Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

Flynny — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:52:20 GMT

it's all well and good to say that you can rise above your genes and take control of your own health, but someone please explain to me how someone with CYSTIC FIBROSIS is supposed to have good health? My boyfriend has CF--he is genetically predetermined to have a pancreas that does not function properly, and his mucus secretions are much larger than a "normal" person's. He gets lung infections frequently and must be on antibiotics all the time. Also, his digestive system's function is impaired--he does not absorb the nutrients he needs from food easily. Please, I would really like to know how simply eating right could cure him.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

Alice Whaley — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:20:37 GMT

Hi, I wore glasses for 50 years. I went to a doctor who gave me glasses to help not hurt

my eyesight. Anyway, except for driving, I never use glasses anymore.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

d0ct0rJ — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:11:20 GMT

I agree with qualitygeek how what our parents and grand parents ate effects us. Part of what makes it easy to believe our genes control our health destiny is that it takes the responsibility

off of us. Nobody wants to be wrong about anything. People take a "don't worry be happy" approach to health, unfortunately the end result is sickness loss of vitality and early death.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

Dr. Jim Stickle — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:44:52 GMT

Fantastic, Dr Chestnut! The paradigm shift is probably the only thing that will bring true health to this country and resolve the "Health Care Crisis". aka Sickness Care and Promotion

Found this quote from genetic environmentalists. Genetics loads the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger. Now this gives us the possibility of changing the genetics we pass on to our kids and being able to create generational health that leads to true riches in life.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

SADOC_MD — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:00:40 GMT

Please note folks, that the thumbs up and thumbs down evaluations have been reversed, probably by a computer gremlin ! I noted all the thumbs down evaluations, and after testing the system found that by giving a "thumb up" the reverse was recorded!

So, to record a "thumb up" you actually need to click on "thumb down"

Most of these comments so far deserve a "thumb up" !

Neville Wilson MD.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

curious7 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:34:45 GMT

Disease does not just happen. We as human beings contribute to thses illnesses, via our lifestyle, or exposure to toxins. Of course some also come from other Generations, but we provide the trigger. We for the most part want to eat what we will, drink what we will. Then we want to consume tobacco products, and some illegal drugs. Then there is the question of our personal morals. Some think multiple sex partners is just fine. We do not realize how many germs we exchange during the very act of sexual intersourse. Ours is a lifestyle that can make or break us. Some do not like to exercise, some like to stay awake all hours of the night, or burn the candle at both ends. We like processed foods, or we reject vegatables, and fruits. Some of do not know any better, and this is where our school system has failed our children. Good health means we must be personally involved, we must research, research, research. This is too important to leave to someone else.

"80 10/10" By Dr. Doug Graham

"Vibrant Helath" by Dr. N. W. Walker

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

Tiger_Lily — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:27:08 GMT

I started out a very healthy child, who had lots and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables to eat growing up. But as soon as the doctors, and amalgam wielding dentists got a hold of me, I had severe rheumatoid arthritis as a teen, many viruses throughout high school, was forced to wear glasses that caused such bad astigmatism that I would never be able to go without them. Now I have some autoimmune issues that are slowly fading because I have rejected any more of their poisons and toxins, and ridiculous treatments, including flu shots. I have refused so many treatments for issues caused by the mercury poisonings of the amalgams that the doctor will not talk to me anymore. Good riddance, I say.

A side note: As a young child, I refused to wear the glasses the school said I needed, but they had insisted on making my parents take me to an optometrist, who also later admitted making the glasses stronger than I really needed each time because of some "changes" my eyes were supposedly going to make. By refusing to wear the glasses I did not need, which for a while kept me from having as severe astigmatism, but still, I have it so bad that I have to have them for driving. But each time I refused to wear the glasses, my eyes would improve on their own! I was forced to wear the glasses in school, so therefore, they did make my eyes much worse after wearing them that much. It became apparent to me that children that are not forced to wear glasses do not need them later on. A child's eyes go through some natural changes, and those are normal, but they also grow out of it. When eye doctors force a child to wear glasses (assuming no physical problem), it insures that child will grow up to need them as an adult.

I trust no one wearing a lab coat trying to thrust unnecessary shots, fillings, glasses, treatments, medicines (so-called), or canned advice.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

Rett — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:35:59 GMT

I wish it were that easy. I struggle every day not to eat the stuff that I know is responsible for my poor health. Right now I want a carton of some pomegranite/blueberry ice cream after I eat a vine ripe tomato sandwich with a generous slathering of mayo that was made with soybean oil. I have resisted buying the ice cream and I don't have any in the house but I do have the bread and the tomatoes and that whole grain white bread. lol I started learning about alternative, natural, nutritional approaches to my health issues after a mild heart attack in late 2001. I have a husband who things I'm crazy to not follow my doctor's orders with almost a dozen prescriptions to deal with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, psoriasis, lung function from smoking most of my life. I have refused all this and two doctors sent me certified letters giving me 30 days to find another doctor. This third doctor is no better and I've not seen him in almost two years. Now I have this phobia against needles because my veins roll and they blow out and it's just such an awful experience and I can't make that call because I know the first thing they will do is draw blood. I shiver when I think about it.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

RichJedi — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:24:31 GMT

The Chinese have looked at the same issues of what real health is millennia ago. They were looking for the "elixir of immortality" and in their deep and comprehensive research they found over time, especially the Buddhists and Taoists in particular, that the real source of life and "immortality" which really means longevity to them, was not primarily in what foods, minerals or herbs ones took. They came to realize through much experimentation and observation of nature that the real source of life was already present within the body itself. Its source is in the breath and the mind and that source is the bodies life force or Chi.

The martial artists contributed greatly to this understanding, for it was they who in their observations of nature through animals, trees, clouds that many martial arts techniques and styles were invented. Animal styles such a Tiger, Crane, Monkey and countless others all used certain breathing techniques when they were in combat for greater power and endurance. They also used certain breathing techniques when sick to recover from illness. From these and many other observations they imitated those breathing techniques and practice and found that those who did, did not get sick while other people would get sick on a regular basis and that their physical power, strength and toughness increased significantly, sometimes to fantastic levels.

When combined with proper diet, herbal support, meditation to further cultivate and support the development, strength and balance of ones chi and balanced physical exercising, such people virtually never got sick and lived far longer than normal, sometimes well over 150 years and more. Of course in this mostly lazy society most people are not willing to truly do the work required or make the changes of mind or action necessary to achieve this, so they keep looking for that magic bullet, the quick and easy path..but there is NO such thing at all. Chinesehealthandfitness.com

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

brandi43 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:49:32 GMT

I love this article. I just started reading Wallce D. Wattles book about how you think about your health and this sounds very much the same. About three years ago I weighed 225 lbs., had acid reflux, IBS, high blood pressure and just felt like garbage all the time and was on a bunch of perscriptions. I left my high stress job, lost 75 lbs. started using EFT and taking the stairs to my new office on the 4th floor. I feel so much better and am looking forward to even better health with the new information I get from this site and the Wattles book. We are in control of our lives. If we sit and wait to be sick we will get sick. Life is short - know you are healthy and you will enjoy health. We must take care of the one body we have, we are worth it!

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

vitalhealth_2 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:40:32 GMT

Thank YOU, Dr. Chestnut! In 1993, I enrolled in a Naturopathy course and while I studied, I said to myself...'This is NO different than the allopathic health business. This is STILL treating, but naturally'. I thought to myself, how do I change or convey this when the whole culture is based on 'fix me' rather than' live healthy' and not even worry about getting sick in the forefront of our thoughts? Fix me with meds or fix me with natural components or therapies is still the same thought system. I have taught (or tried) to teach this one by one. Then in 1996, a company I ran across believed in these principals as well, so worked with them to help influence this way of living. Hallelulya!! Since then, you are the first person, Dr. Chestnut that I've heard about who wants to change this thought system in a big way, instead of one by one, as I am doing. I have a Mother that is 89 and if her eyelash hurts, she run to the doctors. It just drives me nuts! No matter what I say, or do, and live by the example I teach, she just 'doesn't get it'. It is a tough thing to do. The beliefs are so ingrained in people, but we still must do everything we can, one by one, to get the belief of the body only knows wellness first, rather than the mind being manipulated by our culture. Dr's getting it in school and people getting it crammed from the docs and the media. It is SO engrained, it as it a 'gene' has developed for this belief of 'fix me'. So thank you for this contribution you starting via Social Networking model to keep reconfirming health and wellness is the basic foundation. I am 57 and most people think I am in my mid to late 40's. I think having a belief in wellness and living in that thought system first since I was about 25 has a lot to do with it! :) Thanks again.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

Heather Marsh — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:46:01 GMT

I have learnt much and hope to learn much more!

Twenty years ago Jonathan S Christie's book showed me that omega 3 and 6 oils were neccessary for the effective function of the prostaglandin cycle (plus various vitamins and minerals, that processed oils were denatured oils and useless for this function - and actually impede it.

More recently I learnt that not only do these oils need to be in their natural state, their intake needs to be close to a 1:1 ratio, and the more weighted in favour of omega 6 our intakes are, the more likely we are to succumb to an inflammatory disease or autoimmune disorder.

Further reading leads me to the belief that the biblical fable of Abel and Cain describes one of our choices for ill. Agriculture has made civilisation possible, but living and eating as we should almost impossible. Had we proceded on the path of "Abel" our health and that of our planet would not be in its current sorry state.

For those who do not know the story, Cain was the father of agriculture, builder of walls and fences, and Abel was a nomadic shepherd.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

Katee Roux — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:39:36 GMT

I'm afraid that for some of us this is closing the barn door after the horses are out. I believe many of my problems were started/caused by conventional medicine when i was a teen & didn't have much choice or knowledge to avoid their treatments.

So now it is a matter of trying to regain a balance long lost.

And what Dr. Mercola said about alternative therapies having the same paradigm as conventional is often true. I worked with a naturopath over a year ago in attempt to recover. It took some time, but what i found she was doing was working within a "conventional medicine" box but by using supplements & herbs as her medicines. She was trying to treat symptoms without going for cause.

I so totally agree that mindset must change, not just treatment alternatives.

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

dotdcline_203 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:57:49 GMT

Just what causes low sodium, my lipid levels have been testing "low sodium" for the last few times, and yet the M.D. who orders the tests has no explanation. How does low sodium affect a person? What are the ramifications? How does one correct low sodium?

re: Changing Your Beliefs About Health and Illness

DougB_203 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:43:47 GMT

An amazing thing about the human body is its ability to repair, regenerate and thrive even after being mistreated for a long time. Take me for example, 3.5 years ago, after following the conventional diet for 44 years, I was 5'6, 192 lbs, borderline high blood pressure, borderline high cholesterol, extremely high triglyceride [over 600], having bad reflux [being treated for 3 years].

Then the moment came that I changed it all. My education lead me to conclude this wasn't the required path, and after much research into many nutritional issues, I started following a paleolithic diet. That lead to a dramatic 50 pound weight loss over 8 months, at which point my reflux was gone [I quite the proton pump inhibitor I was taking, prevacid], blood pressure was normalized, triglycerides came in at 45, cholesterol reading were in the 90th percentile of healthy.

At that point, I was weighing in at about 140, and was feeling much lighter and healthier. I would say that simply changing to this diet reversed about 75% of the damage, during the 1st year. I further realized that at 46, to get to an even higher level of health, I needed to rebuild the lost muscle of middle age. No one knows better how to do that then body builders. After extensive research into the physiology involved in body building, I embarked on a quest to rebuild this lost muscle. So at 46 and 140 pounds, I modified my exercise program, and modified the diet I was on to follow established body building macro nutrient parameters. Now 2.5 years later, I am a very learn, very strong 47 year old. I have put on at least 20 pounds of muscle, lost even more fat them before. My weight is 148. I don't live in the gym, its simply 1 hr working out, twice a wk that is optimal, all anaerobic.

This all leads me to believe that health is truly in our own hands. I believe most people are at about 40% of their potential health, some far worse. I believe at least 75% of illness being treated is due to poor diet.