I am sure you have all experienced in the doctor's office not being seen on time, techs taking more tests without an explanation from the doctor, incomplete understanding of symptoms, lack of rapport with the staff and doctor, lack of communication, procedure-driven ideologies, expecting compliance without questions, discounting your desires, unmet expectations, being left in examination rooms for long periods, and being treated as a low-priority. So today, I want to talk about bad medicine, specifically the doctor-patient relationship, and how you can find good medical care.
Read MoreMeat has long been associated with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. However, most studies are demographic studies or use food recall questionnaires. Both have limitations compared to clinical trials, and so, are lacking. For this reason, most governmental dietary guidelines include meat as a nutritious part of healthy eating, even with its undeserved bad reputation. Conversely, authorities have prompted the spread of vegetarianism and veganism, based on the assumption that non-meat diets provide more health benefits than diets that include meat. A recent study that included 90% of the world’s population showed a strong correlation between higher animal-based food consumption and longer lifespans. I will break the study down in today’s post for its strengths and weaknesses.
Read MorePhilosophers 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 MoreI suffered from cold sores for my entire life. The things I noticed that brought them on for me were:
Sudden weather changes.
Too much sun exposure.
Lack of sleep.
Co-occurring illnesses like colds.
Nothing worked to prevent or treat them for me. Trust me; I tried everything.
Lifestyle Is the Best Prevention
Almost two decades ago, I changed just about everything in my life in an attempt to regain my health. I do not get Herpes Labialis cold sores anymore. I will talk about how I did it in this post. I will also talk about more conventional treatments as well.
Read MoreWe hunted and gathered food found exclusively in the outdoor environment. As such, we evolved to be outdoors in the Sun for much of the day. Therefore, the advice given by dermatologists to avoid the Sun runs contrary to the evolutionary evidence. New information about the human body's optical qualities is reshaping our stance against sunshine. Near-infrared (NIR) light penetrates deeply into our body, unlike UV and visible light. Evolutionarily, the human body has developed optical mechanisms to gather and localize NIR photons in the most sensitive areas of the human body: blood vessels, retina, brain, skin, and even the womb. Research has demonstrated that NIR stimulates the production of antioxidants deep within our cells at the sub-cellular level. We use the reservoir of antioxidants to enhance the body's ability to contend with changing conditions throughout the day. I will cover some amazing things light does for our health and how you can maximize your light exposure.
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 MoreCoenzyme Q10 has two main functions. Most importantly, it helps us make ATP, our energy source for life. Since it is critical for energy production, it is most abundant in heart muscle, pancreas tissue, the brain, and the liver. The other function is to increase some of our essential antioxidants and act as one. Many factors can contribute to CoQ10 deficiency. These are aging, disease, dietary deficiency, statin drugs, and increasing tissue demands. Although our bodies make it, it is easy to get from foods, it is one of the more popular supplements available today because evidence shows it is beneficial for our health. This post will cover what it is, what it does for us, and how you can maintain adequate levels.
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 MoreWe should all understand that Protein is essential for good health, and numerous studies tell us that the quality AND quantity both matter. I am going to highlight two new studies that looked at animal versus plant protein consumption and their effects on our health. I will cover some quick and easy tips on how to maximize your protein intake for better health. Lastly, I will introduce Private Tim Hall.
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 MoreHave you noticed that fear is consuming a large segment of the population lately? Initially, we directed our worries at the virus. However, more and more, we are focusing our fear and anger on the unvaccinated. The same goes for anyone with an opinion that differs from the mainstream; they get labeled as misguided purveyors of vaccine hesitancy. All the while, the media seems bent on stoking fear and hatred. Prevention and treatment are nowhere to be found in their narrative. Dr. Mattias Desmet is a psychologist and professor at the University of Ghent who believes that the conditions of loneliness and isolation, coupled with free-floating anxiety associated with the frustrations and agitation, plus no sense of life's purpose, can have explosive consequences. For example, large numbers of dissatisfied, fearful, confused, and isolated people can suddenly band together in common cause against a sudden event that they identify as the sole cause of their misery. The sudden focusing on a single apparent threat provides immediate and palpable relief from the myriad longstanding pressures of isolation, confusion, and free-floating anxiety and discontent. Dr. Desmet calls this phenomenon mass formation.
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 MoreLanguage is the one thing that truly sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. It has enabled us to adapt to new environments and situations much faster than evolution allows. Indeed, many aspects of language act in parallel with evolution. Since speech leaves no physical clues for archeologists to find, little is known regarding when and how we acquired it. Christine Kenneally explains the problem of exploring the advent of language in her book The First Word. She states, "For all its power to wound and seduce, speech is our most ephemeral creation; it is little more than air. It exits the body as a series of puffs and dissipates quickly into the atmosphere. ... there are no verbs preserved in amber, no ossified nouns, and no prehistorical shrieks forever spread-eagled in the lava that took them by surprise." Scientists have had a difficult time piecing together the story of how we developed language. This post will cover some of their findings.
Read MoreDespite us all having unique personal versions of reality, politicians, media, entertainment, social media, search engines, and advertisers continually influence us into the specific beliefs they wish us to have. We have followed their advice (many times without even knowing it) and are in terrible health anyway. I say we consider declaring our independence from them and learn to take care of ourselves. It can be confusing and difficult, but it will pay off sooner than you think. This post will cover some of the background of how we got into this mess and two important things we can all start doing today to break free and get on the road to better health.
Read MoreMany traditional ways of measuring your risk for having a heart attack are not nearly as accurate as many believe. For example, many believe that our total cholesterol and LDL are the best indicators for heart disease, but the association is weak. As far back as 1964, Garrett, Horning, and Creech found no definite correlation between serum cholesterol levels and the nature and extent of atherosclerotic disease. They published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The famous Framingham heart study concluded in 1977 that HDL was a much better predictor of heart disease than LDL, and total cholesterol was not associated with any risk. In 1997, The Lancet published a paper on the elderly that showed for each 18 mg/dl increase of cholesterol, the chance of death went down by 15%. Amazingly, they also found that mortality from cancer and infection was significantly lower among the participants in the highest total cholesterol category. We believe these readings to be the best way to predict heart disease because we have been told to. Today I will show you some more statistical hocus pocus that helped promote these tests, and tell you about a much more accurate one you should get.
Read MoreIn the recent past, we have spent too much time looking at our genes as the cause of many of our health issues. It has not been nearly as fruitful as we had hoped when we initially mapped the human genome. Newer work is focusing on the events in life that, as it turns out, have a much more dramatic effect on our health. As much as 90% of disease comes from our experiences, not our genes. The name for everything that happens to us in life is called the exposome. This post will unravel some of the environmental influences on the growth of our faces. I call it the Craniofacial exposome. Hopefully, you will learn how to grow a better face!
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