212. double punishment
Our collective narrative — the stories passed down through generations to help the next succeed — has become lost amid a rapidly advancing world. No longer can we agree on a path forward, as a result, our health suffers. All this stems from a profiteering medical system that seeks to “better” humanity by further disconnecting us from our natural past, and what gave us the strength and vitality to thrive up to this point, instead creating greater discord within our body.
We’ve been misled in thinking that there is no knowledge to be drawn from our past that can improve our health, when everything in life, and especially science, has been built upon the foundation that came before it. What works sticks, what doesn’t sloughs off. Now we are led to believe that the best way to capture health is NOT to look back to what gave us strength and vitality in the past, but to look forward to what science can manifest. That medicine has the power to save us from ourselves, if only we take this or cut that out. All the while we casually walk down the path of double punishment, losing who we are, along with the health we are trying to reclaim.
76. salutogenesis
What are the origins of health? Aaron Antonovsky sought to answer that question in his 1979 book entitled Health, Stress and Coping. In it, he introduced the term salutogenesis, which places emphasis on the elements that promote health, rather than the factors that strip it away and cause disease (a.k.a. pathogenesis). It’s a radical departure from the “pill for every ill” ideology we’ve all become accustomed to in the traditional healthcare model. Much like myself, Antonovsky rejected the theories of the “traditional medical-model dichotomy separating health and illness” and instead figured that one can only exist in the absence of another.
Today, more than ever, the majority of people seem to only be worried about not getting sick, rather than taking actions to optimize health. Unfortunately, if you continue to think this way, it’s important to understand the fundamental truth that you’re never going to be able to get healthy by doing the same things that made you susceptible to poor health to begin with. Perhaps, it’s the hypnotic narrative of fear perpetuated by daily body counts on the “News” that keeps you holding on to the current medical model. Yet, it is not your savior and it was never designed to make you well to being with. It’s time to start to think differently. The origins of health aren’t rooted in medications or vaccinations, they come from making the right decisions that work for you and your biology.
To illustrate the fundamental difference between the current pathogenetic medical model and the idea of salutogenetic model, let me ask you this. Say, your friend entrusts you to take care of their plant while away on vacation. While they’re gone, you see the leaves starting to turn brown. What do you do? You can paint those leaves green, or you can give the plant what it needs? (Here’s a hint, it’s not electrolytes!) I’m assuming, that since it’s not 2505, your first thought is to give the plant water. The browning of the leaves is a symptom of something not right with the plants biology. Painting the leaves green is akin to taking medication to “solve” the problem, yet only serves to mask the symptom.
Taking the analogy further, think of yourself as the plant. Are you giving yourself the proper things you need to thrive? Do you know what they are? Or do you wait until things start to breakdown, and then search for medications to suppress they symptoms of your faulty lifestyle? This isn’t meant to be harsh so much as eye-opening. Remember, I can’t make you change unless you want to.
You came into this world with only one responsibility, and that was to take care of yourself. Somewhere along the line, most of us surrender our power to a system that seeks profit over health, that manipulates our understanding of what health is, how it’s achieved, and maintained. Staying within this mindset keeps us looking in the wrong direction. We are continuously looking forward in time for the latest medication or vaccination to save us. It’s a faulty and dangerous premise. Instead, we need to look backward to the past, to see what made us strong enough to prevail thousands of years to get to this point where our health is crumbling. I’m a firm believer in the salutogentic model of health as it seeks to define the origins of health. Those origins fall directly in line with the ancestral approach I have successfully applied with my clients in the past, and will continue to use it with anyone who wishes to break free from the tragic paradigm that is the modern “healthcare” system. It’s time to change the way we think. Sometimes a step backwards can be a step in the right direction.
73. wtfru waiting for
Most peoples health is so poor that they don’t have the energy to take care of themselves in order to meet the very basics of what it takes to achieve a foundational level of health. This is why the medical system is so profitable. They prey on the weak — both in mind and body. But, it’s more important than ever to understand that it’s not a medical system. It’s a disease maintenance system designed to make money through the suppression of symptoms, not the elimination of disease by an accumulation of health. It’s a system that doesn’t make money when people are getting better.
Why don’t you hear about the value of sleeping well, mitigating stress, improving digestion and detoxification pathways, optimizing nutrition, and finding activities you enjoy that influence you to move on a daily basis? Because their bottom line is more important. There is no cohesive message because if there were, people would start to develop a baseline level of health and profits would decline. It’s a fucking racket. Everyone needs to take responsibility for their health. Unfortunately, it takes energy for people to invest the time to change, as well as forcing them to acknowledge that most of the “information” they’ve been trained to see as truth is not serving them, but those they seek for service.
In the current climate, a strong foundation of health is more powerful than any intervention or government mandate — whether it be masks, closures, or social distancing. The latest CDC data — as of August 26, 2020 — shows that only 6% of people died FROM Covid-19, whereas 94% died WITH Covid-19. What that basically means, is that if you treat your body well and are a healthy individual, then you really don’t have much to worry about. That is an important distinction, and really illustrates the crux of what I am getting at with all my bluster. On the other hand, if you treat your body like a used condom like the majority of this country, then YES you are at risk, but hopefully you’re coming to the understanding that your risk isn’t due to me wearing a mask or not. It’s because you CHOSE to live a lifestyle that isn’t conducive to optimal health.
Fortunately, all hope is not lost. If anything this situation should serve as an awakening for people to take responsibility for their health, and not rely on the disease management system. If done right, it can take as little as 3 months to completely change the direction in someones life for the better. But it’s up to you to make that move. So, if you want more life, vibrancy, health, safety, strength and energy, then what the fuck are you waiting for?
72. just a thought
Yesterday, through the introduction of a friend, I met someone for the first time. As she approached, I saw she was wearing a mask, so to be polite, I asked if she would like me to put my mask on so we could sit down and talk. “No, I don’t think it’s necessary.” I agreed, I didn’t think she needed her’s either, so she took her mask off and we proceeded to have a great conversation.
In the small community of people I interact with, I’ve found that none of them really care about the “safety procedures” of social distancing or the need to wear a mask. And to be honest, I’m fine with that because I don’t find the merit in doing so either. Before the Karen’s and Kevin’s jump down my throat because my mouth is exposed, let me explain myself.
Everyone I surround myself with is deeply entrenched in the health, fitness, research, nutrition, functional medicine, and the strength and conditioning world. They are not IG influencers searching for likes or part of the Dr. Oz tribe that likes to lead you down the yellow brick road of bullshit. These people are not average in anyway. They are the people you look for when you want to improve your health or get in shape because the government guidelines on health you’ve been following haven’t worked. They are people I respect, because they place their health as a top priority in their life. I’m assuming this is strange to hear as it sounds like some type of cognitive dissonance. They want to be healthy, yet they don’t follow the guidelines or wear a mask?!? GASP! They must be crazy, right?
No, they are not crazy. Nor do I think they are dangerous or careless. How could they be? They are the best at what they do and it shows. They, much like myself, stopped listening to the “wisdom” the government was shoveling in our direction many years ago, and it’s subsequently the reason why they have acquired the health they have. If these people aren’t worried about the biggest health crisis of our lifetime, maybe we should start to ask why, and take on some of their practices so that we can get on with life. Perhaps the “information” you’ve been hearing on the News isn’t the best advice to lockdown your health in these uncertain times. Just a thought.
70. covibesity
The News is full of information about how to not get sick, yet rarely provides any information regarding what you need to do to actually improve your health. Whether it’s due to sheer ignorance, or scare tactics meant to keep you tuned in, neither is helpful for creating a healthier and safer you. There needs to be more emphasis on the foundational things we can do to bolster our health.
A study entitled Individuals with obesity and COVID‐19: A global perspective on the epidemiology and biological relationships was recently published in the Journal of Obesity Reviews. It goes in to the affects of COVID-19 on those who are obese, stating that obesity increases the risk of death by nearly 50%! You would think with news like this, we would hear more about what can be done while we all sit at home and wait for a vaccine besides order take out and shelter in place.
Anyone who has been into a Wal-Mart lately will know that obesity problem may be just as large as the actual pandemic itself. The US has some of the highest obesity rates in the world, with the US government data showing more than 40% of Americans as obese with the trend rising. According to the World Health Organization, “obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese.”
Assuming there is a correlation, why isn’t this being talked about? Probably because it’s easier to sell you a vaccine than it is to ask you to change your lifestyle. Unfortunately, the study also mentioned the vaccines being developed to address the COVID-19 “will be less effective for individuals with obesity due to a weaker immune response.” And, don’t think that because you don’t consider yourself obese, you’re safe. Metabolic derangement can happen at any size and is the leading cause of obesity! The need to talk about the small things to improve health is becoming more and more important as time goes on. However, the we wait to gather this rather obvious information, the more at risk we become.
With poor health being endemic during this pandemic, what more do you need to hear to put your health first? There is no easy button for achieving better health. Not a vaccine. Not a mask. Not social distancing. Health is cumulative. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to reverse any damages done to your body, and with that will come an increase in your susceptibility to COVID19, as well as whatever else 2020 decides to throw at us. For better or worse, a lot of us were given months to get our priorities in line, to lose weight, improve our sleep habits, focus on a little bit of exercise, and reassess our lives. With the information that you can’t simply wait the virus out until a vaccine comes along, hopefully you can use the remainder of this gift of information and time to work on improving your lifestyle.
67. lions, tigers, and bears. oh, my!
The news has been nothing if not a promotion of fear, alarmism, and anxiety. There is no real mention of how to actually take care of ourselves or how to improve our health. Why? All we get are message reminding us to social distance, wear a mask, stay inside, and hold out for a vaccine because this virus is so bad. Maybe it’s so bad because no one has any clue of what it is feels like to be healthy. But the facts are that Corona disproportionately affects the metabolically challenged and immunocompromised the most, a.k.a. the least healthy among us. Not surprisingly, both of these conditions can be exponentially impacted with positive lifestyle changes. Yet, we hear nothing of value, just how bad it’s getting.
At the beginning of each News broadcast, you’ll hear these frightening statistics — 800,000 deaths and 24,000,000 cases world wide! (Lions, tigers and bears OH MY!) Why not tell people that around 95% of the cases are mild, with only 3% being serious, and less than that being deadly? Why is fear the best option? Newsflash, it’s not. Stress induced states of mind lower our immunity, but I’ll play the game. Here’s some scary statistics: globally, 60 million people die every year. Locally, the latest mortality report from the CDC stated there were roughly 3,000,000 deaths in the United States in the year 2017. That breaks down to around 650,000 people dying from Heart Disease; 600,000 from Cancer; 80,000 from Diabetes; 50,000 from Suicide, just to name a few. And the scariest fact about that is these things are largely preventable! Where are the daily updates for these? Why has Corona been chosen to be the “crisis” that it is? Better yet, why are you waiting until now to think about your health?