If you recall, it all starts with philosophy. In the past two weeks, Dr. Mike has written two Daily Sprouts which are there to take on your philosophy. One was titled Overdosed America, and the other… Milk.
If you begin your “Pursuit of Health” based off of a set of beliefs, swallowing the pill that goes along with abrupt messages, is easy. I speak from experience, as I had no philosophical basis for my health, nor did I understand the need, nor did I accept the need when it was first placed in front of me. Dr. Goldberg, has/had (not sure if he is still in this capacity) the opportunity to teach 4th quarter Life University Chiropractic students about nutrition. The first step to understanding blood sugar, inflammation, healthy fat… it was all brand new information to myself and at least 80% of our class which was about 300 strong at this point.
I can remember the conversations after class… “Do you believe he said Milk is unhealthy? What a crazy notion, he doesn’t look healthy to me, not sure I want to listen to anything he says. Doesn’t he always look a little green?” The shock was enough to offend us to the point where we had to attack him. Judgement out of defense. A common problem in our culture; those of you who have pursued health in the presence of co-workers have probably felt it. The judgement because you have made healthy choices. People don’t like change, they don’t like feeling that they were wrong.
Which is why spending some time looking at your health through some philosophical eyes, will win you a better opportunity in any discussion. If you were to defend a health decision, could you? Most commonly, our decisions for health are based out of fear.
I take a drug because I am fearful of what would happen without it. I workout because I am fearful of the consequence if I don’t. I eat better because I don’t want diabetes. We even teach from a standpoint of fear many times. It is often the only way to get your attention. But then, we switch gears, and we move towards philosophy. You have to if you hope to have any staying power. Fear is only a good motivator for a moment.
Seriously, have you ever seen someone after a heart attack? The average person will alter their lifestyle for 60 days following a heart attack. A great article in 2005 in Fast Company discusses this problem.
…the knockout blow was delivered by Dr. Edward Miller, the dean of the medical school and CEO of the hospital at Johns Hopkins University. He turned the discussion to patients whose heart disease is so severe that they undergo bypass surgery, a traumatic and expensive procedure that can cost more than $100,000 if complications arise. About 600,000 people have bypasses every year in the United States, and 1.3 million heart patients have angioplasties — all at a total cost of around $30 billion. The procedures temporarily relieve chest pains but rarely prevent heart attacks or prolong lives. Around half of the time, the bypass grafts clog up in a few years; the angioplasties, in a few months. The causes of this so-called restenosis are complex. It’s sometimes a reaction to the trauma of the surgery itself. But many patients could avoid the return of pain and the need to repeat the surgery — not to mention arrest the course of their disease before it kills them — by switching to healthier lifestyles. Yet very few do. “If you look at people after coronary-artery bypass grafting two years later, 90% of them have not changed their lifestyle,” Miller said. “And that’s been studied over and over and over again. And so we’re missing some link in there. Even though they know they have a very bad disease and they know they should change their lifestyle, for whatever reason, they can’t.”
Man that is powerful. But it isn’t changing people. Because the philosophy hasn’t changed.
My philosophical basis comes from a desire to be well. To be able to do things that people cannot, to have as much true health as possible. I want to be honoring to God with my decisions, and helpful to others by my leadership, and my decisions.
I don’t want fear to be my guide, I don’t want to make poor short term decisions based on the moment of fear. My philosophical bend is that this body, was made by a perfect creator, to do exactly what it needs to do… IF I give it a chance. I have a leg with varicose veins, and they have worsened over time. I believe that my theory is dead-on, so I work on it, and I have seen the problem ebb and flow based on my focus on the solution. But, my focus wanes because my philosophical bend doesn’t have me fearing the outcome. (I am stretching my hip in effort to relieve the pressure on my vessels, so that they have more easy flow).
In addition, I have a rash of some sort on that leg. I developed it two years ago following poison ivy. The dermatologists do not know what it is. 2 Years later, all we know, is that it is no longer a simple response to poison ivy, it might be an immune response to the poison ivy that simply hasn’t figure out it is time to leave (over-simplification), it might be some sort of unique localized eczema, or perhaps something in the arthritide fmaily. No blood test shows anything, so our next step will be to biopsy, even though every dermatologist believes there will be nothing gained from a biopsy.
You see, I am not in fear, I know that we are providing an opportunity for healing, except for the varicose vein which might prolong the immune response. Thus without panic, I am working towards the most plausible solution given a decent amount of research and professional opinion. Sure, every professional wants to medicate, but none think the medication is a solution. Just a way to suppress it temporarily. So why?
Dig into your beliefs, see them through. Be well and Be blessed! – Dr. E