drug interactions.

While taking ABILIFY, avoid:

• Drinking alcohol
• Breast-feeding an infant

Most common side effects (≥10%) from all clinical trials involving adults include:

• ADULTS: Nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, dizziness, an inner sense of restlessness or need to move (akathisia), anxiety, insomnia, and restlessness

It is important to contact your healthcare professional if you experience prolonged, abnormal muscle spasms or contractions which may be signs of a condition called dystonia.

For patients who must limit their sugar intake, ABILIFY Oral Solution contains sugar.

For patients with phenylketonuria or PKU, ABILIFY DISCMELT^® (aripiprazole) contains phenylalanine.

If you have any questions about your health or medicines, talk to your healthcare professional.

INDICATION: ABILIFY is a prescription medication indicated for:

• Use as an add-on treatment to an antidepressant for adults with Major Depressive Disorder who have had an inadequate response to antidepressant therapy

Please see U.S. FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION, including Boxed WARNINGS, and Medication Guide, for ABILIFY.

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

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

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

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

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/

If you don't like flies...

Today as I was picking something up from the store for my lovely wife who is preparing for tomorrow's yard sale, I noticed the hand sanitizer by the counter. I thought to myself, "Hmm, they're still selling that stuff?" You see, it's been a long time since I've used it even though it sits on every counter in the Health Clinic. I personally prefer rubbing my hands under running water rather than putting toxic substances, like alcohol, on my skin. (Did you know kids have eaten that stuff and been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning?) I'm very selective about what I put on my skin because the skin is a very absorptive organ and what you put on it goes into your blood similar to if you had eaten it.

So, my next thought was "Why are they still selling that stuff?" and realized, "Oh ya, the flu," - in other words 'bugs'. When reflecting on the last time I was sick, I don't really recall when it happened, and I haven't had a flu shot since 2004, so it's not due to being up on my vaccinations.

There's a better explanation to "epidemics" of flu and illness than lack of hand sanitizer and flu shots. A great doctor said it very well when he described the following scenario:

A woman in the kitchen was annoyed that there were so many flies coming in through the window and insisted that her husband take a look at the scene and kill all the flies. He complied by noting that there were indeed many flies and so sprayed toxic chemicals around where the flies were hanging out. Sure enough, soon there were no longer flies buzzing about. The wife was happy, and when wife is happy, husband is happy too.

But after a couple of days one or two flies started buzzing and by day three there were just as many flies as before. Wife knew just what to do, called in the husband who also understood what was to be done. Again with the poisonous chemicals, again with the mass death of the flies, again one satisfied couple, and again with a couple of days' silence followed by a renewal of flies buzzing.

This carried on for a number of weeks and finally the wife decided she didn't like the continuous exposure to toxic chemicals. She got smart and asked a very important question- "Why are those darn flies buzzing about anyway?" The husband looked outside and saw that the garbage can was directly beneath the kitchen window. Now he had a decision - spray down the garbage can, which, from experience he knew would only be a temporary fix - or he could get rid of the garbage. What do you think he did?

Many of us experience repeated bouts of illness and disease and have been trained to ask what chemical we can use to sanitize the area to kill all those bad bugs and take away the symptoms of the disease. This seems like a logical question, but misses the bigger picture. If we never ask the right questions, we'll never arrive at the right answer.

So, why DO some people get sick when others stay well? Why doesn't everyone at the office "get" what's going around? The answer is NOT that they are exposed to less bugs. The answer, as in the story above, is that they have an internal environment that is less hospitable to the "bad" bugs. They have less areas of garbage in their system, and their body's systems which respond to those bugs are working properly.

The answer is that they have an internal environment that is well-balanced. Could the couple in the story have continued to spray down the garbage and repeatedly kill the flies? What would have been the result? What is it about spraying with chemicals that can EVER get rid of the garbage?

The moral of the story is two-fold:

1. Asking the right question is EVERYTHING. The quality and quantity of our lives is determined by the quality of the questions we ask ourselves.

AND

2. Finding out what garbage we have in our systems is critical because only when we identify it do we have any chance of purposefully removing it.

As a wellness expert, I train people to identify areas of "garbage" in their lives and show them easy, gradual, and comfortable ways of removing them thus allowing their bodies to regain NORMAL, optimal function - NATURALLY. In other words, I help people look for the CAUSE.

The major causes, or categories of garbage, in our lives are:

CHEMICAL (e.g. sugar)
EMOTIONAL (e.g. unmanaged stresses)
PHYSICAL (e.g. chronic sitting, injuries, subluxation)

What drug is ever going to solve the problems caused by an unhealthy diet?

What drug can overcome a problem caused by not moving enough?

What drug can solve a problem created by not feeling loved, appreciated, and having a sense of belonging?

Until next time, live well, naturally, and remember - if you don't like flies...take out the garbage.