Do you know what optimum health is?

• Rarely, if ever, missing work or play because of a cold, flu, or other similar illnesses.
• Having tons of energy without the need for caffeine or other harmful drugs or stimulants.
• Having no trouble falling asleep or waking up in the morning; and sleeping at least 7 hours non-stop.
• Having a naturally positive attitude and outlook. (Yes, your health can greatly impact your emotions.)
• Knowing that if you get hurt or need surgery, you will heal quickly and without side-effects.
• Looking forward to a long, healthy life without degenerative diseases.
• Reducing or eliminating completely your use of pharmaceuticals.

Here's a profile of your average American eating the Standard American Diet (SAD):

They experience average or below average health, probably get a few colds every year, maybe even the 10-day flu every other year or so, from which takes them about 6 weeks to fully recover. They drink coffee in the morning to get them going and maybe a cup in the afternoon, too. They often feel tired after a meal,and frequently experience bloating, indigestion or heartburn. (They keep Tums by their bed in case they wake up in the middle of the night with heartburn.) They crave sugar and carbohydrates. Something is probably wrong with their bowels - usually constipation (not going every day). They get regular headaches or suffer from migraines. They have trouble falling asleep, or wake up 2 or 3 times in the night to go to the bathroom and are so used to this that they have no idea what restorative sleep is. By the time they are 50 or maybe younger they are on high blood pressure medication, a statin drug for their high cholesterol levels and maybe a Cox 2 inhibitor (Vioxx etc) for their painful joints. No doubt they are overweight and are probably well on their way to Type II diabetes.

IS THIS YOU? IF SO, THIS IS NOT GOOD HEALTH. YOU DESERVE TO FEEL BETTER.

If you decide to work with me, consider me your health coach. I am experienced, prepared and determined to support your new journey.

Getting healthier will require effort from both of us, but you get to do most of the work. I've already done much of my work and am actually a work in progress (as we all should be), so I know how to do it. I have studied health for years and diligently keep current on the latest information, so I know how to guide you in the right direction.

It's your turn now to get healthy. I can't eat for you. I can't make your daily choices for you nor can I exercise for you. I can, however, make available to you recommendations and information on many health issues - what is good, what is bad - and I can answer most of your questions. If I don't know the answer to something I guarantee I will find you the answer. I can examine your diet, your lifestyle and explain to you where you are going wrong and just tweak things to help you start moving in the right direction.

We will go over nutritional and herbal supplements which will probably be necessary for you at first since everyone I see is toxic to some degree: The body must be clean to accept nutrition effectively.

Let's look at a couple of examples now: What about a headache? It's really not an Advil deficiency, is it? However, if you go to an M.D. she may prescribe a variety of painkillers for your headache. She and her peers were taught in medical school that their primary purpose is to eliminate pain, not necessarily to find and eliminate its cause. In my kind of medicine, we do things differently. We look at your headache as a symptom or messenger of an underlying problem. (Substitute the word headache for almost anything: Diarrhea, lupus, cancer, heart disease, skin rashes, heartburn - the list is endless). To simply give a painkiller is tantamount to shooting the messenger. We prefer to listen to the messenger - no matter how painful the message is - then try to heal the body so that it will stop sending us these painful messages. It is necessary to eliminate causes so that the body may regain its "homeostasis", then the symptom goes away naturally.

Symptoms never appear for no reason.

Healers in Europe are leaps and bounds ahead of us. It's called Biological Medicine there and means that healers treat the body naturally, bolstering the immune system, addressing diet and lifestyle and using homeopathic, herbal and nutritional remedies rather than toxic drugs. Many experts in the field of Biological Medicine believe that degenerative diseases, such as cancer, can be the result of a lifetime filled with the suppression of symptoms. They feel that the problems which remain uncorrected get pushed deeper and deeper into our bodies without ever being helped, until they finally surface as a major degenerative disease.

Let's look at another example. This time let's envision a house that is filled with termites. After many years, the termites have quietly albeit successfully destroyed the structural integrity of the wood throughout the house. The floor joists are weakened, the roof beams are getting ready to break and some of the walls would collapse at the slightest shudder of the earth. One fine day, an overweight friend comes to visit. He walks up the termite-weakened front steps and the step gives way. Until this moment , you had no idea about the termite problem until this symptom appeared. You could, of course, fix the step, but it would do nothing to eliminate the real problem, which is termite infestation throughout your whole house. If the real problem is not addressed, then it will simply show up as a different symptom at a new location. Today a step, tomorrow a floor board, the next day the house sinks a bit. . . .

We can't just fix the symptoms of a headache or a step in a termite infested house. We need to find out where the headache is coming from and why the step broke. Just as it takes years for the termites to destroy the inner structure of our house, it may take years, or even decades, to cause major degenerative diseases. Things like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, environmental illness and many others do not just come upon you overnight.

Furthermore, you cannot expect your body to be able to eliminate these diseases and heal itself in just a few weeks or months no matter how good your health professional is. It takes time. The healing process takes diligence, patience, hard work , a great deal of will power and a real committment. Many times, people will find that it is too difficult, or too expensive or too time consuming to make all the changes that may be necessary. However, many people who turn to holistic treatments have been able to assist their bodies heal from diseases that medical doctors have given up on.

What About Medical Doctors?

What about traditional medical doctors versus non-traditional healing practices? I am certainly not against allopathic medicine. If I broke my leg, I would be first in line at the ER. If I were in a car accident, I would beg for the paramedics' treatment, rejoice in my ride in the ambulance to the emergency room where I would gratefully expect trauma experts to save my life. If I couldn't lower my blood pressure naturally within a reasonable amount of time with nutrition and life style changes, I would have no problem with taking blood pressure medication. However, I do have a problem with the speed with which medical doctors prescribe toxic chemicals, such as antibiotics for the flu or dangerous statin drugs for mildly elevated cholesterol levels. Many doctors even perform certain surgical procedures which their own studies have shown to be unnecessary , ineffective or detrimental.

I, on the other hand, cannot "prescribe" any pharmaceutical. It is not allowed under the terms of my license. However, I can educate you, and suggest non-pharmaceutical and dietary measures to help you normalize your body and bring it back into healthy homeostasis after which you may find that you no longer need to take strong chemicals. A medical doctor may tell you that vitamin and mineral supplements are a waste of money even though numerous studies in excellent journals have shown otherwise. Yet in the next sentence, s/he may prescribe a cholesterol lowering drug or an antidepressant, both of which list hundreds of known side effects.

Some practitioners feel that it is not possible to mix alternative and traditional health modalities. I'm not one of them. Too many practitioners in all fields of health and medicine sometimes think that their modality is the best one, and this is wrong. I believe that sometimes a combination of many modalities is called for. For example,when a patient has cancer and decides to go the traditional route with chemotherapy or radiation, I will be there to support her with health-giving supplements and advice. Or, if a patient decides that he must have his Lipitor or her Lisinopril I will find supportive nutrition both to enhance the pharmaceutical effects and mitigate the harmful ones.

In my many years of practice, and in my extensive study of the healing arts and sciences, I have discovered that a closed-minded or all-knowing practitioner whether he be alternative or mainstream, can be his or her patient's worst enemy. For your own sake, please choose open-minded health professionals on both sides of the table and investigate all your alternatives. For example, if you have cancer and your medical doctor suggests a course of chemotherapy, ask her for the statistics regarding the treatment being prescribed and read them for yourself. When the doctor looks up a few studies for you, she is liable to learn that the treatments prescribed have never been shown to extend life. Shrinking a tumor, without extending life, is an exercise in futility, much less great discomfort for you with the attendant hair loss and nausea.

Never believe that anyone has all the answers no matter how forceful or influential they may sound. If one of your medical professionals doesn't want to answer your questions or puts down other treatment measures you are taking, then think twice about having this person as part of your health team.

To close, I would like to remind you that good health requires both the correct information and the intention and will power to put that information to use. Health does not come simply from taking vitamins or herbs while continuing an otherwise unhealthy lifestyle.

If you are tired of the long journey through dis-ease and un-health, you must prepare for the journey towards optimal health. You certainly deserve it.

The rewards of vibrant health are too numerous to list and might possibly change your life forever.

Are you ready?

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