What in the World is making us Sick?!

          (And How Can We Change That?!!)

“Must be that bug that’s going around…”

“Must be that food I got for lunch yesterday…”

How About Cancer? Diabetes? Heart Disease??

          Why do so many people have these??

“It’s in my genes…”

Well… Not necessarily…

          These scenarios could be true…

But the truth is,

          We have a say-so about our health…

          Believe it, or not.

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So, are you saying it’s “our food”??

It could be, and that is most likely part of it.

So then… Exercise??

          Yes, that could be a big part of it too.

And had you thought about what pace you keep?

          How many directions do you go at once? And at what speed?

Do you take breaks from that fast pace during the day?

Do you think our bodies were designed to keep up that pace?

And how about Your Sleep? 

Do you have uninterrupted rest at night, so your body (and your mind) can recover and get ready for the next day?

(If you do, that’s wonderful… and you’re in a great minority)

If you don’t, you’re “running” on “full speed” all day, then not resting at night…

Do you think your body could be weakened after a time of this?

Did you know that sleep disruption increases our desire for quick energy foods?

And that Quick Energy Foods (carbs & sweets) increase the likelihood of:

          Depression, Anxiety

          Autoimmune Flare-ups,

          Chronic Insomnia

          Dementia and Alzheimer’s and

          Fibromyalgia

For our immune system to be strong and fight off “the bugs” and the “tiredness” and “wrong food”, our bodies need to be strong.

So…if you feel exhausted, if you catch the “bugs” that come your way, and can never feel truly energized… what do you do?

Some people visit their doctor.  Doctors are good.  They’re great as a matter of fact.  We need them.  They can actually save our lives.

But … if it’s better health you need… you might be disappointed.  Most of them have very little (if any) training to be able to help you with your health.

The American Heart Association gives this simple advice on their website, as 7 ways to keep your heart healthy:

1.     Be active

2.     Keep a healthy weight

3.     Don’t smoke

4.     Learn about cholesterol

5.     Eat a heart healthy diet

6.     Keep your blood pressure healthy

7.     Learn about blood sugar and diabetes

All of these are good things to put on a list… But:

1.     What does “be active” mean?

2.     We need nutrition knowledge, or knowledge about healthy food…

3.     Don’t smoke.  Excellent advice.

4.     Learn about cholesterol.  Oh yes.  Definitely so true…but research is showing how important cholesterol is for our health, and that some of the previous information has been proven false…we do need to learn more about it…for sure.

5.     There is debate on what a heart-healthy diet is…the last time I looked the AHA still recommended grains, and did not recommend good, healthy fat. (Among other things)

6.     I’m making an assumption here, that they mean to control your blood pressure by taking your meds daily.

7.     Blood sugar and diabetes are such good things to learn about—but if you can learn from the slant of health rather than medicine, you (and your heart) will be much, much healthier.

(Functional Medicine doctors are trained in ways to help your body live and thrive at the top of your game—through good health.  For your health it is good to see a functional medicine health practitioner rather than a traditional doctor)

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Heart Disease is the #1 Killer.  And deaths from cardiovascular diseases increased 60% in the last 30 years.

According to the World Heart Federation, the obstacles to improving these numbers are (1) Uncontrolled blood pressure, and (2) increased prevalence of diabetes and obesity.  (Both of these can be controlled through good health)

Diabetes and Dementia are in the top ten in causes of death;

Diabetes has increased 70% over 20 years, with an 80% increase in deaths in men.

Dementia and Alzheimers have increased and Alzheimer’s is officially the 6th leading cause of death (with estimates that it is actually 3rd behind cancer), and with deaths increasing nearly 87% in the past 10 years.

One in 4 people believe nothing can be done to prevent or improve dementia.

62% of health care practitioners worldwide believe it is a normal part of aging.  (It’s no wonder the average person believes this!)

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According to the Functional Medicine community, most of these illnesses and diseases come from:

          What We Eat

          The Way We Live.

I’m giving a list of some Functional Medicine resources in case you’d like to check in with some of them.

Dr. David Perlmutter, Brain Maker (drperlmutter.com)

Dr. Mark Hyman, Ultra Mind Solution (drhyman.com)

Dr. Ocean Robbins, Food Revolution

Dr. Rick Johnson, Researcher

Dr. Dale Bredesen, The End of Alzheimer’s Program

Dr. David Jockers, DNM, DC, MS (DrJockers.com)

Dr. Jeffrey Bland, Nutritionist and Speaker (Jeffreybland.com)

Dr. Robert Hedaya, Functional Medicine Doctor and Dr. of Psychiatry

Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM.org)

Here are some things that Functional Medicine doctors say:

Dr. Dale Bredesen says that sleep apnea is a common problem that unquestionably contributes to brain decline. 

It reduces oxygen to your brain.

Changes in your eating and lifestyle improve sleep apnea.

Dr. Mark Hyman gives the top three issues causing brain disorders as:

1.     Exercise.  It is like adding “Miracle Grow” to your brain.  It increases brain cells, and thinking power—it’s “super critical”, just that alone. 

a.      It’s the biggest contributor to an unhealthy brain. 

b.     Only 8% of Americans exercise; that’s 92% of Americans need more. 

c.      Exercise affects the molecules in our brains.

2.     Sleep.  He told of a research project held for a group of snipers.

a.      With 8 hours of sleep they were super accurate, across the board. 

b.     With 6 hours, they were 50-60% accurate, across the board. 

c.      Under 6 hours, it was “hit or miss”. 

d.     Sleep is like the garbage man comes at night and takes all the garbage out.  It cleans and repairs while we sleep.

3.     Stress and Chaos. Practice:

a.      yoga,

b.     meditation,

c.      cold plunges,

d.     massage.  These all help repair your brain.

4.     Inflammation. 

a.      Inflammation shrinks the memory center in the brain.

b.     Chronic stress causes dementia.

c.      Healthy eating, and intentional healthy living can improve this.

5.     Diet;

a.      What we eat, good or bad, affects our brains.  Bad food, bad oils and fats, cause inflammation.

b.     (Good quality non-toxic food, lots of green leafy vegetables, plenty of water—they help heal the inflammation in our brain.)

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So, now back to our Genes…

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, and other functional medicine doctors, our diet and lifestyle actually influence our genes.  And…

          Our behavior actually influences which genes are turned on and which are turned off.  Dr Hyman calls this one of the biggest breakthroughs in medicine.  He says most people give far too much power and credit to our genes.

These are things that influence our genes, according to Dr. Deepak Chopra:

What we eat

How we move our bodies/our exercise regimen

How we restore our systems

Our resilience in the face of stress

Our exposure to environmental toxins, AND

Our thoughts, feelings and Social Connections.

(Our genes and our microbiome are listening to our thoughts…)

Some genes CAN predispose you to obesity, or Type II diabetes and heart disease, but over 90% of our health is controlled by other things.

These are some things that comprise that 90%:

1.     Foods that are good for our microbiome

2.     Examples of healthy fats, and how fat can be either dangerous or healthy

3.     Our lifestyle affects our gene exposure

4.     Social interaction

5.     Meditation and breathwork

I recommend the book, Supergenes by Deepak Chopra.

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Traditional medicine told me autoimmune conditions had no hope.  I suffered with symptoms for about 5 years, more or less, under a doctor’s care.  I had a basketful of creams and lotions; I had steroid shots; and I tried lots of home remedies.  I could not find relief.  Until I changed my “living habits” —that I learned with I discovered “Functional Medicine”.

Through changes in my diet, in my exercise habits, and in my stress management, my symptoms disappeared.

My husband, Farrell, had depended on everyday medicine to keep his high blood pressure at bay.  He decided he was going to try a different way.  He followed Dr Hyman’s detox, and his blood pressure became normal…after many years of high numbers.

I might add that his aching joints also improved, and his snoring stopped.

If you want your health to change… I recommend looking for a good Functional Medicine Doctor.  IFM.org lists them.  If you’d like help in finding one close to you, I will be happy to help you.

And if you’d like help with your health journey, I can absolutely help you.

Our bodies are designed to heal themselves.  They need our help.  Everything in our bodies work together for our health.  All our body systems connect and communicate with each other, and depend on each other. 

We do actually have a say in our health.

And we can create our optimal health.

And we can feel Calm and Relaxed… and we can feel more Productive.

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I will be holding a In-Person Class on Friday morning, November 17.

The subject will be:

Why are we so Sick? and

How can we be Well?

If you are in Western Arkansas/Eastern Oklahoma area, and this interests you, I would love to have you attend.

It will start at 10 a.m. and I’ll try to finish by 12.  It will include a healthy snack.  I’ll be sharing more details soon.

Thank you for reading; if you would like any personalized help with anything, I would be very happy to help you—just message me. Sharon@WhereIsYourCalm.com

Sharon