Philosophers have long distinguished two basic forms of well-being: a hedonic form representing the sum of an individual's positive affective experiences and a deeper eudaimonic form that results from striving toward meaning and a noble purpose beyond simple self-gratification. It turns out, so do scientific researchers. There is robust scientific evidence that living a eudaimonic life extends life. This post will cover some of the science behind eudaimonia and how to achieve it.
Read MoreThe law of the instrument, otherwise known as Maslow’s hammer, whereby he states that I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail. Likewise, if the only tool you have is a scalpel, I also suppose it is tempting to treat everyone as a surgical candidate. A few years ago, I had a procedure recommended to me, and when I asked the doctor to justify why I should receive it, he stated,” anyone in my profession would recommended it.” In other words, “because I said so!” I did my own research and had the procedure.
But recently, A surgeon took one look at my MRI and concluded I needed surgery right away. He never bothered to ask my thoughts on the matter. I am now involved in a process cultivating me for the knife. In the meanwhile, I have been doing my homework. I am not surprised that the procedures they recommend have similar outcomes to non-surgical approaches. This post is designed to teach you how to do your own research, how to receive REAL informed consent (not the rushed one they do a foot from the operating table), and decide for yourself what is best for YOU. I will also talk about spinal health since the recommended surgery involves my cervical spine.
Read MoreMost Americans are not healthy. The reasons are numerous, but I want to focus on seven of them today. First, data published in the February 2019 issue of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders found that only 12.2% of the population is optimally metabolically healthy. The percent of adults aged 20 and over that are overweight or obese is 73.6%. The percent of adults aged 20 and over with obesity is 42.5%. In 2008, 107 million Americans—almost one out of every two adults aged 18 or older had at least 1 of 6 reported chronic illnesses: cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Here are seven contributing factors.
Read MoreI have written articles about systemic fluoride before, but today I want to focus on one manifestation of excess fluoride called fluorosis. Fluorosis means fluoride toxicity and its manifestations. The symptoms range from mild to severe and typically show up in teeth and bones but include other aspects of the body. Today, dental fluorosis has been trivialized, yet 8 to 51% of children in fluoridated communities suffer from dental fluorosis, and 3 to 26% of children in non-fluoridated communities suffer from dental fluorosis due to its presence in much of our food supply. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control reported 41 % of American adolescents now have dental fluorosis. In this post, I will show you how to identify it, and talk about what you can do to prevent and cope with it.
Read MoreI have written numerous posts on the plight of our small jaws over the years. So I thought it might be a good idea to share the story of mine, and what I have done about it. Maternal smoking, lack of breastfeeding, soft food, swollen tonsils, sinus problems, a deviated septum, and attractive orthodontics all played a role. The good news I was able to correct every problem. I will tell you how at the end of this post.
Read MoreMuch has been written about a new study that claims Viagra can reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 69%. I purchased the study and took a look at their data. I liked the study and the researchers are reporting their findings with accuracy. The problem is they are using standard statistics to describe their findings. To the unsuspecting public, it may appear as if a new miracle cure has been found. Sadly, this is far from the case. I am, however, excited about their findings. Let’s take a look at their findings.
Read MoreUnfortunately, we have an overwhelming tendency in the health profession to address diet, exercise, smoking, and drinking over the simple fact that just having a solid relationship is more important. Dr. Debbie Stoewen, a veterinarian and registered social worker, has observed that of the eight aspects of wellness, only two are commonly addressed in medicine; physical and environmental. As a result, I unintentionally spend much more time talking about them on this site and in my office to my patients. The other six components are intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, and financial. 3 These remaining aspects of wellness have a high degree of overlap and interconnectedness. In this post, we will take a brief look at them.
Read MoreI was on a digital detox this week and therefore did not look at any research or explore new topics in health. I was incidentally celebrating my sixtieth birthday at the same time. During the week, I saw some old college friends, one of whom I had not seen since 1985. I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I went on social media after my detox was over to look at pictures from the past. I found this one of me in a striped shirt from 1985 that my dad took by our pool. My wife always tells me that she thinks I look just as good as the younger me, so I got the crazy idea to try and strike the same pose and see how I really stack up to a younger man. We had a good laugh trying. She claims to like the silver fox with the fancy watch better! Unfortunately, many of the years in between the photos were spent with avoidable health problems. This post will cover what happened and how I was able to get healthy and strong again.
Read MoreI want to share a shocking brief digital simulation showing how our faces have been drastically shrinking over several hundred years. I got it from Dr. Michael Gelb DDS in NYC, who got it from best-selling author James Nestor. Please concentrate on the lower face; you will see how the jaws are shrinking and moving back toward the throat. This causes the tongue to partially or fully occlude the airway, especially when we sleep. You should also notice how the face is less attractive now. In fact, it is rare to see someone who has realized their potential for full facial development. People with properly developed faces will always have straight teeth, room for their wisdom teeth, superior beauty, and better health. Whatever they do for a living, they appear to be actors and models. Since most of us have underdeveloped faces, this epidemic has gone primarily unnoticed by us, including most physicians and dentists. This needs to change because, as you will see in this post, it is one of the major contributing factors for many, if not most, of our modern health problems.
Read MoreMy son and I went to a sold-out comedy show at a large venue for the first time in over a year and a half. It was amazing to finally spend a normal night enjoying ourselves. The next day I felt unusually good. I thought the laughter may have had something to do with it. Research into laughter is quite common, so I thought I would share some info with you, like why we do it, and why it is good for us.
Read MoreHuman evolution has resulted in our total domination over most of the plants and animals of the world. There are many reasons for our success as a globally dominant species, and I will start covering them in future posts. But in part one, I will focus on our superior hunting skills and our adaptations for them, that rank among the best explanations for our success.
Read MoreOne of my central warnings on this site is we must avoid eating processed carbohydrates to stave off disease and optimize our health. I have written about it so much that I believed everyone who reads my posts understands what they are. Recently, I have spoken to people who think processed carbs are donuts and cake, not bagels and sandwiches. This post is dedicated to them and all who need a reminder about what processed carbohydrates are, and why they should be avoided. If you don't want to read the whole thing, skip to the end, where I tell you how to identify them and list the most common sources of processed carbs.
Read MoreBefore the advent of farming, our jaws were larger; our faces were broader, our teeth were straight, we had adequate room for our wisdom teeth, larger brains, and more space in our throats to breathe. It is a virtual certainty that our changing diets contributed to crooked teeth and a lack of adequate space for wisdom teeth and constricted airways. SMALL JAWS CAUSE BIG PROBLEMS. Heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, ADHD, depression, and anxiety are a few. In this post, I am going to cover how our lifestyles have changed leading to our current problems, and what we can do about it.
Read MoreEvery workday, I review my patients' medical histories. It is usual for most of them to have health issues. Upon reviewing their medical problems with them, I find that their lifestyles are frequently partially and sometimes wholly responsible for their poor health. Today I thought it would be good to do some statistics, and I want to share my results with you. You will probably be surprised how unhealthy we are. Before we continue, let me ask you a few questions. What percentage of Americans have an illness? What percent are on prescription medication? What percentage of us have allergies? What percent are overweight? How many missing teeth does the average person have? Ready for the answers? Make sure you are sitting down. The figures are not pretty.
Read MoreAs many of you know, I started the carnivore diet on January 1, 2020, hoping to give it one year. The year sped by without me experiencing any significant issues being a carnivore. I cured two chronic orthopedic problems (thumb and elbow) and improved my body composition, sleep, mood, and more. I achieved near-perfect health and wellness. I decided to start adding plant-based items, including some alcohol back into my diet and see how I fared. My goal was to add variety to my diet, not to improve my health, as it was about as good as it gets. It went poorly. This post will cover what I learned about adding things back into my diet.
Read MoreAlmost two years ago, I wrote a piece on lip incompetence. Surprisingly, it has gotten more consistent attention than any other blog I have done. It is a condition where the lips cannot form a seal when your jaw is at rest without straining. It can cause a variety of dental, health, and social problems. For these reasons, it should be diagnosed and correct as soon as possible. If you suspect you may have this condition, consult with your dentist as soon as you can. There is very good research that shows a simple exercise you can do right now can help immensely until you get definitive treatment. Read on…
Read MoreYou have 8760 hours each year to work on your health. You don’t need to be a goody-two-shoes all of the time, just most of it. Spending 2 hours a year with the hygienist will not negate spending the other 8758 hours eating processed carbs. It is up to you to learn what you need to do to be healthy. Luckily, when you eat the foods good for your mouth, you are also eating the exact foods that are good for the rest of you. For a quick list of the other things you need to be doing, read on.
Read MoreAlmost half of the people in the U.S. do not meet the recommended amount of aerobic activity per week, so when I recently spent a week in South Beach, I was impressed at the number of people jogging outside in the balmy weather. Unfortunately, many joggers are hardly specimens of optimal health and remain so after many years of effort. Sadly, often running by itself proves to be little more than a waste of time, with zero results and increased injury rates. I want to muse a little on why that may be.
Read MoreIron is most often associated with anemia when it is low, but it is one of the most critical elements necessary for all life on the plane. Fully one-third of the world's population suffers from iron deficiency. The rate jumps to 2/3 in developing areas. Iron overload (too much iron in the body), which is also called hemochromatosis, is also quite common and is associated with a long list of pathologies and diseases, including early death. The problem with detecting undesirable iron levels lies in the fact that most doctors don't order the correct tests. The tests that they do order have lab value ranges that allow problematic levels to go undetected. The post will address the correct tests your doctor should order to correctly identify problems with your iron levels.
Read MoreThe topics I usually cover in my posts center around tangible ways you can improve your health. I am not sure if it fits into that mold, but some research claims it is beneficial to your health and well-being. I also have the first-hand experience that it helps. I am talking about ASMR, and I have it, but I never knew that most people don't experience it. I will explain what it is later, but I would like to talk about my personal experience with it first.
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