What is REAL Healthcare? PART 1

What exactly is REAL Healthcare?

In order to answer that, we first need to define real Health.

The sad thing is that nowhere in the medical text books is there a clear definition of health!  

In fact, medical doctors are not taught about health.  Instead, their training is focused exclusively on pathology and disease.  Unfortunately, the training chooses to place all the emphasis on the treatment of disease and pathology, rather than on enhancing health, wellness and prevention.  It also places a premium on the Germ Theory of Disease, which is now known to be severely flawed.  Modern medical training also completely ignores the fact that your body possesses an inborn and pre-programmed propensity to express it’s optimal genetic potential.  

This is not to say that modern medical training is wrong or unimportant.  Only to clarify, that it’s usefulness is best realized in treating acute disease, trauma or pathology.  Medicine is all about Disease-Care.

But what about providing HEALTH Care?

The World Health Organization defines health as:  

“A state of Complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.”

Though this is a good attempt at a broad definition of health and recognizes that health must include a broader focus than merely on the lack of pathology, it is still a definition which allows for broad interpretation.

Dr. Doug McGuff and John Little, in their superb book, Body by Science, offer another definition:  

“A physiological state in which there is an absence of disease or pathology and that maintains the necessary biologic balance between the catabolic and anabolic states.”  

(Catabolism is the break down of the body and Anabolism is the building up of the body...a delicate balance that must be maintained in order for the body to express it’s genetic potential.  This balance is also influenced by environmental factors/stressors; thus the World Health Organizations recognition of mental and social well-being.)

The problem with the prevailing medical paradigm is that it takes the approach that humans are sick with chronic illness because of problems that arise from within, i.e., from “bad” genes or “bad” cells, or because of exposure to dangerous germs.  Modern research in the field of Epigenetics has proven that nothing could be further from the truth!

If we can recognize that, at the point of conception, there is a pre-programmed “Optimal YOU” and that the balance and process of Anabolism and Catabolism is the result of inputs from our environment, then we can begin to understand a broader definition for HEALTH.

As long as our body get’s the proper inputs, it will maintain the proper balance of building up and tearing down.  It will maintain the proper balance of Ph, blood gasses, electrolytes, neurotransmitters, hormones, etc.  It will grow, develop and express it’s best version of itself possible.

If, however, we expose ourselves to inappropriate types or amounts of “stressors”, our bodies will begin to move away from the optimal, pre-determined balance for gene expression and will move toward a state of “adaptive physiology”, i.e., compensation.  The problem with the body moving toward compensation is that the more it moves away from proper physiological balance, the less adaptable it becomes, the more it must compensate.  Over time, this leads to enough change in our physiology that we express the signs and symptoms of disease.

The sad reality is that we, as a species, are the sickest species EVER to walk this planet!

We, as Americans, spend more on “healthcare” per capita than any other nation on earth, yet, over 80% of our population is suffering from at least one chronic, degenerative disease.  What does the medical community offer as a solution?  How about the latest pill, potion, lotion or procedure to poison, cut and burn what ails you!  (Again, these remedies may be appropriate for treating the symptoms of acute disease, pathology and trauma, however, they do NOT restore proper balance and health...EVER!)

In order to understand REAL health, let’s look at our situation from a biological <em>systems </em>point of view...

Have you read about the changes that are occurring in the animal kingdom?  Reptiles are being born with both sex organs, extra or missing limbs and eyes at alarming rates.  (Many biologists consider reptiles to be the “canaries in the coal mine” as far as environmental changes are concerned.)  Or, have you ever noticed what happens to animals when we take them out of their natural, wild environment?  They get sick and often die early.  (Anyone who has tried to rescue a wild bird as a child has probably experienced this.)  

Zoologists know that animals in captivity will develop diseases not found in the wild because of the dramatic changes to the animals environment.

4000 years ago, Mankind became domesticated wild animals.

We moved from being nomadic hunter-gatherers who ate seeds, leaves, roots, nuts, berries, meat and fish that was seasonally available and settled into the “safe”, predictable life of farmers relying upon, not much previously eaten, but easy to grow grains, as well as domesticated fruits, vegetables and meats.

Over the past 100 years, that life-style and food supply radically changed from small family farms providing local food for local consumers, to a huge network of Agribusiness conglomerates who use massive amounts of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and other non-sustainable farming practices which have seriously depleted our soil of minerals and nutrients and polluted our water tables.  During that same time, humans beings have also produced tens of thousands of new chemical compounds which never existed in the environment before.  The cumulative toxic effect of which is just now being realized!

During the past 100 years, chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, cancer and many other strange new medical bedfellows have increased exponentially.

So what has changed...our genetics or our environment?

As Dr. James Chestnut so eloquently states in his outstanding book, The Wellness and Prevention Paradigm; 

“As long as people can convince you that your physiology is somehow magical and that you are not governed by the same natural laws as every other animal, then they can convince you that you can behave in ways that would make other animals sick while you somehow remain magically unaffected.”

(I see this statement play out all the time as people tell me about all the heroics and effort they go through to ensure biologically appropriate food for their pets, while they personally continue to regularly go through the drive-thru of their local fast food “restaurant.”)

So, the fact is that the real insidious threat to REAL Healthcare, is that as long as you believe that you are somehow exempt from the laws of physiology and nature, you will also freely believe that you don’t have any power or responsibility when it comes to your own health.

Even well educated, well meaning and good doctors believe this to be true!

As proof, and to introduce you to one Doctor who HAD to learn to think differently, to ask different questions and to recognize the power of bringing our genetic potential in line with the laws of physiology and nature, I invite you to watch the following 17 minute video of Dr. Terry Wahls.  (www.terrywahls.com)

Please MAKE the time to do this.  It will help you understand what Dr. Lolin and I have been teaching for the past 15 years as we have focused on empowering our patients to take charge of their own health and become less reliant on ANY doctor.  

THAT, should be the goal of REAL Healthcare...to Teach, Lead and Empower people to achieve their own peak potential for health and happiness.  Not  to offer them a continuous stream of pills, potions, lotions and procedures.

Here's the video.  Please Watch This!

Be well,

Dr.Pete