Health and Illness Simplified

Circle any of the Following that Applies to You!

Acute Fatigue
Malaise
Weakness
Delirium
Tremors
Backache
Chronic Indigestion
Muscular Twitching
Abdominal Spasms
Impaired Memory
Depression
Impaired Concentration
ADD/ADHD
Hopelessness
Headaches
Sweating
Anorexia
Numbness
Cramps
Restlessness
Mark Irritability
Mental Disturbances
Confusion
Heart Palpitations
Crying Spells
Cold Hands/Feet
Anti-Social Behavior
Fainting/Blackouts
Mood Swings
Negative Attitude
Anxiety
Vertigo
Muscle Pain
Phobias
Blurred Vision
Joint Pain
Suicidal Tendencies
Convulsions

I like to keep things as simple as possible when talking about health and disease. In a nutshell, there are two systems that control your body. The nervous system (brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, autonomic nervous system) and the meridian system (acupuncture points and channels). Both systems monitor and control all other systems, including the immune system, and maintain optimal function of our organs, glands, muscles and bones. They also regulate the production and distribution of neurotransmitters, hormones, peptides, and enzymes to name a few.

When the nervous system and/or meridian system is out of balance we typically end up with a pain, symptom, illness or disease. As a physician, my job is to locate the imbalances affecting the nervous and meridian systems, remove the blockages be it physical, emotional or spiritual and let the body heal itself.

Whenever I do a lecture, seminar, or workshop I always have the symptom list from the beginning of the chapter at the beginning of my talks. After everyone has had a chance to look over and circle the symptoms that pertain to them. By now I hope you too have circled any symptom that applies to you. Basically, if you circled more than one, there is a problem. Our nervous and meridian system are working at peak potential.

If you have circled one or more on the list, then you are either not taking care of your physical body by mastering the essentials of optimal health – proper water, food, exercise, rest, sunlight, breathing and laughter – or you are repressing, suppressing, or ignoring thoughts, feelings, emotions and beliefs related to unresolved conflicts, issues and events in your life. Plain and simple!

When we are not mastering the essentials of optimal health as well as burying our emotions and feelings, our bodies speak to us in the form or symptoms. The most common symptom is pain. When our thoughts, feelings, emotions and beliefs are not allowed to be freely expressed throughout the body, then we get sick. We call it illness, syndromes, or disease. Call it whatever you like. What it all boils down to is that we are not functioning physically, emotionally or spiritually at our full, optimal potential.

Unfortunately, in today’s society, when we have symptoms of pain, insomnia, upset stomach, depression or anxiety, we typically self-medicate with prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications to suppress symptoms. This is the equivalent of driving down the road in your car, having your check engine light up. You then pull off the side of the road, open the hood and cut the wire to the check engine light and resume driving. The warning light has been turned off but, the problem is still there. If we continue to medicate and suppress the body’s language of how it speaks to us then we could potentially end up with a serious debilitating or life threatening condition.

For people to take charge and responsibility for their health requires a shift in perception about health and disease. We are not merely victims of fate or chance with disease or loss or health affecting our bodies. Truth be told, health is a choice and on the flip side, disease is a choice. The worst thing we can do is buying into a disease process putting our entire health care needs at the mercy of any health care provider. Taking responsibility for our own health can be frightening to many because it challenges traditional dogma about disease. Once we come to the realization that we are not bound in chains to germs, genetics, and the limitations of our current health care system. Once we realize that the most important factor between health and disease is our own thought processes we can then be set free.
A Word about Genetics

Since this always comes up, I would like to point out that genetics has been blamed for the increased rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, allergies, asthma, learning disorder and so on. A hundred years ago the rates for all these diseases were nothing compared to what they are today. It is statistically impossible to attribute the increased rates of these conditions solely to genetic defects. I have always believed that genetics have become a cop-out for people not taking responsibility for their own health. I often hear, “My mom had diabetes, so it is just a matter of time before I get it.” “I have high cholesterol because it runs in my family.” NO! It’s because you weigh three hundred pounds, don’t exercise, and eat like crap! Blaming your genes does not fly in my office or with me.
Let me emphasize, certainly, certain diseases have their roots in true genetic defects; Down’s Syndrome, Taysach’s, sickle cell anemia, retinitis pigmentosa. My intent is to not hurt or insult those born with true genetic defects. We do not just get diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke or obesity; we earn them! We earn them by not adhering to the basics or optimal health: proper hydration, diet, exercise, rest, sunlight, breathing and laughter, and by repressing, suppressing and ignoring our thoughts, feelings, emotions and beliefs.

The exciting thing about genetics is that everything that we have been taught in schools about genetics has been found to be incorrect. We have been taught that we are victims of our genes, we are powerless. What we get from mom and dad is what we get and there is nothing we can do about a concept known as genetic determinacy. It has now been demonstrated by pioneers such as Bruce Lipton Ph.D. that it is our perceptions and beliefs that dictate what genes are turned on and what genes are turned off. Studies are now suggesting that we now have the ability to re-write our genetic code by changing our beliefs and perceptions about our environment. Our wondrous bodies are truly self-regulating and self-healing. When we master the essentials of optimal health as well as eliminate all disharmonious blocks, barriers and beliefs related to health, disease, love etc. our bodies can and will heal from any affliction.

In conclusion, I would like to point out that many physicians will look at the symptom list at the beginning and proceed to diagnose a patient with depression, bi-polar, anxiety, or fibromyalgia. From there they would typically be medicated for those conditions. Truth be told, the symptom list is just a partial list of symptoms I got from Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. The condition they are describing is “Hypoglycemia: low blood sugar.” One would think that changing one’s lifestyle routine would be the most logical choice. How many friends, family members and loved ones that you know have these complaints only to be diagnosed and treated via prescription drugs for depression, bi-polar and anxiety when simply adjusting one’s lifestyle choices could have eliminated the symptoms completely. Most will never know unless we shift our perception about what truly causes imbalances in the body.

How many friends, family members, or loved ones that you know have these complaints only to be quickly diagnosed with depression, bipolar, anxiety – only to be pushed out the door and with a prescription for depression or anxiety. When simply adjusting their lifestyle routines could have eliminated the problem. Many will never know until they shift their perceptions about what truly causes imbalances in the body.