The Health Fundamentals podcast: Recent Episodes
Chad Woolner
Welcome to the Health Fundamentals Podcast! We provide simple, actionable answers to the most common health questions, concerns and problems. We believe that when it comes to changing your life, it doesn't need to be complicated. In fact, it's highly unlikely that you'll ever see significant lasting changes when you approach things this way. Our mission and vision for changing the health of our community and world is through getting back to the fundamentals. We believe that the highest levels of health will be achieved when we: 1. Understand the Truth That Health Comes From the Inside. 2. Our Approach Towards Health is One of Simplicity & Consistency. 3. Our Body is Functioning Correctly Both Mechanically & Chemically. 4. We Are Mentally, Emotionally & Spiritually In-Tune. 5. We are Fueling Ourselves Properly.
About the Guest(s): Dr. Chad Woolner Dr. Chad Woolner is a distinguished expert in health and wellness, particularly focused on the fundamentals of sustainable health practices. As the host of the Health Fundamentals Podcast, Dr. Woolner aims to transform the conventional understanding of weight loss, moving beyond simple diet and exercise models to address deeper cellular energy issues. His holistic approach seeks to empower individuals with knowledge and practical strategies to achieve optimal health.
Episode Summary: In this enlightening episode of the Health Fundamentals Podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner delves deep into the misconceptions surrounding weight loss, challenging the traditional emphasis on diet and exercise. He proposes a groundbreaking perspective on why many experience weight loss resistance despite following "ideal" programs. Dr. Woolner aims to unveil the unspoken root cause behind weight management—cellular energy—emphasizing that without addressing this fundamental aspect, conventional methods are doomed to fail. Through this paradigm shift, he introduces listeners to a more effective strategy for weight loss that begins at the cellular level.
Using basic science principles, Dr. Woolner illustrates why the traditional narrative of "eat less, move more" is misguided. He explores the vicious cycle of weight loss resistance, connecting chronic stress, low cellular energy, and metabolic stagnation to weight management issues. By utilizing terms like "mitochondrial health" and "cellular energy crisis," Dr. Woolner paints a comprehensive picture of how stressors deplete energy levels, leading to broader systemic issues like insulin resistance and visceral fat accumulation. He advocates for a novel approach, introducing the concept of using low-level laser therapy and other holistic methods to rejuvenate cellular energy and break the cycle of weight resistance.
Key Takeaways: * Cellular Energy is Key: Traditional focus on diet and exercise misses the mark if underlying cellular energy deficits aren't addressed. * Root Causes of Weight Loss Resistance: Stress, metabolic stagnation, and poor mitochondrial function are central issues. * Holistic Weight Loss Approach: Utilizing low-level laser therapy and lymphatic flow strategies can effectively enhance cellular energy. * Misleading Promises of Weight Loss Drugs: Medications like Ozempic focus on symptoms rather than the true underlying problems. * Sustainable Transformation: Real, long-term change comes from addressing cellular energy, revising diet systematically, and adopting new mindsets.
Notable Quotes: * "The real root issue is something that literally no one is talking about right now." * "When stress in all of its forms starts to create those increased demands... it starts to impact various chemical signals." * "If you've been struggling in this cycle of weight loss resistance, just understand and know it's not your fault." * "True health and healing is about doing the right things in the right order for the right amount of time." * "The power of this is it starts addressing the real root issue."
Resources: * Book: Brain Energy by Dr. Chris Palmer * Book: Good Energy by Callie Means * Zerona Laser: Low-level laser therapy device used for cellular energy enhancement.
For a deeper understanding of Dr. Chad Woolner's holistic approach and methodology for effective weight loss, tune into the full episode. Stay connected to the Health Fundamentals Podcast for more transformative insights that guide you towards living your healthiest life.
Dr. Chad Woolner: Dr. Chad Woolner is a seasoned chiropractic physician and the host of the Health Fundamentals podcast. With over 16 years of clinical experience, Dr. Woolner is dedicated to transforming the health and well-being of his patients. He is known for his innovative approaches, aiding practitioners nationwide with insights into chronic health issues. As a passionate speaker, he frequently presents to healthcare professionals, sharing effective health strategies and insights.
Episode Summary: In this episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner explores the transformative concept of viewing health as a skill rather than a pill. As we navigate through the challenges of maintaining our New Year's resolutions, Dr. Woolner shares personal experiences from his martial arts journey to emphasize the importance of practical living over theoretical knowledge in achieving better health. He introduces listeners to the often-overlooked power of habit and identity change as key elements in sustaining health improvements.
Listeners will uncover critical insights into why habits based on identity shifts are more sustainable and impactful. Dr. Woolner delves into the societal pressures and marketing strategies that often lead individuals to seek external solutions for health issues, thus diminishing their sense of personal empowerment. This episode serves as a motivational guide for those pursuing resolutions, focusing on the importance of skill development in health improvement.
Key Takeaways: * Health should be approached as a skill developed through consistent practice and habit rather than a quick fix or external solution. * Real-world application of health knowledge is crucial, similar to practicing martial arts to successfully employ techniques. * Majority of chronic health issues result from environmental and lifestyle factors, not mysterious or complex medical conditions. * Sustained habit improvement stems from identity shifts, where individuals align their daily practices with the person they want to become. * The book Atomic Habits by James Clear is highlighted as a valuable resource for understanding habit formation and identity change.
Notable Quotes: 1. "The power to make those changes lies within you." 2. "Our health is literally no different; it's about the knowledge applied in the real world." 3. "Health as a skill instead of health as a pill." 4. "Habits are largely driven by this idea of identity." 5. "Health truly does come from within."
Resources: * Book Mentioned: Atomic Habits by James Clear
Listeners are encouraged to tune into the full episode for a detailed exploration of developing health as a skill and to discover more insightful content from the Health Fundamentals podcast.
Dr. Chad Woolner is a Meridian Chiropractor
Episode Summary: In this episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner explores integrative approaches to managing chronic pain from both neurological and holistic perspectives. Chronic pain affects millions of adults in the United States, representing a significant public health issue and economic burden. Dr. Woolner discusses the limitations of traditional pain management strategies, particularly the over-reliance on opioids, highlighting the need for more comprehensive, multi-faceted approaches.
Dr. Woolner emphasizes the importance of understanding the complexity of chronic pain, which involves physiological, biochemical, mechanical, social, mental, and emotional factors. He advocates for integrated approaches that combine various tools and strategies, such as low-level laser therapy, chiropractic adjustments, nutritional modifications, mindfulness techniques, and patient-driven active care. He underscores that effective pain management requires patients' active participation in their recovery journey, challenging the passive "fix me" mindset.
Key Takeaways: * Chronic pain is a multifaceted issue necessitating integrative, holistic approaches. * Traditional pain management, especially opioid reliance, often exacerbates the problem rather than solving it. * Low-level laser therapy is a foundational tool for jumpstarting the healing process by boosting cellular energy. * Patient engagement and active participation in their care dramatically improve outcomes. * Strategies like chiropractic adjustments, nutritional changes, mindfulness techniques, and exercise play crucial roles in managing chronic pain.
Notable Quotes: 1. "The best approaches are integrated approaches." - Dr. Chad Woolner 2. "Chronic pain is a complex, highly multifactorial issue." - Dr. Chad Woolner 3. "Patients have to be active participants in their care to get the very best results." - Dr. Chad Woolner 4. "Low-level laser therapy can provide the body with the much-needed energy to jumpstart the healing process." - Dr. Chad Woolner 5. "Aerobic exercise and resistance training can have a profound impact on chronic pain." - Dr. Chad Woolner
Resources: * Book: "Brain Energy" by Dr. Chris Palmer. * Low-Level Laser Therapy: Enhances cellular energy and facilitates the healing cascade. * Nutritional Resources: * Foods rich in pre and probiotics: kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt. * Foods high in healthy fats: fatty fish, avocados, olive oil. * Techniques Mentioned: Neurofeedback and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for regenerative therapy.
For more valuable insights and detailed discussion on integrative approaches to chronic pain management, tune in to the full episode. Stay tuned for more enlightening content from the Health Fundamentals podcast.
Episode Summary: In this enlightening episode of The Health Fundamentals Podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner delves into the fascinating world of low-level laser therapy (LLLT). As a non-invasive treatment modality that relieves pain and accelerates healing without the need for drugs or surgery, LLLT is a revolutionary approach gaining significant traction in the medical field. Dr. Woolner shares his firsthand experiences and insightful stories about incorporating LLLT into his practice, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of its mechanisms and benefits.
Throughout the episode, Dr. Woolner emphasizes the scientific backbone supporting LLLT, specifically the usage of Erchonia lasers. He explains the foundational science behind different wavelengths, such as 405 nm (violet), 520 nm (green), and 635 nm (red), and how these wavelengths trigger various cellular responses that enhance healing and reduce inflammation. Furthermore, the discussion explores the practical applications of LLLT in treating a wide array of health issues, from musculoskeletal pain to chronic health problems like thyroid and gut issues.
Key Takeaways: * Non-Invasive Healing: Low-level laser therapy is a potent, non-invasive treatment that can help alleviate pain and support healing without the need for medication or surgery. * Mechanism of Action: The effectiveness of LLLT is largely due to its ability to produce a photochemical effect in cells, increasing ATP production and promoting improved energy balance. * Wide Range of Applications: LLLT has proven beneficial for various health conditions, including different types of pain (neck, shoulder, back), chronic health problems (autoimmune disorders, thyroid issues), and even as a tool for non-invasive fat reduction. * Scientific Backing: There are over 10,000 studies on PubMed showing LLLT’s efficacy, highlighting its pain-relief, tissue regeneration, and cell repair benefits. * Safety and Efficacy: Erchonia lasers are FDA-cleared, highly safe, and have virtually no reported adverse effects, making them suitable for a broad demographic, including animals.
Notable Quotes: * "I can't unsee what I've seen with these lasers. I've just seen way too much." * "The highest energy output lasers that are used are those that are using 405 nm or violet light, 520 nm green light, and then 635 nm red light." * "When we talk about true lasers, we're talking about a coherent light source. When we say coherent, what that means is the waves are traveling in the same direction." * "At a fundamental level, it's all about energy. If we can supply the body with energy, the body intelligently knows how to take that energy and apply it in the most appropriate manner for its highest benefit." * "90% of your patients will notice some type of a positive effect from just one treatment."
Resources: * Align Integrated Medical Meridian - Dr. Chad Woolner's clinic * The Laser Light Show Podcast - Hosted by Dr. Chad Woolner and Dr. Andrew Wells * PubMed.gov - Source for research studies on low-level laser therapy * Erchonia Lasers - The provider of the lasers discussed in this episode
If you're intrigued by the potential of low-level laser therapy and want to explore its numerous benefits for yourself, don't hesitate to listen to the full episode. Stay tuned for more enlightening discussions and stories that bring you a step closer to optimal health and wellness.
About the Guest(s): Dr. Chad Woolner: Dr. Chad Woolner is a distinguished chiropractor, health practitioner, and the host of the "Health Fundamentals" podcast. With years of experience in the healthcare industry, Dr. Woolner has dedicated his career to educating individuals on practical, fundamental principles of health and wellness. He specializes in metabolic health, chronic disease prevention, and holistic health approaches. Dr. Woolner is known for his ability to demystify complex health topics and present them in a straightforward, understandable manner.
Episode Summary: In this episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner explores the persistent problem of metabolic health issues such as diabetes, hormone imbalances, and other related conditions. Despite the abundance of modern treatments, pills, and fad diets, many people still struggle with these health concerns. Dr. Woolner dissects why conventional methods are failing and presents a compelling argument for an alternative approach centered around basic, upstream thinking.
Dr. Woolner highlights the crucial need to address root causes rather than just symptoms. He delves into the role of lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, and stress management in regulating metabolic health. By focusing on simple, time-tested strategies that align with the body's natural processes, he offers a clear path to achieving and maintaining optimal health. The episode underscores the importance of understanding the body’s inherent intelligence and using it to guide health choices.
Key Takeaways: * Understand the Root Causes: Identifying and addressing underlying causes of metabolic dysfunction is crucial rather than merely managing symptoms with medication. * Body’s Innate Intelligence: Recognizing the body’s capability to self-regulate and heal can significantly change health outcomes. * Role of Lifestyle Changes: Diet, exercise, and stress management are fundamental in restoring and maintaining metabolic health. * Impact of Stress: Chronic stress in various forms (physical, mental, emotional) significantly disrupts metabolic and hormonal balance. * Importance of Upstream Thinking: To solve chronic health issues, shifting focus upstream to root causes is imperative.
Notable Quotes: 1. "The truth transforming your health and your life is simpler than you've likely been led to believe." 2. "The body is incredibly intelligent, it's incredibly adaptive and resilient and it is designed to express health." 3. “What we are doing is not working. When you look at the statistics, they’re a little concerning.” 4. “There’s such a complex level of inherent and innate intelligence within the body that it is hard to even fathom.” 5. “The strategies that we employ to achieve health need to work in harmony with assisting the body to express health.”
Resources: * Dr. Chad Woolner’s Website: Chad Woolner * Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Report
This episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast encourages listeners to rethink their approach to health by focusing on fundamental, simple lifestyle changes. By understanding and leveraging the body's natural intelligence, individuals can make meaningful strides towards better health. Stay tuned for more insightful conversations and practical health advice in upcoming episodes.
About the Guest(s): Dr. Chad Woolner is a renowned health expert and the host of the Health Fundamentals podcast. With years of experience in the chiropractic and wellness field, Dr. Woolner is dedicated to simplifying health and wellness strategies. He emphasizes returning to the basics and utilizing time-tested methods to achieve optimal health. Dr. Woolner's expertise includes holistic health practices, longevity strategies, and the use of various therapies such as saunas.
Episode Summary: In this episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner delves into the extensive benefits of sauna usage, both traditional and infrared. With saunas' deep-rooted history in Scandinavian culture, Dr. Woolner explores the numerous studies that reveal significant health and longevity benefits from regular sauna sessions. As he navigates through the profound research, he highlights the cardiovascular, detoxification, pain relief, and relaxation advantages brought about by these heat therapies.
Sauna Types, Benefits, and Mechanisms: Dr. Woolner breaks down the primary categories of saunas: traditional and infrared. Traditional saunas typically reach higher temperatures, averaging between 175 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, while infrared saunas operate between 120 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, making them more accessible for home use. He shares his personal experience with infrared saunas, emphasizing their affordability and ease of use. Besides the relaxing nature of saunas, Dr. Woolner discusses key mechanisms such as the release of dynorphins, heat shock proteins, and the activation of the FOXO3 gene that contribute to improved cardiovascular health, pain relief, weight loss, and enhanced immune function.
Practical Advice and Recommendations: Throughout the episode, Dr. Woolner provides practical advice for integrating sauna sessions into one's health routine. He stresses the importance of hydration, particularly recommending the use of electrolyte supplements like LMNT. He also discusses the importance of combining sauna use with regular exercise and a healthy diet, expressing how these foundational strategies play a crucial role in overall health and longevity. Dr. Woolner's thorough exploration and personal insights make this episode a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their health through sauna therapy.
Key Takeaways: * Types of Saunas: Traditional saunas reach higher temperatures compared to infrared saunas, which are more affordable and convenient for home use. * Health Benefits: Regular sauna use improves cardiovascular health, aids in detoxification, relieves pain, enhances relaxation, and improves skin health. * Mechanisms of Action: Saunas trigger the release of dynorphins, production of heat shock proteins, and activation of the FOXO3 gene, all contributing to longevity and stress resilience. * Practical Integration: Ensuring proper hydration during sauna sessions is essential; consider using electrolytes like LMNT. * Comprehensive Health Strategy: Saunas should be used in conjunction with regular exercise and a healthy diet for optimal benefits.
Notable Quotes: 1. "The more frequent people use saunas, it again, proportionally has an impact on overall lifespan." 2. "Sweating can be a really profound way to help terms of just getting the body to detox itself." 3. "These can be such profound enhancements to diet and exercise and other healthy lifestyle strategies." 4. "Sauna isn’t a standalone in the sense that it can compensate for a lack of exercise or a lack of diet for that matter." 5. "Saunas can be one of the most powerful and simple tools to use in your overall arsenal of health and longevity strategies for yourself."
Resources: * LMNT Electrolytes (recommended product for hydration during sauna use) * Dr. Rhonda Patrick - Research on Sauna and Cold Therapy * Dr. Andrew Huberman - Huberman Lab podcast discussing dynorphins * Studies and Journals Mentioned: * Journal of the American Medical Association * Annals of Clinical Research * Canadian Family Physician * Experimental Biology and Medicine
Discover more about the profound impacts of saunas and how you can incorporate this incredible health tool into your daily routine by tuning into the full episode. Stay tuned for more insightful content from the Health Fundamentals podcast!
Episode Summary: In this episode of the Health Fundamentals Podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner thoroughly explores the world of chiropractic care. Dr. Woolner aims to demystify chiropractic by addressing its safety, effectiveness, and mechanisms. As an experienced chiropractor and educator, he shares insight into the history, theories, and techniques used in chiropractic care, along with evidence supporting its benefits.
The discussion starts with the origins of chiropractic care, founded by DD Palmer in the late 1800s, and its evolution to modern practices. Dr. Woolner dives into the diversity within chiropractic techniques and philosophies, addressing common misconceptions. He explains various theories on how chiropractic adjustments work, highlighting the role of neural input and mechanical corrections. The episode also includes a critical analysis of the safety of chiropractic care, debunking myths about its risks, particularly the erroneous link between cervical adjustments and stroke. Dr. Woolner emphasizes that chiropractic is incredibly safe and effective, with very low malpractice insurance rates as evidence.
Key Takeaways: * Chiropractic Origins and Evolution: The beginning of chiropractic care by DD Palmer in the late 1800s and its progression to modern techniques. * Effectiveness and Evidence: Chiropractic care is supported by evidence for various musculoskeletal issues, showcasing its impact on neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, and more. * Mechanisms behind Adjustments: Explanations of how chiropractic adjustments work, including theories related to neural inputs and mechanical corrections. * Safety of Chiropractic Care: A thorough debunking of myths regarding the safety of chiropractic, particularly the misconception linking it to strokes, supported by statistical evidence. * Diversity in Approaches: The wide range of techniques and philosophies within chiropractic care, offering multiple options for patient needs.
Notable Quotes: 1. "The reality of it is, so few of us doctors understand everything about any field of medicine deeply." – Dr. Chad Woolner 2. "There's something inherently therapeutic about human touch, and I think there will never be a substitute for that." – Dr. Chad Woolner 3. "Chiropractic is incredibly effective for a lot of different musculoskeletal health issues as well as other health issues as included." – Dr. Chad Woolner 4. "Chiropractic has proven time and time again to be incredibly safe. We pay the lowest malpractice rates among many healthcare practitioners." – Dr. Chad Woolner 5. "The end goal should always be what's in the best interests of the patient." – Dr. Chad Woolner
Resources: * UK Evidence Report * Dr. Scott Haldeman's Commentary on the U.K. Evidence Report * Dr. Heidi Haavik's research
For a deeper understanding and more insights into chiropractic care, including its safety, effectiveness, and various techniques, tune into the full episode. Stay tuned for more enlightening content from the Health Fundamentals Podcast!
Welcome to the Health Fundamentals podcast with Dr. Chad Woolner. In today's enlightening episode, Dr. Woolner delves into the crucial topic of integrated strategies for cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders, capturing the urgency and timeliness of effective brain health solutions. He begins by emphasizing the expansive complexity of brain health, contrasting it with the simplicity and practicality of effective treatment protocols. This episode is also tied to the launch of Dr. Woolner's neurology program, underlining the significance of actionable, research-backed strategies in combating brain health issues.
Throughout the episode, Dr. Woolner underscores the importance of a comprehensive treatment approach to cognitive health. He advocates for foundational strategies such as diet and exercise, reinforcing their role as major "needle movers" in preventing and alleviating neurodegenerative conditions. Dr. Woolner meticulously explores essential themes including mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroenergetics, brain oxygenation, metabolic healing, and network resetting, providing listeners with clear, actionable steps to enhance brain health. Drawing from a plethora of research and personal insights, this episode serves as a critical guide for those aiming to improve or maintain cognitive function.
Key Takeaways: * Integrated Approach: Dr. Woolner highlights the necessity of a multi-faceted approach in combatting neurodegenerative disorders, combining diet, exercise, and advanced therapies. * Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Central to cognitive decline is mitochondrial dysfunction. Addressing and enhancing mitochondrial function is crucial for brain health. * Neuroenergetics and Oxygenation: Increasing cellular energy using low level laser therapy and improving brain oxygenation through mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy are foundational steps. * Metabolic Healing: Restoring metabolic sensitivity through proper diet, high-quality supplements, and possibly intermittent fasting is vital for brain function. * Network Connectivity: Strategies like neurofeedback and regular exercise are essential for enhancing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, facilitating better network connectivity in the brain.
Notable Quotes: 1. "Just because the brain is incredibly complex...does not mean that the approaches we need to take to dramatically improve brain health need to be complex." 2. "All roads lead one way or another to mitochondrial dysfunction being at the heart of a lot of these issues." 3. "The best diet for neurodegenerative conditions? The answer is the one the patient is willing to follow and stick to." 4. "Exercise increases levels of BDNF, which works to improve the function of neurons, encourage their growth, and protect them against cell death." 5. "At the end of the day, we have a variety of tools, strategies, and resources at our fingertips that can significantly move the needle when combined in a systematic way."
Sudies Referenced:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35163773/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10377111/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3422529/pdf/zpt619.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7564723/pdf/biomolecules-10-01247.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8888529/
https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/14/6/327
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9224343/
https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/60/3/369
Resources: * Brain Energy by Dr. Christopher Palmer * Spark by Dr. John J. Ratey * Fasting for Life Podcast
Enhance your understanding of cognitive health by listening to the full episode. Stay tuned for more insights and practical health advice from the Health Fundamentals podcast to help you live your very best life.
About the Guest(s): Dr. Shane Moore is a seasoned podiatrist hailing from Peoria, Arizona, with 13 years of experience under his belt. Prior to stepping into the world of podiatry, Dr. Moore sharpened his expertise in the business and corporate sector, earning an MBA and working for several years in the industry. Making a significant career pivot, he immersed himself in podiatric medicine - an area he grew passionate about following sports injuries he sustained in his own life. Now, Dr. Moore practices in a five-physician private clinic, dealing with a variety of foot and ankle issues ranging from sports injuries, diabetic foot care, to pediatric podiatry and trauma surgery.
Episode Summary: In an episode that steps squarely into the intersection of lifestyle and wellness, Dr. Chad Woolner dives into a compelling discussion on podiatry and foot care with special guest Dr. Shane Moore, emphasizing the foundational role of foot health. The conversation strides through the importance of functional measures like the sitting-rising test, underscoring how our feet are indispensable to our mobility and overall well-being.
Delving into the mechanics of foot health, Dr. Moore unravels the significance of stretching, proper footwear, and the consequences of neglect such as plantar fasciitis and diabetic neuropathies. With a candid take from his expansive experience, he shares insights on practices to maintain foot health and the rise in foot-related ailments linked to lifestyle choices. The discussion pivots around practical advice for common issues, addressing the lurking dangers of untreated foot problems that, as Dr. Moore puts it, people often ignore until it's too late.
Key Takeaways: * The feet are critical for mobility, and issues in foot health can lead to problems in other parts of the body such as knees and back. * Proprioception is key for balance and stability, especially post-injury. Exercises like toe scrunching, using toe spacers, and stretching can greatly improve this. * Wearing the right shoes is crucial for foot health, and certain brands like Hoka are recommended for their support. * Diabetic neuropathy and associated conditions like gout are rising, with Dr. Moore advocating for early intervention and awareness of one's hemoglobin A1C and diet. * Painful conditions and even amputations are sometimes the unfortunate necessities in podiatric medicine, emphasizing the importance of foot care and regular check-ups.
Notable Quotes: * "You only get one set [of feet], and they keep you going through life. So gotta keep good care of them." - Dr. Shane Moore * "A lot of times I tell patients that it can start in the feet; it can work itself up the chain to the ankles, the knees, the back." – Dr. Shane Moore * "The feet are one of the most neglected parts of the body." - Dr. Shane Moore * "When you got your feet and your foot health is good, you have a thousand wishes, you know, when your foot health is bad, you only got one." - Dr. Chad Woolner
Engage your senses (especially your auditory one) with the full episode to explore the expansive terrain of foot health as guided by experts Dr. Chad Woolner, a chiropractor in Meridian and Dr. Shane Moore. Stay up-to-date with more enriching content that'll help you step confidently into better health and wellness. Keep your ears to the ground; we have much more coming your way.
Episode Summary: In this information-packed episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner dives into the vital role of mechanical and biochemical functions in our health and longevity. With a thoughtful narrative, Dr. Woolner discusses a simple but powerful test, known as the Sitting-Rising Test, which can predict overall health and lifespan.
Dr. Woolner commences by addressing the overwhelming array of biomechanical tests available and directs listeners towards a single, impactful assessment – the Sitting-Rising Test. He elucidates the test procedure, its scoring system, and the profound implications its results can have on one's future health. While demystifying the complex world of health diagnostics, Dr. Woolner provides listeners with straightforward strategies for improving and maintaining core strength, balance, and muscle function. The episode conveys how such a fundamental movement can reveal insights into our flexibility, stability, coordination, and overall muscular fitness.
Key Takeaways: * The Sitting-Rising Test is a simple assessment that provides valuable insight into musculoskeletal fitness and can predict mortality risk. * A study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology emphasized the importance of high scores for longevity and independence. * Muscular strength, balance, and stability are critical components of mechanical function and should be regularly maintained. * Practical exercises such as squats, lunges, and Olympic lifts as well as vibration plate therapy can improve performance on the Sitting-Rising Test. * Ensuring robust musculoskeletal health can aid in preserving mobility, independence, and quality of life through the aging process.
Notable Quotes: * "Muscle is the organ of youth." * "This Sitting-Rising Test represents a very simple but very important indicator of health and longevity." * "Our bodies are designed to move, and so movement is going to be a big part of this overall equation."
Dive deep into the fundamentals of health and longevity with Dr. Chad Woolner on the Health Fundamentals podcast. Experience the full episode to harness the insights of the Sitting-Rising Test and take meaningful steps towards your best life. Stay tuned for more enlightening content and discussions that cut through the clutter of the wellness world with clarity and practicality. Dr. Chad Woolner is a chiropractor in Meridian, Idaho.
Episode Summary: In the latest installment of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner dives into the intriguing topic of stress and its dual nature. Opening with an invitation to redefine our understanding of stress, this episode is a rich exploration of how stress, often vilified for its negative impacts, can actually be harnessed for our benefit.
Dr. Woolner begins by distinguishing between negative stress (distress) and positive stress (eustress), offering insight into the transformative power of the latter. Drawing from the work of endocrinologist Dr. Hans Selye and contemporary experts like Dr. Kelly McGonigal and Dr. Anna Lembke, the episode seamlessly weaves together a narrative that challenges common misconceptions about stress. Furthermore, Dr. Woolner introduces "The Four Horsemen of Hormesis" – hot, cold, diet, and exercise – and elaborates on how these hormetic practices can enhance our body's resilience and performance.
Key Takeaways: * Stress can be dichotomized into negative (distress) and positive (eustress), with the latter having potential health benefits. * Dr. Hans Selye's concept of "eustress" highlights our ability to leverage stress positively through hormetic practices. * Books such as "The Upside of Stress" by Dr. Kelly McGonigal and "Dopamine Nation" by Dr. Anna Lembke offer in-depth perspectives on stress and pleasure. * The "Four Horsemen of Hormesis" – practices of hot, cold, diet (fasting), and exercise – are methods to utilize eustress to our advantage. * Breathwork, particularly "reset breathing," has profound effects on physical and emotional well-being and can improve CO2 tolerance, enhancing overall stress resilience.
Notable Quotes: * "99.9% of [chronic health problems] can be traced back to some type of negative stress, whether that be stress in its physical forms… chemical stress… or emotional stress." * "The truth transforming your health… is simpler than you've likely been led to believe." * "It's not necessarily the stress itself, but the perception of that stress in our lives… that makes it negative or positive." * "We have become a nation… addicted to dopamine in all its forms and varieties." * "You have such a high degree of control over your own body's physiology then you probably realize, or could even begin to believe or imagine."
Don't miss out on the fascinating insights shared in this episode about the transformative power of positive stress and the innovative ways we can incorporate it into our daily lives. Tune in for a refreshing perspective that promises to empower you with simple strategies for optimal living. Stay connected with the Health Fundamentals podcast for more enlightening content that simplifies the complexities of health and wellness.
About the Guest(s): Dr. Chad Woolner is a chiropractor who specializes in disc herniation treatment and educating the public on health fundamentals. With a passion for empowering patients through knowledge and comprehensive treatment approaches, Dr. Woolner shares new insights into disc herniation, emphasizing on the overlooked aspect of mitochondrial dysfunction's role in disc health. He is known for integrating cutting-edge treatments such as low-level laser therapy, non-surgical spinal decompression, and nutritional guidance to address both acute and long-term spinal issues.
Episode Summary: In this thought-provoking episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner dives deep into the world of disc herniations, sciatica, and chronic back issues, challenging conventional understanding and offering a fresh perspective on treatment. Dr. Woolner discusses the common misconceptions surrounding disc health and reveals the pivotal role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of spinal conditions.
The conversation begins with a discussion on traditional views on disc herniation being a result of mechanical stress or the natural aging process. Dr. Woolner then highlights groundbreaking research which points to mitochondrial dysfunction as a fundamental cause, affecting energy production within disc cells. He underscores the importance of a multi-faceted approach that includes low-level laser therapy, non-surgical spinal decompression, chiropractic care, and nutritional support, aiming not just for symptomatic relief but for long-term disc health and function.
Throughout the episode, Dr. Woolner advocates for a paradigm shift in the management of disc-related conditions, supported by compelling evidence and clinical success stories. This episode is a must-listen for anyone struggling with back pain or interested in the intricacies of spinal health and the innovative methods for treatment.
Key Takeaways: * Disc herniation treatment often overlooks mitochondrial dysfunction, which is crucial to long-term healing success. * Non-surgical options like low-level laser therapy and spinal decompression are effective in addressing root causes of disc issues. * The right mix of wavelength and energy, not the power of the light, is vital in low-level laser therapy for healing. * A healthy gut microbiome is linked to disc health, emphasizing the importance of a systemic approach to treatment. * Pain relief is just the beginning; comprehensive care should focus on restoring function and preventing future degeneration.
Notable Quotes: * "Simply stated, you know, I had a friend and mentor of mine just show the obvious, you know, that when we look at, either on x-ray or MRI, the relationship between, let's just say, the L5 S1 disc or L4 L5, those are two of the most common areas that we see disc degeneration and or disc herniations." * "Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cells, right? And so the mitochondria is what produces ATP. ATP is the energy currency of our body that our body runs off of." * "That which gets measured gets managed." * "Doing the right things in the right order for the right amount of time is the healing equation."
Resources: Dr. Woolner does not explicitly mention personal social media handles, company websites, articles, books, or other resources in the transcript provided.
Don't forget to tune in to the full episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast for a more detailed exploration of Dr. Chad Woolner's cutting-edge approach to treating disc herniations and related conditions. Stay connected for more episodes that simplify health transformations and bring you back to the fundamentals of wellness.
Episode Summary: In this episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner discusses the complexities of sleep and provides listeners with practical strategies to enhance sleep quality. With the perfect blend of personal anecdotes and clinical expertise, Dr. Woolner addresses the significance of sleep and its overarching impact on various aspects of health. This episode is a treasure trove for anyone seeking to understand and overcome sleep-related challenges.
After sharing his wife's intense struggles with severe sleep problems, Dr. Woolner dives into actionable advice tailored for individuals at any point on the sleep issue spectrum. The episode intricately details the sleep cycle, explores the physiological processes during rest, and examines common culprits that disrupt healthy sleep patterns. Dr. Woolner highlights the importance of establishing a circadian rhythm, designing a conducive sleep environment, and the crucial role of diet, supplements, and cognitive-behavioral strategies in attaining restorative slumber.
Key Takeaways: * Chronic sleep problems affect more people than realized and can have severe mental and physical consequences. * Sleep involves complex stages and is critical for brain health, detoxification, emotional regulation, and hormone balance. * Establishing a consistent circadian rhythm and optimizing the sleeping environment (light, temperature, and sound) are fundamental for good sleep. * Travel and changing time zones can disrupt normal sleep patterns, emphasizing the importance of routines and habits. * Tools like neurofeedback, continuous glucose monitoring, and journaling can assist in addressing sleep issues beyond common environmental changes.
Notable Quotes: 1. "Sleep is such an essential part of our body's normal, regular healing and regulation process. It's such a critical part." 2. "…people who struggle with one or more of these issues, these tend to feed off of each other. Pain, sleep, and mood and/or mental stuff." 3. "What they found, what research has shown, is that you optimize sleep by sleeping in a cooler environment rather than a warm or hot environment." 4. "Making sure that you're not dealing with some underlying chronic health issue, like, let's say, a chronic gut infection that has gone undetected." 5. "Sleep is something that needs to be trained for and just kind of maybe changing the paradigm there a little bit."
Resources: * Sleep Me - sleep.me (mentioned for the Chilipad) * Dr. Chad Woolner's contact information for programs on sleep improvement was implied but not directly provided in the transcript.
To engage further with Dr. Woolner's insightful guidance on improving your sleep and to explore the multitude of strategies covered in the episode, make sure to listen to the full podcast. Stay tuned with the Health Fundamentals podcast for more episodes that simplify health, break down basic strategies and empower you in your wellness journey.
Episode Summary: In this episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner delves into the intriguing realm of mTOR, highlighting its significant role in human health and longevity. Initially narrating the discovery of mTOR in the 1990s, how it started with a discovery that derived from soil samples on Easter Island, Dr. Woolner highlights the journey from Rapamycin's antifungal uses to a better understanding of its central role in chronic health conditions.
The conversation advances into the multifaceted ways lifestyle choices impact mTOR activity within our cells. Woolner dives into actionable steps one can take, advocating for caloric restriction, intermittent fasting, exercise, and the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids as potent ways to modulate this complex to benefit our health and possibly extend life expectancy.
Key Takeaways: * mTOR, the mammalian target of rapamycin, is a protein complex involved in aging and chronic health conditions like cancer and metabolic dysfunction. * Lifestyle changes can positively or negatively influence mTOR activity, offering a measure of control over health outcomes. * Restricting caloric intake or practicing fasting can be beneficial in positively modulating mTOR. * Regular exercise can transiently decrease mTOR activity, leading to beneficial metabolic adaptations. * Increasing the intake of omega-3 fatty acids can help balance the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, reducing inflammation and positively influencing mTOR pathways.
Notable Quotes: 1. "And the power to make those changes lies within you. I'm here to guide you back to the basics, to the very core of what it means to live well." 2. "You have a very, very high degree of control over the expression of something that is very intimately involved with the aging process." 3. "Perhaps one of my biggest frustrations is one of the conversations that has massively gotten lost… is this idea somehow, some way, that calories don't really matter." 4. "We can take a higher level of control over the outcome of all of these different things… by making lifestyle interventions to positively express mTOR." 5. "The best diet recommendations ultimately are going to be those that the individual is willing to follow."
Resources: No additional resources or references were mentioned explicitly in the transcript.
Encouragement to Audience: If you're eager to learn simple yet powerful ways to take charge of your health and longevity, listen to the full episode to harness the insights shared by Dr. Chad Woolner on mTOR. Stay tuned for more episodes of the Health Fundamentals podcast, where we continue to unravel the complexities of health and wellness, guiding you towards a life lived optimally.
Episode Summary: In this engaging episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner dives into the power of cardiovascular health and its straightforward, substantial impact on both our longevity and day-to-day vitality. He addresses common misconceptions around cardio exercise and shares his personal journey towards integrating meaningful movement into daily life.
Discover the pivotal role of Vo2 max, a key indicator of oxygen uptake and a predictor of overall well-being, alongside its implications for mortality risk and cognitive function. Dr. Woolner demystifies health transformations by emphasizing simple yet powerful habits that facilitate greater energy and motivation. From the potent impact of morning routines to the tradition of post-meal walks, this episode is rich with actionable strategies to revitalize your fitness journey.
Key Takeaways: * Cardiovascular exercise is beneficial for mood, body composition, and energy levels, contrary to some claims that dismiss its value. * Vo2 max is a critical marker of cardiovascular fitness and correlates strongly with health span, lifespan, and resistance against age-related decline. * Lowering the activation energy for exercise by preparing the night before can significantly increase the likelihood of consistent practice. * Movement, especially aerobic activity, plays a crucial role in transporting chemical messengers throughout the body, impacting overall health and cognitive functions. * The concept of simplicity and consistency forms the foundation of Dr. Woolner's proposed fitness routine, emphasizing the value of sustainable health behaviors.
Notable Quotes: * "The reality of it is, is what we have to do is we have to adjust our approach." * "Doing everything you can to make doing the right thing as easy or easier than doing the wrong thing." * "Get that blood flowing, get that blood pumping, get that blood moving." * "Focus on get. Get your Vo2 max. Focus on keeping that or getting it to and then keeping it in that healthy range."
Resources: * "Brain Energy" by Dr. Christopher Palmer * "Atomic Habits" by James Clear * Mention of a running app, possibly "5K Runner," for aiding exercise consistency.
Listen to the full episode for a deeper dive into the transformative power of cardiovascular exercise and establish health-affirming routines that stand the test of time. Don't miss Dr. Woolner's insightful strategies on the Health Fundamentals podcast for more enriching content on wellness and longevity.
Episode Summary: In the latest thought-provoking episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, Dr. Chad Woolner delves into the critical conversation between patients and their healthcare providers regarding health goals and motivations. This episode serves as a catalyst for patients to recognize the importance of establishing clear, meaningful objectives beyond immediate pain relief.
Dr. Woolner, a chiropractor with valuable years of practice, underscores the disparity between temporary symptom relief and lasting problem resolution. He emphasizes the necessity of understanding patients' personal stories, long-term aspirations, and how pain affects their daily lives. Dr. Woolner introduces the concept of SMART goals and their application in healthcare settings to support patients in identifying their objectives and crafting a path forward that meaningfully impacts their quality of life.
The dialogue transitions into highlighting the significance of commitment and belief - not only in the healthcare strategies but also in patients' self-efficacy. Dr. Woolner articulates how attainable achievements catalyze a patient’s confidence and propel them toward larger health ambitions. By the end, we are encouraged to reflect on the profound relationship between our values and our health journey, urging a collaborative effort between practitioners and patients to reach the ultimate goal of long-term wellbeing and fulfillment.
Key Takeaways: * Establishing clear health goals beyond pain relief is essential for long-term wellness and recovery. * Understanding the "why" behind a patient's health goals provides both motivation and meaningful direction for treatment. * Collaboration between patients and doctors based on shared understanding of goals ensures tailored and effective healthcare. * Belief in the treatment plan and in one's own ability to follow through is crucial for positive health outcomes. * Achievement of initial health goals helps build momentum for pursuing and realizing subsequent long-term objectives.
Notable Quotes: * "What patients really, truly want is they want a solution that will allow them to resume the type of life, the activities of daily living that have been impacted in a negative way." * "It's not necessarily that that solution inherently couldn't have or wouldn't have helped them… it's that for either on the end of the practitioner, the practitioner didn't fully help elicit what the right goals were." * "Yes, I can stick to it because I have a clear idea and understanding of the outcome, of the vision, of the goal, of what I'm after." * "Our goal, obviously is your goal… But through that lens, our mission, I should say, is to get you better as fast as possible, but to keep you better as long as possible." * "At the end of the day, that's what this is all about, is really getting to what's most meaningful, and that is your goals, your why, what makes life worth living to you?"
As you've skimmed through these highlights, take the leap to empower your health journey by tuning into the full episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast. Engage with Dr. Chad Woolner's profound insights, and don't miss out on more enriching content designed to navigate the essentials of wellbeing. Stay tuned and be part of a community that prioritizes clarity, simplicity, and life-transforming health fundamentals.
About the Guest(s): In this episode, we journey with Dr. Chad Woolner. He is a dedicated practitioner and a passionate educator, committed to empowering individuals on their personal health journeys. Through his own experiences and challenges, Dr. Woolner has developed a comprehensive training program for healthcare providers across various disciplines. His unique approach emphasizes the five fundamentals of health, focusing on tapping into the body’s innate intelligence and fostering intrinsic motivation for wellness.
Episode Summary: Welcome to the show notes for an inspiring episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast, where Dr. Chad Woolner shares his personal health journey that ultimately shapes his professional ethos. Prepare to be moved and motivated by his story of transformation, from confronting his family's health struggles to revolutionizing his own life and that of countless others.
Dr. Woolner's story takes us back to the early 2000s, revealing a time of uncertainty that eventually led him to chiropractic care. From his wife's transformative experience with a chiropractor post-accident to Dr. Woolner's own personal health issues and weight concerns, the episode unpacks the pivotal moments leading him to change his life's direction and health philosophy. In the pursuit to remedy his family’s chronic health conditions, Dr. Woolner discovers the power of functional medicine, forging a path that benefits both his wife and countless patients.
Imparting the lessons learned and tools used, Dr. Woolner speaks candidly about his weight loss journey and the sustainable practices contributing to a healthier lifestyle. He distills his success down to five fundamentals of health, touching upon internal drive, simplicity and consistency, body mechanics, emotional resilience, and proper nourishment. The episode resonates with anyone seeking holistic, actionable strategies to improve their well-being.
Key Takeaways: * Health comes from within, and seeking intrinsic motivation is key to lasting change. * Simplifying wellness strategies can greatly increase their effectiveness and sustainability. * The body’s mechanical and chemical functions are integral to overall health. * Emotional resilience and spiritual attunement are essential for managing stress and mental well-being. * Sustained health relies on adopting nutrition habits that suit individual lifestyles and preferences.
Notable Quotes: * "Contradiction leads to destruction. The greater the contradiction, the greater the destruction." - Dr. Woolner, quoting Dr. Patrick Gintempo. * "If you can make the good choices, the right choices, as easy or easier than the wrong choices, it makes the sustainability of it that much easier." - Dr. Woolner on forming healthy habits. * "The health fundamentals podcast is to make health simple. It does not need to be complicated." - Dr. Woolner's mission statement for the podcast. * "Our body knows what it needs to do… we can't outsmart the body's own intelligence." - Dr. Woolner on recognizing the body's innate wisdom. * "If this is the degree to which we get the training, this is exactly what I want to do." - Dr. Woolner realizing his passion for understanding human anatomy and helping others.
Resources: * Dr. Benjamin Hardy's Book: "Be Your Future Self Now" * Erchonia: The low-level laser technology referenced by Dr. Woolner. * Zerona Z6 Laser: An FDA-cleared tool for non-invasive fat reduction.
Join us in this compelling episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast as Dr. Chad Woolner delves into the depths of his personal struggles and triumphs in health. His authentic narrative and valuable insights can inspire and guide your own health odyssey. Stay tuned for more episodes that will continue to demystify health and wellness, bringing us back to simplicity and clarity.
On today's episode of the Health Fundamentals Podcast we cover Health Fundamental #2: The power of simplicity & consistency.
One of the books that we reference on today's episode is The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. This is an EXCELLENT book that clearly demonstrates the power of simplicity & consistency. You can check it out here.
On today's episode of the Health Fundamentals Podcast we share a proven framework for structuring your health goals for repeated success. As we move further into the year it can be increasingly challenging for many of us to stick to our new year's resolutions or general health goals. What we will share on this episode is a simple way to increase the likelihood of success with your goals.
In this episode we reference a great book "Be Your Future Self Now", you can check it out here.
On today's episode we interview our good friend and colleague, Dr. Marc Funderlich. We dive into the world of brain health and the current, frightening epidemic of brain related problems. We also discuss why most conventional approaches to treating various brain problems tend to fall short. Lastly we share a powerful new approach to helping patients who struggling with a variety of brain related problems.
On today's episode we sit down with our good friend Professor Keith Owen and discuss the various health benefits of Brazilian Jiujitsu. Professor Keith is a 4th degree black belt in jiujitsu and is the owner and head instructor at Team Rhino Gracie Jiujitsu. To find out more about Professor Keith and team Rhino you can go here: https://teamrhinoidaho.com/
On this episode of The Health Fundamentals Podcast we discuss a new approach to helping people struggling with Thyroid problems. Whether you've been through the common conventional approaches or perhaps some alternative approaches, you're definitely going to want to listen in to what we have to share. To learn more about what we're doing you can go to:
https://www.alignmeridian.com/health-restore-program/
On today's episode we discuss a powerful program that we have used to help patients end their knee pain and avoid surgery.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 42 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking PRP and regenerative medicine with dr Robin devel. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:15)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm dr buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:34)
So on today's episode we have our special guest, none other than dr Robin devel. Dr Robin devel is amazing for a number of reasons, but first and foremost, she is our medical director and nurse practitioner at align integrated medical. And so I'm quite frankly, I'm surprised it's taken us this long to have you on the podcast. So thanks for being here with us. Thanks for having me. Yeah. So, um, we're really excited to dive into this topic. You know, we, one of our first episodes of the podcast, we talked a little bit about STEM cell therapy. Um, but um, we're excited because now we can dive a little bit deeper into some of the other realms of regenerative medicine, some of the things we do with the clinic, but then also diving a little bit deeper into your experience. Um, dr Robin, I don't want to steal her thunder, I'll let her kind of go into it, but she's got a really diverse background, uh, in terms of her clinical experience. And uh, and so I guess a good maybe starting place for us is kind of maybe give them a kind of a quick snapshot of your, your whole experience, kind of what got you into where you're at today, what, what got you where you're at today?
Speaker 3: (01:39)
Sure. Well, I started out as a chiropractor and after a while I realized there's a lot more people I want to be able to reach with holistic medicine and lifestyle changes. And so after being in practice about five or six years, I decided to go back to be a nurse practitioner. And when I got out, I had this fantastic opportunity to work in a clinic for st Luke's. And so most recently I've been working in wound wound care and I've worked at, uh, acute care hospitals as well, working with really, really sick people. So I went from working with generally really, really healthy people to the S really other end of the spectrum. Yeah, exactly. And so, um, I've gotten to see a lot of, a lot of the spectrum of how people are in their healthcare.
Speaker 1: (02:28)
Right? So you've seen, you know, the best of the best, the worst of the worst and pretty much everything in between. Yeah. Um, and, and that's what's really interesting, you know, is that what Robin has brought to our team, uh, has been, uh, an incredible amount of experience. Um, because so much of what she sees and learns in her experience has direct application, if for no other reason than to help serve as a warning signal to people in terms of like, this is where things go when you don't take care of. Because, you know, we were talking just before the podcast, a significant number percentage of the people that you deal with are people where it's chronic conditions brought about as a result of lifestyle choices. You know?
Speaker 3: (03:11)
That's exactly right. As a matter of fact, I get people from time to time in my clinic who have literally 10 to 15 large significant comorbidities I've talking to heart disease and kidney disease and diabetes, and they've gotten so far down the spectrum and then they hear these commercials about, Oh, tumeric is a great thing and it'll help inflammation, right? And so they go off, they go to some store and they buy a bottle of American. They think that they're, everything's going to be cured and they can get off their medications. And you know, so there's this spectrum where we have to help people, but sometimes people go a little too far, the illness spectrum, and it's hard to get them back.
Speaker 1: (03:50)
Right. And it's interesting that you bring up that example, you know, because I think to a large extent, that's what's happened either intentionally or unintentionally with the world of regenerative medicine. You know, that that's, it's become this very popular, uh, concept and idea that I think a lot of people have, have clung to and have maybe, perhaps incorrectly viewed as this savior of, of this thing that will, uh, basically undo decades of self-abuse basically of, of poor lifestyle choices that I can just do that one magic bullet. And that's gonna undo all that and it's going to, it's going to fix everything. And I think that has been a huge disservice, uh, to people because I think it's, it's served as a very loud and clear wake up call to them, yet again that, that, that's, that's not what regenerative medicine is really all about.
Speaker 1: (04:43)
In spite of the fact that some clever marketers have, have positioned it that way, that it's this magic bullet that all you need to do is just get this one injection. And then regenerative medicine is amazing. But one of, I'll never forget a story and I'm pretty sure it was, it was in college that I had heard it. Um, you know, people have this, we have this crazy trust that if something goes wrong, my doc's gonna fix it. Right. And there was a, there was a, I believe it was an instructor, he was saying, my dad, he was talking about his own father. Um, he said he drank a ton, he smoked and, and here I am, uh, getting out of chiropractic school saying, you got to stop this, it's going to kill you. It's bad. Right. And his, his dad was like, whatever. He says, if I have a heart attack, he's like, I'll just, you know, have heart surgery and I'll be fine. And literally the exact thing happens, right. His dad, you know, 10 years down the road has this massive heart attack and his life is completely changed. Yeah. They did do heart surgery and they did fix it, but he was not even close. And he was, and he came back to his son and he's like, I can't even tell you how bad I wish I would have listened because here I thought that, yeah, they're just going to do surgery and fix it. You know? So what my back blows
Speaker 3: (05:58)
out. Yeah. They'll just do a surgery and fix it. Right. And, and, and again, I think there is this, um, incorrect, uh, belief that, you know, it's like, yeah, if something's wrong, I can go have surgery and my shoulder can get put back together. But guess what? You know what if we can, if you have a little bit of an injury and we do do regenerative medicine, we can fix those things before they ever become this horrible thing where now, Oh, the only option is we've got to replace your entire joint. And it's almost become cliche. The phrase, uh, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And I think it's even more than that. I think an ounce of prevention is probably worth 10 tons of cure. Um, right. But it's true. It is true. And I think when you look at somebody who does regenerative, uh, functional medicine, you really have to make sure they're not practicing exactly like a doctor would.
Speaker 3: (06:49)
But on the other end of the spectrum, because I've heard people and had people come to me that say, yeah, I went to this function medicine doctor and they told me I just need to be on this supplement for the rest of my life and I cure everything. Well, that's no different than a medical doctor prescribing something that's prescription. It's the same thing. So you really do, there is some personal responsibility that needs to happen. You really do have to start taking care of yourself as a patient and um, and look at the entire spectrum of your life, not just the, the supplement panacea or the prescription pill panacea. Right. And it's interesting you bring that up. I think that's a good segue into, when you look at from a mile up, let's just say, when you look at all the best evidence regarding regenerative medicine, whether we're talking STEM cell therapy, uh, PRP, platelet rich plasma or amniotic products or things like that, most all the research in general says these things work great, but they work the best when it, when part of a complete picture, instead of it being, you know, this just do this thing and it magically, it's just going to fix everything.
Speaker 3: (07:51)
But rather they say, and this is the way we've always tried to describe it to our patients, is, uh, you know, it's a catalyst. That's what it should be viewed as. This is an opportunity. It's, it, it provides a window of opportunity for us to then really begin kind of an unwinding, the, the, uh, the, the ball of thread, so to speak, over the years. So, uh, in terms of PRP, for those who are listening or watching, um, can you kind of describe maybe in layman's terms what's the, let's start with PRP and then maybe the difference between that and say STEM cell therapy and or amniotic therapies. So PRP is platelet rich plasma. And so what that means is they take a person's blood, they spin it down in a centrifuge, and that separates the red blood cells at the bottom and white blood cells with, from the plasma at the top.
Speaker 3: (08:43)
And the plasma at the top is rich in protein. And so you're just using that top portion of the protein. And when you use that in the body, it attracts your body's own STEM cells. It helps modulate inflammation. Um, it kind of acts as a, as, um, it will attract your body's own STEM cells and ability to heal, right? So it's a catalyst. When you look at amnionic products, that is something from outside your body that is derived from, uh, scheduled C-sections. It's processed down, and then it's made into a form that you can either inject or topically apply to a wound. And, and they refer to those again as STEM cell magnets, right? Where it's injected into the area. It attracts your body's own kind of, it kind of begins the healing cascade, you know, where all of a sudden the body starts to heal itself.
Speaker 3: (09:36)
And then lastly, STEM cells, STEM cells in this house, which are the actual STEM cells and they are used in the same way and they, they generate into whatever STEM cells your body needs. And that's based on all the different signaling molecules and growth factors that your, your body's cells produce. And it tells them what kind of salvation become. Yeah. And in terms of STEM cells, there's been kind of this ongoing debate for a while in terms of which is best, what they call autologous STEM cells, which is your body's own STEM cells. You extract them and then process them and then re-inject them in or STEM cells that are derived from, uh, uh, is it, is it, uh, um, umbilical cord STEM cells, cord STEM cells, cord blood, things like that. Right. Um, any updates on that in terms of the, the debate where that's at?
Speaker 3: (10:26)
Well you've heard, so I'm still hearing, well, if they're frozen or if they're alive, there's problems with counting them. So how do you know how many STEM cells are getting? Um, I, I S they're still super expensive. There's cord banks all over the place that are pitching their products as the best. And honestly, there's, I haven't done enough research to know exactly what's the best and whatever, but I just know there's so many competing companies out there that I would be super careful. You're not getting any of them. We, uh, I think we do a pretty good job at our clinic of trying to stay on top of the research and trying to sift through what's just really good marketing and looks and sounds good. Um, and so for us, you know, and that, and that's, I think something that I hope those watching or listening can kind of clean too, is that when you come into our clinic, we don't have a set agenda.
Speaker 3: (11:21)
You know, from a financial standpoint, it would make perfect sense for us that everybody coming through, we're just going to pitch STEM cell because that's the most expensive. And we're going to make the most money that way. But that's not what we do. Instead, I think to the contrary, typically we focus a little bit more on let, let's, let's start at the lowest end, see what that does, see if we can get, just get you better that way. The, the, uh, the most affordable option, you know, and then move from there. But, but again, it just depends on everybody's situation, you know? But I think also one of the important things that I like about working with you guys is that there is such an emphasis on we have to fix the core of the problem. Yes. So if the door hinges off and you're still creating that grinding on the floor, it doesn't matter how many times you replaced the floor, it's going to come back.
Speaker 3: (12:04)
You've got to fix the hinge, right? Yep. Or even put WD 40 on the hands, you know what I mean? At the end of the day. And that was the thing that was kind of the precursor to a lot of the um, uh, regenerative medicine products was, uh, the highly ironic acid products, which is basically a joint lubricant for lack of a better way of, of putting it. And that showed some pretty promising results at the beginning. And I think to a certain extent can be helpful in that it helps by some time. Um, but, but the, what you just brought up, there is such a critical piece of the puzzle that we try and help people understand. And that leads to a really good question that we can kind of talk about is one of the most common questions that people are going to ask with this is what can I expect in terms of how quickly will I see results?
Speaker 3: (12:47)
So let's talk about that. And then the second follow up question to that is how long is it going to last? You know, so let's start first with the first question. You know, if somebody comes into you tomorrow, we find that they're a good candidate. You say, yeah, you're going to be a good candidate for PRP or amniotic or whatever. What can I expect in terms of how soon can I see results? Well, that is partly individual. So it depends on how a person heals overall in general, what their general health picture is. Because even medications that they're on for other things may interfere or other health conditions like hyperthyroid or whatever may interfere. But in general, you've got to expect that your body has to produce these cells and that doesn't happen overnight. Right? So, you know, it may take a few weeks to even begin to notice anything and then maybe a month or more to start really feeling like there's a difference.
Speaker 3: (13:35)
And at first people may be actually be more sore than they, right? They feel sore first cause there's something happening and then they start to feel better. Um, how long it lasts depends on how well you fix the underlying problem and how much you work on it. So whenever you have a joint problem, you have an imbalance problem and all the muscles surrounding the joint. And, um, and maybe there's problems up there or down the spine. Um, so how well you address those and really balance out the muscles and do some physical therapy that's gonna determine how long the relief lasts. You know, our experience at our clinic has been pretty cool because we've seen, you know, I would say on average, uh, the cases that we've worked with within a few weeks, we see pretty significant changes. That was the case with one of our patients, Jim, who came in. He had a bilateral knee problems, pretty significant wear and tear on his knees. Um, he did, uh, the amniotic injections and did phenomenal on, well, he did wonderfully well, but, but his first week he was, he was in a world of hurt. You know, he was just like, man, it really flared up. But that was a good sign. That was, that was a sign that the body's beginning, that inflammatory process to begin that, the healing processes. So, uh, so he, he did, he did quite well with that within, uh, within a few short weeks.
Speaker 1: (14:52)
But, but then the other part of that that you talked about, you know, let's just use as just a hypothetical example. Let's say somebody who is significantly overweight, which is perhaps one of the single greatest risk factors for degeneration of the knees, right? They say that, you know, for every 10 pounds overweight, you aren't, it puts a significant, I don't remember the figures, do you remember what the numbers were? But I mean, it just puts a ton of ton of force on the knees, right? So let's say they come in and they do this, what can they expect in terms of the longterm results? Well, probably not that great if you're not willing to lose some of that weight or all of that weight, you know, um, because you're still gonna have the same stressors that brought you there in the first place, then I think that's the biggest thing.
Speaker 1: (15:33)
You know, we were talking about this before we even started is, you know, the problems that we see that, that are, um, that respond well to regenerative medicine are typically chronic degenerative problems in nature. And if that's the case, chronic degenerative problems don't just spontaneously happen. Um, they'd been, they'd been building over years and years and years. And so this, this idea that, that, and these are problems that need to be addressed. Like you said, you know, if we're, if we're going to really, really fix these issues and so we need to, we need to set correct and realistic expectations. Now that being said, it almost might feel like here amongst this conversation here that we're downplaying these things and that's not that anything but that we want people to understand. These are really powerful, powerful tools that we have available to us, um, at this day and age.
Speaker 1: (16:26)
But, uh, it would be a shame and we'd lose out on a huge opportunity there and maximize that opportunity if we didn't fully address, you know, those underlying issues. Well, you know, one of the things about regenerative medicine that is so beautiful is the fact that it's very natural. All right. You know, there are a lot of things that have been done in medicine for a long time. Different surgeries. I mean, uh, for, for instance, they used to bad sprains. They would cast your ankle for six weeks, you know, they would immobilize it or rice it or I would, there's different things that we thought at the time were the correct things to do or um, going in and cleaning up the, the arthritis in the knee, you know, there's tons of surgery or, uh, studies that say that, that's terrible. Like it, the results are worse by going in and cleaning it up.
Speaker 1: (17:15)
Then actually just leaving it alone so well and they used to just straight up remove the meniscus in the knee. It's just like, let's get rid of it. Let's look preemptively. These, these are like new opportunities to correct something in a very natural way without having to go to the, the extremes of surgery. Because the thing was surgery and the thing with a lot of these metal medications are, the dangerous thing about him is sometimes there's a point of no return. Like once you've cut into those tissues and created more scar tissue, there's no going back. If you fuse a joint, that joint is
Speaker 3: (17:50)
fused forever. But if we can, if we can get these regenerative therapies in soon enough and do the correct rehab and the correct strengthening and, and really kind of work this man, you could, you could really erase a lot of damage that you've done over the course of decades. Yeah, and I could just tell you from all my experience of treating people who've had surgeries and actually being in on some surgeries, there is no way I would ever have a surgery on my knee unless I literally, it was, I was dying and it absolutely had happened. I mean, there's, there's just no way. And um, certainly I would never do anything like that without having conservative therapy first because you're right, once you go the surgery route, um, and it's, sometimes that is the option, but once you go that route, when that's not the only option, you can't undo that.
Speaker 3: (18:43)
And so sometimes the best treatment for somebody, maybe it is a chronic problem that has been there for a years and you can't absolutely fix the underlying problem. You may at least be able to do a maintenance and keep it from getting worse or at least slow down the progression of some disease. Right. So, um, I think even if you can't 100% fix the underlying issue, a lot of times you can get people relief and um, and help them by just slowing down the process. No, that's huge. And the thing I would like maybe it kind of be in, in kind of closing here to, to really, uh, hone in on is the experience that you've had, uh, working with, uh, the, a lot of wound patients and things like that has really shown you, you know, kind of the, the dark side of it is the fact that this is what happens when you don't take care of, of, of things.
Speaker 3: (19:35)
But I would see the flip side that you've seen as well that can really, I think this will pull in on a positive note, is the miraculous nature of the body's ability to heal itself. You've seen some pretty miraculous things as well by a combination of using some of these regenerative technologies as well as some and as well as just the body's own innate capability of being able to, uh, be, be a regenerative in nature itself. Right. Even in some of these people that I've talked about that have multiple comorbidities that are very serious and they may have gone through a back surgery or may have been hospitalized for a long time and have deep, uh, pressure ulcers, I've seen pressure also is where I'm looking literally at the bone. I've seen back surgeries that have failed and I'm literally looking at the hardware attached to the bone in the spine and I will tell you it was bright blue and shiny metal and it looked just like a bicycle chain. I mean, that's how clearly I saw it. I could have read the knob because you had x-ray vision because the wounds were that deep and that open. I mean, just shocking. And the thing with the PRP that I saw is it works amazing. We, we do. Um, we have some research that
Speaker 1: (20:48)
we do in our clinic with PRP and we have a PRP available at the acute care hospital and placing that on wounds and watching them change from week to week. And sometimes, you know, every couple of days you're like, Oh my gosh, that has improved. Yeah. Massive improvement. Yeah. Powerful, powerful. And so I, I think the take home that, that I think would be the best way to end this particular episode is this idea that far too often people think that they're a lost cause and so they'll put off, uh, at least investigating or exploring the possibility. And sometimes people just resigned themselves because maybe they've tried certain things. Maybe they've even tried some of these things before. Uh, but I'm confident that you haven't tried what we do at our clinic because we do a very comprehensive approach in what we do. Again, we don't use these things as a, you know, a Hogwarts magic wand or magic bullet, you know, type things.
Speaker 1: (21:42)
We use this as part of a whole comprehensive approach to really helping you not only get relief, you know, in the short term, but in the longterm, helping you function at a higher level so that we can really address some of those root issues. Um, and, and so we're really grateful that we have a dr [inaudible] with us as part of our team. It's been phenomenal. She's, she's such a, uh, an incredible asset to our team. Uh, she's easy to work with. She's, she's got such a phenomenal bedside manner. Nurse practitioners tend to have a really solid reputation. Um, but even in that, amongst the peers, I think she, she's head and shoulders above in those terms. So she's phenomenal. So for those listening and considering, especially those people who, who are maybe local here and they're saying, I wonder if they can help me. Uh, we always say what we say to everybody and that is, we give a definite, maybe let me give a definite, maybe because we don't want to make those kinds of guarantees.
Speaker 1: (22:37)
Cause that would just be foolish to say those sorts of things. And so what we do guarantee though is that we can find out if we can help you when you come in. And so, uh, this is an open invitation to people to come in and sit down with dr devel, meet her face to face, knee to knee, whatever you want to call it. Uh, I think the thing that I can guarantee it is I can guarantee you that you will truly feel after speaking with her, that she's really listening to you, which is a great thing. I think most people want that, you know, from, from a doctor. Uh, she'll really listen to you. She'll hear, hear you out. And she'll really, us as a team, we'll go to work to find out if you're a candidate for, for what we do here with some of these regenerative, um, tools, uh, as well as the rest of what we do at our clinic.
Speaker 1: (23:21)
And then from there we can, uh, put together a plan that can help you. So, uh, any final thoughts? Dr. Allen, dr devel. You know, I think we kind of covered things, you know, these, these different, I don't know that the reject, the regenerative therapy to me is exciting because I mean, I've, I've actually experienced it myself on a few different areas. Yeah. Am I shoulder my shoulder? And every time I've a massive difference and a massive improvement. And then again, on the other, the flip side of that, having worked on people and treated people who have had to go the more drastic route of knee surgeries or shoulder surgeries, man, I, I mean, I feel fantastic and I'm like, ah, man, I wish I could have got ahold of you five years ago, right, one year ago. You know what I mean? Like, cause the potential is massive.
Speaker 1: (24:08)
So, um, it's one of those things don't, um, don't go the easy route. The easy route is letting, trying to let someone else do everything for you and to think that, Oh, surgery's just gonna make it better. Or the medicine's gonna make it better. It's Jen, Sharon's converse this. So I'll just do exactly like that is the path of least resistance. And unfortunately when it comes to your health, that is not the proven track record. It really is not. It's not the best way to go. And well the problem with those things, again and I know we're kind of to some extent beating a dead horse, but just understand that the bill will come due later. You bet. And in the longterm the cost is going to far outweigh any of what you thought was beneficial from that. So any other final thoughts there? I can only echo that.
Speaker 1: (24:56)
I have just seen it time and time again. And I guess that's why I said earlier, I so passionately said it would be my last resort because I have seen it and uh, you can't undo it and there is a longterm cost that comes to you. And so it, it just behooves anybody to just try the more conservative thing first. And if that doesn't work, then consider start exploring, start exploring other options. And I would say included in that is something as seemingly simple and easy as a cortisone injection. Uh, cause even with that, there's a huge price to be paid there. You know, the, the research has come back. It's definitive. People understand cortisone deteriorates tissue, it weakens the, the integrity and the structure of muscle tissue, of, of ligament, of cartilage, of all those different areas. And so it's, uh, it's not this simple, uh, you know, easy process seed.
Speaker 1: (25:50)
It'll, it'll come at a, at a very, very steep price. And that's not to say that you can't do it or that even you shouldn't do it, but you shouldn't do it lightly. Um, cause it's, it's pretty potent stuff. So, um, hopefully this has been really valuable for you guys. Hopefully we've given you some really good information regarding, uh, PRP and regenerative medicine. Some things to consider if you know, other people that could benefit from, uh, the information that we shared and for those local, if you know somebody, uh, you yourself or somebody that could benefit from a consultation with dr devel at our team, uh, just reach out to us, uh, at our website. Uh, we're on Facebook, we're just about everybody everywhere online and, uh, and we'd love to meet you in person. And I know dr Vel would love to be able to find out if we could help you. So, and Dr. Bell, again, thanks for being here with us. We appreciate you as always and uh, we'll talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a good one.
Speaker 2: (26:47)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
What's going on, everybody, Dr. Chad Woolner here, and Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 41 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about CrossFit. Is it bad for your health? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm dr Chad Woolner and I'm dr buddy Allen. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, Hey everybody, hope you guys are having an awesome day. We are here with our good friends, Brandon and Ashley. They are the proud owners of power seekers CrossFit here in Meridian. And uh, so we thought we would bring them on for this highly controversial episode. Not really, but uh, but anyhow, we're, we're going to be talking about CrossFit, uh, all things CrossFit. So thanks for being with us guys. Absolutely. Thanks for having to be here. Yeah. So, um, so let's first start with kind of a quick introduction of who you guys are, what got you guys into CrossFit in the first place, and then ultimately what got you guys to take the plunge of, of owning a CrossFit gym? Sure, go ahead. Go first. All right. So Brandon and I've been doing CrossFit for about four to five years. Um, got into it kind of by accident and got a Groupon and did it, loved it.
Speaker 1: (01:24)
Uh, found out I was pretty good at it and you know, fast forward a couple of years we went to power seeker or I went to power seeker, uh, my first year and a half. And, um, Brent owned it then and then, uh, we kind of left, went to different gyms and heard through the grapevine that there wasn't good things happening. And so we took the opportunity and reached out to Brenton, uh, talk to him about maybe taking it over and man, we just, we fell into a good thing at a good time. Good. It's really what happened. So fast forward two years, another opportunity came up and bam, we're loving life, man. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Brandon and nationally both torture me on a regular basis. That's right. When I get my rear end to the gym, um, they do a fine job. Yeah. That's a lot of fun. I learned this week that if buddy is rolling around, just leave him alone. Yeah. We, it was a about a million and a half toes, you know, reaching your legs up and touching the bar or so it felt like that. And then like I didn't want to waste any extra energy, so instead of sitting up to go do my next activity, I would roll to my stomach like a dead man and then get up and Ashley came over. She was like, are you okay? Do I need to call someone? Yeah.
Speaker 1: (02:47)
All right. That's a, that's just called economy of motion. Yes. That's exactly it. We're going on a different process of how to get up. There you go. So, uh, and, and Ashley, your story with the CrossFit. So for me, I was a collegiate soccer player and then I transferred to Boise state. And I, long story short, I thought I wanted to go to law school and that didn't end up happening because I spent all my time at the gym instead of in glass. Okay. So I was a drop in and power seeker and Mike my first day there, Brent was like, Hey, do you want to coach for me? So that ended up happening and Brandon and I actually met at power seekers. So it was a great outlet for me to go from being a collegiate athlete, still needing like that competitive atmosphere. So needing something to keep myself active.
Speaker 1: (03:35)
Um, Lee's were seeking other opportunities, other like communities within the treasure Valley. And then we ended up back at power seekers. So, Oh, you forgot though. We started dating there as well. Yeah. That's where we met. I kind of figured as much. Yeah, I kind of figured that's kind of how things evolved. So it's been a, it's been a very, uh, interesting circle. Yeah. You know, it's crazy. Yeah. I, I, you know, CrossFits uh, an interesting culture to say the least. Um, you know, you said you kind of jumped into it by mistake. Uh, I first started doing CrossFit, uh, about four, four. You probably about the same time as you. A friend of mine, like literally begged me, just come try it. He's like, just try it for 30 days. And in my head I had like this image of like, uh, people in a garage like throwing rocks and jumping over garbage cans and stuff like that. Just like this very like we're trying to be as primitive as possible, you know? And, and when I got there, I was pleasantly surprised. Like my experience with CrossFit, at least with, with him wasn't anything like that. It was like, what I loved about it was that it took a lot of the thinking out of the equation for me. You know, I would, I would find myself prior to going to CrossFit, going to the gym and like walking around aimlessly. Like, Oh, that machine looks good. I'll try that.
Speaker 1: (04:58)
You know, I'm sure there's some video footage of me floating around out there somewhere of like that guy who's doing the machine completely wrong or he's like doing, you know, like the, the head, the head twister or whatever. And it's like not meant for that at all. And so, uh, anyways, but, but, uh, my experience with CrossFit was really positive and it changed a lot of my perceptions from what I had heard. Cause there's a lot of, a lot of, uh, you know, misconceptions and stigmas associated with CrossFit. And so I guess we can kind of dive right into the question. Is CrossFit bad for your health? Yes. No, maybe so. I think a hundred percent. No, I mean, I agreed. Yeah. So, so then the other question then, if it's not bad for your health, where do we hear like all these or where and, or why do we hear a lot of these classic misconceptions about it that it, that it's going to hurt you, that you're going to get injured if you do CrossFit?
Speaker 1: (05:51)
Uh, there are some doctors that we've had experiences with that, that, uh, dissuade or even tell their patients don't do CrossFit. You know, some chiropractors even say that to their patient, friends of ours don't do CrossFit. It's, it's bad for you. You know, you're just asking to get injured. I've had doctors say, Oh, CrossFit CrossFits great for business, ya know, they keep sending me, right, right. Like, come on. Couches are great for business one. I think a lot of that, you know, uh, depending on where you go and how often you go and the coaches that are there, you know, everybody can have an awful experience. Go into Chevron. You know, everybody can have a great experience going to Sheva I think. I think the mentality that you get from places is, you know, I can do, I can do a setup. Cool. Okay, well if somebody teaches you how to do a proper setup, then that's what it is.
Speaker 1: (06:37)
But if they teach you how to do an incorrect set up, of course you're going to get hurt. You're going to strike something. And then there's where CrossFit is not the issue. The coaching is the issue, right. We are all in. And the interesting thing, I saw an interview with Greg Glassman for those who don't know who Greg Glassman is, he's the founder of CrossFit and he's a very kind of outspoken, fairly polarizing individual, uh, you know, no, yeah, yeah. He's, he just, he, he's, he's definitely a very charismatic individual, but I thought it was really cool, his response because to that end of the coaching that a lot of people criticize, uh, in the interview anyways, they were kind of saying, people are kind of critical that you could get certified to be a CrossFit coach in a weekend. And they were like, that's kind of, and he's like, yeah, isn't that great?
Speaker 1: (07:21)
And they're like, what do you mean? He's like, well, at least we have standards. Oh no. He's like, he's like, there are some standards that are there that you have to abide by, you know, that the, you know, it's like, at least that's the case, you know? And uh, and so it was just that, that, that perspective he had on it was, was really good. And I would, I would wholeheartedly echo what you just said there in the sense that my experience has been, it's not CrossFit as a whole, it's the coaching and or the, the, the, the gym that you go to in terms of what happens there is really going to determine the, the experience that you have. I think the benefit of, of having that weekend to get potentially get certified, cause you have to take an exam and if you fail the exam and you don't get to be a coach, right.
Speaker 1: (08:04)
So, but I think the benefit of that weekend is you're going in there and you're actually applying what you're learning. So it's very hands on. Yeah. You're not just taking the test online or reading a bunch of books. It's very hands on. And then you're actually learning how to apply it in class where yeah, if you maybe take like the ACE test or if you take a personal training class online, it's not giving a tool as of like this is how you apply it and this is how you see and correct a flaw. This is what, this is the criteria. Now you figure out how to apply it. That's not what CrossFit is about. And I think that's the benefit of those two days of being with the best coaches in the world. And there they're giving you their tools, they're giving you their secrets. Yeah.
Speaker 1: (08:47)
You know the, the other interesting thing that I think we were, Dr. Allen and I were talking about this just a couple of days ago in preparation for today's interview is the thing that I think that's really interesting about CrossFit is that it's a sport, right? You, you have the, the fitness side of it, but then you also have the competition side of it. Um, and the thing that I find funny is, is that in the competition side, injuries are, we'll just say a common occurrence. People at that, at that level of, of competition and people like they, they like almost thumb their thumb. Their nose is to the right. Like they, they, they look down on it like, Oh, that's so stupid. Why would you do that and get yourself injured? And the thing I find interesting is no one says that about football or any other, any other sport where injuries are just an inevitable part of the game.
Speaker 1: (09:36)
You know, soccer, football, you know, baseball, any of these places, injuries are just an inevitable fact of competition that anytime you push yourself to a higher level, there's always running. You're always running some level of risk. Like you said, motor cross motorcross how many motorcross uh, patients have you seen over the years? I've seen tons of them busted. One of the very first I ever saw it was a 22 year old kid. And I'm like, how many bones have you broken? And my first question, how many bones have you broken? Cause he competed, right? And he's like, Oh, probably 20. At least. Here's a 20 year old, 22 year old kid that's broken. 20 bones. Don't kid yourself, you know, so, so I mean, yeah. What were you gonna say? I mean, CrossFit really has been around 10, 15, 20 years, right? The idea that, or it actually getting out for just your general public to see it is pretty new.
Speaker 1: (10:29)
Um, football, soccer, all of these big sports have been around for ever. And so I mean it's more common to just see that football injury and then be like, Hey, they're just going to go back in the chair and they're going to get a shot and then they come back out on the field. Right. That doesn't really happen in the CrossFit world. And I mean those competitive athletes who are showing at the CrossFit games, that's less than 1% of our community, right? So it's not a matter of if they're going to get to hurt, it's a matter of when they go into that profession, like they make CrossFit a career, knowing that that's part of the game. Any competitive level athlete of any kind, you're going to have those types of injuries right here. And that's what I would say too, is for your guys' experience.
Speaker 1: (11:11)
You know, the average CrossFit goer, which would be like me, which even then, I don't even think I'm to that level yet, but what's my risk of injury? High, low, low. I think for us, I mean, and I would like to hope that every CrossFit gym is like this, but unfortunately it's not for us. We're not trying to make you come into the gym to be a CrossFit games athlete, right? Trying to make you functional to apply it to your life outside of the gym. Right? We're trying to make sure you're picking up the dog food the right way. Right. I think everyday life movements mimic everything that you do inside the gym. It's just can we teach you a better way to do it? Right. That's, yeah, that's a great point that you bring up there too, because I heard, uh, I can't remember who it was.
Speaker 1: (11:58)
It meant it might even been that same Greg Glassman interview that I saw, where they talked about, well, you're having old ladies do dead lifts, which for those who aren't familiar with dead lifts, it's lifting the bar belt, obviously using proper mechanics, uh, straight from the floor, you know, and, and when people see that, that image of an older woman or an older man like doing that, like very like, uh, you know, uh, you know, heavy lift for the, and, and we, and we shouldn't even say heavy because you're obviously gonna modify the weight accordingly. Um, but his response to that was, well, yeah, is that old lady ever gonna pick something up off the ground? Grandkids, you know, groceries. Right, right. And so that's the thing is these are very practical and very functional things that you guys are doing with people. So, so yeah, very, very practical from a day to day standpoint, even for people that wouldn't consider themselves like athletes or competitors or anything like that.
Speaker 1: (12:55)
And that was the thing for me that I noticed when I was doing CrossFit regularly. So my quick story real quick, cause I did it for, like I said, it was about four years ago, but I haven't been doing it for four years. I did it for about two or three years pretty consistently. And then I started, uh, converting my garage into my own little personal kind of CrossFit ESC setup, which yeah, tight time-saver for sure. And I know I'm not getting nearly the same level of workouts that I would be getting. Uh, if I had like professionals like you guys actually preparing those workouts for me because it's a lot easier to, uh, to, to make the workouts easier on yourself than to have them, uh, designed by you guys. But uh, but that's the, anyways, th th th the point being is when I was doing those workouts in CrossFit, I noticed that they were very practical in terms of, you know, strengthening your core and strengthening your, just your overall frame and making sure that you could do a lot of that.
Speaker 1: (13:47)
Just regular things that you do on a date it day in, day out basis. So any help. So what do you guys love most about being CrossFit coaches? Oh man, go ahead. I got too much to say about that. For me it's the people like yeah, I could really care less about the business side of it. I just, I love coming in and getting to know every single person and knowing them, like knowing them outside of the gym. Yeah. So I don't want to, I obviously need to know and I want to know your injuries and your limitations and all of that stuff inside of the gym. But I want to know was work crap today cause that's going to affect your workout inside of the gym. But I also want to know how are your kids, how's your wife? Yeah. What are you eating outside of the gym?
Speaker 1: (14:34)
Like I, I love the relationship side of CrossFit. Perfect. That's awesome. I would say I would totally coming from someone from the outside, you know, attending your gym before CrossFit. I was just like Chad, I mean I and I worked out pretty regularly at the gym and um, I remember yeah, it was w for at least four days a week consistent. I thought I worked out hard. I remember my first week of CrossFit workouts and I was like, Holy crap, have I ever worked out a day in my life? You know, like it was a different kind of training and then it was, it really was the, um, like if, if it's left up to me, I'm never going to push myself as hard as, um, as I, as I should or as I actually even think I could the workouts and CrossFit, I would never, you know, there are certain workouts that I'm like, I would have, first of all, whoever thought this up cause they're insane.
Speaker 1: (15:23)
But what's crazier is when you actually do them and you're like, I finished it, you know, like it's, that's awesome. So that, that community part of working out for me is, uh, is just massive. So being held accountable and like not cutting that squat short and going just low enough to feel that burn. Like are you still getting below parallel? You still hitting that target with that wall ball every time or you go on a few, are you cheating yourself? Yeah. Yeah. [inaudible] box at the top. Yeah. I think for me like what, what I enjoy the most is, is seeing that expression on somebody's face after you convinced them that putting those two and a halves on each side are going up five pounds heavier. The expression on their face after they do it and they're just, I mean, just amazed and the happiness that you see in them.
Speaker 1: (16:16)
Sure. I mean it just, I mean I could just float away. I mean it made sure so good seeing people break through either physical and or mental barriers that they will, 90% of it is mental. Like nobody's ever convinced me to do that or nobody's ever told me that I should turn the box over to a 24 instead of a 20 or you know, like that Oh shit factor. So yeah, but you're good. That is, that's it's a huge show and and no, and the critical thing is knowing just how much to push that person to where they can do it and not hurt themselves, not hurt themselves. Right? That is, that is such a fine line of am I doing it correctly, am I doing it properly? And then that expression in that gratitude that person has is man, right? It's believing in our members when they can't believe in themselves.
Speaker 1: (17:08)
Truly believe in. If you can just, if you can have that confidence for them through that and then just help them, help them reach that goal, you believed in them and then at the end of the day they believe in themselves. So awesome. I think what you guys are saying are all elements are at the heart of, of what good coaching is all about. It's really finding what you said, that kind of fine line of of stretching somebody to the point where you know they're going to break through some of those barriers. But then also knowing where that, where that limit is in terms of, you know, cause you can run that risk of injury and or whatever. But but knowing that is again, that's going to come from years of experience of knowing that those kinds of, and just like any other profession, I mean you guys, you guys go to school and you get your certificate or your degree, it's not like you just stopped there.
Speaker 1: (17:57)
Right. You continue to learn, you continue to drive and you continue to make yourself better. It's the same for us. It's not like we go to that one week and then we get our level one and then we just go, okay well now we can own a gym at the top. Yeah. I mean how often do you guys, that being said, how often do you guys do continuing education? I mean, I mean it will say we'll say a formal continuing education cause obviously every day in the gym, like just like everyday in practice, you know you're learning. But in terms of like how, how often do you guys go to conferences and things like that. So I don't, I don't go to any conferences. I have another business that I go to 100% of the time too. And so my learning, my learning is more visual and physical, like being on on spot.
Speaker 1: (18:40)
Like I learned from people every day. Okay, that cue worked for this guy, but it doesn't work for that guy. So how am I going to make up something that I can say the same thing but in different ways? Sure, sure. I think for me, for me having, um, a dictionary of cues that mean the same thing, you know, is, is a huge learning experience for me. And I think I get a lot of that every single day, every class. And even when I'm on the other side of coaching as an athlete. Sure. Hearing people talk to one another, sharing their personal cues. And then I just absorb that because it was awesome. Sure. And so I learned a different way. I learned from the athletes themselves and yeah, no, that makes sense to me. And how about you saying no. For me, I think you could have all the credentials in the world and I honestly don't think that they mean anything if you're not providing results.
Speaker 1: (19:34)
Right. Yeah. I have my level one and I have my level two and I would potentially love to get to level four. I think being seminar staff would be an incredible, incredible opportunity. But, um, every day, like I'm watching videos, I'm trying to read books, I'm listening to podcasts. Last week she just bought some a anatomy book for my favorite anatomy books. There you go. You've got her. Netters there we go. I mean, there are tons of opportunities. Um, they don't all come to the treasure Valley area. So if you want to get that CrossFit oper offers a ton of online certifications that you can get. But if you want the hands on one, a lot of times you're going to have to travel for them, which is fine. We traveled for my level two and that was awesome. Um, I mean we have a lot of certifications and stuff, but like she said, you know, if you don't, if you don't practice that are in the trenches doing it.
Speaker 1: (20:30)
Yeah. It doesn't make sense. Yeah. Cool. I got 900 certifications. Cool. Yeah. But I haven't taught anybody anything. Right. Yeah. Right. That's for me. I don't, I don't want somebody to come into the gym be like, Hey, um, today's my first day. Like what can you guys offer? I got my level two you're going to be, you're in great hands cause I got my level two, no, I'm going to make sure that I provide a result for you and then I don't care about any of the certificate and all that. Makes sense. Um, so for those who are listening who are local, uh, what would be the best way for people to get in touch with you guys? Go ahead. Okay. So we just updated our website. If you had ever been on our old website, it was, boy, I mean when we took over a power secret, there was no website.
Speaker 1: (21:18)
It was literally you typed in power to your crossfit.com and it was like, do you want to buy this bill? So we had a, um, one of our coaches, her husband put our website together and all we said was like, we need a phone number, our address and our class times. That's all we need on it. But then now with this new transition, I was like, okay, okay, we got to get a website, legitimate website. We have to have something. And so you can go to our website power. So your crossfit.com, it's our seeker, crossfit.com. We'll make sure in the show notes we have the link there. Powerless on Facebook or Facebook, Instagram. Um, we have emails, phone numbers. I don't know if we want to put all of that stuff in there. Yeah, we can put, we can put whatever. Yeah. And we'll put links to everything.
Speaker 1: (22:02)
So, um, for those who, yeah, for those who are here locally, um, that's how you get ahold of them. Uh, what would somebody locally, so let's say we've got people who are like, I want to check this out. What can we expect, uh, coming in for the first visit at power seeker CrossFit? So, um, we don't offer an OnRamp class. We just, we invite all new people to just jump into class. Okay. Um, if, if you're super intimidated or you haven't worked out for a really long time, I would say don't come to the five or 6:00 AM cause those really big classes. Sure. Okay. But Oscar levels all abilities, it doesn't matter. Sure. Size, age. And I guess for those people who are maybe intimidated, is it an intimidating experience coming? So I, I love, I love the fact when somebody comes in and they're, you know, have their arms crossed and they're kind of standing by the front door and you go up and you're like, Hey, how's it going?
Speaker 1: (22:58)
You know, what can I do for you? And they're like, well, I've heard about this and I want to try it. And then you're just pumped and you're excited and you tell them about it and they're like, Oh, so it's not that bad. Right. Getting in the car, driving to the gym, that's the hardest part. Driving down, knowing that you're scared out of your mind and then you get there and then you see everybody, all walks of life in, they're working out, sweating and cheering everybody on. You know, I think, I think that helps out a lot too because everybody from a to Z in our gym, you know, and it, they all love it. Yeah. That was the thing, I think that really did actually surprise me quite a bit when I came into CrossFit for the first time, was seeing a very diverse, uh, you know, clientele in terms of that, you know, that there was people from, like you said, a to Z in of levels of ability.
Speaker 1: (23:46)
And so that made it far less intimidating to me, you know, in terms of getting started where I'm like, these other people are doing it so you know, you, and we naturally think some sometimes identify where we fit in the line. You know, like, I'm like, that guy's probably a little bit stronger than I am and a little bit more fit than me. But I definitely know I'm probably better than him. So, and in my case I had to like, look at the women. I'm like, I'm, I'm better, I've gotta be better than her. She's like 80 and then I wasn't in a classic statement as well. I need to get in shape to go into CrossFit. Right? No you don't. You just need, yeah, I need to get, you know, I need to go run or get some workouts in and then I'll come to CrossFit.
Speaker 1: (24:25)
Yeah. And it's not like if we program a handstand pushup or a muscle up, if you can't do that, you can't show up today. Right. Show up and we're going to give you something and modify it for you. That's still gonna well, if you came in, if you came in ranger motion, yeah. If you came in to any class, anytime we're open 11 hours a day and if you came into any one of the classes, I guarantee you half of those people are doing a different movement. Excuse me. The same movement, but in a different way. Yes. Modification are doing the same. Weighted motion. Different poundage, right? Yeah. So everybody's doing the same workout so they don't feel isolated or you know, Oh, well why is that person doing that when I'm doing this? Yeah. You know, everybody has the same workout. It's just modified to their ability and everybody finishes roughly in the same timeframe and it's awesome.
Speaker 1: (25:14)
That is awesome. Yeah, we'll, uh, we appreciate you guys taking time out of your schedule. Again, I'm sure you guys probably have classes today and tomorrow going on, so thanks for, uh, thanks for being here with us and taking time to share this with us. Uh, for those who are interested, uh, power seekers CrossFit, um, hope this has been valuable for you guys. If you know other people that could benefit from what we've shared, uh, share this with them. Uh, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and we'll share more with you guys on the next episode. Awesome. Thanks. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2: (25:42)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here. And I'm Dr. buddy Allen. And this is episode 40 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're here with our good friend, Dr. Scott Lewis, and we're going to be talking about how to help kids heal from concussions. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm dr buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
Alright everybody. So we're here with our good friend, Dr. Scott Lewis. Uh, he's actually just down the road from us, which is really cool, really exciting. Uh, we've known Scott for quite a while here and, uh, he does some really, really cool stuff. And so rather than me do a poor job of giving a synopsis of what it is that he does, uh, well the first question we'll start with kind of tell everybody a little bit about, uh, who you are, kind of what got you into the field that you're in. All right, great.
Speaker 3: (00:58)
So I'm what's called a developmental optometrist. And I went to optometry school thinking I was going to sell glasses and contacts like every other optometrists. But what I didn't realize is when I started optometry school, my eyes weren't teaming together. So I got through high school and college reading with one eye covered and leaning over because if I tried to look with both eyes the words, then it makes sense to me. They kind of moved on the page and I'd get a lot of headaches. And it wasn't till I was in optometry school that said, Hey, or somebody said, your eyes aren't working. And I'm like, what do you mean? I see 2020. When I cover one eye? They're like, who cares? Your eyes aren't lining up. And so I did therapy in school and I got my eyes lining up and it made it so I could track.
Speaker 3: (01:43)
Um, my grades went to a 4.0 life was good after I did therapy. And that's what I made the decision. I've got to figure this out. And then my wife and I were thinking I had a concussion when I was 12. And at that point I had been in gifted classes all the way through elementary school and in the beginning of middle school. And then once I had that head injury, I was getting a 1.9 GPA, 2.0 GPA, headaches every day. Life was not fun. Um, and I just had to cope because I'd go to the eye doctor and I saw 20, 20 because everybody checks with one eye than the other eye, but nobody looks to see how well, how well are the eyes lining up? How well are you tracking? Do you process the information you see? And so it was that revelation. And after being going through therapy myself and life was so much easier. That's when I decided I've got to practice this way.
Speaker 1: (02:38)
So you finished optometry school, which is what, four years after? Uh, it's a graduate level program. Right. Doctorate level program. Uh, and then after that, what did you S cause cause you weren't specialized at that point in time, right? No, I I really like vision therapy,
Speaker 3: (02:52)
but I did a three year fellowship, um, with the college of optometrist envisioned development and I worked a doctor in DC for 18 months who only did vision therapy before I moved to Idaho for my practice. And what sorts of cases, I mean obviously you talked about a concussion. What, what sorts of cases do you typically see at your clinic? All right, so the majority of my patients are, um, kids that don't learn to use their eyes correctly. I see a lot of kids with eye turns, lazy eyes. And then about second, third, fourth grade, there's a lot of kids that are falling behind in school because they're struggling learning how to read and, and comply in the classroom because their eyes are playing tricks on them. And so they're really smart kids, but they're now falling behind because of the mechanics of reading haven't developed.
Speaker 3: (03:41)
Um, then I see a lot of patients with, um, post ABI post TBI, so strokes, um, head injuries, concussions, we see a lot of patients, um, to do that rehab side. But we also have a lot of athletes that come in that want us to take their visual system and make them better. So I'm the eye doctor that works the visual system, so eyeballs back. Okay. So I don't do the front of the eyes, I don't do glasses contacts. I make sure that the brain's processing the information and using what we see and understanding it and interpreting it correctly and then that the brain's controlling the eyes so that they move correctly. You know, a lot of it sounds to me like you're a very neurologic based optometrist or a neurology type optometrist. Is that a fair thing to say in terms of description? That's a really fair, some of my colleagues are now using the term neuro optometrist.
Speaker 3: (04:34)
Okay. Yeah. So, um, that's interesting. So I mean in two broad categories you could say that that your patients either fall into a camp of they've got a problem and they want to help get your help solving the problem. Uh, which is I think what most doctors typically think of. But then there's another where it's kind of more of a performance based kind of a group of individuals that you're working with where things are working. Okay. There's no real clear pathology or problem, but rather you've got these people who want to, who want to improve that area. Uh, in terms of their sports performance, baseball players flip, I mean, people absolutely coordination. Uh, this morning we had a basketball player and a baseball player in the office. I'm on the coaching staff for Boise state. I'm on the baseball team. Um, we see all the players every week and if there is a deficit, we definitely take care of it. But then we take them and we make them take them to the next level. If we can make that fast ball look 20 miles an hour slower, if we can develop reaction time depth, the focus speed of focus, if we can improve that, it makes a world of difference when you're on the field. Yeah. Um, what would you say in terms of do how many people like cause cause for me, uh, prior to even meeting you, I didn't even know there was such a thing as, as what you do. Is that a pretty common
Speaker 1: (05:57)
thing? Do most people not know that this is even in existence? Like
Speaker 3: (06:01)
no, I get that everyday patients come in and go, I was referred here but you're an eye doctor, how can you help my brain injury?
Speaker 1: (06:08)
Right. Well how about the symptoms? I mean you kind of said some of them for young kids, you know, like, and even for yourself, like you were doing great and then all of a sudden things, you know, like things stopped matching up or things stopped working correctly. Like, what are some of the symptoms that both children and then maybe even adults would be like, wait a second, that might be me. You know what I mean? Yeah, that's a great question. Yeah.
Speaker 3: (06:31)
Um, it's interesting because children sometimes don't understand their symptoms because that's their normal. And so symptoms are a little different in kids. You have to ask lots of questions. Um, and then they go, Oh, you mean that's not right? And so the thing I look for in kids, especially if the eyes aren't lining up, I always ask about double vision words moving on the page. If they lose their place, if they get done reading a page and forget what they read, um, we look at me, I know, right? Big time. And I also talked about headaches. Vision, headaches happen in two places. They happen frontally right here. And then they'll happen at the back of the neck. And people always go, well, how can a vision headache happen at the top of your neck? Well, if you're holding your head in a funny posture, trying to figure out a place where your eyes will line up or make it clear, well then your neck is sore because it's holding this huge head of yours of funky. And you guys
Speaker 1: (07:29)
absolutely. Um, you know the thing that when you, when you talked about that as far as like kids doing well at a certain age and then all of a sudden there's this decline. I'm curious if, you know, any statistics of kids who just get lumped into this category of, you know, special education, right? Where they just, they need a special plan and curriculum for them because they're just not at that normal level in terms of reading and testing and all that stuff. What percentage would you save if you were to guess or maybe, you know, this fall into the category as a direct or indirect result of some of these things? So it's [inaudible]
Speaker 3: (08:04)
interesting. They actually say that, um, every child that's in special ed should have a good, thorough visual examination and not a quick 10, 15 minute I check, can you see the letters far away? But to find out, they actually say it's as high as about 60%. Um, it's interesting because like my mentor practiced in San Diego and the San Diego school district will actually pay for vision therapy because they've found it so much cheaper to fix a kid in third grade than to keep them in special ed for the next nine years of their Scholastic career. Oh wow. Right. That makes a huge difference there. Yeah, it actually does. It's, it's fascinating. Um, they, the national PTA put out a statistic years ago that said one in four kids has a vision issue that affects their ability to read and learn. And if you think about 25% and you know you that there's not a lot of developmental optometrists out there. I'm the only board certified developmental optometrist in the state
Speaker 1: (09:02)
and the entire state of Idaho. It's crazy. That is crazy. Wow. You know, it's funny you say that, cause you know my, I didn't even know this until probably five, 10 years ago. My dad, he said, he says, I had an instance when I was in grade school. He says, my teacher said I was the dumbest kid she had ever met and he didn't find out until after getting made. Hey, you made it all the way through high school, managed to, you know, just eke it out. You know? And it was, the whole thing was a struggle. He found out after he graduated that he had processing issues with reading and an issue. And so it was like, here he was, he thought he was stupid, you know? And it was just because of a teacher saying, you're a dummy, you know, and you know, that's a horrible thing. So doubt. Well, obviously you focus a lot of attention on concussions. Um, what would you say for parents, um, are some things that you do to help with that area? And I, I guess maybe a better question is what's kind of the general accepted kind of standard of care right now in terms of concussion recovery? You know,
Speaker 3: (10:07)
well, the best tests that you can do for a concussion, and let's talk about testing because we have to diagnose a concussion. Self-reporting of a concussion is the worst diagnostic criteria pay. How do you feel you fill in? Okay, yeah, coach put me back in. And then they go back in and they get a second hit. And now we're dealing with second hit syndrome, which is a whole other topic, right? Um, one of the best things you can do for a concussion, especially for yourself, for your children, is to have a processing speed check. Because if your brain is under some sort of duress, your information processing is going to be reduced. There's a test we run in our office called the Dem or the development time movement test. There's another one called the King [inaudible] and the King DVBIC. Recently I'm joined forces with the impact test.
Speaker 3: (10:54)
Um, all it does is it looks at eye tracking and it measures how long it takes you to track your eyes process information. There's the ran, which is the random random automaticity of number naming correlated with eye tracking. And if you're in the middle of a sporting event, um, it's a perfect sideline test. So when you're in the middle of a sporting event and they run that test with your adrenaline up and if you're pumped for the game, your speed should be faster than sitting in my office. But if it's slower at all, we've got to pull you from the game. We've got to figure out what happened, what's going on. Because what we don't want is that second hit syndrome. Right. You know, with the typical concussion, um, and well I assume everybody knows it typically takes about two weeks to recover. A concussion is normal. So when we talk about concussion, let's, do you mind if we talk about the pathophysiology that happens with the kids?
Speaker 1: (11:49)
Sure. No, that, that, that's totally fine. I think the thing, just back one quick before, no, no, no, no, no. I was just going to say, you know, in terms of looking at it from a mile up, the problem with the current state of things that you're saying that you just said is subjective tests. Don't give us an accurate picture because there's, there's a hidden agenda or not a hidden agenda, but there's a clear bias in terms of the individual. They're not going to want to be sidelined from the game. And so subjectively, when you ask them, you know, and a lot of these questionnaires are purely just that, is these subjective assessments? Do you have headache? Do you have blurred vision? Do you have [inaudible]? Are you experiencing these things? And they're like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, not really. You know, I'm, I'm good.
Speaker 1: (12:30)
You know, like, get me back in the game. Whereas what you're talking about here is objective performance to base measures that give us a clear and very accurate, unbiased picture of what's really happening. And so parents need to be aware of that so that they can know that, you know, if, if, if the doctor or whoever is assessing your child or you, if it's you, um, you know, the, that just asking subjective questions is not going to get to the heart of the matter. So, so dig in further then in terms of the pathophysiology of concussion. Right. I'm glad he's here to clarify what I say.
Speaker 3: (13:04)
And one thing I thought of when he was talking is these two tests I'm talking about, they're eye tracking tests, but looking at information processing while you're moving your eyes. So it's a divided attention type test, right? And so the pathophysiology that happens when you have a concussion, if you think about your skull, it's about the consistency of concrete. And then the brains the consistency of jello. If something hits that, that skull, the school's gonna move and the brain stationary, so the brain hits against the wall, or the head's moving and a hit against another object and the brain moves and runs into the wall of the brain or the of the skull. Well, everybody thinks about the actual impact site as where the damage happens. What we don't think about is the tension on all the neurons coming up through from the spinal cord up into the head.
Speaker 3: (13:55)
And if that brain gets twisted and turned, there's all that tension that happens. If you have a very severe head injury, sure you're going to have bleeding on the brain, you're going to have some ripping, tearing of the tissue. But what if you just have a single nerve who gets twisted or bent and now it can't send the signal because the microtubules are broken? Well, now you lost a pathway that will never be picked up on an MRI. It will never be picked up. We have to look at function, right? So if we can look at objective functioning, we can find out, Hey, there's some deficits. Now let's figure out what it is and let's figure out how to rehab them. Um, they're now saying that concussions don't have to necessarily be a head hit, but any hit on your body that causes that pressure to change, kind of like whiplash or even a bad football hit, the head's stationary body starts moving and now you get that torsion or that polling on all these neurons.
Speaker 1: (14:56)
Right? And that's, that's really surprised. I think that's surprising to hear. You know, that, that it does. Most people equate concussion and that would make total sense. You either knock heads with somebody else, you get your head knocked into something, you fall, you know, that sort of thing. But you're exactly right. You know, any sort of force that's going to take the body one way and the head and neck, you know, I mean it's, I keep thinking of that, uh, what's that movie? So she married an ax murder where he's talking about his son with a massive head, like an orange on a toothpick is, you know, uh, that's what our heads are though, right? They, they weigh a a significant amount and so there's, there's this weight and so, uh, you know, you're vulnerable to a lot of those issues. You know, a lot of people, especially when they come in after accidents, they don't hit their head on anything, but they have this brain fog, that cloudiness, which is that, that first symptom, I think this easy to be.
Speaker 1: (15:48)
It's just like, you can't, you can't carry on, uh, you lose your train of thought easily. You know what I mean? Like just, yeah, you're like, man, I just don't feel like I can, you know, you know, roll like I normally would. So the standard of care right now currently is such where it's just kind of a wait it out and hope everything heals and then looking at again, symptoms or absence of symptoms. If there's no more headaches, if there's uh, no more pain, no more fatigue, et cetera, et cetera, you're good to go as typically kind of a the standard approach.
Speaker 3: (16:20)
Well that's typically what you hear about is Hey, stay in a dark room for a couple of days. No TV, no cell phone, no reading. Um, what we found is if a concussion is going to heal on its own, usually takes about two weeks. First couple of days. You do want to avoid tasks that cause increased pressure, headaches, increased brain fog. But then after a couple of days you want to slowly start introducing things back in, especially for kids at about two weeks. They're back at school, they're back doing homework. It's the patients that it takes longer than two weeks. Those are the patients we really want to talk about because they're the ones that aren't self healing and they're the ones that usually fall through the cracks. A lot of my patients, they've been dealing with their post-concussion issues for five, six years. By the time they come in to see me, I am definitely the last box they're checking,
Speaker 1: (17:16)
right. They've gone through all the other different people. Chances are they probably seen medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Yeah, you name it.
Speaker 3: (17:26)
And it's interesting because people don't usually think about the eye doctor as fixing a concussion cause we think of glasses and contacts. But if you think about the visual system and the visual pathway, it traverses from the eyeball back to the primary visual cortex and then it comes back forward to process all the information. And so when we start looking at that, then my job, it takes me about two, two and a half hours to do a thorough evaluation, which I have to do on multiple days because these patients don't have the stamina before it get fatigued. Sure. Yeah. Um, then we could start to figure out, Hey, where are the deficits? What do we have to put back together? Um, what can you do? 70% of all sensory information comes in through our visual system. And so there's not a part of the brain that's not primarily or secondarily involved in vision.
Speaker 3: (18:14)
Vision is pervasive in the brain. And so when we start looking at that, we can start to figure out what's going on. A lot of my patients have trouble teaming their eyes, tracking their eyes, focusing. Um, a lot of times they're, their filters are, are broken. So all the sensory information comes in and they don't know what's good information and what's bad. So sometimes they filter out things that they need to pay attention to and they pay attention to noise. It's kinda like, okay, right now, do you feel your feet inside your shoes? Can you feel your shoes right? But did you three minutes ago, right? Because you weren't paying attention to it, you filtered it out. Well, sometimes after a concussion, sometimes the brain fog, the way I relate it is you don't know what to pay attention to. One, not to say you're paying attention to all this background noise that needs to be ignored.
Speaker 3: (19:06)
And so a lot of it is even knowing what information to process or pay attention to. That sounds exhausting. Very much so. Um, a lot of my patients are at their wit's end, let's be honest. Oh, sure. Yeah. Yeah. They're frustrated with life and so what we have to do is we have to make them feel comfortable. Um, if you think about the typical symptoms of what you'd imagined PTSD to be, I don't feel like myself, I can't do what I used to be able to do. Or a spouse might go, they just act different. I used to be able to rely on them if I said, Hey, I need you to run to the store after work and do this. They come home without doing that because they can't remember. They're so overwhelmed and exhausted just doing their activities of daily life. Right. It's like the brain is in survival mode.
Speaker 3: (19:53)
Just trying to do what it can to cope with anything. So. So w in a general sense, I mean obviously we could be here for hours talking about it, but what are some of the things that you typically will do to help, um, kids and or adults for that matter, uh, recover from concussions at your office? Great question. So the first thing we do is we do what's called awareness of process. We show them how it feels to line up their eyes to focus, to track. We want them to start to fill it, all the things that we take for granted so that they can learn how to control everything. Again, we teach them how to process information. We do a lot of puzzles, we do transpositions, Hey, how would this look flipped upside down, side to side. We start to get their brain processing information and we give them feedback loops because I need to teach a patient how to self monitor and self correct. Because if they're at work and that brain fog comes on, Hey, what do you do? Okay, okay. When this happens, I've got to get up. I've got to go get a drink. I've got to disconnect from the activity that's causing the symptom reset myself. Now I can come back and work for another half an hour. Does that make [inaudible]?
Speaker 1: (20:59)
Sure. Yeah. It almost sounds very similar to like what an occupational therapist would do for, for like a stroke victim or whatever in the physical realm, in terms of manual [inaudible] teach, teaching them how to use those motor skills. Again, you know, you're basically doing that for the eyes is what it sounds like a very similar process. It's very similar. Yeah, that's powerful. So kind of moving away from the clinical side, I would assume I know kind of what you love about what you do based on what you're saying. I mean that sounds like pretty rewarding, but I'll let you kind of answer that question. You know, what is it that you love most about what you do?
Speaker 3: (21:36)
I like being able to fix patients. The other professionals have said, this is all we can do. I like being able to take a person and make them so that they can function life again. I want to give them their life back and day in, day out when we see that happen, I go home well and sleep well. That's awesome. Um,
Speaker 1: (21:55)
we had an episode, uh, not, not too long ago where we talked about, you know, one of the greatest disservices that doctors can do for their patients is putting these very, um, stringent kind of caps on, you know, you'll never be able to do this again. You'll never be able to go to the gym or to play football, whatever. You know what I mean? Things that you used to do that you enjoyed there, they'd be like, Oh, because of this injury, you can't do this. We had a, we had a patient, uh, uh, who came in, um, about six months ago and he, he had some lower back issues he's had, he had on his x-rays, some degeneration and some other things like that. Uh, he younger guy, I think in his late thirties, um, but he was told by a doctor that he would never be able to play sports again, that he was going to be virtually crippled by the age he was by the time he was like in his forties is pretty much what the doctor told him.
Speaker 1: (22:51)
And so he was in this state of like constant fear of like his life was just this ticking time bomb that once he got to, you know what I mean? He was resigned to the fact that in his forties, he was going to be disabled, you know? Yeah. Just disabled, you know? And so it's, it's powerful when you can get doctors who are willing to help people break through those kind of mental and emotional barriers. And it sounds like a lot of your job is doing that with patients, really helping, um, exceed expectations, you know, that they might have fixing the unfixable. Yeah. That's awesome. Amazing. Um, so for those who are watching, who are local here, um, and that say they or someone they love a child or whatever, they're like, man, a lot of the things that he's talking about sounds like our situation or, or they just know, yeah, my son sustained a concussion or daughter sustained concussion. Um, how would be the best way for them to reach out,
Speaker 3: (23:48)
do you? Um, the easiest way is to go to our website. It's focused idaho.com and all of our office information's there. If they're not local, the best website to go to is cob D. dot org and that's the college of optometrists and vision development. Okay. And you say find a doctor and that has a nationwide search worldwide. Actually they will find a doctor that's closest to you. How many are there worldwide would you say? There's about 550 of us that are board certified. Okay. So basically like
Speaker 1: (24:23)
a handful in every state pretty much is what that is. So. Wow. That's crazy. Um, wow. So, uh, and, and we've been, I've, I've been to, uh, Dr. Lewis, his office. It's a state of the art facility, brand new facility. Amazing. Um, you've got a full basketball court in there for athletes to be able to train on and do specific drills there. Some other cool equipment that I didn't even recognize or know what it did, but it was awesome looking. Um, yeah, it's, it's amazing. It really is an amazing facility. And so, uh, Dr. Lewis has, is able to help a lot of, uh, patients that a lot of other doctors quite frankly, aren't able to help. And so, um, you know, hopefully if nothing else from this episode, what happens is you become less of the last resort and now more of a, Oh, you know, I'm just gonna put this away in the back of my head that if I notice this, we'll call Dr. Lewis in his office sooner or a, a, a vision development. A optometrist is, did I say that right? Vision. Developmental developmental optometrist. Right. So, um, any other final thoughts on this? Anything you want to share? Dr. Lewis? No, just thanks for your time and thanks for letting me come on. Yeah, no, awesome. It was awesome having you, man. Uh, yeah. If you guys know, uh, somebody that could benefit from this, share it with them. Subscribe to the podcast, uh, holler at Dr. Lewis. Uh, if you or someone you know, needs help and we'll talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a good one.
Speaker 2: (25:49)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here. I'm Dr. Buddy Allen and this is episode 39 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we have our good friend and special guest, Brett Hughes with us. He's going to be talking with us about goals, transformation and modeling success. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:16)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:35)
All right, everybody. So we're super excited about today's episode. Um, we're not actually talking about modeling in terms of Brett as a model, although I'm sure you could be. No. Um, we're actually going to be talking with Brett here, uh, about a recent experience that he had, uh, with, uh, a really a significant transformation. But, uh, we wanted to kind of extrapolate that a little bit bigger in terms of, uh, not just physical health, but other areas of health as well and other areas of life. Um, because we were talking about this, uh, Brett, Brett and I actually go way, way back. We've known each other for golly, over a decade, haven't we? Yeah, it's been awhile. I think we met at Russell's. We did. We did like 10 years ago. Yeah. Yeah. Well this was back in the day. Uh, so, so, so Brett is, we were saying just before the interview, Brett is an actual serial entrepreneur.
Speaker 1: (01:25)
Um, sometimes people like to use that term serial entrepreneur when they're just people that like to start things and not finish things. But bread actually starts things and finishes things. In fact, he's had a handful of extremely successful businesses right now. Uh, one of your businesses is Boise premiere real estate. Um, people who live here in the treasure Valley. You'd be blind not to know or hear about, uh, Boise premiere. You guys are one of the fastest growing brokerage firms, is that correct? Yeah, that's right. You might notice the lion signs. Yes. That's kind of like the distinguishing factor. Yeah, I know it's a great logo. So, uh, I guess to get started with, uh, maybe just give those who are listening or watching a little bit of a background, who you are, kind of what your story is. So, Oh man, it's one of those things like you, you don't know where it started, right? Like even when I was a little kid, I would wake up early and rake leaves if it was fall or I would, you know, deal with shovel walks or whatever if it was winter. So I was always just like an opportunistic kid. Sure. And I'd try to drag my friends or my brother who typically didn't want to be a part of it, right. Because even we were little kids, I would make him be the secretary.
Speaker 1: (02:30)
But that was the kind of the idea is like, I've just always been like financially motivated. And so I think even when I was attending Boise state, I started flipping some houses and I really liked real estate and I was cognizant that so many people had made so much money in real estate. So I really want to be a part of it. What'd you go to school for in Boise state business management. Okay. Okay. I started out in accounting because I was like, it's the ultimate language of business. I'm like, I've got to do it. But really quickly, I remember teachers like, Hey, Brett, stay after class today. I'm like, all right, cool. She's like, you're not an accountant. I'm like, all right, I appreciate that. Thank you. She's like, that was the intervention you needed. It really was asking some question like why would we keep track of this? And she's like, see me after class.
Speaker 1: (03:14)
You're not cut out for this. No. And I knew it wasn't. I just wanted to learn. Sure. No, no, no. That's good. Um, so fast forward now, uh, you had a really successful carpet cleaning business. That's kind of when we met. Right? Um, is that still an existence? He had told us still in existence. I sold it to my brother and he just, he runs that. But real estate has always been my thing. I actually went to that course cause I had to think of like one business in particular, which was challenging. And so I chose carpet cleaning, but it's never been my focus development, real estate brokerage and, and even like new construction has always been my big focus. And so in terms of, uh, w we'll just use this as a, a feather in your cap bragging moment. That's okay. We can kind of give you the [inaudible].
Speaker 1: (03:55)
What are some cool things, accomplishments and or accolades, things that Boise premier has done. It's one of the fastest growing, isn't it? Not. Yeah. Well, okay. So in real estate it's really challenging to start your own independent brokerage. But I was so dumb or naive that I didn't realize that would be such a challenge. So even in my business, sometimes ignorance can be a good thing in that regard. Right. You know, you don't have your own limiting beliefs getting in the way. 100 per seriously. Yeah. So I worked for a small brokerage downtown, an amazing broker, but it was one of those places where you just show up, you call her when you need a question and that's it. And so I thought brokerage looks like that, right? Cause that's, she had a bunch of agents all very similar to me. So when I started my own, I'm like, Whoa, these guys are needy.
Speaker 1: (04:36)
They need a lot of stuff. But, um, but I loved it and I really liked the, um, I love the agents. I love their entrepreneurial mindset. And so, you know, my first goal was 50 agents and then a certain number of transactions, and then it turned to a hundred and then it was 150 and now it's 200 and we're right at two a hundred right now. Wow. So, yeah, it's like, let's see, 10 years then it's like 10 years. But it was like, it's a lot like this transformation. It was the physical transformation. It was fun and it wasn't like dreadful in the, in the moment. But we're looking back on it. It would, I wouldn't want to do it again. Right. That's, that's how I look at Moe school. That's how I look at starting the practice. That's how I look at a lot of things.
Speaker 1: (05:14)
That's so true. So, so tell us kind of a little bit about your experience recently. You had a really cool experience with, uh, you know, uh, physical transfer, bicycle transportation, health, transportation, w tell us about kind of what sparked that in the first place and kind of the journey and the story. Okay. So my wife has done a couple of these. Okay. And she is extremely driven. Like when she sets out to do something, she does it. Okay. And so I was like watching what she was eating and her and her, um, exercise. And I was like, wow, this looks really hard. I wonder if I'm paused, if, if, if I could do it. So I just kind of put that in the back of my mind. And then we're in Hawaii. We go there each winter at a certain time. Like in January. Don't blame you.
Speaker 1: (05:52)
Yeah. Boise's cold. Yeah. Kind of January. And I remember we were at this beautiful waterfall. Okay. And there's this rope swing and I was doing these backflips and so I wanted to see the picture and the video. Okay. So the very first video I look at, I'm like, huh, that's a bad angle. I look kind of chubby and then I looked at this camera's doing weird things. Yeah. Is doing weird things. Cause as guys, we look in the mirror straight on, we don't look at the sides. Right? Right. And so I look at another picture and I'm like, wait a second. And then I asked my wife, I'm like, do I look like this? And she's like, yeah, why? And I'm like, Oh my gosh, I'm chubby. I didn't even know this. And I remember distinctly thinking like I'm a Boise state football fan, right?
Speaker 1: (06:30)
Yeah. I'm like, I'm six two, 205 pounds. That's like that's what an athlete it looks like. No, not exactly. My formation was much different than a rock solid, you know? And so it kind of like that was a spur where I'm like, okay, like you're getting older, this stuff, age is not going to like, you know, it takes everybody so you have to do something, otherwise you're going to be that guy. Right. And so that was kind of the catalyst for you? That was like the defining moment that, yes. And so what did you do at that point then? What did you decide? What did you, so I do the same thing every time. I'm trying to figure anything out, right? I want to find out who's done it successfully, who has been the smartest at it and who can actually help me. Okay. So for this one it was easy because I saw the transformation my wife made.
Speaker 1: (07:15)
Now she's always been in good shape, but she went to exceptional shape and so on. And I remember thinking like Eric at Mecca, he had a really good approach to it. So you could, you would track your macros, which is proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. And you wasn't like you to have the same thing every single day. You had some flexibility. Right. And Megan was drinking water the whole time. Like it wasn't like she was dehydrated or like unhealthy in any way. And then even after the competition he brought her back out slowly, like you reverse diet back out. And I thought it was like a really careful, thoughtful, um, approach. So I started working with him and when I first went there I was just kind of working out and getting stronger and getting better and then find that decided let's just do it. Let's just turn up the heat and see if we can, you know, if I can actually do one of these competitions.
Speaker 1: (07:59)
Right. So couple of things cause I want to talk about that competition. Um, you said something at the beginning of there that I think we need to kind of back up just a little bit so people can kind of pull some, some value out of this. Not just in terms of the physical value or physical transformation, but the, your first inclination was to find someone who already had a proven track record or a proven method. And that's what we mean by modeling. We were joking at the beginning about modeling, you know, yeah. As he let her style. Um, but, but, but this idea of modeling is a common denominator that you will find amongst the most successful people in just about any endeavor, whether it be physical health transformation, whether it be a mental or emotional health transformation, whether that be, uh, you know, improvements that they want to make in business or any other goals that people want to set and achieve.
Speaker 1: (08:54)
Um, you've got basically in general two choices. You can either forge that path and be a pioneer, good luck to you and more power to you. That's, that's amazing. Or the other approach that you took, which I think most people would find a wiser approach and a better expenditure and use of energy would be to find a proven method and just model that and do things more over. Um, when you really look at this, so many people actually look at themselves or think of themselves as I, you know, like I fit outside of this box of, um, it worked for him, but it probably won't work for me. Right. So I'm an exception. Yes. I'm the exception, not the rule when, what your saying is, it's absolutely the rule. Every time you've ever been successful, it's been, when you've found someone to model that was already successful, you do what they do and you get similar results.
Speaker 1: (09:46)
And just thinking about like how many years they've put in to their craft, there's no way I can catch up, right? Nope. So why don't I just pay them and get the result? Like it just seems so much easier. You know what's funny about that is, is that's my secret to success with fishing. Is that, uh, Albertson's, no, no, no. That's a really cut in the middle man. Now I'm not that bad up Noah. I've got a good buddy of mine out in Washington that, that buddy and I go, Dr. Allen and I go fishing with every year and he is a pro. I mean he is just, he is a seasoned pro. He's been doing it for, uh, two decades plus and you name it. He's, he knows how to catch it. And so we just go with him. And every time we go, we, we catch fish.
Speaker 1: (10:32)
It accelerates the learning process and makes it really easy for us. Instead. It's a lot more fun. So yeah. And it's a lot more fun. Instead of spending your time not catching anything, you actually go and catch stuff. So, uh, you know, at the end of the day, I think we're, we're, again, we're talking about this idea of, you know, how do you want to expend that energy and you could expend that energy in learning process and there's no Downing that for people if that's what they're want to do. You know, they want to really devote themselves to that process and uh, and, and do that, that there's, there's no shame in that or no problem in that. But for people who want to accelerate that, uh, whatever transformation you're looking for, um, a far more efficient, that's the word I would use as efficient approach is exactly what you did in what are the chances that you're going to be equally motivated as that guy to get the learning.
Speaker 1: (11:20)
Right. And I remember when I started wasting premiere, we, my business partner at the time, we basically split up five or six people that we would call and we would talk to them about their model and we made sure they're outside of our state so they didn't have any, they didn't care if we succeeded or failed. Right. And then we took the top two and visit him. So we actually went to Denver and Utah and we visited them and we looked at their location, what their office staff looked like, how they did it. And it was like, okay, just do what they did. Right. And so far so good. Yeah. I mean and making minor changes, but for the most part you're not reinventing the wheel. Right, right. That's huge. So tell us a little bit about the actual contest that you entered, kind of that experience.
Speaker 1: (11:57)
What was that like? What did you do to prepare for it? A little bit more detail there. Yeah, so it was interesting, like the actual working out is not that much different on a daily basis of what I did before. Okay. So it might be like 45 minutes to an hour or something like that. So not crazy. The diet was a little bit more challenging because I had a couple of really bad habits. One, I didn't have enough protein in my diet. So before I actually was cognizant of this has probably happened like 60 70 grams of protein a day. And for like, uh, you know, a male, you've got to have like at least our body weight and when you're trying to do something like this or trying to keep around 200 grams of protein. So that was a quick adjustment to, I love dr pepper.
Speaker 1: (12:35)
Well, one of those little cans is 42 carbs. Okay. So if you're only getting 150 carbs a day, what are the chances of you drink one by the way? Right? Pretty low. So you're wasting your energy and your, your carbs on these drinks. So it was kind of nice because something I didn't think I'd ever be able to kick the habit of. And I actually listened to one of your guys's podcasts on the addiction one and I was like thinking about some of the, just the things you do daily, daily, you know, so those were two big pieces. But the nice thing about the workouts is that they were programmed and so they're on like eight week or 16 week blocks. And so you don't think about that either. Like I don't know if it's going to be like three sets of two today or if it's going to be five sets of 50.
Speaker 1: (13:16)
I mean not that you would do that, but do you know what I mean? Like a program for you? Right. So that took some of the mental energy away from the whole process. You didn't have to expend that. You know, when, when I did CrossFit, that was one of the nice things that I liked about CrossFit was I would joke with people and say, I liked doing CrossFit cause I'm lazy. And that sounds paradoxical, but the thing that's nice about it is when you have somebody do the programming for you, um, that's just one. And, and, and you wouldn't think that that portion of, of the process is, is a big deal, but mental energy is a huge part of it. And you actually hit a really solid point is I think more people are way more capable of achieving these types of goals. But the problem is because they don't have a plan that's already laid out.
Speaker 1: (14:01)
Yes. What happens is, uh, they, they're great all day long. All right? They make good choices in the morning, all day long during work. And then by the time that the end of the day comes, they're beat down, they're tired, then maybe they're a little stressed. And at that point that there's actually a physical thing called decision fatigue where you start making poor decisions because you're just tired. And so if the decisions already made, if the plan is already there, it makes it infinitely more likely that you're going to achieve that goal because you don't even have to think about it. It's already there. It's kind of like a presetting up, the bumpers in bowling, you know, before you start bowling, you know you don't have the gutter that you're going to go into. It's just kinda like, yeah, you've got that, you know, plan in place to kind of keep you in that lane in that path.
Speaker 1: (14:48)
And it's fascinating too, cause you, you seeing food in a different way. It's more of like a fuel. You can still have fun with it and it's still good and everything. But I realized at night I would grab like a bowl of ice cream. Okay. Right. So, and it wasn't terrible. Ice cream wasn't like high fat. It was like actually like three and a half grams of fat. Not bad, but it's 30 cars. Right. We'll even a bowl of cereal. One cup of, of cereal is like 35 carbs. So if you're done for the day, like if you've had your 200 grams of protein, you've had your 150 carbs and you're at 60 grams of fat, well you can't have 30 more. Right. And you've logged it all in your phone, you know, you like, there's a bunch of like free apps for that. And it was just, it just took the decision making away, which was nice.
Speaker 1: (15:30)
Yeah, it was just one last thing you had to expend energy on and thinking about. Right. So what was the name of the competition that you enrolled in it? Was it a, was it a, it wasn't a bodybuilding competition was, what was it? So there is bodybuilding there. So it's like, it's called, those is called the Idaho cap. Okay. And so there's like serious bodybuilders and then there's like classic bodybuilders and then there's men's physique. So this is men's physique. So it's like, you know, it's like the lowest of that group, but you're going for a different look. Right. It's more of like the athletic lean look as opposed to like a big and writing. Yeah. You're not trying to put on a massive amount of size. Yeah. So, um, what are some other lessons that you learned from this whole experience and so many lessons for one.
Speaker 1: (16:13)
I know that's kind of an open ended broad question. I guess the biggest one, like specifically to this. Okay. Two things. One, it's another, um, it's another good experience of like success leading to more success. Right? So you've done something, you followed it, you could do it, right. Yeah. So that was nice. It's just, you're just compounding it now it's like, okay, what else could I do? Right. Which is great also for this particular piece as far as the physical, your relationship with food is very fascinating. Yeah, no doubt. Eat out of boredom. You eat out of debt. It's their stress stress in the way that the modern house is set up. The kitchen is usually a center point of any house, right? I mean, great rooms in particular. And so like you're like walking by the pantry and you're just like, Oh, what's in there.
Speaker 1: (17:01)
So it's just fascinating. Like even like our modern lifestyle. Yeah. You said something there that I want to touch on that I thought was really important. I'm a good friend of mine. Uh, he has a saying and I've loved, this is like stuck with me ever since I heard it. I just heard it. On a month ago. Um, he said, how you do one thing is how you do everything. And I think that's such an important point that you touched on there, that you know that again, you're using this as [inaudible]. And the term that I use a lot of times is personal legitimacy. You know, I'd say for a lot of us, that's something I think most people can relate to and struggle with is that our work, it's far easier to, for most people, to break their word to themselves than it is to another person.
Speaker 1: (17:40)
If I promised you something, it's gonna happen, you know, because that's my integrity that's on the line. That's my word on the line that, you know, but I can promise things to myself and no one's gonna know, you know, I can, I can, I can break those promises all day long. And so the, the point that you talk about, they're, they, how you do one thing is how you do everything. Meaning, you know, that you, you, you're going to use that success in other domains of your life as well as, uh, as fuel, as a catalyst, as evidence, uh, to really strengthen what we, what I call personal legitimacy, that, that when you say you're going to do something, it means something. There's, there's, there's teeth to that, you know, and this seriousness level stepped up once you signed up. Right, right. So it was like three months before and the three months is the hardest part because you're starting to like now you're lowering your carbs and it starting to become more challenging and, but there was like this not, it wasn't a carrot, it was like embarrassment.
Speaker 1: (18:35)
Right, right. And it's like, Oh I do not want to show up and be that guy. You know what I mean? So like the embarrassment level popped in cause you, you made a commitment and I made a, Kim came into my, to my friend who challenged me to do it, but then at the same time it was like, okay, now it's real. Right, right. Making things real. That's a huge part of it too. You know, cause I think for a lot of people to uh, you know, the, the saying easy come easy go, comes to mind, you know, that if you don't put some skin in the game, it's a lot easier to kind of back out of it, you know? Whereas when you, like you said it got real when you signed up, you know, so I know that it's been your, your experience with running Roby.
Speaker 1: (19:12)
Right. I despise running and I've always known I've tried it and I've done it lots of times and everyone always would say, Oh, once you do it enough, you're going to love it. I never ever found that love. Okay. That point. But I knew I needed to get better lungs and better kind of like you said, I'm getting older, I want to be able to keep up with my kids. And uh, it was one day I was like, I heard an advertisement or saw an advertisement. It's like Roby Creek signup is today. And I'm like, and it was like 10 minutes away. I'm like, Oh, well if I'm going to get better at running, I better sign up. I mean I need some, I need some motivation. And what's funny about that is you didn't have any clue at that time how difficult it is to actually get into it.
Speaker 1: (19:49)
And you're like, I've never, never run a race in my life. Anytime sells out in like seven minutes. And part of me saying I'm going to sign up for it. I was thinking, I'm not going to get in. Cause everyone said it was so hard and when I hit enter and it says, Oh, congratulations. I'm like, Oh crap. What? Like a real, real quick. Yeah, no, no, no. So yeah, I could feel your pain there. Yeah. So, um, you know, I know you're a busy guy, Brett, and so we appreciate you being here with us today. Uh, I think you've shared, you know, it's, it's, it's interesting when we first invited you on the podcast, you know, this is this being the health fundamentals podcast. I think for people, if they knew who you were, they'd be like, well yeah, he's a real estate broker.
Speaker 1: (20:28)
What does that have to do with health? You know? But I think there's a lot that we can draw from, not just this experience, but other business experiences that you've had in terms of, uh, some powerful life lessons that I think people can take and utilize. And so I'm hoping that for those either watching or listening, they gleaned some nuggets that I think are here for them to take. You know, you shared some really profound wisdom, uh, that I think could really change a lot of people's lives. And so we hope that that's, you know, for those listening, for that one person, that, that hears just that one thing that they need just to make that, that little shift or big shift in their life, whatever it is, um, for a dramatic difference for them. I think you've, you've, you've shared a lot of great stuff.
Speaker 1: (21:06)
Um, any closing thoughts, Dr. Allen bread? Anything you want to include? Any, any favorite sayings for life? Any words of wisdom and partying? Tom, man, I should've thought about this. I love reading. I mean, I really liked the compound effect. Oh man. The whole idea of like, I mean, there's so many good books. I can think of, but as far as a parting gift is just like when I think of the compound effect, it's like remember the spot where they have the three people? Yes. The one who makes the slight improvement, the one who does nothing. And the one who makes a negative improvement, right? Or negative, whatever you said, some sort of negative thing. And it's like you can't tell anything after a year. You can barely tell anything after two years, but it was three years where they all separate. Right. And I just think about that.
Speaker 1: (21:45)
Like that's, that's the whole fundamental, but I'm trying to do, like, I'm not going to beat anyone being the fastest or strongest whatever, but I've been really consistent throughout the years and that's where I can win, you know? And I think that's where anyone can win is just by being consistent. You know, it's, it's, it's powerful that you end on that because our mantra, uh, on the health fundamentals podcast, this whole podcast is based around what we call five fundamentals of health. The first being that health comes from the inside. The second being what you just said there, that we're going to be, we're going to be most likely to achieve whatever it is we want with our health. When our approach is one of simplicity and consistency, it's huge. You know, and then it goes on from there. But that, but that's really it. You know, what you're talking about here is so in harmony and we and you didn't even know that. So that was like perfect. So, um, anyways, uh, hope this has been valuable for you guys and if you know other people that could benefit from this or other episodes, obviously subscribe to the podcast, share it with them and we look forward to sharing with you more. Great information moving forward on the next episode and even more to come. So thanks again, uh, to Brett here for being with us. We'll talk to you guys later.
Speaker 2: (22:49)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here. I'm Dr. Buddy Allen and this is episode 38 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we are here with our good friend and special guests, Dr. Chuck riddle. And he's going to be talking with us about balance and the vestibular system. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:15)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:35)
So, Hey everybody, uh, we want to welcome our good friend, dr Chuck riddle here with us. Thanks for being here with us, Dr. Riddle. Thanks. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. Yeah. Um, so we go back quite a ways. In fact, it's been a while since we last chatted. Uh, a lot has changed over the years. Um, but, uh, Dr. Riddle and I, um, Kelly hasn't been nearly 10 years ago, almost 10 years, almost a decade. Um, we started working together, uh, collaborating with patients. Uh, it was a lot of fun to be able to, uh, to refer patients over to him and get referrals back. And, um, there was definitely some overlap in terms of what he did and what we did, but obviously his expertise and experience in physical therapy, uh, came in handy for a lot of the more challenging cases in those realms where we just needed some, uh, some help and maybe even another set of eyes to look at those things. But, uh, so we kind of go way, way, way back. But, um, obviously your story starts even further back from there. So for those watching, uh, I guess the first question maybe tell us a little bit about your story in terms of what got you into physical therapy in the first place. Obviously your physical therapist, um, over at I can, uh, I can be is that I can physical therapy. Um, so kind of give us a synopsis of, of where your story begins.
Speaker 3: (01:49)
Um, it goes way back to when I was in high school and junior high. I was very active. Um, I had some health issues at the time, specifically with running and, uh, saw a few physicians that really made, made my life kind of difficult. Um, I was hoping to go to med school and that was my plan. And, uh, in the end, um, had a couple of bad experiences that drove me towards physical therapy instead. And, uh, so went to high school, college under that same guys and ended up going all the way through and finishing a doctoral degree in physical therapy.
Speaker 1: (02:19)
You know, it's funny because it, it, uh, sounds very reminiscent of so many chiropractic stories that we, you know, uh, some pivotal experience or a set of experiences that people have either in high school or in college that really shape, uh, you know, in a very powerful way that future for them. And so you could literally insert, had an experience with a chiropractor and you, you know, it sounds so similar to so many other stories that we hear. So, uh, you know, one of the reasons why we've always loved working with Chuck over the years is that, um, and, and I know, uh, people paint chiropractors with broad brushes as well, but, but sometimes we paint physical with the broad brush of, you know, so often one of the primary complaints that we hear, uh, about physical therapists is, is that it's nothing more than like a glorified gym experience where you've got a babysitter who hands you a sheet of exercises, they go off in the corner. They do that. I'm sure you hear this too from people who didn't like their previous physical therapist. Um, Chuck obviously takes a far more hands on approach with his patients and does things maybe for those watching. Uh, what would you say are some of the key differences between your approach, uh, versus that kind of unfortunately stereotypical approach?
Speaker 3: (03:36)
Yeah, I, yeah. Unfortunately, a lot of physical therapists do have a bad name because they set people up on timers. Do this thing for a couple minutes and I'll come back to you. People get lost in the mix. And even people that I know, here's your sheet, go to it and get it done and, and we'll see you in 30 minutes. That's not our approach. It never has been my personal approach. Want to be there every minute with every patient talking with them through the process. Uh, it's very important when you're doing the things the way we do it. Um, and making sure that every posture, every exercise, every repetition is completed properly so that it's not just another exercise at the gym.
Speaker 1: (04:09)
Yeah, it's funny you say that cause I've had a patients that they'll say, I can do that at home. You know, someone you can hand me something, I can do that at home. I can go and do that to the gym. Uh, but to have someone sitting there saying, well, maybe you could, but I'm going to make sure you're doing it correctly or make sure you're activating the right muscles. Stretching the right area, whatever it might be. So that's a, that's kind of a, a major part of why you would need to see a professional is, am I doing it correctly in the first place? Right. And, and that's the key, right? What you said there is, it's not just the what of what's being done, it's the how. And that's why you're paying a professional, like a doctor of physical therapy is not for the what necessarily, but more so for the how important.
Speaker 1: (04:53)
We've all seen the funny videos on YouTube of people doing crazy exercises using equipment completely wrong. Right? So, uh, yeah, so people say, I know what I'm doing. And then you watch them at the gym and you're like, mm, maybe not. Exactly. Maybe not. Yeah. So one kind of key area, uh, that you really specialize in or focus on, uh, is balance and stability or the vestibular system. So, uh, let's first kind of maybe for those watching put in plain English, what we mean by the vestibular system and then talk kind of the importance of balance and how you focus on that.
Speaker 3: (05:28)
So the vestibular system is made up of a couple of different parts in your brain, obviously eyes, ears, and then your body and all of these parts communicate together. And if you imagine that there's kind of a traffic cop in your head telling you what is and isn't appropriate, um, it has to bring in your eyes and say, okay, what do I see? What do I, what, what's on the horizon for me? The ears tell me about movement. And then your body tells you about whether or not you're positioned or planted in space. And when those three parts correctly, you get upright balance. You get the ability to stand, walk, sit, comfortably tolerate movement patterns. If not, then you're tipping over and people wake up. You know, occasionally with that, that old spinning thing going on. If there's something that confuses your brain, like alcohol for example, you get the spins, you've heard of that before. And that's because there's some kind of confusion in that system. So your vestibular system gives you all of that information together and organizes it, analyzes it, and allows you to progress and function.
Speaker 1: (06:29)
What are some of the most common, uh, vestibular disturbance issues that you see in your practice? We see a lot of [inaudible]
Speaker 3: (06:37)
of, um, BPPV which has benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Um, we're pretty close to a couple of primary care clinics I should say. And um, so people come in, they wake up with the spins. Like I said, they wake up just completely dizzy for a variety of reasons. And with a few simple maneuvers, we're able to get them back on track. Um, also as people age, they tend to lose balance. They tend to lose the ability to be active for whatever reason, health function or physical maladies. And so we help those individuals also restore normal balance, uh, to be more active.
Speaker 1: (07:11)
Yeah. But, you know, balance is such a, I think unsung or underlooked or over under overlooked. I'm not sure which, uh, uh, keys to overall health and function. You know, I, I don't know if you had heard of that, uh, Brazilian study that was published, uh, Kelly five, 10 years ago, something like that. The sitting, rising test, um, where basically what this test predicted was your mortality in the next five years. Basically what they did, the abbreviated version of the test, it's far more sophisticated than that what I'm saying here. But they basically assessed, could you stand and then go from a standing position to a sitting position and then a sitting position to a standing position without significant assistance or help, significant shaking, faltering, uh, balance problems or whatever. And what he found was those who scored in the lowest tier, it was a score out of 10 basically is how they scored it.
Speaker 1: (08:02)
And you're familiar with what I'm talking about, obviously. Um, and what they found was those who scored in lowest, the likelihood of them dying within the next five years was like way high. It was frightening. I mean it was scary. And, and, and the point was, without getting into the minutia or the specifics of it is the point is balance is such a huge part of our overall health and function. And, uh, and, and what we've, what we've said in our practice, cause we look at balance in a pretty simple way, um, is, is balanced, is one of the most simple windows into looking at how the brain is communicating with the body and the body with the brain. And so assessing balance and helping people restore balance to you know, full function or as close to full function as possible, um, is such a, again, I think overlooked thing that that sometimes happens, you know, with health and with well, and moreover when you look at a lot of people will look at their balance.
Speaker 1: (09:00)
Um, as they get older they're like, Oh, I've always had bad balance or my balance is getting worse or I've never been able to touch my toes. And, and it's kind of funny to be able to show people and you very much like us, we get to say, just because you haven't been able to do it doesn't mean you can't do it. They act like it's like this one, a road they've or a door they've gone through that they can't turn around and walk back through. Right. Life is just this inevitable decline, you know, cause so often we get sold that, right? Yeah. Bye bye. Bye. [inaudible] doctors, they tell us, you know, like you're just getting old either. Exactly. It's just, it's just part of aging and it just kind of like, that's like the catchall excuse for things that we don't, we're too late on the stand or lazy or too lazy to take the time to dig in further and figure those things out, you know, sink into the recliner. Right, right. Exactly. So, so what are some things, I mean in general, obviously we could talk for hours and hours, but what are some things that you do specifically to help people address balance issues? Obviously you talked a little bit about BPPV, you talked about some maneuvers and things like that, but other areas for balance. What are some, some general or specific things that you guys do to help?
Speaker 3: (10:06)
Uh, we do, we do a whole series of exercises including gait analysis to make sure that the, the patients we see are functioning as high as they can. Um, the research you're alluding to research, a lot of the research suggests that as our current baby boomers age, um, the number one predictor of, of mortality as you described is going to be a fall. And so we, we assess falls. There's about a dozen different tools that we use. Um, the timed up and go, um, turnaround tests, uh, standing tests as you said, the sit to stand test, um, that give us an idea about how your balance is. And then with eye exercises, standing exercises, even some sitting exercises, we can help them restore balance. Um, there's, there's some great stuff out there that we use. So we took a class, like I said a little bit ago and, um, we, we've been really successful with a lot of the aging population that we see. Um, we, we hope to make a change for them because that's going to be kind of the wave of the future is making sure everybody has decent balance.
Speaker 1: (11:01)
Yeah. And, and, and, and you think about such a fundamental component of function that would allow people to enjoy those years. You know, that's the irony that I see so often is that people delay and put off and make so many sacrifices for this period of time in life, you know, retirement, you know, the golden years or whatever. And we wind up seeing far too often that those are anything but golden for people that unfortunately, uh, those years are, are again, that slow and steady decline for people. And so that's got to feel or be extremely rewarding for you to see, uh, the impact that you're making in terms of helping people enjoy that time in their life. You know, at least for that population. I haven't seen, no, that's not the only population that you see with, with balance issues too. I'm, I'm assuming you probably see athletes as well and things like that
Speaker 3: (11:51)
as though young people that when they can't jump, all of a sudden they can, they're like, yeah, I can jump again. The, you know, the aging population, when they can do something they haven't done for five years, it makes a huge difference to them. They're very thankful for that.
Speaker 1: (12:02)
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah, that's important. So anyways, uh, what, let's kind of wrap up with, with one last question for you. What's one thing about what you do that's maybe a huge misnomer that would surprise people about physical therapy or at least your approach with physical therapy?
Speaker 3: (12:21)
I think the biggest, the biggest thing I see is that people come into physical therapy with the concept of I'm going to hurt. And I'm literally the biggest side effect that we can report as a physical therapist. A profession is pain, however, it's intentional pain and it's like peeling off a bandaid. You know, you've got an injury, it's got to heal, we have to cover it and keep it clean. But at some point you got to peel that bandaid off and essentially we're peeling the bandaid off to let you heal and go and do. So it may hurt a little bit, but we're going to make it fun. We're gonna make it enjoyable. We're going to probably feed you while you're at, uh, at our office. Um, and, uh, we're gonna, we're going to keep this thing really lively for you so you're not going to notice it. Like go into the gym and sweating it out at 5:00 AM this is a, this is a different experience,
Speaker 1: (13:04)
right? No, and that's good. And we've seen, we've seen what Chuck does. He makes sure that the environment there is a really inviting and friendly environment. So it's a lot of fun. And it's interesting on that note, you know, talking about pain, uh, we have such a different concept when it comes to pain. A very, I would say very unhealthy relationship obviously with pain here, uh, in, in the Western hemisphere and the Western hemisphere. You know, obviously as evidenced by the opioid epidemic that we see. Um, I, I had a friend of mine who lived quite some time in Taiwan and he said over in Taiwan, there was like this philosophy that they had where a small amount of pain on a daily basis, they equated to good health is what they, you know, if you didn't feel some sort of pain in, and especially with like therapeutic interventions, like the more painful the process was, the better it was for you is what they truly, I mean that's, they equate that like that's a sign that you're alive.
Speaker 1: (13:59)
You know what I mean? And that's something that that Dr. Allen has said a lot, you know, with, with patients that he sees too, is it's like, look, if you're not feeling some sort of pain, your dad, you know, T T to live life is to feel a, a, a wide palette of sensations, pain being one of them, you know? And so I think that's a misnomer. I think that we see too sometimes that I go and I see the chiropractor or the physical therapist for that matter. Therefore I should never feel any pain the rest of my life. Oh, what Dr. Riddle did, didn't work. I'm feeling pain again. It's like that's part of life to a certain extent, you know,
Speaker 3: (14:35)
but some point I can get a whole bunch of rash on the front of me from laying on the beach cause that would be
Speaker 1: (14:40)
yeah, that's right. I know, right. Ain't no brain. I like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. So anyhow, well, uh, dr [inaudible], we know you're a busy guy and we appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to be here with us. Um, uh, for those who want to be able to get ahold of you, maybe they've got further questions about balance or vestibular system or anything else for that matter of physical therapy related, what would be the best way for people to reach out to you?
Speaker 3: (15:02)
Yup. I can t.com I can check us out on Facebook and um, and go check out our website. We do offer free consultations. Uh, they're quick, but we'll make sure you get at least some information. So
Speaker 1: (15:12)
cool. Awesome. And we'll make sure in the show notes that we get, uh, everybody your contact information there. So just a quick link that they can click on if they have any questions for you or anything. And he's not too far from us for those who are watching. We're a local, um, he's just down the road, uh, Eagle and Overland and, uh, so yeah, so again, thanks a ton for being here with us. Has been a ton of fun kind of reconnecting. We haven't chatted in quite some time, so it's been good. Good getting to see you again and uh, anyways, uh, yeah, we're looking forward to sharing more with you guys. Hopefully this has been valuable. Share this with others who you think could benefit. If you know, friends who maybe have some balance issues that they may be, are looking for answers towards or uh, or maybe they're just looking for a really awesome physical therapist. Uh, dr Chuck has our endorsement, uh, hands-down. So, uh, thanks again guys, uh, for watching or listening and we'll talk to you on the next episode.
Speaker 2: (16:01)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here, and we have a special guest on today's episode. This is episode 37 of the health fundamentals podcast. And we're going to be talking to Dr. Krista burns on posture. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, Hey everybody, I am super excited about today's episode. We have a good friend of ours, dr Krista burns here with us. Thank you so much for being here with us. Dr. Krista,
Speaker 3: (00:42)
thanks so much, dr Chad. I appreciate the opportunity of sharing today with you and your audience and look forward to Shelly sharing more about health.
Speaker 1: (00:49)
Yeah, awesome. So, uh, for those who are watching here, uh, we have kind of a local connection here. So, uh, this podcast obviously, uh, uh, we have a clinic here in Meridian, Idaho. For those who are local for those obviously not local, um, that, that may or may not mean anything. But, uh, dr Krista, you're an Idaho native yourself, is that correct?
Speaker 3: (01:11)
Yes, I grew up skiing in sun Valley, so just right down the road.
Speaker 1: (01:16)
Yeah. So not, not too far from us. So perhaps maybe that's a good place to start. You know, when we talk about, um, the American posture Institute, which you and uh, Dr. Mark Wade founded, um, several years ago, uh, the story actually starts probably in sun Valley doesn't it? Yes. When I was about three years old, because that's when I started ski school and ski
Speaker 3: (01:40)
school, I won, I had the dream of being an Olympic skier. And so I was on sun Valley ski team. I was skiing every day of the week. I was just so committed to this, this goal that I had for mogul skiing. And so I was skiing seven days a week. I was competing at a national level. I was doing junior national championships, national championships, you name it. And it was actually the morning of us ski team tryouts in winter park, Colorado. And I suffered a fall that morning and I hurt my back. And so I got pulled from the competition and this was a big national competition. And that morning I didn't realize it but that would actually be the last competition I would ever compete in. And when I got to the bottom of the course, I remember hugging my coach and I was crying cause I got pulled out of the competition and he said, well don't worry, I have the solution for you.
Speaker 3: (02:27)
And so he recommended that I take weekly flights over to Seattle actually. And I was flying weekly and I was instructed to get injections into my spine cause I was told that this was the conservative care to prevent surgery. And so my senior year of high school, I would leave whatever river high school and go over to Seattle each week, spend two days, miss two days of school and get injections in my spine under anesthesia. And after this grueling process of eight weeks in a row, not only could I not ski, but I could barely walk. I had visual bruising that lasted on my for two years after the injections. Every time I would bend forward to put my socks on, it was like breathtaking pain like I would scratch because it hurts so bad. And so just like that from the time I was three years old, I had dreamed of being an Olympic skier and that was taken away from me.
Speaker 3: (03:14)
And what I learned from that process was that there had to be a better way. You know, I was a young union tool, I was in great shape. Like how could I not overcome back pain? What somebody that's so common. And so from that point I really became obsessed with back pain. And what I wish is that at the time I knew people like dr Chad who could have taken care of me because really what I had was postural distortion patterns. And had I prevented this from a young age, I could have gone all the way to the Olympics who skiing. And so from that point I became obsessed with back pain, went to chiropractic school and then created the American posture Institute for complete postural correction systems. So that leads us to where we are today. But I know exactly how anybody who's listening to this right now who has ever experienced back pain, I want you to know that I'd been in your shoes. I know that it hurts and I do want to tell you that there is definitely a better way. And people like dr Chad can take such good care of you to prevent you from getting to the point where I got where I was flying, you know, across the country to get injections in my spine that then made it so much worse than the end. So there is a better way and I'm glad that you listen to this podcast to learn more.
Speaker 1: (04:18)
Yeah, well and, and I appreciate that. But the thing that I think that people could take home really fundamentally from the story, which is really cool, is that it might sound a bit cliche, but it's that classic when one door closes, another door opens, you know, you're looking, looking back at it now years afterwards. Uh, I mean the trajectory and course of your life completely changed as a result of that. And, and while, you know, some people could have like taken that as like, well my life is over cause I'm, I'm sure that was probably pretty devastating. You don't, you don't get to that level of competition and then, and then have that taken away without that being pretty traumatic. And yet, um, you use that as fuel to change the course and you did some pretty remarkable things. And so you, you know, you did chiropractic college. Where did you go to chiropractic college app in Davenport, Iowa. At Palmer college.
Speaker 1: (05:09)
You finished chiropractic college. And this is where I love where your story kind of begins, which is so cool, is that most people like myself, we go to chiropractic college and we say, you know, I'm going to set up for us. We lived in Portland and we, we really loved Idaho, so we're like, we're going to set up shop in Idaho. That's not what you did though. You said, we love what we're going to head to Italy of all places we're going to, did you guys like spin the globe and like point your finger? Is that what happened or how'd that old process come? Undergraduate
Speaker 3: (05:38)
study is, I had spent about six months over in Italy doing undergrad. I'm doing study abroad and I had such a phenomenal time. I just fell in love with the Italian culture. After graduating from chiropractic school about four years later I thought, Oh, I want to go back so badly. And of course a little bit of fear sat in and I thought, can I really do this in the second language? Can I really go start a practice over in Italy? And I knew from that moment that if I started a practice in the U S I'd never end up going because as you know, I mean when you, when you start a business, you're very dedicated to the growth and the development.
Speaker 1: (06:10)
Yeah. A plant deep roots.
Speaker 3: (06:12)
Exactly. And you want it to be a legacy, that lid that you leave behind. And so I said, if I don't go now, I'm never going to end up going. And so right after school packed our bags, my partner and I, dr Mark, and we moved over to Italy. And what was so crazy about that experience is we didn't know anybody. We didn't speak the language. If you guys remember about that time in 2011 Italy was in the worst economic crisis of Italian history. I mean, it was just all odds against our success. Like we've had no entrepreneurial experience whatsoever. We were fresh out of school and we said, let's go do this. So full of passion. We went over there. We struggled our first year, but we learned a lot of lessons, especially about specializing in our practice. And that's where with the Italian culture combined with, um, the injuries that we had seen personally as well as with our patients. We really honed in on postural correction build the greatest postural correction systems that have been, that have worked for me personally, which was really transformative for my perspective, but also watching this help thousands of patients. And then other practitioners were asking us, well, how'd you make all of this happen? How'd you move to a foreign country? And you know, create a big practice. And that's where the American posture Institute was really born, was sharing our postural correction systems with other people, other practitioners who are then implementing with patients as well throughout the world.
Speaker 1: (07:28)
That's, that's amazing. Like the, the courage and the determination that you guys took to do that. It's just always been so neat to, to hear about. Um, so, so let's talk a little bit about kind of a posture Institute a little bit more about that. And then specifically like posture, like what are some things that people, cause I think most people, at least this is my impression, I could be wrong, but I think most people, the furthest that they go with posture is that it's, it's slouching and that you shouldn't do this. Lao Ching and that's pretty much it. It's a nuisance, right? But obviously there's a lot more depth that especially when you start talking about these implicate longterm implications of what you're saying. Basically what you're saying here is posture is the root cause behind so many of these issues, if not the vast majority of them. So, so maybe start there, let's talk kind of some of the science behind posture and the, the health implications and then maybe kind of circle back on the American posture Institute and what that really is all about and everything. Is that cool?
Speaker 3: (08:24)
That sounds great. So first of all, when dr Chad does said the word posture, what did you do naturally? If you're listening, you probably did what most people do, which is you sat up a little bit straighter. You heard this one word and you physiologically changed the entire structure of your body because you heard a word, we've all heard the word posture before. Likely your mom told you to sit up straight. Your grandma told you to sit up straight. Your teacher told you to sit up straight. And so we know it's been ingrained within our physiology that good posture is associated with good health. What most of us don't realize is that poor posture, not just lead to neck pain and back pain and headaches, which it definitely does associated with that, but it also impacts the function of your body. You see that your posture is the structural framework within you within which you have your organs.
Speaker 3: (09:09)
So your, your structural framework is protecting your organic system. And so when we have compressed closed posture, we're pressing down on our organs. So when I go forward a slash posture in this position, not only is my head forward creating more pressure on my cervical spine or on my neck, but also I'm compressing my diaphragm. So if you guys want to try this with me right now, as you're listening, if you have a hunch, your shoulders forward, try taking a deep breath in from this position you feel really restricted. Whereas when you're seated up straight and you take a full depth, deep breath in and out, you have full range of motion of your diaphragm, which is your muscle of respiration, meaning you can breathe so much better. Now if you have poor posture for one breath does a banner, no, not so much, but now imagine 20 years of slouched posture.
Speaker 3: (09:55)
How that's impacting your entire respiration system and how this is showing up for a lot of adults is asthma and problems with their breathing. They feel out of breath. Whereas if they just changed their posture, they'd been changed the entire function of their body or their physiology, their ability to function at a high level. Some other examples that posture is related to is your balance. So how you balance upright against gravity. Now what's interesting is gravity's always pressing down on our bodies. So naturally if we lack fitness, we tend to go forward with gravity. And then from here we have less postural stabilization, meaning that you're setting yourself up for falls or rolling your ankle when you go out for a run or feeling more out of breath because you're in this compressed posture. So it's important to stand upright. Now, one of the greatest inhibitors of good posture in the digital age is smartphones.
Speaker 3: (10:43)
So how many of us have one of these in our pockets, right? And every time we look down at our phone, what happens to our posture? We completely collapse forward. It's called tech neck posture. Now this posture right here actually adds up to 60 pounds of pressure to your cervical spine, to your neck every time you look down at your smartphone. So I really encourage everybody, what we'll talk about, some posture tips quickly before we wrap up today. But I really encourage you that when you're looking at your devices, make sure to bring those devices up to eye level. So instead of collapsing forward with gravity while it can at your devices, you can maintain nice upright posture. I always say that posture is declining at the speed of technology in the digital age because we spend so much time like this hunch forward on our computers or staring down at our cell phones. So if you walk away with knowing one thing from today's conversation, it's that in the digital age we need to have better posture. And the best way of doing that is bringing our devices up to eye level.
Speaker 1: (11:38)
Yeah. I, you know, I saw on social media the other day, uh, I think it was a couple of weeks ago, maybe it was you that even posted it. Uh, some scientists did like a model of what they said the future humans are going to look like. If you saw that, you know what I'm talking about, they basically did like a like wax model or whatever. What a human's going to look like if things don't change, uh, for better in terms of posture. And basically they, it was like this hunchback of Notre Dame looking type person. It was, it was frightening. It was, it was crazy. Um, and then the other thing that I was going to see too is, you know, I've found it really, uh, very easy to grasp concept that we've been sharing with our patients that that balance and, or posture, they go hand in hand together. But balance is such an easy window into how the brain is communicating with the body and how the body is communicating back with the brain.
Speaker 1: (12:29)
And that's one of the things that we test for with all of our patients is we do a simple digital balanced assessment. And that is something that people just get. So instinctively they understand like, Oh, that makes perfect sense, that balance. And on top of that, when you look at that, if you're having balanced disturbances, which I w in our experience, I don't know what your experience has been clinically Christa, but our experiences, you know, probably a good 75, 80% of our patients if not have significant disturbances with their balance or balance problems. And, and when we actually test that with them, when they'll do like eyes closed balance tests and stuff, they're, they're, it's, it's, uh, it's eyeopening. Ironically, right. Having them close their eyes is very eyeopening. It is, it's very shocking for them to see significant disturbances with their balance. And that opens up that conversation to help them kind of begin to see that, that, that we're starting to get it more of the root of, of some of these problems.
Speaker 1: (13:26)
Because, uh, you know, again, I would say a very significant percentage of people who come into us can't readily point to a, um, a mechanism act of action to their problem. Right. That they're saying, I don't know what I did. I just woke up or I just been [inaudible] tied my shoes in my back or my neck quote unquote went out on me, or I quote unquote slipped a disc or I pinched a nerve or whatever the, the, the thing that they say, but they can't really point to like a car accident. I mean, obviously if you slip and you fall or if you're in a car accident, that's easy to point to. But a lot of these, I would say the vast majority are what we would call the clinical term insidious onset. You know, where it's, it's not something normal, it kinda came out of the blue or out of nowhere. And it's real easy for us to point to this fact that Oh well chances are it's been building for a while. Meaning it's been a postural problem and or a balance related problem or some other problem that has grown over time. And so, uh, you, you kind of talked about and hinted at, you know, what are some of the things that you guys recommend or that you do intervention wise in terms of posture to help people kind of correct some of these issues?
Speaker 3: (14:34)
Yeah, that's a great question. And the whole purpose of this is having better posture habits so that we can build our posture fitness. Because as dr Chad just mentioned, it's, you know, that feeling of, I bent over to put on my shoes and then my back went out. Like what happened with that? What happened was your inability a posturally your body upright, right? And so it went out so you collapsed forward. So what we want to do is have better posture habits throughout our daily life so that our bodies can function better. But also so we can have better postural stabilization to prevent our bodies from collapsing forward with gravity. And then leading to, you know, excruciating back pain like sciatica or you know, a slip desk or a hot low back. So some of the recommendations that I have, number one is bringing devices up to eye level.
Speaker 3: (15:17)
I'm going to resay that because it's so important. So if you work in a theater instead of being hunched over in this posture, bring your monitor up to eye level. So you're looking straight at it with your iPhone and you're gonna feel uncomfortable just holding your iPhone up here. So what I recommend doing is bring your elbows in close to your body so that they feel supported and then have your phone up in this position. So from here I'm at eye level, my arms are supported so that they don't get tired and I can still do everything I need to on my phone. I can still text message or scroll through social media, whatever it is I need to do. Number two is we need to move more more throughout the day. So in addition to going to the gym for 30 minutes in the morning or going for a run, you also need to move more throughout your day.
Speaker 3: (16:00)
So it's actually not enough to offset being sedentary eight hours a day by just going to the gym for 30 minutes in the morning. That is such a good habit. Keep doing that. In addition to it, we need to take more time for movement. So for example, if you have meetings, plug in your iPhone and walk and talk, do a walk and talk meeting. Get a standing desk where you can stand up more often. Also active sitting. So for example, if you sit on an exercise ball or a posture cushion, it's an in stable surface. So I'm naturally more active, meaning that I'm engaging my brain and my muscles to hold my body upright. Okay? Instead of just being completely slouched. And what you'll notice on an exercise ball when you're seated is that if you start to slouch, the ball starts to roll. And so what happens is that you naturally bring your body back into an upright position so that you can prevent yourself from falling over.
Speaker 3: (16:48)
So this is good because you're required to utilize your core musculature and it activates a part of your brain called the vestibular system for better balance. And then the third thing I want to leave you with is called a posture break. So everybody should do a posture break for 30 seconds, every hour of your work day. And we can perform this together right now. What I want to encourage you to do is bring your arms out to the side, straighten your arms, or bring your hands out to the side, straighten your arms, push your chest forward to drop your head back and just hold that position for 30 seconds.
Speaker 4: (17:18)
I'm doing this along with you here for everybody to see if they're, if they can't see you, I'm doing it here for you. I'm going to be your model.
Speaker 3: (17:25)
Perfect. So just for form of posture break cause what's going to happen is with gravity it presses down on your body so you feel like you that you naturally go into a slumped position. So let's offset that by going anti-gravity with a posture break. And so for 30 seconds, every hour of your work day, especially if you're seated at a computer, just perform a posture break. And what's going to happen is afterwards you go, Oh I feel so much better and it's so much more natural to then up straight because you just took a posture break to stretch the musculature that gets so tight from some forward posture. Okay, so those are some easy posture tips. Bring your devices up to eye level, encourage more movement throughout your work day with a standing desk or active sitting solution and take posture breaks for 30 seconds every hour of your Workday and that's going to help you have better posture to help your body function better, to prevent pain and to live a healthier life.
Speaker 1: (18:14)
That's awesome. I love the simplicity of it. And the thing that I would just caution, which is so common, the case, you know, sometimes people can be so quickly dismissive of simple solutions because they're just that they're, that's almost too simple. But the reality of it is, is that with these things, you know, we talk about, uh, in, in the health with the health fundamentals podcast, we talk about this concept of five fundamentals of health. Uh, the first fundamental is that health comes from the inside. But the second one is simplicity and consistency that we are, we are going to achieve the goals that we want with our health. When we approach it from simplicity and consistency, far too often we want some sort of magic, exciting, really cool. Like, okay, no, really, really, what's the secret? You know, and you're like, no, the secret is just do these simple little things consistently and it's gonna make a huge difference. So I, I love that fact that what you're sharing here, anyone can do. It doesn't require some new fancy piece of equipment or, you know, some expensive approach or anything. These are all really, really practical strategies. So, um, so
Speaker 3: (19:17)
at dr Chad, I just want to set up everybody for success. You've had your posture for years and years before listening today to today's conversation. So you're going to have all the best intentions in mind, but as dr Chad mentioned, it needs to be simple and consistent. So what you should do is just grab a little sticker and put it on your computer. Every time you see that sticker, it's a reminder to check your posture. It's a reminder to bring them up to eye level, to move more throughout your day and to take posture breaks. So use a posture reminder or even set one on your phone that reminds you to take your posture breaks so that you can maintain these simple yet consistent habits for health fundamentals.
Speaker 1: (19:52)
That's perfect. Perfect. I love it. So in closing, let's kind of wrap up, maybe kind of come full circle. You know, you're obviously the founder of the American posture Institute. Maybe let's talk about kind of a little bit about your mission purpose, what you do at the American posture Institute, and then obviously for people who may or may not have questions or want to connect with you on social media, maybe give them some information there in terms of how they can reach out to you and and and the American posture Institute.
Speaker 3: (20:19)
Thanks so much. Well, posture is declining at the speed of technology in the digital age. At the American posture Institute. We are committed to helping people just like you to prevent postural decline from impacting your health and your family's health. So with that being said, we'd love it if you joined us on Facebook over@facebook.com forward slash American posture Institute for ongoing free trainings and information for you. In addition to that, you can always check out our website, American posture institute.com and a huge props. Congratulations everybody who's listening in on today's podcast because honestly, you're in the right place to learn more about important health fundamentals. And dr Chad really is a health hero. So if you're local within the Boise Meridian area, be sure to go in and check him out. He's going to help you have a better health for a better life.
Speaker 1: (21:04)
Awesome. Thank you so much. And in closing, you know, for, for docs who are like, that's awesome, but I don't live in the Boise area. I live in wherever you guys have certified partners. Correct. Uh, through the American posture Institute, uh, healthcare professionals literally all over the world. Do you not? And, and on, on 50 countries. So in on your website, are they listed there? Is there a way for people to reach out and find out about, like, I need to get an NC, somebody who's been trained by dr Krista, uh, is there a way for them to find that out?
Speaker 3: (21:37)
100%. Just go to our website, American posture institute.com. Shoot us over a message and we'll make sure that you get taken care of.
Speaker 1: (21:44)
That's awesome. Yeah. Cause I know, um, they've done some pretty incredible training that I've seen and been through. Uh, we've actually, you, you had a kind of a micro training that we had our team go through all on posture taping, which was really, really cool. Um, and, and a bunch of other different trainings that they've had. And so, uh, for those who are like, man, I don't live in the Boise area or, uh, in sun Valley or, or, or whatever. Uh, there's literally, uh, you know, people who have specialized and have had this advanced training through a dr Krista and her team. And so, um, yeah, they'll be able to help you, uh, in those areas. But, uh, anyways, thank you so much, dr Krista. Uh, this has been incredible. One other cool little fun fact for everybody who's watching here. Um, you know, we, we really first met in person, was it three years ago, um, dr Christa and her, uh, significant other, uh, Dr. Wade, Dr. Mark Wade, two of the most wonderful people, uh, in the world. They're such good people. They host a really fun event called the Puerto Rico masterminds, which is a, a business networking event. Uh, an opportunity for entrepreneurs to get together in your little Island. They're down in Puerto Rico. Um, maybe just do a quick plug for that. Tell them about kind of what that's about and then we can kind of wrap up there. Is that cool?
Speaker 3: (22:59)
Yeah. Well, Puerto Rico masterminds, number one is a blast and number two, you're going to learn incredible information for your business. So we believe in strategizing, networking and para dicing. So it's um, you know, learning and connecting with other entrepreneurs in a paradise atmosphere in Puerto Rico. So it's a great time. We've had incredible speakers just like dr Chad share their wisdom with business growth.
Speaker 4: (23:20)
Yeah, no, we went to, I've been to two of them and they had been phenomenal and I am crossing my fingers that I'm going to be able to get to this year's as well. It's going to be amazing. So looking forward to hanging out with you guys again down there. But again, uh, I know you're crazy busy, but yet you were gracious enough to take time out of your schedule and be here with us. Dr [inaudible], thank you so much. And for those watching, if you thought that this was a beneficial and valuable, obviously share with friends and family, subscribed to the podcast, uh, obviously follow, uh, what dr Christa is doing over at the American posture Institute because she's continuing to just pour her heart. And so I see how hard she works, uh, with everything that they're doing to ultimately serve, uh, their community and serve the world. That doesn't sound too crazy or corny. I mean, it really is the truth. They're really working hard to do that. So we really love dr Krista and everything she's doing. So, uh, thank you guys so much for watching. We'll talk to you on the next episode.
Speaker 2: (24:13)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 36 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we have a special guest with us, our good friend, dr Greg Gaiman, and we're going to be talking teens and teeth. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:15)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:34)
All right, everybody. So on today's episode we brought in a, a good friend of ours, dr Greg Gaiman, the one the only, he is a legend here in our area. Um, in fact, which is really funny, we were just talking before the podcast started. Um, I actually knew Greg Gaiman through, uh, we have a local water slide park here and his name is everywhere. He's got all these, like, uh, all the inner tubes, have his brand and logo on it for his, for his orthodontic business. And how long have you been doing that for?
Speaker 3: (01:05)
We've worked with them, actually. I treated the director of marketing a daughter, got to know her as she at one point worked for the news and then she moved over there. And so it's been 15 years, a long time, almost when they started. Wow. Yeah. That's crazy.
Speaker 1: (01:22)
So, um, so yeah, for, for, for those of us who are, uh, for those who are watching, uh, just give us a quick kind of introduction about what, uh, what got you into orthodontics in the first place, how long you've been here in the Valley, kind of a quick snapshot of who you are.
Speaker 3: (01:36)
Yeah, so I've been in the Valley actually 22 years as of last month. So I've been doing this for a long time. And when I got here, Eagle road was a two lane road, which is, uh, you know, that's crazy. It is crazy rounded. And, um, at that time, uh, there was one part time orthodontist in Meridian and uh, I came in and said, Hey, it looks like there's room, I'm going to do this. And so I jumped in, uh, full speed ahead and, uh, it's been an amazing journey unless I'm around 25 other orthodontists and followed your, your eyes, your example. I'm the only one, there's quite a few of us. And now you've got adults raised adults from that time on. Crazy. Yeah. So I'm a actually a son of a dentist, like a curse word as son of a dentist. Um, and grew up always thinking I was going to take over my dad's practice in Southern California and I used to, I was the only kid that would go in there and actually watch him do things and watch him do extractions and stick my head in there and Hey, can I watch this and let me see dad.
Speaker 3: (02:43)
So I, by the age of eight, I wrote in my journal, I am going to be a dentist like my dad and I'm the youngest of the three sons. And so interestingly enough, I was the one who followed through and decided I was going to be a dentist. I'm sure other brothers become anything. So no, not they. They never, they always knew they weren't going to be. Yeah. My dad, you know, my dad came home happy. He had Fridays off. He enjoyed his work. It wasn't complaining about his job every day, never had job insecurity issues. And I just, I think that in my head from very early on, it was kind of like, Hey, my dad's got kind of a cool gig. He's his own boss and he can, he can afford things and we can take trips and things. And, you know, I don't, I never felt like I was from a wealthy background or anything, but I certainly felt like we, my dad made sufficient for, right.
Speaker 3: (03:32)
So anyway, well, you know, I, I thought I was going to be a dentist, went to school in San Francisco for my dental school and, um, started seeing things in Southern California that I thought, I'm not sure I want to raise a family here. And, um, you know, having moved away for long enough, I realized that there was a life outside of Southern California, which I never thought, I thought it was kinda like the sun and everything revolved around it. And uh, so I'm starting at my dental school. I started driving the Western United States saying I'm going to practice somewhere else and I'm going to be an orthodontist and reason I'm an orthodontist is I had an uncle that was an orthodontist and my dad early on said, son, you know, this orthodontic stuff is pretty interesting and, and so I kind of in my head said, I think that's in the background and maybe a possibility.
Speaker 3: (04:18)
But then when I got to dental school they told me, uh, there's only about a, a less than 10% of the students that want to get into ortho school get into ortho school. So I might go highly competitive, highly, highly competitive, super competitive. So I knew right away that I was going to be in the, have to be in the top 10% of my class. So I, out of 80 80 students I was going to be off to be top eight and that kind of set the bar really hard and which made me a little nervous to say I'm going to be an orthodontist or nothing because there was a possibility I was nothing. And I had went to a really sharp dental school with, you know, it was a hard school to get into as it was. So I thought I'd had this great barrier and I look around, I'm like, dude, I think I'm in the bottom 10% in intelligence level.
Speaker 3: (05:01)
And so, you know, I just had to work extra hard and sorry, grounded out. But anyway, while I was in dental school, along with that, knowing that I wasn't going to be in Southern California, I started driving the Western United States and just trying to, you know, my wife and I kind of created a list of what we considered utopia, what it, what it would look like. And, and we drove a lot of places and a lot of places did not look like the utopia we had on our list. I didn't have any family in Idaho, uh, at the time and drove through here and there's just something that grabbed me and I'm like, this is pretty cool. I think I could do this. And, um, and, and it's not very smart to start a practice from scratch. Uh, it's much better to buy an existing business, at least from our standpoint.
Speaker 3: (05:45)
I don't know how it is with you guys, but Oh, sure. Cash cashflows. Absolutely. And there was nobody even interested in selling and in fact that, you know, have met a few orthodontist in town and some of them wouldn't even meet with me. And they were, you know, dude, we don't want another competitor here. And others made it very clear that I would be broke if I moved to town. And I just said, you know, maybe broke, but I might be happy. So, so, um, yeah, we decided to open our doors just right across the street from where I currently am. I'm 22 years ago. Wow. And, uh, it's been, it's been an amazing ride. Uh, never, never in my highest expectations, dreams or goals. Did I ever think that that practicing orthodontics was going to be like, it was the way it is for me.
Speaker 1: (06:32)
W w what do you mean by that? As far as like what did you think in terms of,
Speaker 3: (06:36)
you know, I had a, I had a vision of what financially, you know, was going to be enough and sufficient for my needs and I didn't have those high needs and I don't, I still don't tell you the truth. And, um, so, you know, from that standpoint, I was like, you know, if I, if I make this number and I can pay my bills and pay my student loans, uh, and I can take a vacation a couple times a year, that's, that's perfect. What more could you want? And, um, you know, it's far exceeded data, the cause, even just the size of the practice and the, yeah.
Speaker 1: (07:11)
Well, and for those who don't live in this area, what we call the treasure Valley, which is Boise and all of the pretty much surrounding, uh, cities and towns, um, you'd be hard pressed to if, if looking for an orthodontist not come across dr Gaiman, his, his, uh, his practice is probably be number one practice here in the area in terms of brand recognition, in terms of he just everywhere. You can't go anywhere and not see, uh, and he maintains a stellar reputation. Um, that's something he works really hard for. I've known, you know, like I said, I knew of dr Gaiman and Gaiman Orthodox long before we met. Uh, we go to church together now and, uh, so he's kind of a in that realm, kind of a local celebrity in that sense. And we kind of selfishly wanted him here on the podcast for that reason.
Speaker 1: (07:59)
I'll, you know, truth be told, we told him, you know, you're, you're kind of a legend in that sense. But, um, so, so in terms of orthodontics, you know, for, for those watching, what would you say are some things that might, uh, surprise people in terms of things you see that orthodontics helps with? Cause I think most people from a superficial level get it that yet orthodontics is much, you straighten your teeth, you know, kind of like they think of chiropractic in the sense that chiropractic is for your back, you know, which it's true, but obviously there's a lot more to it than that. And I'm, I'm confident that with orthodontics it's the same. So what would you say, uh, number one are some of the things that might surprise them? Number two, the other kind of followup question to that is, what are some things that you love seeing and treating and helping people with? Like things that just make you love being an orthodontist?
Speaker 3: (08:47)
You know, I guess I'm, one of the first surprising things that was a surprise to me is when I first became interested in how long it even to become an orthodontist. Um, you know, I went to school for four years of undergrad, four years of dental school, and then basically three years of orthodontic training. Yeah. That's a ton of ton of school. Yeah. It was a long time. I did a 20, 22nd grade, something like that, graduated from 22nd grade. So it took a long time to do what I wanted to do. It's not a super simple just, Oh, we just throw on some braces and teeth straightened out and that's how it happens. And it's just so easy. And so, so orthodontics just doesn't, it doesn't just happen and you don't go to an overnight school or a weekend school and become an orthodontist first of all.
Speaker 3: (09:31)
So that might be a surprise that it's, it's a little more, there's, there's, it's a little more rigorous. The training efficient amount of training. Yeah. As far as the orthodontics itself, you know, when people think of orthodontics, they think two years and it's going to be painful and really expensive. That's what people think of orthodontics. And you know, I, I think, um, we recently looked back, I did a look back on our, our past 100 patients that we had completed and we realized that we had averaged 16 months as our average treatment time, which is very short, much shorter than the national average. Um, those patients averaged less than a, it was, uh, 12 to 13 visits on average, so they weren't coming to our office all the time. And then from a discomfort standpoint, I think orthodontics, we use lighter forces, we use more continuous forces, um, with the new new materials and techniques that's made it a little more comfortable.
Speaker 3: (10:27)
Do braces are braces uncomfortable? Absolutely. They are a little bit uncomfortable at first five days I tell you, you're going to be eaten, you know, so Nana soup, soup, mashed potatoes and bananas and yogurt. Nope. Mail and applesauce. Yeah. So there's still some soreness but, but, but I think the shortness of treatment is surprising. And, and, um, you know, our adults in particular who have this concern about straightening their teeth. Um, there's cases that we often do that are six or six or eight months of orthodontics and they get this amazing result and they're like, Oh my gosh, if I would've known this, I'd have done it. You know, I have a question now. Straightening teeth is one thing, but does, are, you know, when you're getting your teeth moved around, does it help with TMJ type issues? Sure. So orthodontics is, you know, it's way more than just, you know, straight teeth.
Speaker 3: (11:15)
It's, it's so much more. And that's, that's, I guess one of the other things that this leads to is that we're not just talking about making beautiful smiles, you know, if the teeth function properly, sometimes people with TMJ or temporomandibular joint disorder, you know, everybody kind of has had popping and clicking or pain in their joint. Uh, it's, that's a, that's a phenomenon that's found in over 50% of the population. We can alleviate that in, eh, a certain percentage of those cases, not all of them. Um, along with that, when we make teeth fit together better, they function better. Um, the difference between someone that functions with a proper bite and the way they chew and eat and break up their food and digest is incredible compared to somebody who's teeth. Don't you see it affecting people with headaches at all? So there's no migraines and TMJ kind of go together. Right. Um, a lot of times those trigger factors are, are related to the joint, uh, directly, so. Absolutely.
Speaker 1: (12:12)
And I'm curious too, do you notice anything in terms of improvement with sleep after somebody has had a, you know, a course of care?
Speaker 3: (12:19)
So I, I'm a little hesitant to discuss what we can and can't do with [inaudible] because they're making no claims here. It's just my concern is that there's a lot of, um, Hocus Pocus and, and snake oil being sold out there. And I don't, that's, that's not my thing, but yeah. But here's the deal. So sleep disordered breathing affects a huge percentage of the population. Uh, you know, 40% of the population could benefit from a CPAP. I mean, if we put everybody on a sleep study, 40% would actually have some level of sleep diff disorder. Uh, or yeah, sleep disorder breathing and it's related to airway. Um, and uh, airway is, it's, it's um, multifactorial taught. One of the factors is the, of course the size and volume of the airway. And we do things all the time like rapid palatal expanders where we actually increase the size of the pallet, which also increases the nasal, the volume, decreases the airflow resistance.
Speaker 3: (13:21)
And we, I have routinely seen young kids, you know, six, seven and eight that we put these in these expanders convert from bringing a mouth breather with their mouth hanging open to being a nose breather. And as soon as you convert from being a mouth breather to a nose breather, your tongue repositions in a different place and therefore it reshapes the palette. And I can literally say that, you know, once we fix a, uh, pallet property in the tongue, goes to the right position, uh, stabilizes the bite. It changes the way they breathe and it actually changes their facial growth.
Speaker 1: (13:54)
He changed, he changed their life, I mean, the trajectory of their life. How, how, how satisfying and fulfilling must that feel to you to see that like right in front of you. Like literally, like you've basically put them in a fork in the road and you've completely changed. I mean, and I think maybe that's a good segue too in terms of this, you know, cause cause here we're talking about all these like cool mechanical and or biomechanical things, but we can't dismiss the impact that changing, uh, you know, the, the, the alignment of, of people's teeth and changing their smile can have, uh, psychologically on, on people, teens and adults alike. Um, in terms of their, you know, development in terms of socially that, that and that impact that has. So, so maybe share with those listening or watching maybe some of the experiences and, or your perspective on that in terms of teens and development socially, you know, uh, the impact of, of straight teeth and smile psychologically. Yeah. Anything like
Speaker 3: (14:52)
that. So we have a tagline, you know, that you just kind of pulled, uh, but it's, um, better smiles, brighter futures. And that's so true in so many ways. Absolutely. We were talking earlier and there have been study after study that have said, you know, what's the number one thing you notice when you meet a new person? What's the number one person you know, or number one thing you've noticed stands out. Yeah, that stands out. And the smile is always in the top two things. They're the way their teeth look and you know, whether you like it or hate it. In our society, we judge people by the way they look and, and you know, maybe that's all it is. We judge books by their covers. Unfortunately superficial, but, but you can't fight it. It's what it is. And, uh, therefore I, I absolutely, if you can make someone look better, they're judged differently.
Speaker 3: (15:43)
They're, there's been studies of what, uh, you know, second grade, third grade teachers, how they judge their students and who's the brightest? Just you give them a whole pile of pictures and say, okay, here's, here's 20 pictures of your future students. Tell me what you think of each of these. And kids with crazy looking teeth, goofy looking teeth, uh, they end up being judged as this kid's going to be dumb. This kid's not as bright Gary. And so they get put in this box of they're not as bright. I mean, it's not just not, they're not as cute. They're not as bright. And they've done studies that I'm aware of where they'll, they'll, they'll tell the teachers ahead of time where they'll mix students up and they'll put them in and they'll let P P, you know, they'll deliberately save kids that underperform on tests.
Speaker 3: (16:24)
Absolutely. They'll flip it and they'll say, this kid Johnny, he's exceptionally brilliant. Watch what happens. And then it completely changes his. So the influence or the bias that a teacher has can have such a huge implication, uh, in, in terms of that. So that's, yeah, that's kinda crazy. Here's another crazy study. You can put a baby in front of pictures and you run by pictures of, uh, of, of different people, people's faces in front of a baby, an infant and a baby. We'll spend more time looking at attractive faces and you put an unattractive face. And it doesn't hold their attention. They literally look away. And so it's so, it's ingrained in us. So it's not just society, it's not just the media, it's not just movies and entertainment. It's, it's ingrained in us. We like to look at pleasing and attractive and symmetrical things and that's what we're trying to do.
Speaker 3: (17:10)
Right. The cool thing about, you know, way back in the day, having braces was like for a kid was a terrifying thought because matter was head gear on some cases and had head gear as a kid. There was some crazy and now with, with Invisalign and different, the different products that are out there now, it's amazing. Yeah, no, the, the, the days of, you know, the Willy Wonka, the crazy stuff on his teeth, those are gone. Our braces are so much smaller. We'd, you know, we, we'd offer, for example, we offer clear braces, transparent braces, that no additional charge that you can be five feet away and you wouldn't even know the person was wearing them. And then of course, about 20 20% of our patients are choosing Invisalign clear liners, especially our adults that are really into that. Another thing that you said that's different from long time ago, that you know, this, the stigma of orthodontics being too expensive and not being able to afford it.
Speaker 3: (18:01)
Uh, you know, back in the night I talked to a professor that when I was back in school and he said, he would told me a story that I'll, I just sticks in my head and he said, you know, I started a orthodontics in 1972 he said, as isn't me, by the way, I'm not that old in 1972 and braces or the same cost as a Volkswagen bug. Wow. So, you know, and he's like, you know, Volkswagen bugs weren't the most expensive car, but they weren't the cheapest car. There were the same costs of Volkswagen bug. And he said, today, comparatively, braces are cheap. Prices used to be only for the rich back in [inaudible].
Speaker 1: (18:34)
Sure. Well, I think if you get nothing else from that comparison or that, that kind of, uh, you know, point of reference is that braces have not increased in terms of inflation or whatever. Yeah. While while everything else has, has continued to grow in terms of expense and everything, um, you know, talking about this kind of evolution of things, how things have changed in one on one of the things that you'd have to be blind not to see. That's a real common trend that we're seeing a lot these days is more and more companies out there are attempting to cut out of the picture expertise, uh, and, and braces. I think to a certain extent have kind of taken a lot of the brunt of this in the sense that most people who are listening or watching this have probably seen ads for various new companies that are letting you know that you no longer need an orthodontist. That you can diagnose yourself or that you can do some sort of an impression. You bite on this thing, send it in, and then their company will basically create the care plan for you and send you the tray full of everything you need or whatever. What's your, what's your kind of take on that? Because I know my opinion on that obviously.
Speaker 3: (19:42)
Well, I, you know, this may sound self-serving, but I'm going to, by the time I'm done, hopefully people understand where I come from and the place that I come from. And that is that, you know, I, I mentioned earlier that I spent, uh, you know, 22 years of schooling and specifically I did three years of specializing in orthodontics to do what I do. That doesn't happen overnight. Right? And you don't replace that with a, you know, a do it yourself kit. And so you know, that that's, it's really scary to me because there's a lot of things that can go wrong in orthodontics. Only thing that can go right in orthodontics is the teeth get straighter and everything else can go wrong. I mean, it's scary. And so to think that someone is handed a, you know, a piece of plastic that they stick in their mouth to make a sort of impression of their teeth and then supposedly, supposedly there's going to be a professional that puts the teeth in the right place and then the aligners are created and then they're mailed the person's house and they stick them in and you hope it works
Speaker 1: (20:43)
well. There's something to be said for seeing the person face to face versus just an impression of my teeth. I think there's, yeah,
Speaker 3: (20:49)
there's so many more pieces to a clinical exam than the YouTube. And here's another thing that they're not even, they weren't even required to take an X Ray, so you couldn't look at the health of the bone or the gums. And there have definitely been some, some negative side effects that are appearing. And just last month, a state of California banned this DIY orthodontics, um, from happening in that state without a certain level of records that are required from every other person doing orthodontics, which, why would they be? Why would they be, have to follow a different set of rules. But, uh, their attorneys are very aggressive, very aggressive defending them. Here's a, here's an interesting thing that people should know that are considering DIY orthodontics. When you sign with one of these companies though the larger of the companies, you actually have to sign a nondisclosure agreement, an NDA that says that you will not disclose the contents of what you're signing. And in your signing you also sign away your rights to Sue that company. So not only are you giving up your, your patient rights that every single healthcare provider has to, you know, provides for their patients. But you also signed nondisclosure that you won't tell anybody that you signed away your rights when you started.
Speaker 1: (22:07)
So, so it's a great business model.
Speaker 3: (22:11)
The aggressiveness of this company when somebody goes out to negative, you know, negatively review them is they, they send out legal letters on a daily basis.
Speaker 1: (22:21)
Wow. Well, so I mean that's kinda crazy because to put that in perspective so that people can kind of understand that would be like if you were to come to me as a patient at align integrated medical and we had you sign a form that says if we hurt you for some reason, which we don't hurt people by the way, but if for some reason something went wrong where we did something malpractice, right? Because we all have malpractice insurance, right? That you have no recourse and, and that and that. And also on top of that one more layer of prediction. You can't tell anybody that you signed this. Like that's crazy. That's crazy. That is crazy. Don't believe this. Yeah. Guarantee 100% yeah, that's crazy. So I mean, at the end of the day, I think the old adage rings very true in this, that you get what you pay for.
Speaker 1: (23:07)
You know, at the end of the day I've said this and I get, I acknowledged full well that we're kind of on the same level in terms of our bias in the sense that the years that we spend in our training means something to not only us, but that should mean something else to the public. Look, I acknowledge readily and I'm confident you're on the same page with me too, that in this day and age we live in the information agent. So information is readily accessible to everyone and so we should be prepared as professionals to be able to answer tough questions. I saw a YouTube, I could do braces, right? Right. I watched you two but, but at the same token, but at the same token, acknowledge and appreciate and value legitimate expertise that is out there because there's something to be said for that. Be going to a trusted expert because you're not just paying for the result, although you certainly are paying for the result. What you're also paying for is the confidence along the way of knowing that you have an expert to lean on, you know, along the way. And, and, and really, truly there's, there's great peace of mind and my guess is in your 22 years of practice, you've probably fielded numerous phone calls from concerned parents along the way in terms of this just happened with little Johnny's braces. Uh, what should we do? You know, and it's, and for an expert, it's a real simple question. [inaudible]
Speaker 3: (24:23)
well, answer, you can handle it, things can go wrong and things do go wrong, right? I'd love to tell you that every single one, I price it patients go smoothly, exactly how I planned, but guess what? I at least know how to address the problems and fix them and solve them and get them right. I had a years ago when I first graduated high school, I worked in the construction field if all I was going to college and I remember talking to one of the journeymen that I was learning from and he said something to me that has stuck with me my whole life. He says, the only difference between a journeyman and an apprentice is a journeyman knows how to fix any mistakes. And I'm like, and that kind of what you're saying is stuff happens, you know, and knowing how to, to, you know, fix that and make it at the end result. The correct result is it means everything.
Speaker 1: (25:07)
Yeah. Well, dr gamma, we appreciate your time here, dr Gaiman. You're amazing. We, uh, we love what you do here for our community and, uh, we're, uh, we're excited to continue obviously a long great relationship with you. Uh, in fact, I think one of my daughters is going to be starting braces with you in the not too, uh, not too distant future here. Um, for those who are watching, who do live here in the treasure Valley and have questions about orthodontics, about braces, about all things in that realm, how can they get ahold of you? What would be the easiest way?
Speaker 3: (25:37)
You know, we're, um, you can find a [inaudible] by calling our office. Uh, that's easiest to way, way eight, eight nine eight zero, zero, zero, zero.
Speaker 1: (25:46)
And we'll make sure we put all the links here. Um, you guys are on Facebook, you're on Instagram,
Speaker 3: (25:50)
we're on Instagram. Um, you can text that number, you can call that number. Um, you know, uh, visit our website. You can schedule your appointment online now. Um, we've just made it really easy, accessible, and, um, you know, affordable treatment
Speaker 1: (26:06)
and quick snapshot. What can people expect when they come into your office? First visit, what would, what will basically take place? Let's say that I'm apprehensive. I'm like, I'm kind of scared of what, you know, venturing and I bring my kid in or myself in and we sit down. What happened?
Speaker 3: (26:19)
Perfect. So our, our first exam is free. We charge nothing for it. So, um, we take out as many barriers as we can. Um, we spend about 40 minutes basically talking to you about what specifically you would like to see happen, what your concerns are. We take an X Ray so we can analyze the, the roots and bone structure. And then we just talk about here, here's your options. And, uh, oftentimes one of the things that's, that's new
Speaker 1: (26:44)
to us is that, uh, a lot of patients come in wanting to do something. We, we get them started that same day. If they're ready for treatment and they want to go, we don't make them schedule a second visit and have to go back and take off more time off of work. We try to make things as convenient as possible and we're just lowered the barrier of entry for orthodontics. So that's huge. Awesome. It makes it, yeah, makes it easy. And I think any more these days, cost is only half the equation in terms of convenience. Convenience is huge too. We noticed that too. That's why those DIY companies are so appealing. It seems so great. I can do it for my own home. Please visit an orthodontist if not me. Visited North. Well, my dad raised me. My parents were both very wonderfully pragmatic people. And one of the most common sayings that my dad kind of tried to pound into me as a kid early on is if it sounds too good to be true, it more often than not usually is, you know, and I've learned that the hard way in my own life to find that my dad's wisdom was, was uh, you know, he, he, he was correct.
Speaker 1: (27:47)
You know, most of the time. And that's the case. And so again, the appeal, you know, uh, my friend, uh, who used to run the Allstate agency next door to us, um, he had a saying that said that the appeal or the, or the good fee, it was something to the effect of, uh, the appeal of a cheap insurance policy fades quickly when you, when you, when your first claim is made or whatever like that, you know, that, you know, that whole idea that, you know, you know, people that think that they got a great deal, that that fades really, really quick. And we, we've said all along, uh, you know, the most expensive option is the one that doesn't work at the end of the day because it's just wasted money. That's a great, I like that. Do you see a significant portion of people, I mean, not to continue to hammer on the our way, but you see a significant portion of people who have tried that option and now it's like, okay, I gotta get this taken care of.
Speaker 1: (28:38)
I have, and I've corrected more than more than a handful. And they're always embarrassed and you know, Hey, we've all made some bad choices and we've always looked for a good, we, all of us have looked for a good deal and ended up if I, now that's not human nature. So I think there's a good point to kind of, I think that's a really good point to end on even too with dr Gaiman, is that if you're in that boat and you might feel a little sheepish, especially after listening to this episode of the podcast, like he's not gonna make you feel stupid. You know, we don't, we don't send you through a repentance process or anything like that. Right. We just make it right. I don't want to beat up anybody. I just want them to be happy with their smile. Yeah. That's really what we're all about. That's awesome. And what was the, what was the saying again? Your guys' motto or saying better smiles. Brighter futures. Better smiles. Brighter futures. That's awesome. Maybe that should be this true. It's a good note to end on. Yeah. Well, dr Gavin, we know you're a busy guy and so we really appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to be here with us, uh, on this podcast. So thanks. Thanks a ton and uh, yeah, appreciate you being here with us. Thanks for having me guys every day. Absolutely.
Speaker 4: (29:42)
Absolutely. All right guys, we'll talk to you later on the next episode. Have a good one.
Speaker 2: (29:46)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Shoe Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here, Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 35 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode we're going to be talking about a new secret to detoxing your brain. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm dr Chad Woolner and I'm dr buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, Hey everybody, on today's episode we're going to be talking about a new secret, quote unquote, to detoxing your brain. The fact of the matter is, what's new about, this isn't what it is, but there's actually new research on what it does on what it does, right? Uh, and so we don't, we're, the last thing in the world we want is for this to be click baity or feel like it's clickbait. But the truth is, is that there's a new study and there's new research that's, that's coming out that showing something pretty powerful. Um, there was an article on us news, uh, that said deep sleep may rinse days, toxins from the brain. Uh, and so, uh, there was research done at Boston university, uh, Dr. Laura Lewis. And, uh, what they basically said was, uh, researchers found that during deep sleep, slow wave activity of nerve cells appears to make room for cerebral spinal fluid to rhythmically move in and out of the brain.
Speaker 1: (01:29)
A process believed to rinse out metabolic waste products and that crazy. That's awesome. That's cool. You know, so, so basically yet again, another piece of evidence supporting sleeps therapeutic benefits on our overall health and wellbeing. Uh, this time specifically showing what it could do powerfully for our brain. Um, and so, you know, I don't know about you, but for me it was probably in the first five years of practice where I started to really, uh, see firsthand in a clinical experience, clinical setting, just how powerful and how overlooked sleep is in the overall healing process. You know, we as as chiropractors, we see a lot of neck and back pain cases. Um, and I started to see what I, what I refer to as the ugly triad where I would find kind of three things very, uh, intimately connected together for bad on it. And it was pain.
Speaker 1: (02:32)
It was typically neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, other similar types of pain, bad, bad pain, uh, sleep problems and mental health problems, anxiety, depression, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Those, those three things kind of go hand in hand and almost in this very negative, vicious circle, vicious cycle, circle, triangle, whatever you want to call it. But, but the idea of never downplaying the therapeutic benefits of that's, and that's easier said than done a lot of times for people who are in pain because oftentimes pain can prevent them from getting the rest that their body needs. But, um, figuring out strategies to help assist people to get rest can be such sleep in and of itself. If people can achieve deep therapeutic sleep, can play such a powerful role in just the body's ability to be able to heal and recover. And here the researchers is showing us, this is exactly the case when it comes to brain health as well.
Speaker 1: (03:31)
I'd kind of make sure the brain pulsating in your head when you said that, you know, it allows the fluid to kind of rind things out. Right. And, and I suppose it probably does with the beat of your heart or what have you, but yeah, the, the relaxing, um, rhythms of the deep sleep just kind of helped just flush everything out. And there's a lot of studies on deep REM sleep and, and how it, um, helps with memory. It helps with, uh, you know, better energy. It helps with recovery from right. You know, all types of sicknesses or stresses on your body. So, sure. Obviously just helps make it, helps you, um, uh, respond better to all the stresses of life, you know? So, in fact, if you think about it, if you don't get restful sleep, you know, and it's like generally if you're tired, you're going to be grumpy or you're going to have a shorter fuse, you're gonna fly off the handle.
Speaker 1: (04:25)
You know, it's like if you yell at your kids, it's usually because I've noticed like if I get snippy with my kids, um, it's usually cause I'm real tired. I just don't have the, uh, the energy to, to put up with it saws, you know, I snap out and, right. And so it's like, man, it again, it's one of those things that it makes sense that that would do it, but now they actually have science that shows it. Yeah. Well, and that mechanism is just kinda crazy. Um, they, they talk about one of the, um, harmful waste products that they talked about is beta amyloid. And that's a, that's a big topic because when we talk about things like dementia, that's a common kind of byproduct or a buildup that they see. Alzheimer's. The plaque. Yeah, exactly. The plaquing that occurs. And it's interesting because, uh, this is like brand new.
Speaker 1: (05:15)
This is published today, uh, November 1st in, uh, issue of sciences where they published it. And it's interesting because she, the, the, uh, Laura Lewis goes on to say that, that, uh, these findings do not prove that deep sleep helps ward off dementia or other diseases. Um, and I understand in terms of they want to be cautious about the implications, claims of claims that they're made. But at the same token, it's like, you know what, here's the deal. Sleep, good, good rest and good high sleep hygiene and getting that peop breast certainly not going to make it any worse. You know. So I, I think the, the, I think logical thing to say is, is that this should be included as part of an overall strategy for brain health. Well, they've done studies and they've done loads of studies where they deprive people of sleep. Oh yeah.
Speaker 1: (06:09)
And it makes people insane. Well, not only that, but they also look at, they've done sleep deprivation studies where they show dramatic increases in inflammatory markers throughout the body. Uh, they, they've done studies where they show that, uh, your body increases something known as substance P, which is a pain, um, ma mediator. It increases your body's, or it may, basically what it does is it lowers your body's pain threshold so you're more sensitive to pain. Um, and so it's just, just understand, you know, that, that uh, we don't need to tip toe around this intervention here. We can be really pretty, quite clear, uh, and pretty definitive to say that that sleep can help your body in just about any way that anything you're struggling with sleep can certainly help with. We've done earlier episodes where we talk specifically about sleep. If you haven't listened to it, do you know, sleep is, it can be a trick for, um, plenty of individuals who suffer from sleep deprivation because of work schedules because of sure.
Speaker 1: (07:12)
Insomnia or other issues. There are ways to help reprogram your sleep patterns. Yes. And so learn how to do so if you're struggling with it and you know things, there's things like sleep apnea, you name it. There's, there's reasons why our sleep can be interrupted. And if, you know, you do have issues with it, um, work on getting that figured out because it's going to, it really will impact your longterm health. Have you seen, have you had personal experiences dealing with patients where, uh, you've seen, uh, you know, indirect or direct benefits from chiropractic adjustments, helping them improve their sleep? Sleeping better. Yeah. Cause you decrease pain. Right. But, but even, even other than that, I mean, obviously that's a, that's a very logical one to write, but, um, just in terms of that logic tells me that improving one's mechanical function is going to improve the body's ability to be able to get into a deeper state of relaxation and therefore help in terms of sleep.
Speaker 1: (08:10)
Yeah. Whatever the mechanism, mechanism, mechanism is, sorry. That's M and a, whether it be from, you know, just neurologically relaxing your body or decreasing pain, whatever it is. Yeah. Definitely makes a difference. Yeah. So, uh, so yeah, powerful new, a new study. Um, and, and the way that it goes about it is pretty, you know, so many studies like this to me just really remind us what, what a powerful thing our bodies are and are capable of, you know, that they are truly designed when we allow them to do the things that they're normally meant to do. If we get out of our own way, um, they can do some pretty powerful things that, that they're normally just programmed to be able to do. And stuff like this is always powerful too because it just shows us and reminds us that we're learning new stuff all the time, that we don't have everything figured out.
Speaker 1: (08:59)
Sure. There's still so much that we don't know, um, about something as fundamental as sleep. Um, and so just look at this in terms of your own life. Um, you know, if you're looking for ways to kind of quote unquote detox your brain, you know, um, if you feel like you're overworked, overstressed, uh, maybe you feel like you need to take a little bit of a break from social media and where other, um, you know, things that are just kind of firing at you at all at all times. Maybe look at sleep is a very, you know, useful and effective therapeutic tool for doing that for. And now the research again supports that, you know, that, that it can, you know, the, the, the, the, the headline of the article said that it, it can rinse quote unquote the days toxins from the brain. So, uh, don't underestimate the power of a good nights sleep. Don't, uh, it's a powerful, powerful tool. Uh, it's the way our body was normally designed to be able to rest and restore. Um, so utilize that. It's available to all of us. Um, so we can use that as a, as a tool for helping us with our health. So, uh, thanks for listening and hope this has been useful and we look forward to sharing more with you guys on the next episode. Talk to you later.
Speaker 2: (10:15)
Thanks for listening to the health front of middles podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you knew other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here, Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 34 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're talking about the question is your doctor a jerk? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm dr Chad Woolner and I'm dr buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So, Hey everybody, on today's episode we're talking about the question is your doctor a jerk? A and there's actually some pretty profound evidence now that suggests, uh, that this is, this could be the difference between you improving in your health or not very. Um, yeah. And, and, uh, you know, it's interesting. I first started, uh, well, I've always intuitively felt like bedside manner has been this often downplayed element that I've always felt is far more crucial in the overall equation of, of health and healing and helping patients. Um, then people are willing to admit, uh, and, and reason being is because I think far too often we want to think and believe that skill and expertise and the actual things that are being done are the secret. Uh, and, and not to dismiss or downplay or say, but those things don't matter. Those are important.
Speaker 1: (01:30)
Yeah, they are. Absolutely. Um, but I think the reality of it is his bedside manner and the way the doctor conducts himself interacting with the patient, the way he communicates, or she, he or she, I'm saying he here, but he or she, um, makes just as much of a difference. It is just as important as skill, as clinical competence, as the actual interventions that are being done. I've always felt that way. I've always just intuitively believed that to be the case. And I think most people, when you present this to them, I would say would, would, would feel similarly. Sure. And I saw a book that has recently come out and I, I have it. I haven't read all of it yet. I started it. Um, it's called compassion omics. And it's talking about this very thing. But there was an article that was recently published, uh, that said it.
Speaker 1: (02:18)
The, the, the article is entitled the power of bedside manner on pain. And it said, new research shows how a doctor's beliefs and attitudes affect patient outcomes. And so they talk about this idea of not just bedside manner in terms of does the doctor communicate well and as he kind and is he compassionate and does he, uh, you know, effectively communicate. But does the doctor exude confidence and competence in terms of their attitudes towards, uh, the patient with regard to what it is that they're doing? You know, and, and that should make perfect sense because those sorts of seemingly subtle or maybe at times not so subtle things can have a tremendous impact on the patients, uh, expectations. Uh, and the patient's attitudes and beliefs and our own personal attitudes and beliefs dramatically impact our own health outcomes. I mean, this has been proven time and time again in research that's been done.
Speaker 1: (03:18)
Um, most people have heard of the placebo effect. Um, and I would say that maybe people haven't heard of the other side of that coin. The darker side that what we call the no seat CBO, the no CBOE right. Placebo effect is this idea that people have heard of, that your mind can shape and alter your physiology. Um, you know, for good meaning, you know, if you've heard of research where they take and compare they, they blind things or they use placebo controls, uh, to determine what's the mechanism of action behind a patient getting better results. Was it that the intervention actually really did something or was it that the patient's own mind believed it and therefore it was so, um, because placebos are very, very real powerful. It is powerful. But on the flip side, no CBO is, is, is powerful as well. And it's basically the opposite.
Speaker 1: (04:06)
That if you think and believe and feel that, that there is going to be a negative outcome, that you're going to get sick, that you're gonna do better, that your pain is gonna be worse, then it happens just as much. You know? And I think sometimes people often, um, dis not dismiss placebo but, but look down on it like it's this bad thing. I think it's a great thing. I was fully tastic especially, yeah, sometimes you just have to get things right in your own man, in your own mind to be able to move onto a healthier place. And absolutely for a lot of people, whether it be with getting to a healthy weight or getting over sicknesses or you name it, I mean there's, your mind is 100% essential for you to Rick up to fully recover from anything. Right. But you know, there's something, as you were talking about, you know, that your doctor being, um, you know, confident in and uh, and a good communicator and kind and, and don't want one of the, the, the one little caveat I would say from a, having worked with a lot of patients, don't be a doctor that or, or, or don't be upset if your doctor tells you something that's a little bit hard.
Speaker 1: (05:14)
But because sometimes, um, we, uh, patients and I, and I say we as in myself included, we will kind of, um, we will try to poopoo the, the maybe the severity of certain things that we are or are not doing, whether we take care of something that's really important or not. If a doctor tells you, listen, you are grossly overweight and you and, and it can be done in a nice way, tactful tactfully. But if someone tells you something and it's hurtful to you, I don't believe all doctors, some doctors do have poor bedside manner. Absolutely. I don't believe all doctors who may have to I and that's hard for to tell someone, listen you're really unhealthy. Yeah. You really need to like for us to be able to help you even though it's for us. Maybe your back or your leg or your hip.
Speaker 1: (06:08)
Yeah. Like we have to help you get to a healthier weight. You can't, you can't discredit or call that doc or that doctor sucks cause he's, he said I was fat. Yeah. Or he said I was lazy or whatever. You know, if someone tells you something, that is it. I mean, it's not easy for us to have to say that to people, right? Honestly. Well, any, and again, I think the key here that you're talking about is not what's being said, but how it's being cyst. That's the difference. And the reality of it is, is that we have to be self aware enough as individuals to accept the fact that human nature is such that we always want to put softening filters on everything that's coming through because none of us want to admit that we're lazy, that we're fat, that we're, you know, unhealthy that were, you know, all these we don't want, we don't necessarily enjoy hearing those sorts of things.
Speaker 1: (06:58)
And so sometimes, uh, removing those filters can be a painful, can be a little bit of a painful process. But again, what that does is that reiterates and reinforces, I think even further this whole power of how the doctor interacts with the patient, they can make all the difference in the world. Because I think there is a way that you can, you can kind of, um, tread that line very, very carefully and delicately, but yet very effectively by delivering that kind of information in a, in a very, um, honest, transparent, competent and but care but caring way to the patient to the, to the degree that they know that it's not coming from, um, you know, a place of judgment. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, and I think that to be perfectly honest, our experience in this, that that is established at the beginning of the relationship, you know, that before you even entertain or start getting those questions, I think that's the key.
Speaker 1: (07:57)
You know, it's really interesting. Um, they've done studies, I remember an article about this and I can't remember off the top of my head. I know it came from one of our malpractice insurance carriers where they write monthly articles about various scenarios and stuff of, you know, take home lessons on how to obviously mitigate risk in terms of your patient encounters. But one of the things that they talked about was a factor that that dramatically increased the likelihood of whether or not a doctor was going to get sued or not. And it was something as fundamental and simple as did the patient feel like the doctor was listening to them if they felt like the doctor wasn't listening to them, that they won't, that they weren't being heard, the likelihood of a doctor's malpractice suits went up dramatically. Wow. Dramatically. And it's something as simple as does the patient feel like they're being heard, but that they're being validated in the things that they're dealing with.
Speaker 1: (08:51)
And that happens at the beginning of that relationship. That's something that, that, that, that starts from the get go. Um, and so the, the whole take home I think in, in all of this is that, um, it's, it's a two way street really. Uh, number one, uh, if your doctor is a jerk, fire your doctor. You don't have to, you know what I mean? Feel like you have to stick with somebody if you don't feel like. Um, and, and I think that's surprising to me to be honest with you is I feel like sometimes I've heard over the years of patients where they tell me these stories and it just makes my jaw drop sometimes. I'm like, the doctor said, what do you, and I've had personal experiences. My wife and I, uh, you know, with, with, uh, through the years, uh, my wife having dealt with infertility years ago, um, she dealt with a handful of doctors who were less than compassionate, um, very just very poor bedside manner.
Speaker 1: (09:46)
One in particular I remember, um, was a jerk. He was just an outright jerk. And guess what? We didn't go back and see him, you know, my wife found another doctor. So don't feel like you have to continue down that road just because, you know. Um, but, but on the flip side of that, also maybe doing a little bit of self reflection as to whether or not you have the self awareness and the ability to, um, you know, consider whether or not there is truth in things that are reported back to you that may, um, cause some potential initial discomfort of hearing, you know, that you may not want to hear, you know, if the doctor tells you more or less, you know, uh, in hopefully a better filtered way, but that you're fat, you know, if he, if he says you're fat, are you going to listen to that or is there, is there truth to that?
Speaker 1: (10:36)
And what are you gonna do about it, you know, or, or other various things. And so I guess that's that whole point, you know. Um, but just understand, uh, the, the, the punchline in all of this is the research is supporting something I think that we intuitively should feel is right. You know, that the way that the doctor or healthcare professional in general, um, communicates with the patients is gonna make all the difference in the world in terms of their outcomes. Uh, and this is especially true when it comes to pain. Um, pain is such an interesting, um, very fascinating, uh, aspect of, of health, you know, and, and so much of that realm of pain because so much of it is so subjective and so, so unique to each individual. Um, this whole idea of, of the doctor's bedside manner, we'll just say in general, um, can have such a profound impact for good or for bad, you know.
Speaker 1: (11:38)
So anyways, uh, any other thoughts you have about it? No. No, not really. Okay. Alright. Be a cool doctor. Be a [inaudible] patient. Yeah. And get better. Yeah. Be good to each other. B, you know, we'll end this with bill and Ted's excellent adventure, you know, be, be excellent to each other. Right. So, anyways, uh, I hope this has been interesting for you and hopefully this has been helpful. And if you know others that could benefit, uh, a subscribed to the podcast, let us know a comment, ask questions, let us know if you'd like to hear anything specific that you'd like to us to tackle in terms of a topic a and then share this with others that you think could benefit from it. And, uh, we're excited to share more with you on the next episode. Have a good one guys.
Speaker 2: (12:23)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 33 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about new research and guidelines that suggest doing this to survive cancer and even in some cases prevented in the first place. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:19)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm dr Chad Woolner and I'm dr buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:38)
So, Hey everybody, hope you guys are having a great day. Uh, we wanted to share some new research with you guys. That's pretty, pretty powerful, awesome. But yet very simple. You know, um, there, there has been a body of, uh, research groups, uh, the American college of sports medicine. Um, I think it was also the American cancer society and 15 other, uh, international organizations who all gathered and were looking at the research in terms of, um, you know, cancer and specifically the question that they were looking at is does cancer, uh, and does exercise play a role in helping with cancer? And overwhelmingly they looked at the research and back in, uh, 10 years ago, basically there was, I think kind of, there wasn't consensus on this subject, but they've since kind of looked at it and they said resoundingly, uh, the answer that they say is very clear.
Speaker 1: (01:33)
They say that exercise definitely helps in terms of cancer survival rates, but exercise also helps in terms of helping you prevent it, uh, altogether in the first place. And, um, this might sound at first glance, like overly simplistic, but I think the implications here are, are really powerful because of the fact that exercise is something that doesn't cost you anything. Typically you don't, you don't have to have a gym membership. You can get out and walk and move and do whatever. But also exercise is such a, um, powerful tool for health. And wellbeing. You know, in this article they basically went on to say, um, that, uh, they said that, uh, exercise helps with, uh, the anxiety and depression that often accompanies cancer. Yup. But that it also helps with, uh, fatigue that can often accompany cancer and oftentimes a lot of the various cancer treatments, uh, radiation and chemotherapy, which can, I can't even begin to imagine, uh, the challenge and the strain that that puts on you, but yet, uh, exercise, um, I think oftentimes can be thought of as something that is fatiguing in and of itself.
Speaker 1: (02:51)
Exactly. Um, but the reality of it is, is just the opposite. It can be very renewing and help, uh, increase energy. Right. And you had kind of about this, you know, in terms of that initial startup of, of exercise. Yeah. I, in fact, I remember taking many, many years ago, um, my first year in college, I signed up for a swimming class, which was literally an hour of just doing laps. And I'll tell you what, the first few days, like fact, the first week I was, I was wasted. I mean, I was so depleted. I hadn't been exercising before that really. And, and I mean I was so tired and depleted for the first week, but then the following week I'm, in fact I was getting ready to drop the class cause I'm like, dude, this is killing me. I can't hardly function after. And then all of a sudden my, my energy just went through the roof, you know?
Speaker 1: (03:39)
And since then in life, I've had many opportunities or experiences with that same phenomenon where you, here you are just doing incredibly intense workouts, sometimes twice a day. And, um, and having more energy than I had when I wasn't working out at all. And it, and it kind of flies in the face of maybe logic as far as [inaudible] seem counterintuitive. Exactly. If you're drained, if you're expending more energy than you ever have, you would think that tank would be drained. But our body has this amazing ability to adapt and to, um, and really just kind of create more energy centers in our body to be able to provide the energy needed and right. And so, you know, at the end of the day here, um, the beautiful thing about this, when you look at the guidelines and everything, I'm sure they give some pretty detailed specifics and whatnot, but the last line of this article, um, that you can read in New York times, uh, the, uh, the recommendation from, from this doctor.
Speaker 1: (04:35)
Um, she basically just said, I recommend that my patients just get up and move, just do something. Something is going to be better than nothing. And so it's one of those areas where, you know, um, there's a fairly broad or wide range of things that you can do. Um, and you're not gonna get it wrong, you know. Um, the recommendation I would have is, is don't go from zero to Mach 10 overnight. You know, because sometimes that can be counterintuitive, not just from a standpoint of risk of injury. Let's just assume you're fine. You're not going to get injured there even though you certainly can. But the problem that I think is all to more common is that when, what that does is the next day or day after two days or three days after, it creates so much soreness and you can actually function. Yeah. It'll, it'll kind of beat you up a little bit and then all of a sudden you're kind of back to square one and you're, and that doesn't really help in terms of overall motivation.
Speaker 1: (05:29)
You know, it's, it's a, you, you kind of punish yourself a little bit too much. And I understand where that comes from for a lot of people. Sometimes you get this surge of like motivation and you're just, you know, this, you almost like this emotionally euphoric state where you're just like, I'm gonna conquer. I'm not doing anything. You know, I'm going to climb a mountain. Then you go out and you just overdo it. And it's just one of those things where it's like, yeah, that's not a, that is a counterintuitive strategy. That's not a terribly sustainable longterm, you know. Um, I read, uh, you know, the advice given by Darren Hardy in the book, the compound effect, which we recommend all the time. In fact, we've probably talked about that on multiple episodes, but his recommendation to a friend of his who was wanting to get started in running is he said, run to the point where you just are winded and then stop and walk the rest of the way.
Speaker 1: (06:18)
And then he said, and then run a little bit further the next day and then run a little bit further the next day and just add to it day by day by day. Just take it one day at a time. And, and, and sooner than you think. You'll see that, that over time you begin to grow and develop and improve your, your resilience and your resistance and your endurance. Um, and, and it's one of those things where it's like this doesn't require you to have some sort of a full time dedicated strength and conditioning coach showing you the way and helping you to develop some really highly scientific process or plan. Although I don't discourage that. If you've got the means and the resources to do that, by all means, that's awesome. Do that. But for people who are, are watching or listening to this podcast who are like, man, I want to get started with exercise, take that approach, take it that just kind of improving one day at a time, just by a percentage point, you know, a percentage at a time just kind of slowly but surely that long game.
Speaker 1: (07:18)
Yeah, it is just just making sure. And, and what that does is that really helps establish a habit, you know, and honestly more than that, like I have trained on two different occasions to run a half marathon, something that I, I hated running prior to. I still don't much care for it, but you know, like six weeks before I'm just grinding out, running, getting prepared for this, this really brutal half marathon. And um, and then afterward I'm like, Oh, I did it. And I totally just dropped the ball. And it was a year and a half later where I was like, I'm going to do that same race again. Yeah. And I did the same thing. You know, I put all this energy in and I, and I am 100% certain that, I mean if I were to just run a half a mile every day versus 50 miles trying to prepare for this one event.
Speaker 1: (08:08)
Right. You know what I mean? It's like a half a mile a day for over longevity is going to have way greater impact than running a hundred miles in eight weeks. Right. You know, I think, I think it's a lot of the same type of mentality and discipline that you hear in terms of advice on investing for retirement. Sure. You know, like, and they've, you know, they've shown these examples of somebody who starts investing for retirement at age 30, let's just say, and it's just doing small amounts, but consistently over years, you know, over the years versus somebody who puts in tons of money, you know, by age 50 or 60 a, you know, and, and even though they're making way higher payments that because of that compounding time, you know, and I would say that it's the same, you know, mentality that we want to approach in terms of our health that, that you can, you can yield compounding interest, so to speak, in terms of your health, if nothing more than just really solidifying sure.
Speaker 1: (09:08)
Those habits, you know, over time those habits become deeper and deeper and deeper ingrained into your system. Um, that, that it really does pay bigger dividends because it becomes that much easier for you to stick with. So, so powerful. So, uh, in terms of, you know, the, the, the point of all this, you know, this research is powerful because it's, it's simple and it reinforces something that I think most people intuitively can think and believe. And that is that exercise has such a profound therapeutic role in helping our lives even with something as profound and, and seemingly ominous as cancer. You know, that it helps not only survival of cancer but also in terms of overall prevention of, of developing cancer. So, um, hopefully this has been powerful food for thought for you guys in terms of your own health. Um, get out and exercise, get moving, keep it simple, stay consistent with it and uh, share this with others. If you know others that can benefit. Um, this is a powerful new study. Again, New York times, check it out yourself and uh, yeah, we look forward to sharing more with you guys on the next episode. Have a good one.
Speaker 2: (10:19)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 32 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be discussing the question are the diseases from the dark ages making a comeback stick around. And we're going to tell you,
Speaker 2: (00:14)
you're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm dr Chad Woolner and I'm dr buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:34)
So, Hey everybody on today's episode we wanted to share something kinda crazy with you. We came across an article, um, that gave us a lot of food for thought. I guess this is a way to say it. Um, there was an article published not too long ago in the Atlantic, um, and it was entitled medieval diseases are infecting California homeless. And the article basically just goes on to say that they're seeing a, a, a startling rise in a lot of previously rare diseases that you typically didn't see or hear about or that were technically are on virtually erratic camera in America. Yeah, exactly. Um, that they said, you know, were quote unquote medieval diseases, uh, typhus, tuberculosis, um, and a lot of other kind of similar diseases. And the conclusion of it is really quite simple. What they're saying is that with the rise in the homeless population, there has been a dramatic shift, um, in the negative in terms of, uh, public health and hygiene and sanitation.
Speaker 1: (01:40)
Um, they're talking about, you know, just the, these people that are living in these camps are just living in squalor, um, you know, drug needles everywhere, uh, fecal matter everywhere. Um, just, just this, the San, it's, it's become just a dramatic, uh, problem for in terms of, uh, sanitation. Oh, you bet. You know, um, and I think that, I seem to recall several articles and online posts not long ago, a couple over the past few years. And I think there's like some sort of an app or a map that shows like all the different places where a human feces are found in San Francisco where there's just, there's just literally crap everywhere. They have teams of people that that's their job is to go, so you can, you can Mark where something's at and they're supposed to come back through and clean it up. That's crazy. Yeah. Insane. Absolutely crazy.
Speaker 1: (02:28)
You know? And, and so, and so the, the, the implications that we want to kind of discuss today about this is how does this really apply to us personally in terms of our overall health and in terms of the narrative that sometimes we hear. Um, and really what we're going to kind of hopefully dispel is the common misnomer regarding the germ theory of disease. Right? So let's kind of unpack that and kind of talk about the, the germ theory, you know? Yeah. So the germ theory is, you know, you have a germ that gets introduced to a host who to one of us. And if we get introduced to the germ, we're going to get said sickness. So if it's a flu germ, we're going to get the flu. If it's typhus, we're going to get typhus, what have you. So basically, germs caused disease, germs caused the germs caused disease.
Speaker 1: (03:19)
And the funny thing about it is that the fact that we're even questioning this is like almost like heresy, you know, scientific heresy because in the worlds, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Because it's one of those things where people are ridiculed that would even dare question, like that's, that's established scientific fact that germs cause disease. But there's, there's a, there's a subtle, you know, kind of semantics behind it, but, but definitely semantics that matter. So the, the question that's posed, you know, is, is if the germ theory, if that as is holds true, then that would basically mean, or say that anytime that germ is present, anyone or everyone that is exposed to it will get sick. Is that the case? That's, uh, again, if you look at the, the [inaudible] theory, the whole theory of the germ theory, yeah. But is that really the case though? Absolutely not.
Speaker 1: (04:13)
Yeah, absolutely not. And that's kind of one of the things that, uh, you and I were chatting about is, you know, if, if that was the case, everyone exposed to a virus would get sick. And, you know, frequently we see, ya know, everyone in the house except mom or dad or one person doesn't get sick or, you know, for instance, we come in contact with patients almost on a daily basis that ha and sometimes multiple times a day with people that have colds or coughs or flus or whatever. And, and we don't get sick. Right. So, well, and, and, and again, this kind of ties back to a previous episode that we had talked about with um, cold and flu quote unquote season, right? That it's not like all of a sudden they, they mass produce in the winter time and that it, it changes or fluctuates.
Speaker 1: (05:00)
The only thing that changes are, are environmental factors. You know, that, that during the spring and summer and even fall months, we get much more sun exposure. Uh, we're more active. We're more less inclined or, or typically less, uh, dietarily speaking, eating less in terms of carbohydrate intake. You know, holiday time, we're eating a lot more. Um, you know, we're eating a less healthy diet. Um, we're less active, we're more sedentary, typically speaking, you know, and it's flammatory more. Yeah. And so, and so, so that's the thing that changes. And so the, the point of this article that's really powerful that hopefully people can see here is that it really sheds greater light on the real factors at play when it comes to health and, or disease. Um, that your environment is what makes the difference, you know, whether that be your surrounding environment or even the internal environment, you know, the environment of the host itself, right.
Speaker 1: (06:04)
That, and I think this should be welcome news for people because it, it should, it should sound and feel right, not just because it sounds fluffy and nice. You know that you can take control of your health. I know that sounds right, but because it's the truth, it's the absolute truth that, um, that we have a far greater degree of control over the outcome of our health and wellbeing then then oftentimes we're made to believe, you know what I mean? That, that, that, that's the thing I think to me that's kind of frustrating is that if truly the, the germ theory is as is that simple and straightforward, it's, it's almost like this, um, you know, like lottery and you just, you know, you drew the wrong card. Yeah, yeah. I hope, you know, I, you know, and you're, you're just kind of almost like living in fear and, and when, when you start to see the real picture of it that no environmental factors are something you can have a major control over, you know?
Speaker 1: (07:04)
Well, and we had a episode sometime ago or we talked, we were, there was the medical doctor that had said, you can't boost your immune system. Absolutely know with vitamins or adjustments or whatever, you know, and he went through a whole whole list of things that don't boost your immune system. And yet, you know, that that kinda S it throws this, this throws up into the face of that. Like, no, that's totally untrue. Because the, the things you put into your body, the things that you surround your body with, the way you take care of yourself, your cleanliness, all of those things absolutely make a difference in your susceptibility to disease and or illness. And the problem with him that that particular doctor was that he was, he was kind of playing with semantics and sheriff, he was basically implying that when you say boosts your immune system, what you're really talking about is you're, you're, you're toying with auto immune problems where your immune system all of a sudden gets super hyped up and revved up and then all of a sudden you're dealing with autoimmune problems.
Speaker 1: (08:04)
Well, it's not, we're talking about, obviously we're talking about things in balance. There are ways to strengthen and enhance your body's resilience to illness and disease. That's just fact. That's you. That's you. And that's logical fact to it by sense. Right? It makes perfect sense that, you know, the way one lives, their life will ultimately either enhance the likelihood of them being healthier, more resilient in general and less likely to contract illness or disease and the way that one lives or doesn't live their life on the other hand can dramatically alter in the negative. Right. I mean, and again, this, this article here proves it. It's like if, if, if these diseases were really, truly the ultimate cause, then we would see a rise everywhere, not just in these specific populations. What is it that's different or unique or special about the homeless camps in California?
Speaker 1: (09:04)
I think it's obvious. People can see it. It's plain. It's, it's the fact that hygiene and sanitation are not there. They have really, really poor, uh, I mean they're, they're, they're congregated together. And I would even make the case to, not to sound harsh or anything, but I don't think human beings were meant to live. So jam packed together. They weren't, you know what I mean? People lets people need space, you know, that's an important thing. And so, um, when we're, when we're in these really, really crowded population that especially like that where they're just separated by tents. I don't know if you've ever been down to a log row Los Angeles? Well, yeah, even like Burnside when we were, uh, you, you served in our chiropractic schooling, both of us, uh, served at a free community clinic, downtown Portland and that area, I mean, that is, those were some really, really troubled areas, really dirty, uh, very, very poor hygiene.
Speaker 1: (10:00)
And again, please don't misunderstand what we're saying here. This isn't meant to, to make any sort of judgments or accusations or statements. I feel my heart goes out to people who are in tough circumstances and tough situations. Um, but I think it, again, it just clearly goes to show that environmental factors play a massive role in this overall kind of health equation that we're talking about here. And if we just accept the germ theory as is that, that it's again, then I think that's a very disempowering, um, standpoint or view to take on that because then all of a sudden it's just like you have very little to no control over it and you just cross your fingers and you just kind of, and that's the other thing too, is that where do we draw the line in terms of, do we just then wear hazmat suits everywhere every day?
Speaker 1: (10:50)
You know, is that, is that what it becomes? You know, all of a sudden it's like, no, that's not the right way. We want to live our lives. You know, obviously we want to, uh, you know, we want to use common sense, you know? Yes. Wash your hands. Um, yes. Uh, eat a good diet. You know, this, this ties into several episodes that we've talked about. You know, we'd go back to kind of those five fundamentals of health, you know, but, uh, but I thought this was just a really, really powerful and yet at the same time, kind of startling article, you know, that we, we got to really look at, um, you know, these environmental factors, they just can't be ignored and this can be extrapolated so much further than just this isolated situation. But rather in terms of just, um, overall public health policy, understanding, you know, what it is, what are the factors that really, truly drive, uh, either health or disease.
Speaker 1: (11:43)
Right? So, yeah. So anyways, hope this has been, uh, interesting for you guys. Hope this has kind of been eyeopening and maybe even a slight paradigm shift per people in terms of the way that they look at health and disease. You know, um, that you have far more control over these things in your life than, than maybe you perhaps were led to believe or thought. Um, and so, uh, if you know others that can benefit from this information, share it with them. And, uh, we look forward to sharing more with you guys. On the next episode. Have a good one.
Speaker 2: (12:15)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
On this episode of the Health Fundamentals Podcast, we share a shocking new study that links this common habit to early death. To watch the video of the episode you can watch it here.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 31 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about a groundbreaking new study that links this to early death. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:14)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So, Hey everybody on today's episode, we've got something really interesting to share with you. There was a groundbreaking new study that was just released that I think, uh, helps dispel a really pretty common myth. Um, that's pretty pervasive amongst, um, clever, uh, food marketers, I guess is what we'll say. Um, this is basically what the new study said. It said, it doesn't matter and this is coming from, this was a, uh, an article we saw on Washington post. It doesn't matter if it's sugary or diet. New study links all soda to an early death. Um, there was a study, um, that was published in the journal of the American medical association, internal medicine. They said that participants who drank two or more glasses of soft drinks per day had a higher risk of mortality than those who consumed less than one glass per month. And it didn't matter if it was diet soda or regular a soda, the risk was the same.
Speaker 1: (01:39)
So that kind of has a lot of implications because the first one being we all have, um, one we've been lied to and, or misled by marketers, you know, diet versus, you know, non dye. And there's other studies that's, that say diet, uh, because of the sweeteners. There's a lot of different things that can happen from artificial sweeteners. Um, it also shows that people who drink diet soda has actually gained more weight because they crave other things. Right? So, I mean, but even beyond that, I think even far, far deeper reaching is our infinite capacity to justify, um, habits that we know are not great. Right. You know, because I think even people who drink diet soda know that, you know what, it's not the best of habits. Right. And, um, it really, I think we, but, but, but that's the, what you just said there, that they think it's not the best of habits, but they think it's a better yes.
Speaker 1: (02:37)
Than drinking regular soda. And that's just not the case at all. It's not, it's like, look, you're, you're better drinking water. Yeah. You know, or even for that matter, I mean, any, for those who don't like water, let's say there are a lot of other options to flavor your water with various electrolyte powders and things like that, that are far better you then, um, than diet soda for heaven's sake. You can even, if you want put, put a handful of Stevia drop, not handful, but a few Stevia drops flavored Stevia drops is going to be far better for you than diet soda. Sure. But obviously water is going to be your best face. You bet. Obviously. So, um, so anyways, this study was one of the largest of its kind. Um, they tracked over 450, 1000, 450, 1,743 men and women, uh, from 10 countries in Europe.
Speaker 1: (03:31)
Um, and so, um, didn't matter. Uh, basically they said for sweetened soft drinks, one or more glasses a day were associated with deaths from digestive diseases, including diseases of the liver, appendix, pancreas and intestines. And that makes perfect sense. I mean, you're, you're putting a tremendous amount of stress and strain on those organs. Uh, obviously pancreas, you know, if you're, if you're consuming, um, re regular soda, I mean, you're putting it, uh, I mean it's like almost like you're putting a straight IV of sugar into your body's system. And so what's going to have to happen is your pancreas is going to have to produce a significant amount of, uh, insulin and other, uh, various, uh, hormones to be able to assist in. This is kind of scary. Adolescent Italy for two years and a long time ago, mind you and I, and maybe there's soda consumption has gone up a lot, but they didn't drink a fraction of the soda that we drink here in the state.
Speaker 1: (04:32)
Right? They don't have big gas stations where you can buy 30 to 44 ounce fountain drinks at all. I mean, you couldn't buy a two liter or, or you know, cans or bottles, but they don't consume soda like we do here in America. No, even close to the same amount. Right. So I mean, you think about this, the numbers that they're, that they're already showing from Europe, that's kind of a little bit even more scary for those numbers or what those numbers would look like here for us know. Absolutely. You know, and, and without, um, you know, without making it sound too, I think some times the implications that are drawn from these things can make, it almost seem like we're pointing the finger at some sort of a vast conspiracy. But the fact of the matter is there's a tremendous amount of money in the, in the sugar.
Speaker 1: (05:20)
We'll just say the sugar industry, you know, I know there've been several documentaries that have been made, uh, talking about this, you know, that for years researchers have known that it's not fat that's the big demon that they wanted it to be, but rather it's sugar, you know, the carbohydrate intake has been the, in fact you said you, you watched a documentary not too long ago Halloween, uh, type one diabetes. And that was his conclusion that he had done research. Uh, the, the background on that documentary. Tell us about the background about that individual. Like, so my wife, um, was diagnosed with type one diabetes just two years ago. And so she, this, you know, trying to figure out this whole new way of living. You know, she's done a lot of research and digging and she found an old Jew, and I'm sorry, I don't remember his name, but there's a, an old doctor, um, who, uh, it's kind of funny.
Speaker 1: (06:09)
His, he was diagnosed when he was 12 with type one diabetes. And so as he grew older and there was so many things that they were doing wrong that he, it just, it wasn't working. He intuitively felt like gatherer was better approaches. He was a, an engineer, um, you know, through schooling and stuff. And he started figuring things like when the first glucose monitors came out and he actually rigged one up to be it as a huge device that he rigged up and took with him so he could check his blood like regularly throughout the day with you based upon what he was eating. And he had tons of wonderful, um, data to share with the [inaudible] American medical association and these different journals. And they all poo-pooed it saying like, Oh no, it's better. It's better that they have, there's no indication that high co, uh, carbohydrates affects diabetes at all.
Speaker 1: (07:00)
Now mind you, this is back in the the fifties and late fifties and sixties when he was first doing this, but that's still not that long ago. You think about it in terms of they had to have, I, I thought they had a much more thorough grasp of human physiology and biochemistry. Well, long story sort is this gentleman ends up going to med school because no one would listen to him because he was not a medical doctor. Um, goes to med schools. So he can now be more informed and informed the, the powers that be. But even to this day, the, um, the diabetic associations, diet recommendations are grossly you just way too much carbohydrates, way too much. And he and his whole story is like, look, you know, he's kind of helping people learn how to eat and manage their blood sugars so they're not destroying themselves cause carbohydrates, uh, you know, shook too many sugars in anyone's system.
Speaker 1: (07:55)
Stays toxic. Yeah. So it just so happens that diabetes, uh, you know, diabetics suffer the greatest, um, affects of it just because they can't eliminate those sugars or processed them as well as others. Right. And, and so, so for those who are watching, who have heard of diabetes before and have heard of insulin in the pancreas in that real quick, that, that relationship, but may not be too familiar with how it all works. Basically when your body has sugar, your body uses that as a fuel source and your cells will use that, um, cellular intracellularly as a fuel source. But the way that they receive that, or at least most cells in our body receive that is through insulin. Insulin is what shuttles that sugar into the cells so that the cells can utilize that as fuel, as energy. But if there's an excess of it, then what they'll do, what the body will do is it'll store it in the liver.
Speaker 1: (08:53)
Um, it'll, it'll kind of package it together as a big kind of compound known as glycogen. Um, and then beyond that, when we've kind of reached that, then it'll store it in fat cells, it'll, it'll convert it and you get excess fat. Um, but then beyond that, uh, the body will then begin to eliminate it, uh, through various channels. Obviously urinating, screening it through all those different things. But beyond that, when they, there gets a point in time where it's like the body can only do so much, and then all of a sudden we're talking about, uh, toxicity and all of those different things. So anyhow, um, so in terms of the implications of, of this, these two stones, these two are the, these, this study diet, sugary soda punchline is pretty straight forward. You know, how we fuel ourselves makes a big difference on our health.
Speaker 1: (09:46)
That's pretty obvious, you know, and so one simple way that we can dramatically increase the longevity of our lives and the overall function and, and the way we feel, the way we function, uh, is eliminating sugar. You know, and one of the fastest and easiest ways is to eliminate the soda eliminate, um, either way diet or, or other doesn't, it doesn't matter. No, absolutely. So, uh, that can be one of the most simple, straightforward ways that you could make a dramatic improvement in your health is just to eliminate that altogether. That's just a healthy habit. Yeah, absolutely. That's a healthier habit to, um, just learn to not drink your calories even if they're fake. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So, um, hopefully this has been eyeopening for you guys. Uh, if you've been meaning to quit the habit of drinking soda, diet or otherwise, uh, let this be perhaps, maybe a wake up call and or yet again another subtle or not so subtle reminder to stop that. So, um, anyways, hopefully this has been valuable. If you know others that could benefit, make sure you share it with them. Make sure you subscribe to this podcast and if you've got questions or comments, let us know and we look forward to sharing more with you on the next episode. We'll talk to you later.
Speaker 2: (10:58)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here and dr buddy Allen. And this is episode 30 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be sharing with you how to Bulletproof your immune system. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:12)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. buddy Allen. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:31)
So, Hey everybody, hope you're having an awesome day on today's episode. We've got something really cool we want to share with you guys. And that is how to Bulletproof your immune system. Uh, what do we mean by Bulletproof? Your immune system? Bulletproof means just make yourself as resilient as absolutely possible to diseases, to colds, to the flu, to any really distress, even yell to the things that beat you down in life. Yeah. Um, how can we make you Bulletproof to those issues? Yeah. If you listen to our previous episode, we dove pretty deep in terms of, uh, flu, cold and flu season. What is, what typically, uh, refer to as this time of year is that kind of time of year. We kind of make the argument that it's not really cold and flu season as much as it is the fact that certain, uh, things change in terms of our lifestyle this time of year that make us far more susceptible to, uh, illness, you know, uh, we get less sunlight, uh, where we're more sedentary this time of year.
Speaker 1: (01:34)
Dietarily speaking, you know, starting right about Halloween time. We're eating a lot more refined sugars and carbohydrates and just junk. Um, you know, uh, we're typically not as active. Sure. I'm kinda talked about that sedentary, but, uh, you know, just kind of a lot of these different factors that, uh, tend to lower our body's immune response. They tend to have a negative impact on our bodies. Uh, overall resiliency and its ability to be able to take care of itself. So, uh, if you guys have followed the podcast for any length of time, we try and make things as, as straightforward as possible because any more these days, it's not a matter of, uh, you know, a lack of information that I think causes people to, uh, stray or to kind of miss the Mark in terms of making good decisions for their health. But the, the challenge I think is how to make the best, or how to, how to, how to Wade through the massive information as to what's gonna be, uh, the best information, what's going to be useful, um, what's not useful, what's a distraction, what's, you know, just information that we need to be able to kind of Wade through defined, kinda refer to it as the in and out menu or cheesecake factory menu.
Speaker 1: (03:01)
Right, exactly. No, it's like there's so many things on the cheesecake factory where it's, it's like Allah, you don't even know what to choose because well, maybe it's too much. Yeah. Whereas when it's simplified, it's real easy to say, Hm, that makes sense to me. Yeah. That's what I want today. Absolutely. And so that's what we're going to do for you guys today in terms of, uh, bolstering your immune system, really doing the essential things that will help you, uh, the most dramatically increase your odds of, uh, either avoiding altogether, uh, illnesses that come around this time of year and, or helping you, uh, mitigate and reduce the impact of the symptoms associated if you do wind up getting a cold or flu or some other, a nasty bug or, or anything like that. So, um, if again, if you followed what we've taught for any period of time, we talk about this lens of five fundamentals of health, and we talk about five fundamentals of health, again, for terms of just providing clarity, making it really clear and easy to understand for people.
Speaker 1: (04:02)
So fundamental number one, we talk about this idea, uh, that health comes from the insight, uh, and not the opposite. And you had mentioned, you know, that people's instinct is to do what this time of year be extremely reactive. You by the minute that we start, we get a sniffle. Yeah. Or we're around someone that had a cold and we're like, we're, we're dropping the airborne and we're pumping the vitamin C and taken our multivitamin and, and uh, you know, the, the, the truth is that we have to be building up all the time. It just has to be a steady, like a regular part of our life, not just a, Ooh, you know, cause this, that's kind of how we've been conditioned though is absolutely sick. And you're like, Oh, I need medication. I have a headache. Ooh, I need something to make the pain go away, Ryan.
Speaker 1: (04:48)
And most of what we're talking about with avoiding colds or even future more severe issues is about making smart, simple choices now, creating healthy routines, doing, doing the things you know, that, that consistency is what we want. And that's, and that's the number two exactly. Led set in listening. And since this simplicity and consistency. So what does that mean in terms of practicality for you? Right. So, number one, you know, health comes from the insight that might seem like, okay, that's good in theory, but how do I actually take that and implement that into day to day action? Well, that kinda takes us to number two. And that is this whole idea of simplicity and consistency. And what I would simply say in terms of very pragmatic approaches that you can take for you individually and for your family. It's just to do a, almost like create your own personal and family battle plan for cold and flu season.
Speaker 1: (05:40)
And basically write down a simple checklist of things that you can do daily that you know, will have a positive impact on your body's immune system. You know, those daily putting in those daily, uh, you know, um, deposits, you know, in of your health. So things like, you know, are you hydrating adequately? Most people don't do this. And I think most don't do it because they just, it's an oversight. Yeah. It's cold outside. Cold outside. Yeah. Thirsty. Yeah, absolutely. So, so proper hydration, making sure you're getting adequate hydration throughout the day. Um, you know, there are numerous different, um, flavorings that you can get that are actually really good that, that don't really interfere or aren't loaded with crappy sugar and things like that that you can do that make drinking a little bit easier for some people. Um, I actually just got this new electrolyte, um, powder that I put that tastes great.
Speaker 1: (06:34)
It's an orange mango flavored, uh, tastes really good. I know you have several that you use that are good for hydration, you know, so, but if people who are just like, ah, I don't like the, you know, I don't like drinking all that water by itself. There's that variety of different ways that you can make it a lot more fun and enjoyable. Lemon. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Fresh calling. Yeah. I'm saying there's no number way. So hydration is a good way. Making sure that you're reminding you, you, yourself and your family washing your hands regularly, making sure you're getting adequate vitamin D intake. We talked in our last episode about that, you know, making sure if you're not somewhere that is allowing you to be able to get adequate sun exposure. Uh, doing a good vitamin D supplement. Uh, there's some really good liquid vitamin D supplements out there that allow you get really high doses of vitamin D very easy in a dropper too.
Speaker 1: (07:22)
Yeah, absolutely. So, uh, vitamin D, making sure dietarily you know, that you've got that on your checklist as well. Um, making sure that you're getting adequate rest, making sure that you're getting adequate exercise. Um, so, so those are just a few of the simple things, you know, in terms of when we talk about that second fundamental simplicity and consistency. The third is making sure our bodies are functioning both correctly, mechanically and chemically. And I would say most people when we talk about biochemically, that's when they think of a, your immune response. That's where most people think, uh, and that's true. You should think in that respect. But believe it or not, your physical frame is gonna have an impact for, for good or for bad on, uh, your body's immune response. Right? So let's talk a little bit about that. Let's, how could a nagging neck, shoulder, or back issue or knee issue or whatever have an impact on, uh, your immune response?
Speaker 1: (08:19)
You know, I once heard, um, it was, uh, Kelly's Dorette I believe. Um, he had talked about our, our frame meaning our axial skeleton. Our spine. Yeah. He says that's the chassis of your body. Yeah. And he said, um, he was, he kinda just said, listen, it's like your car. If your chassis is bent or, or messed up your, your car is gonna drive crooked. It's gonna wear weird on every, I mean it's, everything is going to be effected by that. So he said, you know, he basically says your chassis or your spine needs to be functioning and, and moving correctly. And then, you know, the, you know, your extremities, your arms and your legs and everything else. When things hurt, we don't want to do, we don't want to move, right. Our, our movements get, um, altered. Right. And so, and what happens when, if we alter movement or limited movement or if there's too much movement and the joints start breaking down, they start falling apart.
Speaker 1: (09:14)
So I me it in and that's exactly right. You know, in terms of it's going to make people less motivated, less inclined, less inclined to stay active to do those things. They're going to want to just kind of sleep in and kind of nurse those wounds and things. But then on top of that too is that, uh, you know, if you're dealing with a nagging back issue or a shoulder issue or whatever, that's just one more stressor, uh, a physical stressor on your body and that will take its toll. Um, you know, think about it in terms of like we talked about, you know, in turn when we talked about the simplicity and consistency, we talk about putting in deposits. You know, it's, it's this whole idea. You could, you could simplify it by looking at it in terms of like the scale that you're trying to balance withdrawals versus deposits.
Speaker 1: (09:58)
You know, this time of year there tends to be more withdrawals than deposits. Um, because again, you think about it this time of year, we are more sedentary. We're eating things that probably we wouldn't eat the rest of the year. Uh, we're not getting the sunlight that we need. We're probably not getting the rest that we need. So all these different things, these are all w, you know, just small little withdrawals. But collectively over time what happens is it puts us out of a state of proper balance in terms of our body's resiliency. Um, and so what we're trying to say here is that if you're dealing with injuries, those are gonna, uh, create some, some withdrawals on the body. And we don't want to do that. You know, that's, we want to kind of create that rebalancing, so to speak, by, by making those necessary deposits. And so part of that is taking care of our frame, making sure, uh, that you're getting adjusted regularly, making sure that you're, uh, taking care of any sort of, uh, muscle imbalances, you know, getting, getting massage, making sure that, uh, you know, you're, again, staying moving, you're, you're, you're staying mobile and, and making sure those, those areas are addressed.
Speaker 1: (11:01)
So mechanical. And then in terms of chemically, you know, making sure we are aware of what's happening in our body chemically. You know, I think one of the most simple things, one of the most basic and fundamental things, making sure we're not throwing our body's biochemistry out of total whack by giving it these absurd and ridiculous, uh, spikes and crashes when it comes to blood sugar. You know, again, this time of year, it's not uncommon for people to pound down, you know, a handful or more of candy of, of cakes, of cookies, of sugar, sugary treats, um, all sorts of those things. And so it's, it's, it's that time of year, you know, where it's real easy for people to just indulge. And that's one way chemically in our body that we can throw things out of whack. And again, just add one more element of stress on the body.
Speaker 1: (11:52)
You know, that the body, when it's, when it's having to process a lot of that sugar and, uh, having to, uh, shoot out, uh, you know, a tremendous amount of insulin to help stabilize our body's overall blood sugar. Um, that can be a problem, right? So, so making sure, so, so again, number one, health comes from the inside. Number two, simplicity and consistency. Number three, making sure we're functioning both correctly, mechanically and chemically. Number four, making sure we are mentally, emotionally and spiritually in tune. And when people hear that, I think some people might immediately dismiss it. It sounds like new age, you know, [inaudible] something. But the reality of it is what we're trying to basically say here is that mentally, emotionally, and or spiritually, these components can and will have a huge impact on our physical health and wellbeing. Right? Uh, there's a great book, uh, that just came out, um, by an author that both Dr. Allen and myself really love his, his work.
Speaker 1: (12:55)
Uh, Ryan holiday. Uh, some of his other books he wrote that are great are, uh, the obstacle is the way, um, I love another bunch of his books, but obstacle is a ways is a great book is, but he just came out with a brand new one called stillness is the key. Uh, and we're not done with it, but we, we recently took a road trip together, um, and we listened to a chunk of it and it's just what he shares in that book is amazing. So what you heard and what you learned just from the little that we kind of listened to. What were your take? What were some of your takeaways? What w well, with respect to, um, just your, uh, mental and emotional, um, health and or happiness as he talks a lot about just quieting the noise, being able to, to, to, um, silence a lot of the stuff that you hear around you and kind of just simplify things.
Speaker 1: (13:47)
Again, it's a really about simplifying your right, your life and not letting the noise. Cause you know what I mean? We are bombarded by stressors, whether it be from social media, from work, from family, from, um, personal, um, things that we're struggling with and, and, and the problem being is when we're overwhelmed, it's hard to process anything correctly, you know? So if we are struggling making poor decisions because we're so overwhelmed with different stressors going on in our life, it also makes it harder to eat right. It makes it harder for us if we do get hit with a virus for, believe it or not, our mental health absolutely plays a massive part in our ability to fight off infections, diseases, and other issues that are kind of always working against us or right. You know, that potentially can work against us. Right. Well, and I would even say go so far as to say that the problem isn't just that it's an overwhelming amount of information in terms of just overall volume.
Speaker 1: (14:47)
Right. Which is true. It certainly is that we're, we're overwhelmed by just information in general, but to compound that and make it even worse, is that a significant or an inordinate amount of that information happens to just be negative? Yeah. You know, when you look at the news these days, when you turn on the news, uh, what's the percentage of information that just is outright negative? I would say the majority of the information is always some new thing to worry about or be concerned about or be afraid about. And not to dive into any sort of conspiracy, anything like that. But you think about it just from a marketing standpoint, it would make sense that they would lead with those sorts of stories because it creates a greater level of consumption if you're in a state of fear and or, uh, that fear is creating certain levels of uncertainty.
Speaker 1: (15:41)
And how do I fix that uncertainty? Well, I need to find out more information as to, yeah, exactly know what the, what the punchline is here. And they're going to be sharing more with me about, you know, updates as to this story. If I just keep tuning in, I'll never forget, you know, I think who can, who can forget for those of us who are old enough to remember, uh, when nine 11 occurred, I mean, all you, all I wanted to do during that time, I remember I had to go into work and I remember everybody was just freaking out. And the one thing they w that we all wanted to do was to just watch the news the whole day, to just see what was going on, to stay in the loop. And that's not to say that you shouldn't be informed. That's not to say that at all.
Speaker 1: (16:21)
What I'm just saying is that, uh, you know, negativity, negative information can be very almost addictive sometimes and it can create these very negative spirals. And so what happens is, uh, you know, that that negativity can kind of feed and grow if we don't keep it in check. And so in terms of the information that we receive, you know, going on an information diet can be a very Earnin information. Detox even can be a really powerful thing that you can do in your life. So what would be some ways that you would recommend practically for people to go about doing that? You know what, one of my favorite recommendations was from the four hour work week. Um, I read that years ago and he says he was, uh, the, uh, Tim Ferriss, right? Yeah. Yeah. Um, he had mentioned that, uh, he says, I don't ever look at the news.
Speaker 1: (17:10)
He says, I have people that I trust, people that I believe are well-informed and I will just sit and chat and talk and see what their, see what's going on. I'll ask them, Hey, what's going on in the world? And if they don't say anything worthwhile, he says, I don't waste my time looking for it. So I'm like, you know, having, having people that you, that are level headed, that are, you know, that you can trust that maybe are well-informed. I actually think that's wonderful. You know, I mean, just people that you can trust to kind of give you the straight scoop and, and then, yeah, if you need to do more research, you certainly can. But honestly, most of the stuff that we, that we're, you know, confronted with on a day to day basis is completely useless information anyhow. Yeah. Well, and I would say too, you know, we talked about at the beginning of this episode, this whole idea of making your kind of battle plan or a checklist of things, I would include intentionally in that battle plan, open space.
Speaker 1: (18:01)
Yeah. You know, space for you to have quiet time to be able to think, to be able to turn off the noise. If you're the type of person where you hear that and that resonates with you. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to just basically cut that out. More power to you. For some people, some people may want to watch the news just to stay informed or for to feel like they're getting the information that they need and that's fine. But what I would simply do is create on very, very limited time. I wouldn't do any before bed. I wouldn't do anything in the, in the middle of the mall. You know, first thing in the morning, I would find some time in the day where you limit it for, you know, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, where you, you know what, we're going to get the essentials.
Speaker 1: (18:37)
We're going to go through here and we're going to look at the information that's available, see what's going on, see what's happening. Um, and again, I would highly recommend that you look at trusted resources. Um, which is challenging these days. It is challenging, you know, to get unbiased information, but just to try your best to really look at collectively everything that's, that's going on. Um, but again, in limited doses, don't get in the habit of learning this thing. You hit it on the head in 10 minutes, 15 minutes tops. You can, you can hear every single, um, news story that's of any relevance around the world. Yeah. Very easily. And if it's not something that really is important for you, just move on. Yeah, absolutely. Um, so, so in terms of that then, uh, you know, w w again in, in the grand scheme, we're talking about these five fundamentals of health to really help you boost your immune system.
Speaker 1: (19:27)
You know, we, so we've talked about this idea of health coming from the inside, simplicity and consistency, making that daily kind of battle plan to help you and, or your family. What are the things that you're going to do to proactively help bolster your immune system? Making sure that things are functioning both mechanically and chemically. Uh, you know, then talking about making sure mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we're feeding ourselves, uh, with good information and making sure that we're not getting overwhelmed or overstressed. Making sure we're creating sufficient quiet time to either meditate or to journal or to, um, just give yourself time to kind of decompress. And then last but not least is making sure we are fueling ourselves properly. Right? Um, our bodies need to be fueled and so oftentimes we don't think of eating as fueling. We just think of it as this indulgence or this pleasurable experience or this torturous experience.
Speaker 1: (20:23)
It's one of the other, right? It's, it's uh, and uh, and so unfortunately, uh, when we don't view it in terms of this proper light of, of fueling ourselves properly, uh, we missed the Mark either way. Right? Either overindulgence or just punishment. I think you hit it on the head there because fuel, our fueling can be something that is the necessary support we need for the building blocks to stay healthy. It can also be a negative stressor. FCR, if we are overindulging, if we are spiking our blood sugar with the ups and the downs of, of just crappy food. Yeah. I don't remember who said the quote, but it said our food can either be the strongest and most wonderful medicine or the slowest form of poison in our lives. And it's true, right? What we eat can be either or. It can either be medicine or it can be poison.
Speaker 1: (21:14)
You know, Hippocrates said, let thy food be thy medicine and they met us and be thy food. Um, and it's so true. So this time of year, you know, what would you recommend in general guidelines in terms of fueling yourself properly? Um, make a plan. First of all, cause if you don't plan what you're going to be eating and what you're going to be doing, it makes it really easy to say, Oh, I'll grab this or, or, Ooh, Hey, please. Yeah, the path of least resistance. Exactly. Too easy. So if you don't make a plan, you're gonna, it's going to be really easy for you to slip and fall. Absolutely. Um, in terms of general guidelines for fueling yourself, you know, general guidelines you're gonna want, make sure I actually always tell people that's good. It's a good idea to try to have a, you know, just a safe, a safe ratio of a, a one to one ratio of protein and carbs obviously up your, it's always good to focus on vegetables.
Speaker 1: (22:08)
I'm a little bit of fruit. Yup. And then just be smart with the sweets and the candies. You know, it's not, I'm not saying like you should enjoy your food, but to healthy fats this time of year can be really helpful. Avocado is a great way to go. Um, various nuts can be a great source of healthy fat, lean protein, uh, fish. It's going to be a great way to go. All these things can play a role and can really, really help. Um, but yeah, and, and, and then again too, the other thing is this time of year it's going to be really easy for us to overeat. Um, and so just making sure that the proportion or the, the portion sizes are not out of control. I literally use smaller plates and smaller bowls. Yeah. You know, they have, we have the big massive dinner plates and there's that other plate that's kind of like about a nine inch plate.
Speaker 1: (22:56)
If you kind of stick with the nine inch plate, your, you know, studies show that if you, the smaller the bowl or the smaller the plate, you eat less. Yeah, yeah. Pretty simple. And the opposite is true as well. Yes. Yeah, exactly. If we're going to a platter, you're going to fill it. Yeah, absolutely. So those are what we call our five fundamentals of health and within that framework that that should be a sufficient way for you to really help Bulletproof and bolster your immune system. And I think you kind of started it off really well, dr Alan when you talked about this whole idea that if we look at this time of year from the lens of, okay, the minute that I start feeling symptoms is when I'm going to start popping the emergency or the airborne or the, you know, home remedy of your choice.
Speaker 1: (23:41)
And that's not to say that that's necessarily inherently a bad thing. Um, you know, most of us are conditioned to do this to some degree or another, but what's more effective than that is to proactively plan ahead, um, and really do things to make those daily deposits to help strengthen our immune system overall. Right? So we talked about making sure that we recognize that health comes from the inside, not from the outside. That our approach is one of simplicity and consistency that we need to make sure our bodies are functioning correctly and mechanically and chemically, making sure that we are mentally, emotionally and spiritually in tune, making sure we manage that stress. And then last but not least, fueling ourselves properly. Those are five ways, uh, collectively and individually that we can take steps necessary to help strengthen our bodies resilience to any assaults that come this time of year or any other time of year. But especially this time of year as people are hearing more and more about cold and flu season. Uh, these are just some simple yet pretty practical ways to go about strengthening your body's immune response. So any other thoughts you have to share? Nope. Okay. Hopefully this has been valuable for you guys. Uh, take this implemented into your life and, uh, strengthen your immune system. Let's get you a Bulletproof. Uh, so you can enjoy all the fun things that happen this time of year. So, uh, we'll talk to you guys on an upcoming episode.
Speaker 2: (25:04)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here and dr buddy Allen. And this is episode 29 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode we're going to be talking about the question should you get the flu vaccine? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm dr Chad Woolner and I'm dr buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So, Hey everybody, hope you guys are having an awesome day today. We have a really interesting, uh, and very, uh, heated or I guess controversial topic that, uh, is fully loaded with all sorts of different arguments, both for and against. We're talking about the flu vaccine and whether or not people should get the flu vaccine. So where do we even begin when it comes to the flu vaccine? I mean, I guess people in general, when we talk about vaccines, uh, immediately what you find are very visceral reactions, very visceral reactions in two polar different camps you've got on one side, uh, the very staunch pro vaccine camp, uh, where no matter what you say or no matter what you do, vaccines are the way to go. Vaccines can do no wrong, you have to get vaccinated. And then on the other end of the camp, you've got the complete opposite, what people would consider the anti-vaxxer camp where it's you can't get you, you don't get vaccines.
Speaker 1: (01:37)
Uh, there's nothing good that can ever come from vaccines. Vaccines are full of toxins and all sorts of other things. Um, and I, I certainly have an opinion on this, on this matter. I know you do as well. Um, but I think the overarching kind of theme that we want to present here, uh, if for no other reason than we want people to listen to this episode with an open mind. And I feel like if you, if you present anything one way or any of the other, you have so many people because like you said, that visceral reaction that they will be immediately dismissive. Oh, you bet. Of the things that you share without actually listening critically. And I think that's one of the great tragedies, um, or things that is tremendously lacking, uh, in today's day and age is an inability to engage in thoughtful discussion, discussion and, and in debate that engage us critical thinking.
Speaker 1: (02:38)
You know, um, there was a professor, not a professor who was, he was, uh, he was a priest that spoke at BYU. Oh yeah. Years ago. And, or not, not years ago, I think it was just like a year ago. And he said something really interesting. He said, um, in today's day and age, he said, it's not that we need to less, we need to disagree better is what he said. And I think that was so wise and so profound when it comes to the vaccine debate. That's what we'll call it. And obviously we'll, we'll hone in and talk specifically about the flu vaccine. But I think it's one of those things that we're talking about here that can be applied. It's not that we need to disagree less about these things. We need to disagree better. We need to look at the information. We need to not allow our own inherent biases to cloud a judgment because one way or another, um, we're talking about pretty significant implications when it comes to the choices that we make.
Speaker 1: (03:39)
You bet. And so, uh, for good or for bad, you know, and so, um, in terms of the flu vaccine, you know, the, the interesting thing that I would say, and perhaps this is, uh, where we can start, let me pull this up over here. Um, it seems to me, and you tell me your, your opinion, dr Ellen, but it seems that there is an ever-growing, um, push to vaccinate. And especially, especially with the flu vaccine, it's becoming more and more of a, um, standard, um, kind of approach to this time of year. You know, it's, and, and it's interesting because we, we refer to this time of year as what, as the flu season. Right? And the reality of it is, is when you just look at common sense would tell you there's, there's nothing different about our immune systems this time of year. Our immune systems work the same.
Speaker 1: (04:40)
Barring the fact that we have potential additional stress that's placed on our bodies this time of year for a variety of factors. Number one, come holiday seasons, we tend to not eat as well. That's a huge part. We can't, we can't dismiss that. Number two, what else changes this time of year? Short days, short days, so less sunlight. Uh, depending upon where you live, um, far more cloud coverage, which again decreases, uh, colder temperatures. So even if there is sunlight, most people are indoors or covered up or covered. Yeah, exactly. Or covered up. Yeah, exactly. So you're not getting the amount of sun exposure that you would get. Um, the fact that you're, you're more, uh, congregated indoors means you're more susceptible to other people's germs. Um, you know, so, so I mean really what you're talking about is almost like this perfect storm as to why, you know, uh, and some people might think that what we're talking about here is just semantics, but I think it, it matters in the sense that semantics, right, right, right.
Speaker 1: (05:48)
Exactly. And so, so at the end of the day we have to look at why does it seem like, or why is it that there is a greater prevalence of, of cold and flu viruses that are, that are being spread this time of year. And I think those are some very easy to see reasons as to perhaps why there is an increased prevalence of these, these sorts of things. The flu, the flu virus doesn't just wake up because it hits October, November, December, January. It's like it's dormant during the summer and it only comes alive in the winter. Right. It's always floating out there. Right, exactly. And, and so, so that, that's kind of an interesting thing. I think if we look at it in terms of in plain sight, environmental factors are the things that we do or don't do. Make a difference into it as to our body's capability of taking care of itself that, you know, in terms of our immune response.
Speaker 1: (06:44)
And so, uh, we'll, we'll talk about this kind of moving forward in just a minute here, but, um, there is significant research showing our levels of vitamin D play a huge role in our body's overall immune response, number one, but then number two, more specifically our body's immune response with regard to, uh, the flu, our body's ability to fight off or to prevent, um, contracting the flu virus. And so, um, vitamin D is very closely linked as we know, to sunlight exposure. Um, and obviously dietary factors as well, you know, and so, um, so in, in terms of the flu vaccine, um, you know, when it comes to that decision, um, we realize again that this can be a very emotionally charged, kind of very sensitive issue, whether or not to vaccinate or to vaccinate. Um, and, and primarily because typically the emotions come from the fact that we're dealing with not just our own personal health, but the health of loved ones, especially children.
Speaker 1: (07:54)
Right. In terms of our, in terms of the health of our children, I don't think any parent out there any reasonable good parent out there, uh, wants their children to, I think most reasonable people want their kids to be happy and healthy. Right? Uh, and so it's no wonder that we want to make these decisions, uh, and we want to be right about these decisions. We do not want to be wrong about these decisions. The problem that we see when it comes to the flu vaccine is that it seems like people, far too many people or most people are making decisions based off of incomplete information. Absolutely. Whether it's deliberate or not deliberate, people need to understand that there is a bigger picture here that they need to be seeing prior to the decisions that are made as to whether or not they choose to, to vaccinate when it comes to the flu vaccine.
Speaker 1: (08:49)
You know, when you talk about this, I've been kind of thinking because there are, there's such a polar polar extremes on both ends of pro or, or anti vaccination in general. It's almost like people have dug their heels in so deep because they don't want to lose. It's like a, it's like a competition. If I, if I say that, Oh, Oh, I guess it's okay. If you don't, then I'm conceding that are, I'm losing. You don't want to lose any grant. It's not, it's not a losing art. You know what I mean? It's like I either I have to win. And so if people dig their heels in and they don't wanna they don't want to believe that, well, maybe there is a different way or a different, uh, possibility, you know? Right. One way or the other. Right. Exactly. So when we look at [inaudible] and one of the great ironies that we see today is that never before have we ever had more information accessible at our fingertips.
Speaker 1: (09:44)
And yet it is, seems to be increasingly difficult to be able to sift through all of that information to find confusing, to find trustworthy sources, to be able to give us fair, balanced, accurate information. Uh, perhaps one of the best and most, most reputable sources when it comes to scientific information. And, or conclusive, you know, kind of answers as to, should I do this, should I not do this? Is this safe, is this effective? Is this ineffective? Uh, is this a, is this a group called the Cochrane review? And basically the, I didn't know, uh, their, their history or anything, but they're actually a, um, a nonprofit from, uh, it says Cochrane is a British charity formed to organize medical research findings so as to facilitate evidence-based choices about health interventions faced by health professionals, patients and policy makers. So their whole point is they look at as a group, they look at all of the evidence and then they, they, they analyze the evidence, they kind of systemize what it says, and then they synthesize all of this evidence to basically make conclusive statements as to whether or not the evidence shows something is effective or ineffective or, or, or whatnot.
Speaker 1: (11:04)
And, you know, suffice it to say, if you were to look at the Cochrane reviews regarding their stance on flu vaccinations, it's pretty loud and clear that, that they say the evidence is pretty weak. Um, they say that if there is any effectiveness from the flu vaccinations, it's very, very low. Um, and, and when you look at straight from even like the CDC and what they say about the flu vaccine, most of the experts agree that the effectiveness of the flu vaccination is typically 40 to 60% in terms of the likelihood of it helping you. And so when I hear that, when I hear 40 to 60%, I think flipping the coin yup. Is what I think. And part of the challenge is that assuming that you've got a, the the correct, uh, strain dialed in, we'll talk about that in a second. It's 40 to 60% effective assuming that there's a match.
Speaker 1: (12:03)
The problem is that there are a variety of different flu strains that come about each year and they constantly are changing and mutating and whatnot. And so, um, [inaudible] you look at their own, look at their own guidelines and what they'll tell you straight up is that this is our best guest this year based off of the, you know, epidemiological studies that we've done forecasting, et cetera, et cetera. I don't know the whole process as to how they do that, but their, their whole point is, is that educated guesses, educated. Yeah, absolutely. Um, there are basically, when you look at it, there's roughly, I think about 144 different potential strains based off of different combinations and, uh, different types. Um, there, there are three kind of general types, a, B and C, a a is the most common, but then even within that, there are roughly about 144 different combinations of different strains.
Speaker 1: (12:55)
And so they say typically that the flu vaccine, uh, covers four, I think four of those different strains. And so you're talking about 3%, roughly 3%, uh, of the possible, the possible strains that, that you're going to be vaccinating against or for, um, yeah, Mexico city, you know, to, to help protect you. And, and the interesting thing that I find is that in light of that, in light of the fact that it's so few, your odds are, you know, not great. They still highly it. And, and I hear comparisons, I see this amongst experts where they make these analogies or comparisons, like it's getting a vaccine and flu vaccination is like wearing your seatbelt, where it's like, that's such a poor comparison, you know, cause because studies have shown loud and clear in terms of seatbelt safety. So that's a really weak analogy, a very poor comparison there.
Speaker 1: (13:52)
Um, so, so in terms of, you know, you're, you're kind of shooting or throwing a dart at a dartboard and hoping that it hits number one, but then also in terms of the effectiveness there, they're roughly saying 40 to 60% effective. So that's kind of one side of it. We're talking about. Does it even work? You know, and again, the evidence says if it works, it's not great. It's not, it's not an, you know, and, and, and the problem number one that we see is that by the powers that be, uh, they paint this picture as though it's, it's a done deal. You know, this is the way to protect yourself against the flu. And, and you don't hear a whole lot in terms of them saying, you know, that, that it's not terribly effective. Um, well they even, so my wife is a nurse and as you know, being a nurse, she's required to get the flu shot each year and um, for, you know, just cause that's policy.
Speaker 3: (14:52)
However, it's one of those things that, um, uh, even when even in years past, in fact I want, it was a year or maybe two ago where they said, well, we kind of, we know we kind of missed the Mark on the, the, the strain this year, but we still recommend everybody get the vaccine. Yeah. So even when they know they've pretty much missed it, they still, you know, it's the, the powers that be just say, you know, yeah, you should still get it. So, but Y you know that, that's kinda the big w what for if we know w and I guess this kinda comes down to, we were talking, this whole topic came up, cause I read had read something on social media and it was there, there were, there were flaws in the argument for pro, you know, this was a health professional.
Speaker 3: (15:38)
And the whole article was, you know, what, flu shots do not cause the flu. And she kinda went on to say different things. And then she also stated, she says, and this was, I thought it was interesting. She says, you know, uh, you know, avocados are a healthy, healthy fruit, right? Right. And she says, however, in fact, if, I don't think anyone would argue with you that avocados are very healthy, but if I eat an avocado, she said, I get, I swell, I get, you know, I have a terrible reaction to it. So she says, but that doesn't mean avocados are unhealthy. And then that's, and then she moves onto something else. My, but, but wait, that undermines her entire, exactly. My whole, my whole thing that stood out to me was, it's true, they are incredibly healthy, but there are lots of really healthy things that people, people are deathly allergic to.
Speaker 3: (16:26)
Right. So peanuts, almonds, all kinds of different things there. Fish. Yeah. You know, and it's like they can be incredibly healthy and yet for some people they can be, they can have deathly allergic reactions. It can be terrible. And so part of what, you know, that's kind of what spurred our, our thoughts on even doing this podcast was, you know, what there is that we, we, uh, so many people just jump on the, Oh, well it's flu season, I guess I need my flu shots. What, you get the flu? And they're, they're doing that based upon an incomplete information. Yes. So be able to make an educated choice one way or the other. Yeah. And, and, and, and that's the, I guess that's the point that we're trying to get across here in all of this, is we're not trying to say don't get a flu vaccination. Uh, at the end of the day, that's your choice. If somebody wants to. And I just think the place where I'm coming from is if you make that choice based off of the best available evidence and you know, uh, the benefits versus the risks, uh, the potential benefits versus potential risks. And you do that in light of that more power to you. Great. But the problem is, is that most people I would argue are doing it, like you said, based off of incomplete, uh, and oftentimes inaccurate information. Um, this is straight from the Cochrane review. It said,
Speaker 1: (17:50)
uh, uh, N this is regarding, uh, vaccinating children and the elderly, um, which are the two greatest at risk and or the immunocompromised, you know, population. So when it comes to flu, a large scale, a systematic review of 51 studies published in the Cochrane database of syste systematic reviews in 2006 found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children under two. The studies involved 260,000 children age six to 23 months, uh, in, uh, 2008. Another Cochran review, again concluded little evidence is available that the flu vaccine is effective for children under the age of two. Even more. Disturbingly, the author stated it was surprising to find only one study of in vaccinated show, uh, vaccine in vacs, uh, or excuse me, inactivated vaccine in children under two years given current recommendations to vaccinate healthy children from six months old in the USA and Canada if immunization in children is to be recommended as a public health policy, large scale studies assessing important outcomes and directly comparing vaccine types are urgently required.
Speaker 1: (19:05)
And so that's concerning because what they're basically just saying they're in the Cochrane review is that we do not have the level of information and data available to make the conclusive statements that are so frequently made in the, from the, from the pro-vaccine camp. They make it sound as though, Oh, this is, this is just conclusive when it's not, it's anything but conclusive, you know, and, and I can appreciate, I really could appreciate if they came from a place of basically saying, look, based off of the best available evidence, we believe this is the best approach. But I don't think that's the statements that are being made. It is this, it is this uh, statement of like they treat, they treat it like gravity. Like it's just this given scientific law where it's not that at all. They treat it like there are no possible negative side effects that can come from it.
Speaker 1: (20:02)
Yeah. And we'll get to that in just a second. Yeah. So in terms of the uh, elderly, so we talked about children in 2010. Cochrane concluded that the available evidence is of poor quality and provides no guidance regarding the safety, efficacy or effectiveness of influence of vaccines for people aged 65 years or older. Uh, Cochran also reviewed whether or not vaccinating healthcare workers can help protect the elderly patients with whom they work. In conclusion, the authors stated that there is no evidence that vaccinating healthcare workers prevents influenza in elderly residents in longterm care facilities. So again, these are the, these are not fringe like blogs that were written by some random guy in his mom's basement to Cochrane review is the gold standard in terms of assessing and looking at scientific evidence here. And so please understand, like again, we're not, we're not trying to sound fringe or, or, or, um, you know, one side here, we're trying to present this in the most meaningful and sincere way we possibly can to help people understand, uh, again, what you choose, what you decide that is completely up to you.
Speaker 1: (21:15)
Um, we simply want to provide the, the evidence, we want to provide the information so that people can make informed decisions. And like you said, like in terms of the risks, these are not without risk as much as people want to present this, uh, this idea that, um, and, and, and, and I can also appreciate and understand to not vaccinate comes with inherent risks too. I get that. I understand that. To not vaccinate against the flu, I means you could, you could potentially get the flu. Absolutely. But, but again, in terms of weighing and determining risks versus benefits, um, Y you have that, you have that, uh, article there, one of the risks associated with the flu vaccine. And albeit I understand it's a low risk but risk nonetheless. Okay. Low risk does not mean no risk. Okay. Low risks just means that, that the likelihood is low. But nonetheless, they don't tell most people this, that they're one of several other potential complications or risks. Uh, one alone that is just frightening to me because I'm familiar with this cause I've known of people who have developed it, uh, is something referred to as Gian Baret syndrome. Um, you can look it up. It's spelled G, U. I. L. L. a, N. I. A. N. I. N. a. Dion Borei, B. A. R, R, E with like a apostrophe. Well, if you, if you type in that, it'll pop right up in the search and John Baret syndrome. Um, and, and as a complication associated with the flu vaccine
Speaker 3: (22:53)
is this, where's this from? And what does it say? So the, uh, this is the Mayo clinic right here that's talking about this, and it just says Gian barter. A syndrome is a rare disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves, weakness and tingling in your extremities are usually the first symptoms. These symptoms can quickly spread eventually paralyzing your whole body. Yeah. All right. I mean it's, it can be very literally life threatening, like where you got to get to the hospital, it can happen quickly. And again, it's one of those things and they say it's rare, but they say, eh, you know, as many as 20,000 people a year. Yeah. You know, so it's, I mean, yeah, when you compare it to maybe hundreds of millions, that's not a hit, but that's still 20,000 people. Yeah. All right. It's there. It's a risk. And the risk is that this, this is the most common condition to follow the flu
Speaker 1: (23:46)
vaccination. Right. And that's straight from the journal of the American medical association. You look it up and straight from their own journals. They say that's the most common serious complication associated with flu vaccination. Yep. And so, and there are others as well. We don't need to dive into all of them, but just understand that there is risk that is there. And so to make this decision. Um, again, I think that's my, my thinking in all of this is I always cringe a little bit when I think that people are so, um, quick to do the flu vaccination with, with so little fought, you know, to that. And, and it's again, if you chose to do that in light of the potential benefits versus the potential risks and you knew that, Hey, that that's, that's your choice and you completely have the ability to do that.
Speaker 1: (24:38)
But again, I just think that most people aren't operating from that. And you bring up a really good point because right now there's massive debates when it comes to vaccinations in general. Um, you know, we're talking about, you know, the immunizations kids get for school in this, that the other California just passed laws that require, there is no, you, you cannot opt out of vaccinations. What for beliefs or anything else if you want to go to public school. And I would say for me the biggest concern, and to me it's, it's kind of terrifying as the loss of those liberties to be able to make choices for ourselves. Because again, these vaccines are presented, uh, both the, the flu vaccine and others, they present them as though they are infallible. Yes. That they, that there is nothing that could go wrong when the true reality is like, listen, most people do tolerate them just fine.
Speaker 1: (25:28)
Right. Most people do. Yeah. However, there are plenty of people and, and I would say a lot more than you, you realize that have major issues with like major, some and in some cases, death. Yeah. Right. People do. People do die from vaccinations. I don't care. You know, I mean, they're out there, plenty of them. And, and, and, and I guess that's my, my concern that I see that w w my eyes were first really open to this, not from the kind of what people would consider as the anti-vaccination community or camp. Um, that's not who, who had as much of an influence on kind of my perception and my take on this as much as what I saw from the pro camp. And what I meant by that is that, um, I started to grow increasingly concerned when I saw that, um, the minute you even question, you know, just looking for information, it was, it was, it's such a to act absolutely.
Speaker 1: (26:28)
It has such a dogmatic viewpoint almost to the point of like religious fervor to the way they look at vaccination. Like you do not dare question this. This is like sacred ground. It's blasphemy. And, and to me, that's concerning when I see that level of, of irrationality, um, regarding this, the, so that's what to a large extent has kind of shaped my opinions regarding this. Um, and so, so that's the concern. But I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, you know, at the end of the day, what we have to do is we have to stop and look at it for what it really is. We're not talking about the vaccine argument, be it Fluor other, it's not about vaccines, it's about personal Liberty. And that's the thing that's concerning to me is that the more we as, as a society, as people collectively abdicate our personal rights and outsource those basically to a government entity to make those choices for us.
Speaker 1: (27:26)
Uh, that's concerning. You know, we as individuals need to make the best informed decisions we can for our health and for the health of our families, for our children and for our loved ones. And, um, so, you know, when we talk about, so that's talking about, you know, like, okay, should I or should I not vaccinate against, uh, the flu? We're talking about that in terms of alternatives, there's a very clear alternative and in fact, when you look at the research, it's very solid, uh, in favor of a different approach. And we'll, we'll expand it even further beyond this. But when you look at, uh, vitamin D, you know, we kind of already talked a little bit about that. During this time of year, we get far less sunlight. We're a, our skin is far more covered up. And so vitamin D exposure is definitely limited when you look at [inaudible] and we'll give you a resource here going to vitamin D, council.org.
Speaker 1: (28:22)
If you just type it in, just know spaces, vitamin D, council.org. Uh, and if you look up, um, influenza, they have tons of research here, very good high level research showing loud and clear, increasing your doses of vitamin D is an extremely effective way to help you fight off not only influenza, but also just generally help bolster your immune system during this time of year when you could potentially be slightly compromised as a result of, again, not getting the sunlight that you need. Perhaps dietarily you're not eating as well. Uh, you know, were Halloween is just around the corner, followed by Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas and new year, you know, and so you're definitely not eating a few football games in between. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Football weekends. Um, so let's talk about the research here. Uh, when you look at vitamin D counsel, what they have to say, if you just go to a vitamin D council.org, um, you can look up, uh, influenza and, uh, there's a great article that they put together with a, a bunch of different studies, uh, showing several different things.
Speaker 1: (29:36)
Uh, number one, showing a handful of studies that, uh, vitamin D is helpful in preventing the flu. Vitamin D is helpful for, uh, improving one's response to the flu if they get the flu. Showing that those that had higher levels of vitamin D a were able to fight off the flu easier or have, uh, less, um, intense, uh, symptoms, symptoms associated with it. Um, there was, let's see here, um, helping, let's see here. Preventing the overall flu, um, treating and recovering from the flu. Let me just show, there was, this one was interesting. Uh, an experiment conducted in the United States gave elderly African American women 800 IUs of vitamin D per day for two years, then 2000 IUs per day for the third year. The group, uh, the control group was given a dummy pill. The researchers looked at how many times those women got influenced. So over the three year period and found that the vitamin D group had fewer influenza symptoms compared to the dummy pill group.
Speaker 1: (30:45)
Only one person in the vitamin D group contracted the influence. So while taking 2000 IUs per day compared to 30 cases of influenza or colds, for those taking the dummy pill, that dummy pill group had influenced the symptoms during the winter. While those who got the flu in the vitamin D group had symptoms that were independent of the season. And then they said an experiment evaluated the effects of vitamin D supplementation on influence risk in Japanese school children. The researchers gave the children either 1200 IUs of vitamin D per day for three months during the winter or a dummy pill. They found that more children in the dummy pill group got influenced a than other children in the vitamin D group. Uh, there was a preventative effect of 1200 IUs per day on the children that were getting influenza, uh, a so they concluded, uh, that it can help protect children against the seasonal influence.
Speaker 1: (31:38)
At a, um, there was a study conducted in 2011 looked at vitamin D levels and upper respite and respiratory infections like influenza in a large group of British adults. The researchers found that, um, four nanograms per milliliter, which I'm not sure the, their, their, um, vitamin D levels in the body, there was a 7% lower chance of developing influenza. Uh, there was a seasonal pattern of influenza, which was the same as the seasonal pattern of vitamin D levels. Again, you know, this is, it just goes to show that it seems very common sense that what we're dealing with is not necessarily, like we said from the beginning of flu season, but rather a pattern. Uh, and, and I don't even necessarily think it's linked to vitamin D itself per say, but rather other factors associated with seasonal changes that our bodies, um, immune systems are not as, um, uh, afforded to fight against battling.
Speaker 1: (32:38)
Yeah, absolutely. You know? Um, and so I think in, in all of this, um, we're not just talking about some magic bullet here being vitamin D, but rather I think the overall message is that we need to be more conscientious during this time of year to be doing those things that we know for certain will help our immune system. You said something that, you know, bringing up magic bullets. Yeah. People I believe, look at immunizations, you know, against these things that some magic bullet. I tend to make everything better and yeah, the reality is that we have to, we have to take it upon ourselves to make sure we have a fighting chance about fighting off any kind of sickness, not just influenza. I mean, influenza is one of a million different things that you could contract. Right. Um, and so the reality is we just have to, um, you know, like you said, a good, healthy diet, good sleep, good exercise, do the things that washing your hands hydrating properly, you know.
Speaker 1: (33:39)
Uh, the interesting thing too, we, we being chiropractors, uh, when you look at the research, there's some pretty solid evidence suggesting that chiropractic can help with immune response, can help improve the, the immune response overall. So taking care of, and, and, and I'll even expand that further for people who might roll their eyes at that. Um, I would say taking care of your frame, you know, that, that there is a definite connection to how you take care of your physical frame and the impact that that can have on, uh, immune function. You know, we can take that even further by saying, making sure you're getting adequate exercise in addition to your adequate rest and hydration. So some of these simple things, um, that individually may not have a massive influence, but it's almost like a, it's almost like a scorecard. You know what I mean?
Speaker 1: (34:28)
Like, if you can view this time of year as like a scorecard where you say, okay, here's my daily checkbox of things that I'm going to be doing. I'm gonna make sure that a, during this 24 hour period, I got adequate rest. I got adequate hydration. I got adequate levels of vitamin D, whether that's supplemental or trying to get some sun exposure. Uh, I got adequate nutrition, making sure I, uh, you know, dietarily was doing the things that I needed to fortify my body and my health, um, made sure that I, I got adequate rest in meditation and got adequate. Um, you know, the, the, the things collectively that we know we need to do. I'm washing my hands regularly, you know, all these things. Um, but just making sure that were a little bit more vigilant about it during this time of year. And I think that that will go, um, I think the evidence is clear that that will go a lot further than any vaccination will ever go.
Speaker 1: (35:26)
You know, and again, this isn't to say that for those who make that decision to vaccinate, um, that is completely your decision, you know, and you can totally do that. Uh, I am of the opinion, I just don't see the benefits outweighing the risks and I think we're kind of in the same absolutely. Same camp. Yup. So, uh, and, and I think for those who are, and I think maybe there's a small population of people like your wife who are in the camp where they have to be vaccinated. There is no way around it and yet they don't want to be vaccinated. And I would say using the same wisdom I think will help offset the risks associated with the vaccination by making sure in conjunction with that you're getting adequate rest, adequate hydration, adequate vitamin D, all those same things will play a role in helping your body respond appropriately to a vaccination salient to everything that hits us.
Speaker 1: (36:21)
Because you know, I mean again, there's, there's 10,000 different things that we could become sick. It's a, it's going to be impossible to vaccinate for all sickness. I know there's certainly trying all the time it seems like, but you know, it's like it is impossible to vaccinate for every type of sickness out there. Yeah. And without even getting into the whole debate of efficacy or right risks or anything like that. But you know, the, the best thing you can do is to, you know, help, help your body be as resilient as possible, um, to whatever you get confronted with. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So bottom line here, uh, should you vaccinate, uh, against the flu? Should you get the flu vaccine? Uh, again, I think the bottom line is knowing the benefits versus the risk, knowing more of the complete story. Um, not just buying into a lot of the propaganda that you hear, uh, that, that, uh, that flu vaccines are a magic bullet.
Speaker 1: (37:16)
Yes. Or that they are without risk. Um, those two things people need to understand. Number one, they're not a magic bullet. Number two, they don't come without risk. Um, but number three, uh, it is a personal decision. You know, when you look at all of the evidence available, um, I would argue that the vast majority of people out there want to make the right decision, especially when it comes to their health and the health of the ones that they love. And so I think sometimes it can be really challenging when you add on top of all of those other inherent challenges, feelings of judgment from others as to the decisions that you make, you know, the criticisms and the judgments. And that's the last thing in the world I think either of us want to do is put on people that extra burden of feeling like there's one more finger pointing on one way or the other.
Speaker 1: (38:02)
Just understand, uh, that the purpose of this episode, specifically of the podcast as well as the overall podcast is to give more tools to people to be able to make better decisions regarding their health. Uh, maybe sifting through a lot of the information that's out there and making things a little bit more clear. Um, so that you can make better decisions for yourself personally and for your own family. So hopefully this has been helpful. Anything else you want to add to this episode? Uh, no. You know, it's just, it really is so very important with all the information we do have available to us to make sure whenever,
Speaker 3: (38:36)
you know, when we'd read into anything, we should always read in with, uh, uh, you know, like what is this, you know what I mean? An open mind. Right, right. Cause if we go into any kind of, um, research looking for one outcome or the other guests, what you'll find, you'll find research to support whichever would last that you want. Classic confirmation bias. That's it. So you need to look at information with an open mind and say, you know, what are the pros? What are the cons, what are the risks, what are the benefits, what you know, like, and, and do they make sense to me? And for one, they may and for another they may not. Yeah. You know, so, but the, the, the scariest thing I think is in our culture, um, there seems to be a lot of the, again, the shaming you like if you don't do it like ever, someone's going to think you're a big jerk or some insensitive a hole for not, you know, cause someone else who can't do it or whatever that is, you know, and it's like, that's not true.
Speaker 3: (39:34)
You know, none of that stuff is true. Those are all tactics. So don't ever feel pressured one way or the other. Yeah, absolutely. Making choices on good information. Yeah, absolutely. Best available information that's out there and there is, there's good information that's out there. Uh, if you're willing to take a few minutes to kind of sift through some of it and think critically like you said. So anyways, hopefully this has been helpful and valuable for you guys, uh, either watching or listening to this and, uh, we're looking forward to sharing a lot more, uh, information with you on the next episode. Talk to you later guys.
Speaker 2: (40:06)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Allen, and this is episode 28 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about when healthy eating becomes unhealthy. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:12)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having a great day today. We have a really interesting topic that we want to discuss today. Uh, and that is this idea of when healthy eating becomes unhealthy. That sounds blasphemous. It does, doesn't it? It's kind of crazy to think about. Um, but there, there was an article that was published, uh, at York University and this is what they said. They said, researchers say those who have a history of an eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive traits, dieting, poor body image, and a drive for thinness are more likely to develop a pathological obsession with healthy eating or consuming only healthy food known as Orthorexia Nervosa. Although eating healthy is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. For some people, this preoccupation with healthy eating can become physically and socially impairing. So although important as far as this research is what they have, what they say here, I think for most people who hear that I don't think that's necessarily going to come across as all too shocking or surprising.
Speaker 1: (01:37)
It should make perfect sense. Right? So, so where do we begin with this? Uh, Golly, this is, uh, we see people all the time when it comes to, um, have an issue with, you know, most people, I would say it comes down to weight loss. I, I'd say the biggest thing that most people freak out about or it's their image, you know, it's like, yeah, we put on weight and we're not happy with it. And, and we don't like what we see in the Mirror Mirror. We don't like how we feel, there's just all these different things or we compare ourselves to others. So that's probably where most people have the issue. The problem being is most people don't understand food correctly. Right. All right. They, they underwrite food is like, Ooh, you know, like, what am I gonna eat today that's going to be delicious? Or what am I, I mean, I've done it myself.
Speaker 1: (02:21)
I don't, I don't say this without guilt because I've done it plenty of times where I'm like, Ooh, what sounds amazing. And, um, and you know, and we eat more for pleasure. But, um, I would say the big rub here comes when people start. Um, they started thinking like, well, I'm eating healthy. So I, you know, if one avocado or a half an avocado is good, if I eat three Avocados or a whole bowl of Guacamole, um, that's going to be amazing for me. Right, right. Well, you know, forget all the chips and all this stuff that's coming with it. Well, not, and not even that, but exactly what you just said though. You know, that's one of the things that I've noticed in my personal journey. Uh, you over the past year I would say in terms of improving my health. Um, and, and hopefully you realize that whenever we teach anything we teach on this podcast, we try and practice what we preach.
Speaker 1: (03:10)
We try, we try our best to walk the walk. And part of that walking of the walk is transparency of helping people understand we're in this journey too, like anybody else. Um, but what I was going to say is one of the biggest things, in fact, I had this conversation with my wife this morning is that I think one of the biggest fallacies that we've talked about is that a lot of the various fads and trends in terms of health, in terms of diet is, is throwing calories out the window like they do not matter. And it's very comforting for people to kind of pretend like that doesn't matter. You know? And, and the truth is, is that it's, it should be obvious that, uh, 150 calories from a soda is going to be different than 150 calories from Broccoli. I get it, I get that part of it.
Speaker 1: (03:53)
But nonetheless, like you said, eating for Avocados instead of just one is going to dramatically increase your calwork intake. Can I saw this awesome little picture, uh, like a, um, just a cool little picture that had two comparisons. It says, um, you know, both of these said healthy, healthy snacks and one of them was like, it had some celery and carrots and, um, I don't know, some sort of a, uh, like a chick pea dip of some sort, right. Just something that was the, that looked yummy and, and people eat it all the time. And then someone had, and then the other picture was a bunch of nuts and, and other avocado and nuts and other whatever it was, you know, and it said, you know, one of them was like 150 calories, the first one with the celery and uh, and, and that, and the other one, which again was healthy was like 600 calories.
Speaker 1: (04:43)
Right? And it was just a, as far as quantity, it was, it was a comparable quantity, right? But the caloric intake was very significant. Quantity matters, absolutely as part of this. Right? And so I think that's the, the idea that you're trying to talk about here that we kind of keep coming back to is not deviating to one extreme or the other. You know, the extreme, like you said, of just eating solely for pleasure. But there is a flip side to that. And the flip side of that is the, this unhealthy obsession with quote unquote clean eating, right? Where we demonize food and we give it some sort of like, you know, like the, the, uh, we emotionally charge it unduly, right? Food is food, right? Uh, it's a, it's a tool. Um, and just like any tool, it totally depends on the context and, and, and the, the purpose for which you are using that tool.
Speaker 1: (05:38)
Right. And so we need to kind of have a, a massive paradigm shift in the way that we look at food in that, uh, the thing that we've discussed prior to this episode is that food needs to be, you are viewed as fuel. Absolutely. And, and at the end of the day, it all depends. The context of the conversation is what is the outcome that we're looking for when we use that fuel? And it's, and, and, and immediately, I think most people when they hear it in that context, they're thinking, well, the outcome needs to be improving our health every time. And that may may be in some instances the case, but in some instances the outcome may be pleasure. And that's okay. Every now and again. Sure. That's okay to recognize and acknowledge that, that when we do that, when we say, okay, you know, this evening, uh, we're going to be going out to, um, we're going to be going out to dinner and we're going to be enjoying a night out.
Speaker 1: (06:33)
And so we are going to enjoy the meal and it is going to be delicious and we're going to have dessert and we're going to do that thing. Now doing that every day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, probably not inappropriate, you know, um, use of that tool of the, of the fuel, um, that we're doing. Right. And again, it's because what is the outcome that we want? If you want pleasure, pleasure, pleasure, all the time, uh, you know, the, the, you can't have too much of a good thing, right? But on the flip side as well, again, on that other side of the coin is that if you're, uh, if you're developing this unhealthy obsession with food can only be healthy and you can only eat clean all the time and it's just so rigid and so restrictive. Um, that's not necessarily a healthy approach either.
Speaker 1: (07:18)
Oh, not at all. In fact, you know, when we, when we look at ourselves, I mean really we need to be looking at ourselves. First of all, we shouldn't care what other people are doing. Obviously we can, we can offer, uh, encouragement or advice or direction. But really we need to, when you said using food as fuel, what are our goals? What are we trying to accomplish? Because going back to the title, when can healthy eating be unhealthy? It's like it's unhealthy. If your goal is you're trying to cut weight and you're eating healthy stuff, but it's not allowing you to lose weight, you know, because fruits are wonderful for us. But if you're trying to cut weight and you are eating a ton of carbs because of the pee, it's peach season or cherries or whatever, you know, all of those are wonderfully healthy and yet they will, they will not allow you to accomplish a goal which messes with your head, which again, it just creates a whole, uh, conflict.
Speaker 1: (08:11)
And you're in your mind and your physiology will. And the thing that I would say to that point too is that if you're wanting to lose weight, but you're not giving yourself any laxity or wiggle room in terms of, uh, the ability to deviate on occasion, uh, I think there's something to be said for being wound too tight in that sense. You know, you had said, I think it was in episode number one of our podcast, the example of the, of the Gal that you were coaching who has had a single bowl of clam chowder after she had lost a hundred pounds, and that single bowl was enough to, to create in her mind this colossal sense of failure. And that's not okay. Nope. You know, because that's taken out of context. That's completely blown out of proportion in terms of what actually happened. That's not reality.
Speaker 1: (09:01)
You know, uh, having a, you know, sometimes they'll, they'll talk about having a cheat meal on occasion. I think there's good sense to that. I think there's good logic behind that, of understanding that once in awhile. But again, I think the idea too that we have to be considerate of and take it really, really step back and look at the reality of it is that, um, one of the things that I, uh, love about that book, uh, the willpower instinct is she talks about this whole idea of moral licensing where if you're really quote unquote good for awhile, I've been eating clean for while. So now I deserve this thing. She said, the problem with that is that at its core it's an identity crisis. And basically what you're telling yourself is that the real you deep down inside is not the healthy you, it's the you that wants to uh, go off of the reservation and off the plan and just indulge and go crazy.
Speaker 1: (09:54)
And so the reality I would say simply again, is starting with a clear sense of identity. And what I mean by identity is the identity you want. Right? And again, we've talked about this before, but, but starting with who do you want to become? And I think that would really allow you to, to frame out the right appropriate steps that you would then take after that. Right. Who Do you want to be and then that would allow you to dictate and it would allow you I think, sufficient wiggle room to deviate every now and again because you would have a clear sense of purpose of knowing that. Okay, I know I, you know, went off the reservation here, but I did that intentionally because we wanted to celebrate or I enjoyed this treat every now and again. And so moving forward though, I still have a clear sense of purpose in terms of who I want to be.
Speaker 1: (10:43)
So therefore, you know, I'm getting back on track and I'm going to continue and I'm not going to let these deviations last weeks and weeks and months and months before I kind of pull back, you know, so, well, yeah. You know, in general it's, we, we really do just have to look at what our goals are, you know, fuel yourself for what your outcome is going to be. Um, people, it's, you know, you look at, we talked about earlier, you and I, a Michael Phelps when he was competing in the Olympics, was eating like 12,000 calories a day. Yeah. All right. And I'm sure not all of that was a health food. You know, I'm sure it was good food, but not all health food. Um, same with, um, uh, there was that program that was called born strong where it followed for strong men, you know, for guys that were competing in the strong men competition and they eat obscene amounts of food, right?
Speaker 1: (11:28)
Because they need that caloric intake to, for their, for their body to recover and for their out, for their, their results. Right. So, you know, it's like if, if we make those mind shifts of like, look my, what are my goals, what am I, you know, cause a lot of people lose, want to lose weight because they think that us or get to a certain number. Cause I think that certain number is gonna make them, um, feel amazing. In fact, there's, there's an amazing little, um, uh, image that you can find online that shows like it showed like four or five, six different women, all that weighed the same weight. All right? And they all had completely different builds on tight, exactly. Different body types. So we'll, you know, they go from Chisel to like not looking super healthy. And so it's like, what is your, you know, we need to know and have a, a true and, and a correct picture of what we're shooting after cause otherwise that's where these, these mental, um, uh, stressors really these disorders that we talked about, this Orthorexia Nervosa, um, you know, these things can be every bit as um, paralyzing as being obese, bright.
Speaker 1: (12:32)
So the, the idea is like, look, we want to live for a reason, you know, live healthy for a reason. Cause you know, this life is better when we can experience it and get out and do the, the wonderful things that are out there for us to experience. Right. So, and that like you had mentioned also part of that awesome experience is experiencing yummy food and different neat, you know, neat concoctions of, of uh, you know, whether there'll be desserts or other meals, you know, so I'm just, you know, having a healthy, a healthy, um, relationship with you know, who you are, who you want to be, what you want to accomplish, and then learning to use fuel or the food as fuel for your outcomes. Yeah, absolutely. And I would say underlying all of that is having a healthy sense of purpose with your life.
Speaker 1: (13:20)
You know, identity and purpose I think go hand in hand. And I think that's where people will find the greatest sense of fulfillment and happiness and meaning in their life is, is through the purpose. Right. And so I think that's the thing is that if you don't attach purpose to the goal, meaning if, if, if your weight loss journey is, is as shallow or as superficial as a number, that's all that's going to be, you know, you, you may achieve that goal. Right. I think it was Tony Robbins who said, you know, there's a science of achievement, but there's an art to fulfillment, right? That achievement without fulfillment is, is virtually a waste, is what happens. And so what will happen a lot of times is people will achieve these goals, whether it be a weight loss goal or a health goal, maybe it's a financial goal, um, you know, uh, or some other accomplishment.
Speaker 1: (14:12)
And, and what happens is a lot of times you'll find people, this is especially true, uh, with Olympic athletes, a lot of times where they're, their entire life purpose is tied to something as superficial. And people might not think it's, hey, think of it as superficial, but it is, if that's the only thing, meaning like that, that one achievement, right? Getting the gold medal in blank, you know? And then what happens a lot of times just people experience a significant and oftentimes debilitating bouts of depression after that because everything that they had up until that point in time of their life was pointed to that one pivotal moment rather than a more expansive life purpose and mission and vision. And right. And so, uh, I think the point of what we're trying to say here is don't get so tied up into something as superficial as the specific number or, or a moment or a blip on the radar, but rather tie your purpose to something more expansive, uh, in terms of who you want to become, what you want to do as a result of becoming that thing.
Speaker 1: (15:16)
Right. Um, and I think ultimately what we find is that our greatest senses of purpose are typically achieved and realized outside of ourselves. Um, and without trying to sound too preachy here, uh, really understanding, I think most people can agree that our relationships are a great source of purpose and fulfillment in our life. Uh, and those relationships can be with our family members, can be with people in our community, people at our work, uh, people who we serve, people at Church, um, any number of different things, but really ultimately finding greater sense of purpose than just a number. Um, because that ultimately doesn't have, I think, sufficient staying power emotionally for us to really propel us forward. Absolutely. So anyways, hopefully this has been a useful and valuable to you guys. Um, and uh, if you know others who could benefit from, uh, maybe this paradigm shift that we've hopefully shared here in terms of the way we view food and our relationship to it.
Speaker 1: (16:14)
Um, this is such an important concept, especially for people who have struggled to lose weight, um, or struggled to keep weight off. Uh, I think this is just yet again, one more piece of the puzzle that if people can kind of, you know, get this piece in trace I think could, could only help further, um, change your life. Honestly, this is one of those mind shifts that can truly just change your, that, that sense of fulfillment and happiness in your life. You know, just cause it's a simple like again, changing your paradigm. Yeah, absolutely. So, all right guys. Well thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe if you haven't already subscribed and we'll talk to you guys on the next episode.
Speaker 2: (16:52)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on, Dr. Chad Wooner here I am, Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 27 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be discussing stress and pain. And the question we're gonna be talking about is can stress and pain actually be good for you? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:17)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:36)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having an awesome day. On today's episode, we're going to be talking about stress and pain. Uh, most people instinctively when they hear those words, um, shy away a little. Yeah. Yeah. I try and avoid. Yeah. And, and I think that's only natural, right? Because, uh, stress and pain have, uh, I think inherent associations with negative thoughts and feelings associated with those things. But the interesting thing is that in some situations and circumstances, the research is showing loud and clear that they can actually be good for ya. Um, and, and specifically I, uh, I think of there was a ted talk, uh, that was done by Dr. Kelly McGonigal a couple of years back. And really what the research is showing according to her is she said that your perception of stress is what determines its impact on your health and on you personally.
Speaker 1: (01:30)
That if you perceive that the stress is a signal of, uh, as a negative signal and it's, this is bad for me, this is going to be bad, then the outcome is going to be most definitely negative. Right? But she said if you can start to shift your perception that stress isn't necessarily an inherently bad thing, but rather a signal to you that what that does is that gives you feedback. It's your body communicating. It's just like anyone who has been a competitive athlete, a sprinter, a, you know, when, when the pressure is on or you say you're, you're up to bat or something like that, you feel that pressure, you can, that pressure can be paralyzing. Right? Or if you learn how to, again, use that enter channel that to channel that energy, you can actually use it to your benefit. And I think that's what Kelly McGonigal gets to talking about is yeah, how we perceive that.
Speaker 1: (02:22)
If we perceive it as like, oh, I hate this every time, every time you're probably going to have a real crappy batting average. Right. You know, you're not going to perform well under stress, but, right. The beautiful thing about it, and I would say that's probably one of the things I love most about sports, in general, is learning, feeling that stress, feeling the stress of your teammates counting on you. Right. And, and being able to kind of like work through that, learn how to make, make that an ally as opposed to a foe. Right. Absolutely. You know, and the other thing that I think about in terms of stress that most people don't associate as being stress is that's nothing more than exercise. Exercise is nothing more than stress. It's an acute form of, of stress on your body. Controlled stress, uh, controlled stress, right?
Speaker 1: (03:05)
Cold exposure, controlled cold, well, too much cold exposure can be a stress to the point where it'll kill you. Right? We call that hypothermia death. Right. But controlled cold can be a very helpful and a very helpful thing for us and can be very therapeutic for us. You know, you look at a cryotherapy, these cryotherapy chambers are showing to be very helpful at helping, uh, people recover from injuries or athletes recover from, uh, various vigorous activity. Yeah. Um, so, so that's one. Another, another example of an acute form of stress that is done properly can be very, very beneficial for your health. Um, any other thoughts in terms of stress forms of stress that can be actually good for you? Honestly, I think, um, I think if we can really train our brain to not see hard things as something horrible, right. Again, it comes down to that perception and perception is so huge because, um, no matter what we, we're, we're struggling with right now, the hard things that we have to deal with these challenges, you know, uh, we can, we can solve all those, those problems and not still have what we want, right?
Speaker 1: (04:12)
So learning how, you know that it seems like they always get replaced with something else, right? If, if you fix one thing, one problem and other ones shows, right? And so just understanding that, you know, what, this, this is part of life and it's not necessarily bad. And it can actually, if we, if we really learn how to channel this correctly, um, it can be a very good thing. Yeah. I, you know, I think it was Winston Churchill who once said, uh, some people see the problem and every opportunity others see an opportunity in every problem. And I think one of the most surprising when we truly realize this, cause this can be something far more profound. Uh, but yet I think sometimes we can gloss over it is that our reality is not objective. We think of what we think our reality or reality cause it's not our reality, it's just reality, right?
Speaker 1: (04:59)
Cause we assume that it's the same for everybody might, right? My reality is your reality is everyone else's reality. What surprising or what should be surprising when we really think about it and almost shocking is that reality is purely subjective. 100%. Our reality is so entirely subjective. And case in point, we see examples throughout history of people who have been put in the exact same situations, circumstances and have had completely different outcomes, you know, and different memories even of the experience. You Bet. Absolutely. A, you look at a one book that really I think does a phenomenal job of kind of explaining some of these deeper concepts is a book by Victor Frankel at very famous, most people should have, if you haven't read it, it's like it should be standard reading for most people. It's called man's search for meaning. And uh, he talks about that, you know, perception is really what shaped people's outcomes.
Speaker 1: (05:54)
Uh, he was, if you're, if you're not familiar with the book, and his story was a famous, uh, psychiatrist, uh, was put in a concentration camp, a survived, and basically throughout the whole entire experience, he viewed it from the lens of clinical research. Basically, he was getting firsthand research as to how people, um, perceive the, the, the environments that they're put in, the experiences that are, that are, that they're put into or that they experience and how that shapes people's realities and how it shapes their outcomes. I was just gonna when you said that. Um, and this your wife's comment to this. So camping I think is probably one of the perfect examples. There are people and, and I love camping and yeah, it's uncomfortable. Yeah. And it's hard and there's a lot of things about it that aren't, but there are other people that can't stand it.
Speaker 1: (06:42)
Right. You know, and it's like, it's kind of funny and it's a total perception, right? Absolutely. So we kind of talked about stress, but let's maybe talk a little bit of shift and talk a little bit about pain. Because pain can be a form of stress, but pain and of itself, people again have an extremely negative association with pain thinking that pain is inevitably and always bet. Are there times when pain can be good for us? I would absolutely. And the reason being as pain as nothing more than a signal telling us that something needs to change or something needs to happen or something has happened. And so, um, you know, so many people and we see this on a daily basis when it comes to our patients, people will, um, let pain be a dictator of what they do and don't do. And I, and literally change, shape their future because they're like, oh, this makes me hurt so I don't do it anymore.
Speaker 1: (07:31)
Because, and they stop living. They stop enjoying things that they once loved when in reality, it's more often than not, all that paint is saying is that there's something that needs to be addressed. We need to figure it out and we need to move forward and it should be a motivator. It's a, it's a very powerful motivator. Um, if we allow it to push us onto actual actions, right? As opposed to inaction. Yet two things that came to mind there when you're, when you're saying that number one a pain isn't, isn't just a signal that something needs to change. It can also be a signal that we're moving in the right direction. Perfect example. You know, I, we've talked about it on previous episodes and I'm sure we'll talk about it more. You know, I've really tried to make a better habit of being more consistent with running.
Speaker 1: (08:11)
Oh. Um, cause cause running obviously has huge implications in terms of health benefits, right? It's something that I've always dreaded at something and I've never been a big fan of, but I'm trying to really change my perception of that. And the burning of the lungs when you start to run is painful, isn't it? But what's that sign that says that that could be a signal that something's wrong. You could perceive it that way. But the other perception is something's definitely right. We're starting to get things moving and working and we're starting to really stretch those lungs and get them to start really improving in terms of their function in terms of turn, in terms of improving cardiovascular endurance, right? So, so pain, you know, in, in that regard can be a signal that something is right, not necessarily that something is wrong. And, and the thought that you, you had said about some patients leaning away from it using pain as this like barrier that they can't work through and, and we're not suggesting that you work past significant pain cause sometimes you'd, like you said, you know, don't, don't take this as, you know, if, if pain is debilitating, you just needed to continue.
Speaker 1: (09:09)
Cause sometimes that's a recipe for exacerbating injuries. Right. Use good common sense here. But, uh, my brother jokingly had this old saying, you know, most people have heard of the saying no pain, no gain. Uh, my brother's philosophy for years joke, half joking again was no pain, no pain. Right. So, um, but I think this is an important subject, you know, and I think, again, it boils back down to because pain is such a subjective experience. Um, you know, the, the funny thing is when you look at all of the most in depth research, cutting edge research scientists, as much as we think we understand pain, they don't fully understand it. You know, when you really dig through a lot of the superficial and you start digging in pretty deep, uh, the science behind pain gets pretty complex. Oh, sure. You know, and, and again, it's because where do you tease out what's objective versus subjective?
Speaker 1: (10:05)
Because pain is, again, such a subjective experience, uh, for people. And so, uh, you know, maybe maybe talk about that in terms of mental constitution, you know, one of the books that, that you've talked a lot about that's shaped your, one of my kind of is, is the, it's called the obstacle is the way by Ryan holiday. Yeah. It's a fantastic book. And, and what I loved about it is he kind of goes through history from, from, you know, a thousand plus years ago, even through, um, current, uh, examples. And he just Kinda, he breaks it down. He helps people see that, you know, the obstacle, the way meaning again, generally pain and, or stress stress or things that are hard. Um, most people try to shy away from and rather he talks about not only is that, um, an incorrect, uh, an incorrect perception or our outlook, it's more of a like not only should you not go that way, but you should go towards it.
Speaker 1: (10:59)
Yeah. Cause that is, that's the very thing that would help you, help you grow, that would help you learn, that would help you improve. Um, yeah. And it's almost like, what if, I mean, and again, we see people all the time, and I'm sure we've all felt this way, but what if hard didn't have to be hard? You know, what if hard was just like, oh, this is just another one of those things. And, and when we perceive it correctly now these things that at one time maybe were just awful to us and just really stressed us out, kept us from sleeping and messed with our health and our minds. Um, and, and now all of a sudden we're like, oh, this is just another part of life. Right? What do I have to learn from this? And how do I move forward? Yeah. Um, I can't help but think about, um, when, when you were in Chiropractic College, um, did you serve at the community clinic West by Ted?
Speaker 1: (11:47)
So tonight, so one of the experiences is that we serve a, upon getting ready to graduate in a free community clinic. And one of the great lessons that one of the attending physicians taught me was this idea of helping people work through or work past what they call or they dug fear avoidance behaviors, right? And it's basically people who start to develop these negative patterns associated with their pain. And what happens is all of a sudden, if people will allow it to happen, their pain can become very, uh, inseparably connected with their identity. And it, and then what happens is they start developing what they call these, these fear avoidance behaviors where people literally become debilitated, uh, not because it's physically debilitating, but because it becomes literally psychologically debilitating for people. And so one of the, you know, because we don't have the same luxuries at a community clinic that we do at a normal private clinic, um, the prescription was almost always for most people to get moving, get active, work through the pain, push through the pain, um, stop letting those fear avoidance behaviors cripple you and hinder you.
Speaker 1: (12:58)
Do you remember if, absolutely. You know, um, so I, I think that was an important lesson for me in terms of the importance of not allowing pain and your perception of it to hinder you and your growth and your progress in life. And I think that's really what we're trying to help people understand on this episode, right, is essentially pain and stress. Those should be different. If we have the right mindset, they can be catalysts for change and improvement as opposed to avoidance. You know, I think not only catalyst for change and improvement, but sometimes even signals that you're on the right path. You know what I mean? And I think those two things, if you've, maybe you'll change your paradigm and start thinking, you know, just simply taking the time to pause. Because I think sometimes, especially nowadays, the life that the day and age that we live in, so much of what we do can become so automatic without thought.
Speaker 1: (13:46)
It becomes so easy, you know, for us to do scroll past our social media feeds and just look and just kind of all of a sudden our life has put into this very reactive state. And if we would just take the time to pause, to timeout, to look at what's really happening and gather the data and look at the feedback that we're getting and then make better decisions based off of that and maybe again, shape our paradigm a little bit in a more empowering way versus a disempowering way. What we would come to find is that stress and pain can actually be very, very useful, very, very helpful tools in our life. How would it change your mind? Honestly, think about how that could literally just change your life, change your life totally. Just, just by learning to perceive things better. Absolutely. As they really are. Absolutely. No, absolutely. So, um, hopefully this has been helpful for you guys. Share this episode. This is a really important one. I think this is such an important subject that more people could benefit from if they would just kind of catch this greater, more expansive vision of these things. So, uh, if you haven't subscribed to be sure to subscribe and uh, we'll talk to you guys on upcoming episodes. Have a good one. Thanks for listening to the health front of Middles podcast.
Speaker 2: (14:52)
Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
On today's episode of The Health Fundamentals Podcast, Chiropractors in Meridian, Idaho, Dr. Chad Woolner and Dr. Buddy Allen share some of the most common myths and misconceptions regarding chiropractic. You can watch Episode #26 here.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode 26 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we wanted to talk about chiropractic myths and misconceptions. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, hey, everybody, uh, on today's episode we wanted to talk a little bit about chiropractic myths and misconceptions. Uh, if you guys have followed our podcast for any length of time, you know that, uh, both myself and Dr. Alan are both chiropractic physicians, uh, here in Meridian, Idaho. Uh, we run an integrated clinic. What that means is that, uh, we, we take the best of modern medicine, regenerative medicine, functional medicine, Chiropractic Rehab. We put it all under one roof, uh, as a means of better helping our, uh, our patients and our community. Um, and, uh, obviously as Chiropractors, uh, we see things through a slightly different lens than our medical counterparts. But we have, uh, a, um, a nurse practitioner that works with us. We had a medical director for a short period of time that was with us, a medical doctor, and, uh, and we have plenty of friends that are medical doctors literally.
Speaker 1: (01:26)
Um, and so we feel like we have a pretty unique perspective in the sense that, um, we're pretty open in terms of collaboration and working together and really seeing where, um, you know, both kind of schools of thought or philosophies or approaches fit together, um, ultimately for the, for the betterment of the patients. Um, really to help serve them and help them. Um, but we, we would have to be living under a rock if we didn't see and know that there are still to this day, a tremendous amount of myths and misconceptions about chiropractic. And so what we wanted to do is perhaps maybe address some of those and maybe help, uh, create a little bit of a paradigm shift for people. So, uh, Dr Alab, where do we begin in terms of some of the myths and misconceptions, unpacking this and myths and misconceptions? Um, I would say I think the probably the biggest myth is that we, the only thing we kind of understand is the back the neck.
Speaker 1: (02:25)
I mean, you know, like the spine in general, you know, we fixed backs, we fixed next, we, you know, low back pain, um, and well I either need a very limited scope of what our knowledge is. We, and I would even take it back a step further than that. I'd say that's being pretty generous because I think there are still some myths out there making claims that chiropractors aren't like real doctors. Sure. And, and when we say aren't real doctors, uh, really the question where you have to do is get real specific and say, what do you mean by we're not real doctors, are we not real medical doctors? Cause if that's the case, you bet we are. We are not real medical doctors because we're not medical doctors. We're doctors of Chiropractic. The initials behind our name when we finish a chiropractic college. And when we take our board exams is, is we receive what is called a dc degree.
Speaker 1: (03:08)
It's a doctor of chiropractic degree. And, uh, in terms of background on education, um, all 50 states now are accredited or are, are, uh, acknowledge and acknowledge that the degree of the DC degree, um, and, uh, so, so it's all 50 states. Chiropractors are like, it's licensed as a, as a licensed, um, profession. Um, all of our schooling, uh, is accredited, uh, and standardized for the most part. Um, I don't know how many schools are here in the states. Like they, good question teen are 16 different chiropractic colleges here in the United States. A, there's some Canada worldwide. Yeah, Canada. Some in South America. Now I know there's a school in Japan. I know there's a school that's there. They're looking at creating a school in China. Um, several in Europe. I know one in Scotland. Um, but, uh, but, but yes, so, so I answering the kind of that first or addressing that first myth that that chiropractors aren't real doctors.
Speaker 1: (04:09)
It's a doctorate level program. What that basically means is in order for someone to uh, get into chiropractic college, you have to have first your, um, pre-chiropractic training, which is going to be very similar to either premed, pre-dental, pre-physical therapy, any of the professional schoolings or virtually going to be the same in terms of your undergraduate studies. You're going to have to have the equivalent of a bachelor's degree. You're going to have to have your year of biology, your year of chemistry, your, uh, you know, your, all of your basic general ed requirements and then your other sciences in there as well. Um, and so you're going to have your, you know, your four years of undergraduate and then chiropractic colleges and other four years, uh, program, uh, in addition to that. So you're looking at a, a minimum of eight years.
Speaker 1: (04:57)
I would say the biggest departure of chiropractic college versus say medical school is that chiropractic college doesn't have a residency. As part of that, we have an internship, um, program that you can either do in, in the clinic, uh, you can do out in the community working, uh, under the direct supervision of a licensed chiropractor. Um, and then there are a variety of different postgraduate, um, fellowship fellowships, uh, deployment programs and, uh, other, you know, even residency programs that are available. There's one specific residency program. Uh, it's a radiology residency program. It's an additional three year, uh, training. Uh, they collect a deck bar program. It stands for a diplomat of the American board of chiropractic radiologists. Um, and those guys are phenomenal radiologists. Yeah. Um, they, they do a lot of training there. Um, but so in terms of that kind of common myth, our chiropractors, real doctors, we're real doctors in the sense that it's a doctorate level training program.
Speaker 1: (06:02)
Uh, there is, uh, once you're finished with the school, uh, in order to be able to actually practice Chiropractic, you have to pass a series of board examinations that are going to be comparable to, um, most again, professional schools. I know that, uh, Ma, obviously medical doctors have to be board certified to be able to practice. Um, physical therapists I know have physical therapy boards. Uh, dentists, I'm confident having a series of board exams. Uh, osteopaths have their own, I think they're very similar, if not the exact same as the medical, you know, and so Chiropractic, uh, we have a four-part board examination. We take part one board after our first year of school. Is that right? Part one which covers anatomy, physiology, um, microbiology pathology. Um, am I missing something there? Probably Biochemistry, biochemistry. Um, and then we have a part two and three we take after our third year, is that right?
Speaker 1: (07:02)
Parts two and three. And then there's a physio, physio therapy board evaluation, which is, uh, covers all of the, you know, kind of non-chiropractic therapies and things like that. So whether that's exercise, Rehab, uh, soft tissue therapies, uh, various different modalities like ultrasound, uh, therapeutic ultrasound, not diagnostic, um, muscle stem, uh, a variety of other different types of therapies and things like that. So parts two and three, and then part four, we take at the very tail end of the schooling, which is all clinical. It's all a series of different cases where you've got to go through and uh, and diagnose, you know, see exactly. So in, in terms of the schooling, it's very rigorous schooling we cover, um, like we had said, we cover topics ranging from obviously, uh, we, we cover a tremendous amount in terms of anatomy and physiology. I would say that's where a bulk of the education is spent during your first year to two years, uh, full, uh, full dissection of cadavers from, from head to toe.
Speaker 1: (08:04)
Um, cadaver lab is, uh, is a huge part of the, of the curriculum and the training there. Um, you know, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, biochemistry, um, and then we, we, where things really start to diverge or shift for us in terms of our training is right around years two and three where we start to then specialize in what is referred to as kind of in the population, the chiropractic sciences where we really focus a lot on, um, you know, adjust the chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is what some people will refer to it as. Um, but we have a series of specialized classes, they call them NMS, neuro, musculoskeletal, uh, treatment and diagnosis. And basically what we then do is we dive very specifically into condition-specific, uh, protocols that we learned in terms of, uh, a wide range of, of different topics and issues that are musculoskeletal.
Speaker 1: (08:55)
Obviously neck and back pain, just about every kind of that you can imagine. Um, shoulder issues, other joint issues, hip and knee, ankle, wrist, elbow, TMJ, you know, if it's got a joint to it. Uh, we, we, we learn about that. We study it, we learn it, you know, uh, the pelvis we learned about the biomechanics of the spine and the pelvis. In the body and all those different things. And so it's, um, you know, I, I would say that that chiropractic education, I've never been through physical therapy schooling, but I would say it's probably going to be a, a fair amount of overlap there in terms of what they study and learn. Um, I would say with us, we, we shift a little bit from even them in the sense that we've, we focus on radiology. We have a lot of radiology, not just in terms of, uh, taking x-rays but interpretation of x-rays and not just spine films, although that's most of where we spent our time.
Speaker 1: (09:46)
But just films in general. We, we look at, uh, you know, um, we have a, a series of courses, uh, bone pathology looking at different, uh, either metabolic problems, uh, you know, fractures, your injuries, acute trauma, um, to, to the bones and then obviously, uh, disease, processees various cancers and things like that. And so, um, obviously a tremendous amount of education there, a lot, very, very rigorous schooling. So I would say that's a big myth right there that we could kind of help, hopefully clear up, you know, is that the schooling is very rigorous. Um, it's, it's very exceptional training, uh, that we go through, um, to really be as well rounded as possible to ultimately become, you know, what would it be considered a portal of entry provider, physician for patients such that, uh, patients don't need a referral to come to a chiropractor.
Speaker 1: (10:38)
They can come, you know, straight in off the streets and a chiropractor has the sufficient training to be able to do a, a sufficient a workup, you know, in terms of evaluation management for these various problems. Um, so I would say that's, that's one, but, but kind of going in line with what you were saying there is that I think a lot of people think that chiropractors just deal with neck and back issues. What would be some of the things that might surprise people in terms of training, in terms of what chiropractors see and help patients with? Well, you know, just like any other, uh, medical, dental, we have, you know, we go into our yearly, um, schooling that we have to do, you know, we have to have our continuing education and frankly, most docs after we get into practice, we kind of find areas of interest where we kind of have a tendency to specialize or areas that are more exciting to us.
Speaker 1: (11:26)
Right? Right. And so, I mean, there are doctors that specialize in, um, sports medicine where they're, they're really, uh, predominantly treating people with sports type injuries, sprains, strains, dislocations, you name it. There are docs that get into kind of more of the, um, functional medicine, if you will, where we're really looking more at the, the chemistry that's going on in your body and helping to, uh, work with hormones and chemistry and, and you name it, right? So the using natural approaches to managing chronic health problems, things like, uh, thyroid problems, things like adrenal issues, things like, you know, metabolic issues, helping p patients naturally manage and, or, uh, solve things like diabetes, type two diabetes and or other metabolic problems. Um, it's a really common one for, for, um, for some chiropractors to, to, to do. Um, what else? Um, well, and then there's like our clinic where we're, we're kind of a mixture of, we've got the integrated model, what we're trying to do more not just in helping restore function and movement, but also to repair many of those areas that have been damaged and beat up.
Speaker 1: (12:37)
Yeah. So I'm offering, offering help and hope there. Um, I got honestly using regenerative therapies, um, in conjunction with everything we're talking about as well. So, um, what are some other myths and misconceptions about Chiropractic? You know, probably one of the biggest myths or Miskin misunderstandings or untrue untruths really is, um, the, uh, the reality that they think that our adjustment, especially of the cervical spine is the causing strange, dangerous and causing right vertebral artery dissections. A couple of things to address that. Let's, let's talk about, you know, chiropractic adjustments or manipulation in general, and then we'll kind of dive a little bit more specific. Um, you know, like any health intervention, um, what we do is not without risk. Um, however, that being said, the risks associated with chiropractic adjustments are very, very rare. Um, the complications associated as a result of the adjustments are extremely rare, uh, such that we, we enjoy some of the lowest malpractice rates of any healthcare professionals.
Speaker 1: (13:49)
Uh, we pay. And I think that's the biggest, most, I think telling a indicator of the, of the risk associated with what it is that we do. We pay such low premiums, uh, each and every year in terms of our malpractice rates because, uh, what we do is so extremely safe by and large. Uh, now specifically if you look up chiropractic adjustments and or risks, uh, one of the big kind of hot button topics that people love to really, uh, overinflate or just outrightly lie about is risk. This, this idea of that, uh, adjusting the neck can cause a stroke. Um, and that's the thing you'll see, you'll see in the news a lot of sensational headlines that a chiropractor caused somebody to have a stroke and nothing kind of makes my blood boil more than this topic because this is a question that is no longer out for debate.
Speaker 1: (14:44)
It's been solved that the answer to that question does chiropractic manipulation can do chiropractic adjustments, call them strokes, Knapp solutely not. Uh, there was a study that was published in a medical journal Spine, uh, back in 2010 and this was their conclusion from this study. It was a long study and basically said VBA stroke or vertebral Bassler artery stroke, which is the type of stroke they say chiropractic adjustments. Cause what they basically wanted to answer was that question is there, is there causation? There are chiropractors, is the adjustment causing strokes? They said VBA stroke is a very rare event in the population. The increased risks of VBA stroke associated with Chiropractic and PCP visits, PCP beading primary care physicians, um, is likely due to patients with headache and neck pain from BBA dissection seeking care before their stroke. So in English, basically that means if there were what appeared to be people who had strokes as a result of seeing a chiropractor, the reality of it is what the science says.
Speaker 1: (15:49)
Uh, not what the new station says, not what the blog article says. What the science says is these were people that were already having a stroke. They were in the process of stroke. See, and that's one of the interesting things as I always pose this question to people that are concerned about this. As I say, what are the signs of pre-stroke? What are the signs? And sometimes people will, will say things like, well, you know, the drooping of the mouth or the slurring. No, no, no, no. That's interconnect. That's Ane, that's, that's you're having a stroke, right? Signs of pre-stroke are headache and neck pain, stiffness and soreness. That's pre-stroke. Uh, we learned in school and I think nothing has really changed since then. Cause Trust me, if it's changed, I want to know about it. We would stay up to date on this is what are accurate, uh, screening tests available to us to be able to help separate out someone who might be at risk for a stroke versus someone who's not.
Speaker 1: (16:41)
And the reality of it is there really aren't there or there aren't. Now that doesn't mean that we shouldn't use good judgment, right? I'm not going to adjust an elderly, frail old woman the same way I would adjust, uh, a healthy adult like you, uh, in terms of if we're going to be adjusting attic or, or that being said, if we were to adjust a baby, I'm not going to adjust a baby the way I'm going to adjust an adult. That's just, that's using common sense and that's usually using good judgment. But this is what they said. The, the, the, the final punchline of this study was they said, we found no evidence of excess risk of VBA stroke associated chiropractic care compared to primary care. So you are not at any greater risk of having a stroke, seeing a chiropractor or seeing a medical doctor or seeing any physician for that matter.
Speaker 1: (17:32)
Um, and so it's loud and clear. This, this question is no longer out for debate. A chiropractic is extremely safe. The research shows it loud and clear, and anybody who says otherwise is simply either ignorant or unaware of the evidence or even worse, choosing to deliberately dismiss or ignore that evidence to, uh, continue to push whatever their agenda is and, or to continue to reinforce their own personal bias against chiropractic. I mean, that's really what it boils down to. Um, it's, it's crazy that, that we still live in a day and age where there are people who, who still think and still continue to perpetuate these types of myths out there. And the unfortunate thing is that the people who suffer at the end or the are the patients, patients are the ones who suffer. And, and that's what's frustrating to me. Uh, the, the interesting thing that we find to a real common scenario of, of people who are, who have some type of an agenda against chiropractic is one of their favorite kind of tools or tactics that they love to do is they love to compare chiropractic from its origins, uh, from today's standards, right?
Speaker 1: (18:44)
So what they'll do is they'll take today's standards of medicine and understanding of science and anatomy. And physiology and just everything we understand today. And they use that as the comparison or the or the littler that, you know, kind of the standard that they're trying to measure against chiropractic from its inception. Well, it should be pretty obvious that chiropractic has evolved significantly. Chiropractic when it first began in the 18 hundreds is not what chiropractic is today. You know, back then, you know, much better science now, much better science, much better education, much better understanding, you know, but, but the thing is, is that what we need to do for, if we're going to play that game of looking at chiropractic back then, you know, and kind of, uh, you know, throwing it under the bus, so to speak, all those guys were quacks. They were Weirdos, they were whatever.
Speaker 1: (19:29)
And, and, you know, you know, they just didn't understand anything. Let's be fair here and let's, let's make an apples to apples comparison. Right? And when, what we need to do then is we need to look at what were their contemporaries doing at that time, you know? So if we look across the aisle and we say, oh, chiropractic was so strange or bizarre back then, what was medicine doing back in those days? Right. And we were just, just for the fun of it, we were kind of looking here, uh, at some of the more kind of, uh, we'll, we'll put it lightly radical absolute radical interventions and therapies that were being used at the same time. You know, at the same time, a dd Palmer who was the founder of Chiropractic and then his son, BJ Palmer, who really kind of further helped push and develop that, what were they doing?
Speaker 1: (20:16)
You know, what were they teaching? And basically what they were teaching was that, you know, subluxations, which is a fancy word for a dysfunction or misalignment of the spine was the kind of the root cause of all disease. And, and today I think people would look at that and say, well, that's kind of bizarre for sure. In today's standards, that might seem a little bit strange, but if we go back in time, we look at it back then, that was a pretty progressive and very forward-thinking philosophy. Especially compared to what was being done back then. For instance, we a, we just looked at some of these, uh, and we'll, we'll make sure we include the, the article here for you guys to read. It's actually pretty hilarious. The way they wrote it. It was in, actually it was cracked.com is where we found it, but, uh, children's soothing syrups, um, basically they, uh, would, would pump these bottles full of different types of narcotics to basically just not kids out back in the day, baby.
Speaker 1: (21:10)
Just dope up kids just to get them to chill out back in the day. Um, and they would advertise this safe and harmless, uh, Mrs. Winslow's soothing Sir for children teething. And it was basically just morphine is what they were giving them. Uh, chloroform, um, codene heroin powder and opium, uh, cannabis, Endeca and sometimes even combination is what they said. Um, they would use, uh, other various treatments like, uh, you know, heroin for cough medicine. They would use heroin for cough medicine. They would do, uh, electrical impotence cures for men. So if, if men were having performance issues, they would strap on, uh, an electrical belt on the guys and let that kind of fix stuff. Um, uh, let's see here. Another one. Oh, lobotomies all time favorite good old frontal lobotomy. Yeah. So, so basically, uh, a psychiatrist would basically split your brain. Yeah. Basically take a and an ice pick and go right above your eyebrows.
Speaker 1: (22:14)
I kind of like the bridge of your nose and up into your brain. It's crazy. Right? Uh, insulin coma therapy was another one that was used, uh, bloodletting that was actually really fairly common not too long ago. When you think about it all the way up through the 19th century, um, [inaudible] went up till about the 1950s before they 1950s. Yeah. Uh, trepanation, which was basically drilling holes in the head, which was kind of like a, I think at the time it was like a, you drill holes in the head to let the evil spirits out or something like that. I think that's what it was. Um, so I mean, a variety of different things. And so we don't say this to, to knock medicine. What we're simply trying to do is trying to compare apples to apples. When we look back in history, I, I think most of these people be at chiropractors and medical doctors.
Speaker 1: (23:01)
We're doing the best that they, that they could at the time given the information that they had given the understanding. Now obviously things fortunately for all of us have evolved significantly. But what we need to understand is that chiropractic has evolved just like medicine has in a very significant way now. We still as chiropractors hold to a lot of the original philosophical ideals and tenants for sure. But I think like anything, those can be taken to extremes, uh, like, like anything truly like, uh, I think at its core, at the heart of it, I think the philosophy of Chiropractic, this idea that our body has the innate capacity to take care of itself, to heal, to self-regulate. I think any reasonable person could say that. That makes sense, that that should make sense. Right? But like anything else that can be taken to an extreme to where if you're saying that, you know, in no exceptions, the body should never have medicine.
Speaker 1: (23:56)
You know, I would say that's an extreme viewpoint. That's not correct. That's not, you know, you're missing the mark there because sometimes there are a cases and times where medicine is the appropriate intervention, you know, um, you know, saying that all you ever need is an adjustment that an adjustment fixes everything no matter what it is that the adjustment is going to be the thing that fixes it. Again, I think you're missing the mark. I think sometimes the [inaudible], the chiropractic adjustment is a very powerful tool. We use that. And I would say more often than not, it only helps. Yup. Um, but to say that that is the only thing that a person needs, and to say that that is the thing that will fix people 100% of the time, that's not true. That's not reality. Right. So I mean, I think at the end of the day it's, it's understanding.
Speaker 1: (24:40)
Um, there's a place for, for both philosophies, for both ideas, for both approaches. And I think patients should welcome that because at the end of the day, when we have different approaches, different philosophies, different schools of thought, people benefit from that, right? If everything was the same standardized 100% across the way, what other options are available when that, when that fails, when that fails, right. And it does a, you know, medicine is not perfect. And I think most reasonable medical doctors would be the first to tell you that that's, that is correct. You know, that it's not perfect. Just like Chiropractic isn't perfect 100% of the time, you know? So just understanding and recognizing inherent limitations, um, inherent strengths, inherent weaknesses, I guess is a good way of putting it. Anything else you want to add in to that? Yes and no. Not really, other than just when, um, I think in general it's, it's wrong to make assumptions that, oh, they only know this.
Speaker 1: (25:38)
Right? We know. We know a heck of a lot about the body. Just because I don't treat someone with surgery doesn't necessarily mean I don't understand the process. And Ryan goes on for that. And, and from the other direction towards us, you know, I mean there's, uh, sometimes we, we make generalizations or assumptions that maybe we just don't have the full information or all the information. Right. That's all. Get the information, don't make assumptions. Yep. Absolutely. So, all right. Hopefully it's been helpful and maybe dispelling some of the common myths and misconceptions about Chiropractic, maybe giving you a little bit better understanding of what Chiropractic is, what we do and ultimately maybe it helps more people. You know, that's really at the end of the day why we do this podcast is to help more people. So, uh, share this with friends. Um, and uh, we'll talk to you guys on the next step.
Speaker 2: (26:29)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you knew other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Source:
https://www.cracked.com/article_15669_the-10-most-insane-medical-practices-in-history.html
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on in Dr. Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode 25 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be sharing with you a simple trick to burning more fat. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Alan. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having a great day on today's episode. We've got kind of a fun topic. We're going to be talking about a really cool, simple trick to helping you burn more fat. I think most people would agree that anything we can do or use to help us, uh, burn more fat, uh, improve our overall weight, uh, and or health. Uh, we'll look for anything that we can use. Absolutely. That's, that's healthy and helpful. And, uh, this is really interesting because, uh, there was a study, uh, that was done, uh, not too long ago. This is back in 2015 and they showed, uh, doing something quite simple that can trigger fat loss, but the mechanism that, that it's showing behind three's loss is kind of crazy. Yeah. Um, basically they talk about cold exposure and using cold exposure as a means of triggering a fat burn, uh, burning fat in our bodies.
Speaker 1: (01:28)
Now, many of us, uh, those listening right here might be familiar with this concept or this idea of using cold exposure to help us burn more fat in our body. Um, but some of us are, I would argue and say many of us may not realize the mechanism behind it. This is what they said. They said exposure to cold temperatures is known to mimic the effects of exercise, protecting against obesity and improving metabolic health. Uh, study now reveals the beneficial health effect of cold exposure are mediated in part by Gut microbes. The researchers found that cold exposure dramatically alters the composition of intestinal bacteria in mice, and that this microbial shift is sufficient to burn fat, improve glucose metabolism, and reduce body weight. So they basically say that the cold exposure helps, uh, in a trigger trigger in a beneficial way, alterations or changes in our microbiome, which is our microbiome, is the healthy, healthy bacteria in our guts.
Speaker 1: (02:31)
Um, and that, that, uh, that is what in part leads to these changes that help us to burn fat, to improve our overall metabolism. Uh, you know, and, and then obviously reduce overall body weight. Yeah, I've actually even heard that, um, the cold exposure also activates brown fat. Correct. Which is essentially the fact that animals who hibernate, uh, that's, that's the fat that helps kind of metabolize so they can live while they hibernate. Right. And so if we can, and we, we have more of that when we're babies. Correct. But as we get older, we have much, much less of that Brown fat. But that cold exposure also triggers that Brown fat, which helps us to metabolize our atomos. So in terms of cold exposure, you might be wondering, okay, well that's good. How do we, how do we do that? What are some simple ways that you can do cold exposure?
Speaker 1: (03:24)
Oh Gosh, there, well, you could very easily do a cold shower or maybe even finish like you said, you do. Yeah. I'm, you'll finish your shower with a cold, a dousing. You could do ice baths. Honestly, I mean if, if, if you have it available to you, get out in nature and swimming some rivers, jumping some legs, do some, yeah. Do stuff like that because, uh, you know, all of that best exposure I ocher is getting real cold exposure in nature. Jumping into, I'll tell you what we frequently do. There are a summer rafting trips down what's called the south fork of the Payette river. And it is, it's freezing cold. It is this gotta be in the forties, I'm guessing. And uh, and I'll tell you that when we get tossed out or when we jump off the big rocks into the river, um, man, afterwards, just feel amazing.
Speaker 1: (04:17)
Like all day, all the whole rest of the day. I just feel like invigorated and energized. Amazing. Yeah. Cold has really powerful effect. I've noticed in my life, like, like Dr Island said, you know, I've, I started not too long ago, uh, you know, ending my showers. I'll take a morning shower and then at the very tail end of it, for the last minute or so, uh, at least I try to, uh, sit in cold water. I'll typically turn it to the various cold. I'll usually, uh, rinse off, uh, in a, in as cold as I can get it. Um, and, and, and just sit there and let that wash over me. And I find that little simple trick of have 30 seconds to a minute of, of kind of final cold exposure there at the very tail end does something very profound and powerful for me in terms of giving me a boost of energy.
Speaker 1: (05:07)
It does. It's, it's palpable. I can totally feel it once I'm down, I'm just like, boy. Um, and, and maybe it's just from the fact that when you're exposed to call to get you moving a lot more, you know what I mean? Maybe, but all I can tell you is that it, it, uh, it seems to work for me. It increases my energy level and, uh, and so, uh, you know, for those who have available to them or near them, uh, doing cryotherapy, uh, that's a relatively new, um, uh, treatment therapy that is available to some people. If you're in a city where there's cryotherapy around, uh, doing cryotherapy sessions. Sure. Um, what's powerful about cryotherapy is you're able to get a much, much colder, uh, exposure than say, water. And the reason it has to do with, and I'm this is beyond me in terms of my understanding, but it's because of the exposure is in the form of gas.
Speaker 1: (06:00)
Uh, you're, you're being exposed to nitrogen, uh, gases basically. Um, and so you're able to get, uh, uh, a much, much colder exposure. I mean, it's like negative in the negative degrees. It's just ridiculous. And for whatever reason, because of the way of the conductivity of the cold of gas versus say, water, um, you're able to tolerate it and handle it, um, much better. Um, and so with, with cryotherapy, you get even colder exposure. And that definitely, um, has beneficial effects. I did a, I did cryotherapy over at my friend's house. I have a good, good friend of mine who has his own cryotherapy chamber at his house, which is kinda crazy, um, in and of itself. But I, I tried it and yeah, it definitely gets, it gets pretty cold and uh, you can see how that can help for sure. Uh, in terms of, again, energy, but then also fat loss.
Speaker 1: (06:55)
But, um, I think the, the, the bigger topic, the at play that we kind of want to at least touch upon is this concept or this idea of, uh, exposing ourself to, um, controlled doses of stress, right? Because at the end of the day, that's kind of the irony I think in, in all of this that we'll find is that some of the most highly beneficial things for our health are stressors, but not stressors in the, in the way that most people think of stressors. We're talking about con dose controlled exposure to stress, right? So short, short doses of cold exposure, right. If you were to stay in a, in a freezing cold river or lake or whatever, that's not going to be good for you. You've, you know, you'd develop hypothermia and you die, you know, so that's not good. That's, that's too prolonged of exposure to health.
Speaker 1: (07:47)
But a short dose of that is highly beneficial. Same thing with heat, right? We do Saunas. If, if people, if you've ever done saunas before, a heat therapy, yoga, hot yoga, exactly these things, these exposures to controlled stressors can be very good. Exercise is a, is a stress upon your body, you know, um, and that actually kind of brings up, I think really hits home. Um, like how's, how these different doses of stressors, you know, from various, uh, angles if you will, you know, exercise. If we do the same exercise over and over, we get less benefit from the same exercise. Right. Cause it's all stress. It's not stress. Exactly. And that's why they change it up from, you know, maybe heavy lifting to, you know, where you're, you're doing long distance or, you know, high ex, you know, just the hit exercise, high intensity.
Speaker 1: (08:40)
Um, there's a, but that, those, those shocks to our system triggered different metabolic processes. They trigger our body's ability to adapt and the problem and the same, same with, you know, hot versus cold, um, eating lot of food versus fasting or, or doing, I remember restricted calories. Right, right. I remember back when did it first come out P90x with Tony Horton. Oh Gosh. I was like early two thousands, probably mid two thousands when P90x first came out. The term that they used, and I think it's their like proprietary term was they use the term muscle confusion. You remember that? Yup. And it's the same concept you're talking about there is that they made sure deliberately in the way that they programmed, uh, the course was such that your, you never really truly got used to or sufficiently or fully adapted to be overall program. You know, and, and, and that's the, the idea is you want a certain degree of adaptability because that's necessary to feel like you're making the right changes, right?
Speaker 1: (09:41)
That you're capable of handling a higher level of stress upon your body. But at the same token, you never want to be fully adapted to the point where it's, it's no longer has the same impact or effect on you. Right. And so, um, I think there's something to be said for the variability of it, right. Keeping keeping our body and our mind on, on its toes at all times so to speak. You know, so exercise, all of these different biochemical pathways that our bodies have to be able to manage these stressors. Yeah. So it's just like exercise in our muscles. We need to exercise all the muscle on their part and in every way of our body. Yeah, no, absolutely. So that's kind of an interesting kind of point here and I'd be interested to know moving forward, future wise, if the same mechanisms are impacted from other forms of stress, not just cold exposure, right.
Speaker 1: (10:36)
If heat exposure, uh, triggers our gut biome as well. If exerciser episode, right. Triggers our gut biome. Yeah. We'll look into that and see, you know, because I wouldn't be surprised if that's the, if that's the case, because what we're finding more and more the research is showing us is that that gut biome place such a huge role in our overall health and wellbeing. And not only that, but our overall identity, they refer to our gut and where the microbiome is that second brain, you know. And so, you know, my, my theory, it would only make sense to me as the answer would be a resounding yes. That our gut biome is triggered in positive ways from various forms of dose controlled stress, whether it be cold exposure, heat exposure, a intermittent fasting exercise, you name it, you know, any of these forms. My guesses would say, uh, my, my gut, no pun intended, would say that, uh, that these things would be positively triggered as well.
Speaker 1: (11:38)
So anyways, uh, so yeah, consider that, you know, in terms of if you're not currently doing cold exposure, um, consider doing one of those different types of exposure and it's a lot easier to do cold exposure in the warm summertime, at least introducing it to yourself than it will be in the winter. So give it a shot, let us know what you think. Yeah. Now, yeah, now is a good time to yeah, for sure. It's a lot harder to motivate yourself to do cold exposure in the wintertime than it is this. Absolutely. For sure. So, anyways. Okay, well hopefully this has been a helpful for you guys giving you maybe some new food for thoughts to help yet in terms of, uh, either burning fat, losing weight or just improving overall health. Uh, share this with others that you feel could benefit and we'll talk to you guys on the next episode.
Speaker 2: (12:22)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode 24 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, our discussion is going to be about this money doesn't create happiness, but this does and it's free. So let's get started. Okay.
Speaker 2: (00:16)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:35)
So, hey everybody, we have a really cool, uh, subject for today that we're going to be talking about and it's, uh, something that will create happiness long or faster than better than I guess, money than even money. There was a study that was done, um, and it, and it showed something that I think is, it should make perfect sense. Um, but yeah, it was just cool to see that they had actually done an actual study on it. It was produced, uh, or it was published in Lancet. Is that it? Yeah. So, yeah, and uh, it was according to Yale and Oxford Research, he research study Yale and Oxford. So it's, so tell us about it. So basically this study said that exercise makes you happier than money and uh, and based, and it was interesting kind of how they went about it is they, uh, you know, they kind of, they, they went deep into this, this whole topic and they found a few neat things.
Speaker 1: (01:29)
If you episodes ago of our, of our podcast, we talked about, um, you know, the minimum amount of being in the outdoors, right? You know, that two hour minimal time that you spend in the outdoor is each week is, you know, increases your health and wellbeing. And what they, this here was basically saying is exercise. And they, it was a pretty rad little study is, um, it increased your happiness more so than money did. And, um, and they said that the, uh, the sweet spot was three to five times a week for 30 to 60 minutes. Okay. Um, there is a couple of other findings that I thought were kind of interesting. They actually said that exercising more than three hours per day actually had an opposite effect that actually made you feel less satisfied or less happy. Um, and then, um, oh, and then team, they said, Eh, whether it was sports or, or extras.
Speaker 1: (02:23)
And they said that cycling and aerobic exercise did well, but they found that teamsports actually was even a little bit greater boost in your happiness and you know, because you're doing something with others and connecting and, exactly. Exactly. So, uh, you know, just a very simple, and I think these are just the beauty, the little nuggets in life. It's like there's a lot of really small things that you can do that make a tremendous difference. We, uh, we go from business to business and we share the 30 minute reboot. That's right. And one of those three pieces as far as increasing someone's, uh, you know, essentially health and wellbeing, their productivity, decreasing pain and things like that and their life is making sure that they get in exercise. And sadly, most of us exercises one of those sometimes four letter words that, um, you know, you're like, oh, you know, I would but I don't have the time.
Speaker 1: (03:17)
Well, not only that, but yeah, I don't even necessarily know if it's that people view it in a, in a bad light is that it just takes a back seat to other things that are less important. Um, you know, that that TV time, uh, takes a greater pri is a greater priority. I think oftentimes it's not hard to do. It's just easier right. To, right, exactly. That's exactly right. There are far too many other things that are just easier to do, um, that are, that are more automatic we'll say, than to actually put in the, put in the effort of the exercise. Right? Yeah. And so it has to be something that has to be prioritized. I saw somebody say, you have to start making your, uh, what was it? You have to prioritize in making your priorities a priority or something like that. That's what it was.
Speaker 1: (04:03)
And I think that's the case when it comes to exercise, right? It has to be an essential priority. It does because it is such a critical far reaching, um, component or element of, of, of a happy, fulfilled, successful life. You know, and I would argue personally I would say that I think there is a very strong correlation, not necessarily causation or connection, but a very strong correlation between those who exercise consistently and also those who are more successful monetarily as well probably right. You know, I think, I think you'll find uh, the same effort, uh, w w the same work ethic, the same discipline, the same mental toughness, whatever you want to call it, that is required for consistently engaging in regular exercise. Those are going to be the same types of mental and physical attributes required to succeed in life in, in whatever career you choose.
Speaker 1: (04:58)
You know what, we were just talking shortly before this episode about running, how neither of us really care to run if I don't like it much at all. In fact, there was a point where I kind of really loathed it. And uh, and for that very reason I signed up for a half marathon cause I figured if I'm ever gonna get good at this, I have to force myself to do it. And I think you're selling yourself a little bit short. I'm going to brag about Dr. Allen her real quick. It wasn't just any half marathon. This is notorious. This is a bad one. It's up a stink and mountain is his and it's like what half of it, at least if not more of it is uphill the entire way. The first eight miles is pretty much uphill, right? So more than half. Yeah. It's a few that a few thousand foot elevation climb Praysee and then I think the last five, six miles is 1600 foot down the mountain.
Speaker 1: (05:50)
Right. But you know that be what I was what we were talking about or my, my big Aha with running this particular race was, I'm running up this, you know, it was about mile seven and I saw this little sign that said, do more of what you love. And I, I know they were referring to running and I'm like, this is not what I love. But as I, you know, after I finished this, this nasty little, a half marathon, I would have to say I sat back and I'm like, wow, that was an incredibly hard experience. And you know, just exhausting on many different levels, both the training and the actual event. Um, I sat back and I'm like, that was a very good experience, even though it was really hard. And what I kind of realized was, you know, if there's one thing that I really appreciate about running is it helps with your mental toughness, your mental fortitude, because that whole time, whether it was training or in the race, um, my mind is, you know, my mind is saying, this is hard.
Speaker 1: (06:49)
You should just stop and walk. And then I would say to myself, no, I want to do well with this. I want to complete it. And, and I would do these little, uh, self-assessments, like, am I breathing really hard? Like, no, not too bad. Are My legs exhausted? No. But my mind kept saying walk because that was easier. And so anyways, so like the long story was it did really help with that. That realization like, you know what, you're way too, we're all way tougher than we think we are. Right? We can do a lot for that. We can do a lot more than we think we can. It just is one of those things that you, like we said you got to make it a priority and uh, and it does get better. It still isn't my favorite thing to do, but I certainly, I have that appreciation for it will.
Speaker 1: (07:31)
And I would just simply say from an outsider's perspective, uh, those who know Dr. Allen, uh, no, he is probably one of the genuinely most happy people you'll ever meet. I think you're pretty happy person. Would you say consider yourself a happy person? I would say I'm a pretty happy person. Right. And, and I think that that, you know, I think, I think that there's a very natural disposition for a predisposition that you have towards being kind and, or happy. But I think to what you're talking about is proof or evidence of the fact that when you, you know, as a result of the exercise that you put in cause you exercise regularly. I know, I know you do that. We, you and I used to do a crossfit together there for a couple of years and um, and I think for the most part I tend to be pretty happy as well.
Speaker 1: (08:21)
And, and, and you know, this isn't some sort of a trying to convince people that exercise helps you be happy. It's one of those things where you find out for yourself when you do it, especially when you do it consistently, you find it, it really does make a huge difference. Um, there have been times in my life I can clearly see, um, when I haven't been as active and haven't exercised as much and it's very obvious to me to see that those also happen to be, um, not coincidentally times in my life where I haven't been nearly as happy as when I've been actively engaged in. So it's one of those things, I think it's self evident when we talk about this, that exercise would help to create a happiness. And I think it's one of those things too where it's like, I, I think we have this tendency naturally to gravitate towards, uh, things that would, uh, make, make money and think that that would generate happiness.
Speaker 1: (09:13)
But the reality of it is I think if we would put our health I e exercise first, I think that so many other wonderful things with those disciplines, those same disciplines that are necessary in creating health, doing things that you don't feel like doing oftentimes by doing it anyways and right or the same disciplines that will help you be successful in your business, in your career, in other, um, you know, things that push you forward in life. There's a great book, uh, by Jocko Willink. He's a former navy seal turned entrepreneur, leadership development guy, and the book that, the title of the book is such a powerful phrase in and of itself. It's it, the title is discipline equals freedom. And I, I love that concept because it's, it is so profound. And simple and true, you know, that, that the, the greater we can learn to improve and increase our self-discipline, uh, our, our, you know, intrinsic motivation, um, our mental toughness, like you said, um, I think we will find a greater opportunities will open for us in our life, thus creating greater happiness and fulfillment and success in every, it, it literally bleeds over into every other aspect of our life, truly.
Speaker 1: (10:25)
Um, so, uh, hopefully this has got you a little bit more excited and, or motivated to exercise. I mean, cause you know what I mean, money is important for, for happiness, even though if we're, if you're broke and destitute, it's hard to be happy. Right. But, you know, understanding that, you know, something as simple as exercise can make you happier than even money. Yeah. That's pretty awesome. Yeah. And it's free and it's free. It doesn't cost you anything. You don't have to have a gym. You could literally, anyone can run, right? So anyone can go out and walk, run, run, do whatever. Yeah. So anyways. Alright. Well hopefully this has been helpful for you guys and uh, we're, uh, we're excited to share even more with you guys on upcoming episodes. Yep. We'll talk to you guys soon.
Speaker 2: (11:07)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Allen. And this is episode 23 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about all things cholesterol, separating fact from fiction. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:14)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful and cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having a great day. Uh, today we figured we would, uh, tackle a relatively controversial topic, uh, that being cholesterol. Um, if you followed this show for any length of time, uh, you'd come to find that we, we try to steer clear of extremes, uh, not because we're, we're afraid of tackling difficult subjects, but just because we find that more often than not, uh, extremes don't really lead us into, uh, truth. You know, more often than not missing the mark, you bet. More often than not, when we start veering into these really, uh, you know, kind of heels dug in camps on either end of the spectrum, wherever that may be, uh, we tend to find that you, you find less truth and more bias. That's what you find. But, uh, the interesting thing is this topic here, uh, is a real hot button topic.
Speaker 1: (01:30)
Uh, when we talk about cholesterol and specifically more specifically, uh, cholesterol drugs, uh, specifically we're talking about stats. Um, and, and what you'll find is if you start really doing even just a casual search online, what you will find is an overwhelming body of evidence showing, uh, that stat observed for the most part worthless. And yet, uh, it still is part of an agenda, um, of, of prescribing them and, and like the status quo is going to remain the same for the indefinite future is what it looks like in, in spite of new guidelines and new evidence showing and suggesting, uh, a, that cholesterol is not the boogeyman that, that we once thought it was and claimed it was. And B, that stats are not the savior drugs that the pharmaceutical companies marketed them to be. You know? So, um, let me just start off with this.
Speaker 1: (02:34)
There's an article that was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Uh, I'm trying to find the date here, uh, to October 1st, 2018 and this is the abstract. They said statens are the most widely prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs in the world despite the expiration of their patents, which is typically when most pharmaceutical companies, drugs, store beers, ticket ticket, dramatic hid in terms of the revenue in terms of their profit, uh, revenue for statens. Despite that revenue for sentences, it's exceeded, is expected to rise with total sales. Get this total sales on track to reach an estimated $1 trillion by 2020. That's just next year. That is how much money we're talking about here. So when you're talking about, we're not even talking money in the billions, which is still unfathomable. We're talking about money in the trillions. That's like government money. That's like the United States like deficit money. Yeah. This is crazy deficit.
Speaker 1: (03:37)
And it's, it's, I mean, that type of money. So they went on to say a bitter dispute has erupted among doctors over suggestions that statins should be prescribed to millions of healthy people at low risk of heart disease. There are concerns that the benefits have been exaggerated and that the risks have been underplayed. Also, the raw data data on the efficacy and safety of stents are being kept secret and have not been subjected to scrutiny by other scientists. This lack of transparency has led to an erosion of, of public confidence doctors and patients are being misled about the true benefits and harms of statins. And it is now a matter of urgency that the raw data from the clinical trials are released. Well, we do have some of that data that's out there, you know, um, one of the, one of the first real studies that we learned about in school that really helped to I think was the beginning eye-opening towards like the real true nature of cholesterol.
Speaker 1: (04:34)
And this is 16 years ago, right? Yeah. This is a while ago was the Framingham study, which if I'm correct, is still ongoing study has been going on for 30 plus years. It started back in like the, the fifties or sixties, right? 40, yeah. You're Framingham, Massachusetts. Yep. So it's longer than that. It's been going on for a long time. And basically what they've been doing is, it's a, it's a perspective study that's just been kind of ongoing. They'd been looking at a group of people and what they've been trying to tease out are, are, uh, answers to questions such as, you know, what's, what's the story with cholesterol? Is it, is it good for you? Does elevated cholesterol make a difference? Does it, does it harm us? Uh, you know, uh, and then looking at other risk factors associated with heart disease or what they call coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease.
Speaker 1: (05:22)
Um, but, uh, yeah, this is kinda crazy. It's really crazy. And really when you kind of started diving into things, um, think about, you know, there, there's, there's, it really comes down to that causation versus correlation. You Bet. You know, and, and, uh, and, and that's really kind of where they got their ground to, I guess initially, um, run from with the medication is listen, if, if people who are dying have, you know, cloud or have heart disease, have clogged arteries and they have a lot of, you know, an elevated cholesterol [inaudible] exactly. So they kind of start saying, well, if that's the case, that means the cholesterol must be causing the, you know, the coronary artery disease, which is frankly not true, will it? And again, it's one of those things where at the beginning it seems not only plausible but very reasonable to assume that, that that's the case.
Speaker 1: (06:15)
Right. Um, so let's, let's first start by maybe for those listening here, cause oftentimes we hear these misnomers like good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. And I think that that sometimes can lead people astray in and of itself. Cholesterol is cholesterol, right? Uh, cholesterol is a fat. Uh, it's something that our body uses to synthesize or create a variety of different hormones in our body. Um, very important ones. Uh, so a lot of our sex hormones are derived from cholesterol. You look at hormones like progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, um, cortisol, uh, these are all derived from, uh, from, uh, cholesterol. Our body needs cholesterol to be able to produce these, these essential hormones for our health, our growth and development, right? Virtually. Well, every cell wall in our body has cholesterol that makes up the LE, the living there, my layer, right? And so when there's damaged cells in our body, we need cholesterol to help prepare them, right?
Speaker 1: (07:18)
So, so let's maybe maybe unpack that for people and to explain. So why do people get in, in many cases, elevated levels of cholesterol? Wonderful. You know, and when we look at that, it comes down to your inflammation and irritation to the, the, the vessel linings. You know, so, so, so when we have, uh, increased, uh, inflammation in the body, when there's inflammation, inflammation leads to damage in the body. Um, we can call this inflammation. Some people will call it free radical damage. You've got, it's virtually the same thing. People who smoke, people who have high blood sugar, you know, diabetics, they write horrible. You know, these are people that have a classically well and you don't even have to be diabetic necessarily, right? If high blood sugar is not good for the body, it's, it's toxic to the body. Whether you're diabetic or known, it's gonna, it's gonna have a detrimental impact on your body.
Speaker 1: (08:10)
Exactly. So eating, uh, you know, foods that are high in, in, uh, you know, sugars, um, uh, heavily processed foods, you know, basically just eating a diet that is not a healthy diet is going to lead to inflammation. A smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, drinking too much, drinking. These are all the types of things that are going to lead to inflammation in the body. When you have increased inflammation in the body, it's going to create damage. And one of the most common places where it will create damage is the inner lining of blood vessels. And more specifically, uh, blood vessels that, uh, are coronary blood vessels that surround and supply blood to the heart itself. Um, and so what happens? What does the body, when we have damage to those blood vessels, the interlinings, it ships out cholesterol so it can heal the, the damaged areas.
Speaker 1: (09:03)
And again, that's a, that's a normal, very natural and very healthy response. The body's just doing what it's supposed to do, heal itself and take care of itself, manage itself. The problem is that what happens when the cholesterol gets there, it patches up the inner lining of those blood vessels. And yet we still continue to do the same things that got us there in the first place. Sure. Well, inflammation doesn't go down. And so what happens when inflammation hits that cholesterol? Same thing irritates it, breaks it down. So more cholesterol comes to repair it. So, and then and like what? Hitting a wall over and over, right? Well, and then what happens is this process, the, the technical term is atherosclerosis is the term. And basically what that means is that cholesterol now starts to harden. It not only starts to put more there to try and repair the damage, but it starts to get hard.
Speaker 1: (09:51)
And that's where the damage starts. That's where the real kind of risk, danger, danger, danger, I guess is the word where all of a sudden it starts to narrow. Because what, imagine that, right? It's like you're putting up the wall only to put more putty, only to put more petty and it starts to harden and get thicker. Um, and, and, and when they harden and get less thick, uh, not only does it create a narrowing effect, but it, the blood vessels normally should have a certain flexibility or appliability to them to allow blood that's moving through to be able to create a, a decent amount of stretch on those blood vessels to allow that blood to flow properly. But the problem is, is if that blood vessel hardens, if it doesn't have that stretch on it, that you know, normally happens, it constricts and restricts proper blood flow, which is ultimately what leads to heart attack.
Speaker 1: (10:39)
You know, it blocks it off completely. So cholesterol, despite what, you know, some might may say is not the Boogeyman, uh, that it is, it has been made out to be so, but, but in order, in order for us to be able to sell Staten drugs, we have to make it the demon. The, yeah. The narrative has to remain the same. And again, at the beginning when it first came, when, when this whole, uh, cholesterol causes, you know, increased cholesterol is, is as heart disease as heart disease, um, it would seem the logical, uh, you know, step to that would be, well then yeah, we decrease it via these cholesterol lowering drugs and that would make perfect sense. The problem though is that when you look at the studies, what does it say in terms of the effectiveness of Stanton's ability to actually lower cholesterol is negligible at best.
Speaker 1: (11:33)
Not very good, not very good. And then on top of that, what we start to now see is a growing body of evidence of some pretty nasty side effects and risks associated with a continual use of Staten drugs. What are some of those risks? Um, one of the probably most scary ones is the, the risk of increasing, um, risk of getting diabetes type two diabetes. That is, and they say in those who are, um, who have the, the, you know, the, that are leaning that way anyhow, it's gonna increase those risks, but it's a pretty substantial amount. 38%. I think you had read in one of the studies, like it's, it's significance. So, yeah, get this, this was published just march of this year, 2019, March 7th of 2019 published in the New York Times. This is what they said, uh, statens may increase risk of diabetes. The risk may be especially high in those who are overweight.
Speaker 1: (12:28)
So for a while that the, the evidence was, was kind of like, yeah, it looks like that. But what they say now is they say the link between stat news and the development of type two diabetes may be even stronger than previously believed. A new study suggests researchers perspectively studied 8,567 men and women whose average age was 64. All were free of diabetes. And not taking statens when the study started in a follow up, uh, of up to 15 years, about 12% of the group started taking stats. So roughly we'll just guesstimate about a thousand people, right? 8,500, 12%. I'm just estimating is probably going to be a little bit of a right at about a thousand. Right. Um, in fact, we'll just do the math real quick so we know. So we know an exact number. We'll give them, we'll give them an exact number. It was 12% of, uh, 8,567 times 0.1 to a 1028 to be exact so you could get a little over a thousand.
Speaker 1: (13:27)
Right? Um, all right. 12% of the group or were taking statens most, uh, using either Zocor or Lipitor, uh, known as Simvastatin or a tour of a Staton and the rest, either a private call or less call a, which is previs, stat and or fluvastatin. Most took them for more than a year and there were 716 new cases of diabetes in the group after controlling for age, sex, smoking, family history of diabetes and many other risk factors. They found that stat and use get this was associated with higher risk for insulin resistance and high blood sugar and with a 38% increased risk for the development of type two diabetes. That's massive. That is crazy. And we were just reading a from a, this was, uh, a medical center. They basically did like a, you know, our staten's really that bad. And they basically went line by line and they were saying some say that, uh, this is what they said about the diabetes risk.
Speaker 1: (14:31)
This was their take on it. Um, they went, they went as oh and they said, well, stand to increase my risk for diabetes are complicated. Existing diabetes. The risk is true to some extent, but it's wildly exaggerated is what they said. So equally percent. If you think 38%, uh, increased risk is, is a wild then boy, you know, I, yeah. What? Yeah. That doesn't seem wildly exaggerated to me. To there. Yeah, 38% risk. Increased risk. Like that's crazy. I mean we're, we're broaching, I don't wanna like overestimate here, but like 38 ain't too far from 50% you know what I mean? Like, so that, I mean one third, if we're, if we're extrapolating that right and here's the, here's the rub on this is too deep to decrease all I'll, you know, to eliminate these, these risk factors and all of these terrible things. There's some simple, simple things you can do to change lifestyle and I'm not talking huge things where you would, these drugs are totally irrelevant.
Speaker 1: (15:35)
100% so relevant. And so what are those things first? So things like making sure you're eating healthy diet, losing weight, get to a healthy weight, let's, let's keep getting political. Yeah. And let's give a little bit more of a framework. In terms of macros. Macros, we would be saying for a healthy diet, you know, they say, and they say here actually they say in this state I mentioned medic, the Metadata, which, which again has evolved to some degree in terms of what people are shifting towards. You know, I would say Mediterranean ketogenic or Paleo esque style diet. And I'm sure when we get into the really nitty gritty fine tuning of that, some people would say I was totally different at the end of the day. The way I say it is, look, increase your healthy fats, increase vegetables, green leafy vegetables, colorful vegetables, uh, eat lean, moderate amounts of protein and lower dramatically your carbohydrate intake, especially refined carbohydrates.
Speaker 1: (16:28)
Uh, eliminate, you know, just the junk. Well, things like exercise, exercise, quitting smoking, obviously things we already know we should be doing, right? Decrease the amount of alcohol. If you consume alcohol, decrease it. They say a low to moderate is okay, but you know, anything above that you're, you're causing all kinds of damage. Um, increasing fiber like you mentioned, increasing healthy fats, especially omega three fatty acids because they are a very anti inflammatory in nature. And again, inflammation is what causes the damage. And, and that's, and that's the point I think that we need to drive home here, is that all of these things are not going to directly lower cholesterol. That's not what we're talking about here. What these things are going to do is help reduce systemic inflammation in the body, which will in turn lower cholesterol. Exactly. Or I shouldn't even say necessarily lower cholesterol, but allow your body to produce the correct amount of cholesterol for your body.
Speaker 1: (17:28)
Right? That's the point. Your body is going to normalize. And ultimately what you're doing is you're giving your body what it needs to be able to do what it knows how to do inherently. And that's one of the neatest things that we get to see in our practice is the literal miracle that is the human body in the sense that, um, our body knows exactly what it needs to do. Our body knows what it needs. Our body knows how to do what it needs to do to heal itself and to maintain itself. But the thing is is that we need to give it the, what it needs to be able to do that, right? We often times we use the analogy of a plant like a, you know, a plant or a tree or whatever. What is it that it needs? Well, it needs sunlight, needs water.
Speaker 1: (18:08)
Uh, you know, it needs fertilizer and nutrients and, and you know, those things that it needs to be able to take care of and grow itself. When you give it those things, it knows what to do. And it's the same thing with our body. Right? Right. Same, same idea. The challenge though, when you say that there's, there's a, there's a rub to that. What you're saying there is the problem buddy, is that you've got two options here. Option a, you gotta be proactive. No effort. Well, I was going to say option aver does require [inaudible] exercise, but option B, the appeal of a stat and drug is that it's a drug. I, all I have to do is just, you mean, you mean to tell me that I can continue to do and, and that's the thing. That's the, that's the kind of clever pitch of the drug companies is they're not stupid.
Speaker 1: (18:51)
They're not going to say, you know, just take this drug and everything will be okay. They don't have to directly say that it's, it's implicit in the fact that what they're, you know what I mean? They'll say like, just take this drug and then exercise and diet and do all the, you know, they like mumble that under their breath. Um, but, but the reality of it is, is that it's always going to be inherently far more appealing and easier to take the, the easy button, you know? Um, Oh man, this is, it's, it's huge. NZ. I would say for me, like if we boil this all down, it's take charge of your health. Absolutely. Don't give that over to somebody else. The reality here is that, that's what I mean. Yeah. You're by, by giving, you know, letting them just give you this medication you are giving over that control that you have and you can do all of this yourself.
Speaker 1: (19:44)
You turn on camera a hundred percent. You can do this all yourself. Back in back in July of 2015, the world journal of Cardiology, uh, they, they produced, uh, they put out a paper called cholesterol confusion in stat and controversial. I think this is a good place to go. They said the role of blood of blood cholesterol levels in coronary heart disease and the true effect of cholesterol lowering statin drugs are debatable in particular whether Stanton's actually decreased cardiac mortality and increased life expectancy is controversial concurrently. The Mediterranean Diet model has been shown to prolong life and reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer, and coronary heart disease. We here in review current data related to both statens and Mediterranean diet. We conclude, we conclude that the expectation that coronary heart disease could be prevented or eliminated by simply reducing cholesterol appears unfounded. On the contrary, we should acknowledge the inconsistencies of the cholesterol theory and recognize the proven benefits of a healthy lifestyle incorporating a Mediterranean diet to prevent coronary heart disease.
Speaker 1: (20:53)
So really what they're basically saying is what they're concluding here is what we basically just send you here, right? We're not trying to base this off of some personal bias or vendetta. We hope that that's really crystal clear here that we are not anti-drug sometimes. Uh, and, and I would say many times drugs have a very profound and powerful place in helping to prolonged life and even save lives. Um, but this just happens to be one area, unfortunately, where they do not. And the problem is when we're talking about a trillion dollar industry here, that is not something that is going to go away easily or lightly. That's not something that a drug company is going to just relinquish up. Well, you know, we see the error of our ways here. We see that the evidence is overwhelming that this drug doesn't work. So we're just going to let go of this a trillion dollar profit making machine, million dial a trillion dollars buys a lot of people's attention.
Speaker 1: (21:49)
You Bet. You Bet. Absolutely. Whether they think so or not at right. Yeah. And that's the thing like what we're producing or what we're, what we're sharing here is nothing new. Yeah. Like this news has been around literally, it's been, uh, I would say a minimum of 20 to 30 years. We've known this information. You Bet. I like, like safe can safely concluding like we know that stat and drugs are not what they purport to be, that cholesterol is not the scary thing that it has been made out to be. And that lifestyle is going to be the driver to help reduce a heart disease. And so it's, you know, and it's the same sort of thing as uh, you know, the whole, it's this, this ties in very, very clearly to the uh, fat being the cause of Oh, people being fat versus sugar.
Speaker 1: (22:38)
You know, the sugar industry has been pushing, you know, to demonize fat for a long logo shirt, you know. So anyways, any other thoughts on this? Nope. Other than, like I said before, take control of your health. It's a, it's not as hard as you might think. Yeah, absolutely. So, all right guys, we'll hopefully this has been valuable. Hopefully we have given you guys some good information to kind of think on, consider if you know somebody who is taking statin drugs or has cholesterol issues, maybe consider sharing this with them. Uh, do the research yourself. That's what I would encourage people to do. Do it yourself. Don't just take our word on it. Sure. You'll come to find is some pretty uh, I think eye-opening, uh, data and eyeopening information out there that will show loud and clear, uh, that stance or not what the drug companies have made them out to be, uh, that the risks far, far, far outweigh any, uh, minuscule benefit that they might provide. Um, and just realize that there is definitely an, an agenda. They're behind this. So, uh, thanks for listening guys and we'll talk to you guys on the next episode.
Speaker 2: (23:40)
Thanks for listening to the health front of Middles podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Dr. Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode 22 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about the minimum dose of this and how that can have a huge impact for good on your overall health and wellbeing. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:19)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:38)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having a great day. Uh, we found something really interesting that we wanted to share with you guys. Uh, that has I think, some very profound implications, uh, to not only improving your physical health, but I think so many other areas of health, uh, as well. We can talk about emotional health. We can talk about, um, mental health. We can talk about, uh, relationship health. Well, you know, think about what your s, the the the minimum amount of this that we're going to talk about. We'll share with you in a second. Think about all the minimums that we get for our health and wellbeing. We have like, you should drink at least 64 ounces of water, right? You should have at least this many servings of fruits and vegetables, right? At least seven to 10 hours of sleep or seven to nine hours of sleep or something.
Speaker 1: (01:25)
You know what I mean? It's like you have all these minimums, right? But this was, this one would kinda come caught us off guard and we're like, Huh, but it makes sense when you think about it. Yeah, absolutely. Um, so basically what we're looking at here is there was a study that was done, uh, it was published, uh, uh, through the University of Exeter, and they said, spending at least two hours a week in nature may be a crucial threshold for promoting health and wellbeing according to a new large scale study. Basically what they did was they looked at, at people's overall health and they kind of looked at commonalities and patterns. And what they seem to find was that that two hour threshold was the minimum that needed to be met. Um, that anything less than that did not have the same level of effect or impact on people versus doing none at all or under an under that amount.
Speaker 1: (02:17)
Right. Didn't have any difference. Right. Yeah. So be, yeah. Anything less than two hours didn't seem to have a significant difference, uh, or, or improvement. And so, uh, that minimum two hour threshold seems to be, uh, something profound or something special. Something powerful, uh, happens at that point in time. And, uh, you know, Dr. Allen and myself, this, this, I think this, uh, episode couldn't come timed any better in that we're approaching fast, uh, fast approaching summertime. Uh, this weekend we're going to be celebrating the 4th of July. Yeah. And probably by the time this episode comes out, we will have already celebrated that. But, um, but nonetheless, you've got some fun outdoor trips planned this summer, didn't you see? You guys were going to be, we're hiking Mount Bora. That's more than a hike. Yeah. That's gonna Climb. That'll be a little challenge. That's amazingly fun. And it's going to be that, that's the highest peak in Idaho.
Speaker 1: (03:11)
Right? How, how tall a, I wish I, I think it's 12,000. I was gonna say, I thought I was going to say 13,000. Um, so, yeah, man, first mount bore than Everest and that's right. Yeah. So, uh, but, but being outdoors, um, you know, the, the thing that, that I think is really interesting about this is we're not just talking about the typical and, or usual, um, things that people think of in terms of the, the benefits of being outside. Like for instance, most people are familiar with, uh, sunlight, right? That it has an impact for good among many other things of helping us to produce vitamin D levels. Vitamin D has an impact on, uh, you know, they're finding that vitamin D acts more like a hormone than an actual vitamin, and that it has a significant role to play in terms of our overall mood in terms of hormone production.
Speaker 1: (04:02)
Uh, in terms of normal, uh, rhythms throughout life, uniques or pains, aches and pains. Yes, it helps with reducing pain. Uh, so we've come to find that that healthy dose of sunlight can have those, those impacts on us. But I think there's something far more, uh, far deeper, I guess I should say about what they're implying from this study too, that there are other impacts from nature that may not be as, as readily obvious, you know, for us. Um, and again, I think that that would make sense too, because again, I think there's something that maybe can be not always easy to explain about the experiences people have with being outside with nature. You know, I think you said it when we were, before we even started this, you said something to me that I hadn't really thought about and it was actually quite, uh, quite true.
Speaker 1: (04:50)
You know, I thought about it myself. You said some of my favorite memories are of doing things with my family in the outdoors, in nature, family trips, things like that. And then as soon as you said that, I'm like, actually me too. Right. You know, I mean, growing up as a kid, I was always outside catching thing, catching fish, catching frogs and stuff out in nature. And I wouldn't even necessarily, I think memorable is certainly inappropriate word, years use, but I don't even think that fully adequately conveys the, the, what we're really getting at here is, I would say the, some of the most profound experiences, some of the most indelible impressions, uh, of, of life in general, uh, have been as a result of being outside, being in nature. You know, as far back as I can remember as a kid, uh, we had a very, uh, actively engaged outdoor type family.
Speaker 1: (05:44)
We did lots of camping trips. Um, and I wouldn't even necessarily, you know, why I don't want this image to be conjured up of our family being like these, like mountain climbers or anything like that. But we would, we would oftentimes, I mean, we would go and we would see stuff. I remember we would go see the Grand Canyon. That was powerful, you know, which is cool because we just took our kids, uh, a month ago to see the Grand Canyon for the first time. My wife had never seen the Grand Canyon before. Um, I remember seeing, uh, Bryce Canyon and Kings Canyon. We went, we did all the canyons, you know. Sure. And a lot of different, uh, state and national parks that my parents took us to. I remember, uh, to this day, um, I remembered experience we had when I was 14 years old, uh, at Yellowstone. I remember like, so, so vividly.
Speaker 1: (06:34)
I remember, uh, how shocked I was at seeing that many stars at night. Oh yeah. You know, cause having a, you know, I was, I was born in southern California. I lived in Portland, which you can imagine you're not a whole lot of stargazing going on in cloudy. Nope. Cloudy Portland. Um, but then getting out to Yellowstone and seeing at night, just, uh, just the sky, just literally, uh, blanketed with, you know, countless, countless stars. I mean, sure. To the point where you could see the Milky Way and you could see just just so many clusters that it was just the, it almost looked cloudy. He and art. I mean, so it was, it was powerful seeing that. I totally remember that. So I, I, my point is is I'm not trying to just simply take us down a memory lane, memory lane here. The, the point is, is nature is therapeutic.
Speaker 1: (07:24)
There's something, there's something profoundly and we're inherently therapeutic about being outside and being in nature. And so I would simply say the practical take home for people listening would be what? What would you say practical take home is, you know, what schedule it make it. Just like we have minimums that we tried to accomplish from day to day, from week to week. It's like make this something that's important because getting outside and it doesn't have to be up in the mountains. It doesn't have, absolutely, I mean it could be on a nice trail that goes through your town. It might be a nice road. Just something that brings you peace, gets you outside and allows you to Kinda just time to think, be in your own head. And um, you know, like you said, what all the benefits specifically are and why it works so well.
Speaker 1: (08:07)
I don't even think it's, you don't even need to, you don't need to understand, oh just do it. You know, it's like we, we know that the benefits are there, so make sure you take the time or make the time, cause it's one of those things, I think that is way more important than we give it credit for. Yep. Yep. And that which gets scheduled gets prioritized right at the end of the day. So this needs to be a priority. It has to be right. Because this could have such a significantly profound impact again for good on your look at how much depression and how many, you know, how much we see and hear about that in the media. Mental health was a big problem, is huge. And so anything we can do to help bolster or em, you know, like, uh, just charged our, our batteries in our ability to deal with stressful situations.
Speaker 1: (08:50)
Uh, this, this is a simple one, right? It doesn't require any money. It doesn't require very much effort at all. Just get outside, be in nature. And I do believe that, um, taking time or planning time to do a light maybe longer excursion trips or further out of town is also, you know, I'll be a headache, I'll be at a headache at times once you get out there. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And in terms of this, we're talking about two hours per week is the minimal dose. So if you want to break that up, you could say, okay, you do two, one hour long excursions or not even excursion. I don't want to say that, but to our outdoor activities, activities every week or if that's not the case, if the, if the, you just can't do that, then 20 minutes a day per six days a week, 20 minutes a day, six days a week, or pretty simple hour sessions or one, two hour session for that matter, you know, so I'm either way, schedule it, make it a priority. So absolutely can. So hopefully it's been helpful for you guys. Uh, share this with others that you feel can help. Uh, if you're looking for maybe some ways to, uh, help boost energy, improve your health, improve your mental health, um, and you feel like you've tried a lot of different things, this is something simple that's really easy to implement that anybody can do. So, uh, again, hopefully that this has been helpful for you and, uh, we'll talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a good one.
Speaker 2: (10:16)
Thanks for listening to the health front of Middles podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you knew other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here, and Dr Buddy Alan. And this is episode 21 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about the secret to accomplishing all of your health goals. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:14)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Allen. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:34)
So, hey, everybody, hope you guys are having an awesome day. Uh, I'm really excited about this episode because what we're going to be sharing here is really the secrets to accomplishing your health goals, all of them. Uh, and, and quite frankly, you can, you could literally take the same kind of formula and apply it into just about every aspect of your life, not just necessarily your physical health, but emotional health, uh, relationship, health, financial health, um, all of those areas in your life. Uh, this is a fairly, um, uh, fluid framework I guess in terms of being able to apply it to, uh, any of those aspects. But, um, you know what, let me preface this by saying that I think sometimes we have a tendency, at least I know I do have, when we hear something, maybe taking it a little bit for granted when we share what we share here, the, the punchline if we will.
Speaker 1: (01:30)
Um, we don't want that to be the case here with today's episode because this truly can, uh, have the ability to, to change your life if you'll take what we share here and, and implement and really take it and learn. Um, so he came across an article and it said this, it said for people with a strong life purpose, making healthier choices may take less effort. The University of Pennsylvania did a study and basically they said, why do some people easily meet their fitness goals and love eating healthy foods while others struggle to do either or, I should say neither, right? Ninth either a new research indicates that people with a strong sense of life purpose are more likely to respond positively to health messages and experience less activity in brain regions associated with conflict processing when exposed to these messages. So Buddy, you have the unique perspective of having four, five plus years full time been doing health coaching for people.
Speaker 1: (02:34)
Uh, maybe for those listening make sense of kind of what you hear he, uh, from what it says academically and then in the real world, kind of what you have seen, your experiences. Oh, absolutely. You know, academically, um, you know, I love what I actually, I love what it says, you know, cause most people or many people struggle their entire lives, um, with, with weight loss, with health management, with not liking maybe what they look like or how they feel or maybe, you know what I mean? It's like we're really very good at comparing ourselves to others, which is probably the first horrible thing for us to do. In fact, certainly one of the most horrible things we could do to ourselves, but more importantly, it's like that again, it's how we look at it. Like the people from the beginning, it's like there's a, there's something that's wrong with me.
Speaker 1: (03:24)
And again, that story is said in that little article there that, um, you know, it affects our stress hormones and our stress and you know, like the stress centers of our brain and that, that kind of is without telling you exactly right now that's kind of the key right there is the way we look at things, the way we're approaching it. You know, most people approach weight loss as I'm trying, it's a negative thing that I am a problem I am trying to solve. Right. All right. Rather than something that you're trying to create, right. It's right. It's like you're not thinking about the future as far as what that's going to allow you to do and the life that, that will allow you to lead the influence you may have. You know what I mean? Like we don't think about it in that positive sense.
Speaker 1: (04:08)
More of what can I, I got to get rid of this because I'm miserable where I'm at. Right? So basically, if we could kind of pair that down psychologically or mentally, it's, it's shifting from a state of running away from something, uh, to escape versus, uh, a more healthy or a more effective shift would be, uh, moving towards something greater than that. Right? It's that, it's that cycle. It's that little psychological shift that can be the kit that can make all the difference in the world. Right? And, and it's interesting that you say that because, um, uh, one thing that I read in the book, uh, and I know I've referenced it before, I'm in reference at all. I'll lot the willpower instinct. She talked about this, this whole idea of, uh, of moral licensing. Um, one aspect in which one way in which we self sabotage this, you'll be good for a period of time, quote unquote, you'll, you'll do really good on your diet.
Speaker 1: (05:03)
And then what you'll do is you'll, you'll indulge in something as, as, as a form of what we call more life, more a license. I've been good. So therefore I deserve this. And she said, uh, in the book, really what that indicates is an identity crisis. And that's really, I think at the core of what we're talking about here is this idea of, of what is your true sense of identity? How do you identify with yourself personally? And I would argue that for a lot of people, um, they have a very negative sense of identity, right? That, that they at their core, at their essence, are lazy. That they're somehow bad, that they're somehow not good enough, that they're somehow, uh, less than that they're lacking. And oftentimes what we do is we take those cues or those kind of social signals or reinforcements from we see on social media, you know, we compare everybody else's highlight reel to the struggles that we encounter.
Speaker 1: (06:02)
And no wonder, no wonder that creates a, uh, a sense of, uh, frustration and self-loathing and sure things like that. So, so anyways, so basically, you know, okay, so now that we know this, how do we actually take that idea of kind of what we're calling a higher sense of, of life purpose? A stronger sense of life purpose. How does that translate into actionable steps? Well, what we've kind of done here is we've broken this down into what we would kind of give you as for very practical pragmatic steps that people can take to begin this process of helping them to make that shift, uh, both mentally, emotionally, and then also physically in terms of the tactics. So let's, let's break those down. So breaking things down. Basically to start out, we have to be really honest with ourselves. Okay? And not, and again, this isn't, this is looking at us, we're not comparing, we're not looking at someone else or anybody else for that matter.
Speaker 1: (06:59)
This is if we want to improve and we want to get better, there's some things we have to do. All right? And to start, you have to have a true, honest picture of where, where are you right now? Right? And not, not, again, this is just like if, if, if your goals are physical in nature and you want to lose weight and you want to be able to, and honestly with getting healthy, it shouldn't be just about a scale, a scale, a scale to me is worthless other than telling us that we're moving in a positive direction or a negative direction. We'll, and I think too, what we're talking about here, uh, this idea of, of getting objective data. We're not talking about emotionally filtering it, filtering anything. You know, because again, if you go back to what we talked about, I think it was episode one, this idea that if you were to look at a spectrum on one scale, on one side of the spectrum to the other, there are two extremes.
Speaker 1: (07:53)
There's either self-defeating attitudes and behaviors. And then on the other end of the spectrum, there's self deceiving. And we don't want to veer too far in either of those directions. And I think when you, what you're talking about there in terms of getting a, a very fair assessment of where you currently are, what's reality? Um, you don't want to color that too much either way. Like, Oh man, I'm pathetic. I'm a loser. Or Oh, it's not that bad. I'll, I've got to lose is 50 pounds, no big deal. You know, neither of those two extremes in terms of thought are going to really serve you. And so what it's got to be is it's got to be okay. This is currently where I'm at. Um, and that's useful because that gives us a starting point, right? Well, and it also gives us, uh, we, we've talked about this in business.
Speaker 1: (08:37)
There's a difference between, between being kind of coerced or pressured into doing something right as opposed to having tension to help you resolve something. All right. So the reason we find out where we are now, so it's, and we have to be clear with our goals. Vague goals are really easy not to accomplish. That's why people fail. A huge reason why people fail is because all they say is, I just want to lose weight. I want to get healthier, I want to look better. All right, those are all so vague. There's nothing to actually to show you progress. [inaudible] exactly. There's no meat there. There's nothing that's, that's powerful. So step one, just so we're clear, is get an accurate picture of where you are. You currently are at a, you, you even said, you know, using a scale can be useful, but look at something, look at multiple factors, not just weight.
Speaker 1: (09:27)
Um, you know, tournaments, measure pants, pair pants, and that's only physical too. I mean, look at where you're at. You could even use a juror. I would highly recommend getting a journal, right? That's, that's an important part. And, and marking down in terms of, you know, on a scale of zero to 10 in this, this may not seem as objective, but I think I would argue that you can turn seemingly subjective things into objective things if you, if you know how to look at it the right way. So, uh, where are you in terms of your relationships with your spouse or significant other with your kids? Um, on a scale of zero to 10, 10 being amazing, zero being you're completely failing, you know, where would you, where would you rate yourself in terms of that? And again, doing your best to not emotionally color those things, but just giving it an accurate, and you can look at things in terms of you've you need more objective data.
Speaker 1: (10:13)
Look at, well, on average, how, how many hours per week do I spend with my kids or my spouse? Do I go on dates with my spouse? Do I, you know, look at different objective, the things that you either do, meet benchmarks, whatever that might look like. So if you're talking about physical health, you know, looking at not only a scale but looking at measurements, you could look at your BMI, you could look at your body fat percentage. You could look at uh, your level of it. How many times a week do I exercise right now? How many times a week do I eat out fast food? Um, you know, get as much data I guess as you as you can and, or you want to to look at to really give you the most accurate picture possible. So that's, that's step number one, right? Measuring where you're at, getting a clear sense of, of your current state, what step number two, step number two is really fun and out.
Speaker 1: (11:00)
Not necessarily what you are trying to do, but who are you trying to become? That's it. Right? That's a good point. So, so you are where you are now and then it's where, what are the goal? What's the goal, Ryan? Again, the Golden, we need to set goals up correctly because by setting things up incorrectly it can, you know, basically be good or bad is writing us actually achieve it. So write again and the reason we say, you know, the what, what is not nearly as powerful is like who and why and that power, right? That's huge. All like your goals should mean something to you. They should, right? Like, you should be able to imagine how it's going to feel when I can look in the mirror wearing this pair of pants or this bathing suit and really love what I see, right? Or to be able to run and not be winded or to be able to, you know, there's a million different things that could be very meaningful to you and your goals need to be meaningful.
Speaker 1: (11:56)
Weight loss and just a number is not meaningful, even looking sexy and a bathing suit or good and that, that's not that meaningful. Right? It's not. And, and what you're talking about there is a really important concept. I first learned about this idea, really honed in on it, a really good book, uh, the, it's called atomic habits. And he talks about this, this concept or this idea of instead of starting with what you want, uh, start with who do you want to be, how do you want to identify with yourself? You know, and again, kind of going back to the original kind of point here, is that most people who don't have a strong sense of purpose typically have a a fair, I think it's safe to say a negative self identity, not the most ideal or optimal self identity. And so by starting with this idea of, or at least step number two, then saying, who do I want to become?
Speaker 1: (12:51)
What that does is that makes the rest of the process that makes the watts fall into place relatively easy. Perfect example, if you, if you self identify as a lazy Slob, then the one is going to be pretty straightforward. What do lazy slobs do? Nothing. They, they're couch potatoes, they watch lots of TV, they eat what they want when they want, you know what I mean? If that's how you self identify, I know that's overly simplistic, but it's true. But if all of a sudden you were to start to shift and truly internalize a new self identity, that I'm a healthy person, that I'm a runner or I'm a, uh, I'm somebody that loves fitness or whatever it is that you do, uh, or, or whoever it is, I should say that you want to become, all of a sudden the watts kinda fall naturally into place.
Speaker 1: (13:37)
Well, if I identify as a runner, what do runners do? They run, do runners eat crappy food? No. They fuel their bodies for their running. You know, this is one of the reasons why if you look at like movements like crossfit for instance, are so powerful is because people for the most part who do crossfit aren't just casual gym goers. They're not just random people. They identify as I am a crossfitter, right? It's like a lot of these, these, uh, new fitness movements, you know, you look at people who are marathoners. You look at people who are ultra marathoners. You look at people who are triathletes. You look at people who are, you know, you fill in the blank there. Um, these people, you know, I identify as being athletic. I'm an athletic person. I love playing soccer. I love playing basketball. You know, identify what, whatever you identify with.
Speaker 1: (14:25)
It largely somewhat, uh, takes a lot of the mental energy away from figuring out the what, because it's very natural in terms of the consequence, you know? So starting with, and this would really be, you know, this step number two, the same sort of idea of expanding your vision, your, your life purpose because there's been really help solve that as well. Well, if you need to lose 80 pounds and you're like, oh, I just want to lose 10 or 15, there is no meaning behind 10. Or I'll tell you what a piece of pizza tastes way better than 10 or 15 pounds of, right? However, if you're 80 pounds is going to allow you to, uh, go on a trip and go on a, a backpacking trip or go do something that you've dreamed of doing your whole life, guess what? Now there's net. Now that piece of pizza has almost no meaning because you're focused on something as much more important, right?
Speaker 1: (15:14)
So it does make a huge difference. And then really that next, that next step from number three, it's breaking it down. You know, you have very clear goals and outcomes that you're, that you're shooting after and aiming towards now as a result, as a result of the purpose and identity that you've established. And now you, you look at that distance between where you are now, where you want to be or who you want to be, you want to be. And, and then you start breaking it down into small little actionable pieces. All right? Because like we frequently say is getting healthy or being healthy as about it's about consistency. You Bet. Doing those small, simple and consistency is about simplicity. Exactly right. So, you know, just break it down. Don't just know that everything takes time. Uh, and there was one other, as you were talking earlier, there was something that, um, I think is also critically important and I've learned over the years of working with hundreds and hundreds of individuals who are losing weight is people have a tendency to isolate themselves.
Speaker 1: (16:15)
When you, when you are not where you want to be or you, you think that your, you know, unhealthier, I've never been able to, you feel you, you put yourself in this category. Like I'm not pretty, I'm not healthy. I still feel very isolated. Yeah. You, you kind of distance yourself. And there are the, the truth behind that is, is we are all, even from the unhealthy to the very healthy, we are all more alike than we are different. And not only that, but I would also kind of, uh, say as well, uh, we as human beings, it, one of the, one of the most fundamental human needs that we have is connection, right? Think about it when, when, when babies are born, one of the things there, there is a, there's a term clinically that they use. It's called failure to thrive. And it comes from isolation.
Speaker 1: (17:02)
When babies are isolated, it's not just a, you know, you know, oh they're, they're going to be sad or they're going to cry no of their, they are not going to survive. Um, they need connection and that doesn't change as we get older. Nope. We need that same human interaction and that connection. And so I think the point that you were alluding to there is working with others and more specifically even looking for a mentor or a coach, which somebody that you have what we were going to call a yeah. Yeah. Part four of this whole, um, kind of way to start achieving your goals, especially with respect to your health is find someone to help you find someone to model after. Find someone who is doing it right. Right. And do what they do. That's, it really is as simple as that. Do what they do following proven steps and formulas.
Speaker 1: (17:47)
There's actually a tremendous amount of research out there that suggests you will become like the people you associate with. Absolutely. All right. And so, and that can be a scary thought, I think for some people. You know, cutting out cancerous relationships out of their life, but yet that's, it's such a necessary step for people to become the best version of themselves. And it doesn't have to be this, um, personal issue, you know, in that process. It's just you got to really make the decision of what's going to be best for you. And sometimes that does involve, um, you know, I, I think of, uh, something Tony Robbins said, he says there's only four ways to change your life and they are, do more of something, do less of something, start something or stop something. Right? That's it. Those are the only four ways to change your life.
Speaker 1: (18:34)
And so, uh, you know, in terms of this, the, the stopping something could be associating with negative people that could be draining you. You know? And so it really is, you want to surround yourself with people that lift you up and help you. And at the same token too, what you don't want is you don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of people who are going to allow you to be complacent. Oh, we're just gonna need to be held to a higher standards. That's the reason you need a coach. Yeah. I've known people and I've known friends who surround themselves with others who will kind of help themselves, soothe, coddle them, he coddled it, coddled them, and or just kind of celebrate with mediocrity, you know, together. And that doesn't help either. What you're looking for are people who will provide you with a love and understanding that at the same token, uh, not simply accept a mediocrity from you, but accept a higher standard and holds you to that higher standard and help give you that necessary, uh, structured tension, right?
Speaker 1: (19:31)
Structured tension to help you help, uh, pull you, uh, to ultimately the person that you want to become. So let's review real quick, kind of recap again, what are the steps? Steps one through four, if you want to improve anything in your life, there's a simple four step formula, right? And it's this idea overarching, all of it is to expand your life, a sense of your life purpose, right? What's a greater purpose? A greater vision, right? There's that verse in proverbs that a, when my, where people have no vision they parish in or when my people have no vision, they perish. We can kind of use that same sort of idea there. But so step number one is know where you're at right now. Know where you're at. And I had a true, you know, unemotional, like where am I at? Yeah. Step number two.
Speaker 1: (20:13)
Step number two is who and what and why do I want to change or what I, what's the vision? What is my goal? What's the goal? And a very meaningful goal and a very specific goal. Yeah. Number three is break it down into bite sized pieces, bite size pieces, make it actionable matchable and that you can do that. That is simple action about trackable, consistent with. Yup. And then lastly is just find someone to mentor you, to walk, to, to follow, to lead the way and a and surround yourself with people that are gonna that are going to support you in this journey. Absolutely. Um, so hopefully this has been helpful for you guys. Hopefully if nothing else, maybe this has given you a little bit of perhaps motivation and a little bit of uh, maybe spark sparked something within you to begin this process and maybe help bolster your courage a little bit cause it can be scary. Change is always scary for us, right? So always. Um, so anyways, hopefully this has been helpful for you guys and if you know others that could benefit from this message and other messages that we share on the podcast, share it with them and uh, we look forward to sharing more with you guys on upcoming episodes. We'll talk to you later.
Speaker 2: (21:21)
Thanks for listening to the health front of Middles podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you knew other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey guys, what's going on in Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode 20 of the Health Fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be answering one of Google's most top searched questions. And that is what, why am I so tired? Why am I always so tired? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:18)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:37)
So, hey everybody, on today's episode we're going to be discussing one of the most commonly searched questions, uh, on Google was this from this last year. This was 2018, 2018. And the question was, why am I always so tired? Fatigue is a big issue and I think in my own life, personally, I feel like, uh, energy becomes more valuable to us. The older we get, maybe you better believe it. And maybe I'm just getting old. Um, but energy and of [inaudible] and that's really the thing I think that we start to clue in on is that energy is like the currency of life in the sense that you needed, you need energy to do the things you need to do on a day to day basis. Uh, whether you're self employed and entrepreneur met, whether you work for a company, whatever it is that you do, all of us start to realize that energy is such a valuable resource, um, that, that we use on such a day to day basis in the problem with those watching, if they're dealing with that, this same question, wanting to know the answer to the same question.
Speaker 1: (01:36)
So often what happens is we find ourselves spending our energy in areas that matter least, right? One of my favorite sayings is making sure we live our life in situate that we don't allow that which matters least to become subject to that which matters most, right? What I mean by that more specifically as like how many people can relate to feeling you're expanding your energy at work all day long. And then your family gets whatever's left, whatever leverage you spent by the end of the day. And so increasing energy is a really important topic. Well, and this is one of those topics also that relates to some of our prior episodes episodes. This isn't something that's just out of the blue. Generally it's our routines that are creating, whether, you know, if we have good energy, it's because of the routines we've created our lives. Occasionally you may have a health issues or other things going on and we're going to kind of talk about that here today.
Speaker 1: (02:26)
But more often than not, these are all things that are very simple for us to, uh, if we can establish the right routines in our lives, we can dramatically change how we feel on every front, right? Barring a few rare exceptions with health issues, you bet. Um, in this, in this category, it's typically not something that's like spontaneous out of the blue, like you said. You know, usually there's a very clear and obvious reason as to why people struggle with lack of energy. You Bet. Well, and, and even w with certain health struggles that, you know, make it difficult for people to sleep. There are all the things that we'll talk about today will impact that in a, in a beneficial way. Absolutely have. So, so we're going to be talking about three general categories. If you look at the most common culprits or causes behind why people deal with, uh, uh, fatigue, um, consistent fatigue, daily fatigue, we'll call it.
Speaker 1: (03:18)
There are three broad categories. So let's start with category number one. The first one is going to seem kind of like a Duh to obvious, little obvious. It's, people are not getting enough sleep, either enough sleep quantity and quality quantity and quality of sleep. And honestly, a lot of people don't even think, they don't even know what the actual, what they should be getting. You know, generally speaking, they say we should get somewhere between seven and 10. And I'll tell you right now, even though I tried to have a good sleep routine, um, I probably am on the lower end of that scale generally. And there have been times when I've struggled with sleep. Yeah. So, uh, yeah. And, and there's lots actually different things that can mess up some mezcals. Yeah. Like the subcategories. There's things like, first of all, by not getting it, but some people snore.
Speaker 1: (04:01)
I'll tell you right now, that's probably one of my issues is I think I might even have a little bit of apnea and I haven't yet been tested, but, um, the, I know that that's a, I certainly know I snore, bless my wife's heart, but um, you know, that's a huge thing for a lot of people not getting good sleep and honestly that, that one extrapolates into other negative health consequences as well. So that's something needs to be looked at. Um, the probably one of the biggest things that people screw up with as they have a terrible bedtime routine, poor, poor bedtime hygiene. Exactly. So it's just like, you know, we are very cyclical in nature, right. When if you get up everyday for work at six o'clock in the morning, um, even on the weekend, you're going to probably pop awake at six o'clock in the morning because your body's used to it.
Speaker 1: (04:47)
Right. All right. Sleep is no different. All right, we should be getting up. Even on the weekends we should get up at the same time. We should go to bed at the same time our bodies should we establish these patterns again hormonally and just sick likely where our bodies will start shutting down if we train them to do so. And I would say too, it's not even just an issue of timing in terms of sleep hygiene. It's also the specific things that we do prior to bad meeting. Exactly. If you're watching like a game of Thrones episode before bed and your adrenaline gets cranking up because there's something really intense or some sort of show like that or you're doing other things before bed that aren't necessarily conducive to allowing your body to unwind. Probably the biggest and, and what you're talking about is probably one of the very biggest right now as far as in our culture for both our children and ourselves.
Speaker 1: (05:35)
It's actually looking at screens, electronics, the bright lights from the screens actually stimulate our brain in such a way that it takes a few hours after they say you shouldn't be looking at a screen within two hours of going to bed. Right. All right. So that's one of those things, again, we're just getting our wavelengths and our brain cranking and, and so yeah, there are some simple work arounds. You know, they have special types of glasses you do, you can order on amazon.com that help block out the blue light from electronics, that type of light that's going to stimulate your brain inappropriately. Uh, before bed. I'm trying to remove electronics as best you can in general is going to be a huge help. You know, lowering light. Your body obviously, uh, begins that process. They actually, um, you know, your pituitary, they call it your third eye.
Speaker 1: (06:19)
Yeah. Any kind of light, even through your eyelids, um, will kind of mess with that and they sold as dark a room as you can make. It is going to be a huge benefit in your, in your behalf. Temperature, temperature, temperature, that's a big one, right? Um, cool. A cool room. They say a cool room. Even if you layer up with blankets, having a cool room will generally help people sleep better. Well, and something interesting about that is in general, this is a generalization, but typically women tend to want more warmth and guys typically want things a little bit cooler. There's a really cool, um, and we're not getting paid any sort of an affiliate commission for this or anything, but, uh, uh, there's a new product out there which I'm dying to get. We need to get one of these for our, our house.
Speaker 1: (06:57)
Cause I know this is the case with my wife and I, uh, they call it the chilly pad. And I know there's other iterations of it, but basically it's a climate control unit that you can separate between two people. You can have two distinct climate regions in your bed. And so one side you can crank up the temperature. So if it's a woman who tends to be colder than, than the man, uh, she can have a warmer side. A guy can have a cooler side and everybody can be happy and satisfied in terms of that. Cool. But yeah, so temperature is going to play a role there. Honestly, not eating too close to bedtime, that's going to be a volunteer. You will always notice that if you have a huge meal late at night, you're, you'll sleep very restlessly. Um, oftentimes that's, those are some of the reasons people suffer with heartburn.
Speaker 1: (07:36)
Um, and one of the other, I would say probably the, a super big a culprit for many people is they drink too much before bed, so they're waking up having to pee one or more times throughout the night. So those, those are probably some of the biggest, um, reasons for poor sleep. You know, like the most common quality and quantity. The thing that I would say about sleep, I learned this early on clinically seeing patients is there's a very intimate connection between sleep or lack there of uh, chronic pain and chronic mental health problems like depression and anxiety. There is such a, I call it kind of the ugly triad, people who deal with and struggle with either anxiety or depression, people who struggle with pain problems and people who struggle with a sleep related issues. And so one of the first very most simple therapeutic interventions that I learned firsthand clinically is really doing everything in my power to help patients get better sleep.
Speaker 1: (08:30)
If you can improve their sleep, that's your body's primary restorative state. That's where your body does the vast majority of its healing, uh, of its restoration. You know, in terms of regenerating and creating all of various building blocks in hormones that your body needs to, um, to manage itself, you know, on a day to day basis. So sleep supercritical sleep's huge. So, all right, our second, uh, kind number two sub category or a, I guess, yeah. Sub or common reasons. Reasons behind poor poor, a fatigue. Sleep. Yeah. Sleep is number one. Number two, number two, metabolic reasons, metabolic reasons. All right? So, um, how many times have you laid awake at night because you're stressed out of your mind or you're thinking about stuff in your brain won't shut down and, and then, and then you get frustrated because I'm not sleeping again. And so you create this vicious cycle of frustration and anxiety and stress, and then, or even more, you've slept during the night or so you think, and yet you're still dead tired every morning.
Speaker 1: (09:27)
I am not a quote unquote morning person, right? Or you go throughout the day and you hit a wall, then, then you're just spent the rest of the day, you know, these are all. And then on top of that, you know, all the other signs and symptoms of other metabolic issues. So for women especially, it might be things like changes with your hair. Maybe you're losing hair, losing eyebrows, all of these kind of telltale signs of maybe thyroid problems, right? Skin, uh, your nails are more brittle. Uh, you feel cold in your extremities all the time, you know, all these common issues. And they can be tied back to thyroid problems, which we've talked about in one of our previous episodes. And or adrenal problems are stress hormones. Um, you know, and then other metabolic conditions and problems, things like diabetes, um, being overweight is obviously going to, uh, impact that negatively.
Speaker 1: (10:13)
Absolutely. Absolutely. So, yeah, when it comes to, you know, just we all deal with, um, I think everyone deals with stress in their life, but some people certainly have a lot more, uh, it weighs on him, hit more heavier at times or more heavily at times. And so, I mean, if that's something you're always worried about are always stressing, you know, make sure you go and see someone, get checked out, make sure your stress hormones are functioning appropriately, and make sure that's not one of the barriers preventing you from getting good rest. And if nothing else, you know, in terms of what you can do in empowering, uh, our, our listeners to do something right now, you know, uh, making any sort of positive change as you can to your diet is always going to be something really powerful that you can do. That'll help, especially with metabolic issues, you know, um, I mean it should make perfectly common sense to people that if you're carrying extra weight that your body wasn't intended to carry, that's going to create a certain level of fatigue that's going to create a drain on your resources, namely energy, right?
Speaker 1: (11:09)
It's going to be huge. Right? So, um, so that's number two, metabolic problems, the number three, our third. And I'm thinking most everybody has suffered with this at one time or another. And it's pain. Yeah. All right. There is a huge number of people that, you know, they toss and turn all night long and every time they have to roll over, they're in excruciating pain, right? And so every time they toss and turn, they wake up. And so they don't, that's where they may be in bed for 12 hours, but they don't get any kind of restful sleep. They don't ever hit that are different. You know, you've heard of different sleep cycles, um, the different phases of sleep and you need to make sure you hit all of them to be able to get that restorative sleep, that repairative sleep. So if you're in pain or you suffer from chronic pain, it's, you know, there's, again, there's a lot of things you can hit.
Speaker 1: (11:53)
Make sure you're eating appropriately because what we eat affects how much pain we're in. You band, make sure you're treating your body right, exercise, make sure you're getting the right fueling. You know, like we talk about frequently is make sure you're feeling yourself correctly and then get help if outside of outside of that, you know, like that's what we work with people every day is pain, you know, help them manage that in a, in a healthy way. And one of the most common questions, I don't know about you, but one of the most common questions that I've been asked clinically over the years, um, that I wish I had a more satisfying answer for patients with is what type of mattress should I sleep? You get that question right? Which mattress is the best mattress? Right? That's kind of like saying that, that's kind of like the question, which car is the best car?
Speaker 1: (12:35)
Yeah. Right. And so, uh, that answer, you know, I wish I had a more concrete like, oh, hands down, it's this mattress, you know, and as much as marketers want to paint this picture for you, that there is one best mattress above all, really at the end of the day, what I always tell patients is it really depends upon what's going to suit your needs best. And so I say do your research. I actually lay on the bed, you know, most mattress companies out there will have some sort of an in house trial period where you can try it for a period of 30 or 60 days or whatever. Um, but I just see, do enough research in terms of what you feel is going to be best for you because there is no one size bed fits. All I know were saying was pillows. Pillows. Exactly. Um, and so it's going to be one of those things where really what works best for you?
Speaker 1: (13:17)
I would say, um, the one piece of advice that I would say is don't skimp on a bed. Don't go and try and find the cheapest deal for bed. I mean you spend, how much of your life, a significant part, I mean literally half of your life you spend on that thing. So don't like it to me is always been surprising how people want to cut corners and, and, and not pay for that. And yet they'll, they'll, they'll go above and beyond and buy a car. You know, they'll, they'll have no problem forking out 40, $50,000 for a car, but when it comes to a bed, let's keep it under $500 because anything above that is like an extravagant expansion, I would say. You know what? Uh, go for a quality mattress, one that, you know, um, they've really done a good job producing, you know, and there's a lot, my wife and I, we personally, and again, this is no a endorsement, affiliate endorsement.
Speaker 1: (14:02)
We sleep on the purple mattress. I think we were sold on the marketing. If you saw the commercial shirt, the goldilocks commercial social, really funny. Um, we'd love it is a great mattress. Um, it's been, it's been a great mattress for us. But um, but there's others too that I know that are out there that are really, really good. But I would just simply say that's my one piece of advice to really try and find one she can sleep on. Yeah, don't go cheap. Um, be willing to invest in that because it's worth the investment. It will pay huge dividends. You Bet. So pain. So yeah. So what, what are they again? So sleep obviously all these diff, the routine really, that's huge. Don't set yourself up for success because you are completely in control of your routine, right? Just like you brush your teeth at night, set yourself up for sleep hygiene, learned to shut your mind down slowly so it knows when to go to sleep.
Speaker 1: (14:44)
And then one other thing I'll add into that real quick too, in terms of your hygiene routine at the end, getting habit too, of journaling in the evening, reflect on the day, focus on what's been good for the day. You know, we talk about that in the morning. Journaling in the morning is a powerful tool. It's just as powerful at night in terms of kind of reflecting on the day, looking at, you know, and for those who maybe are religious looking at kind of things through a religious lens, you know, seeing God's hand in your life and those things. For those who maybe aren't religious focus on gratitude, what went right that day? What was good that day? What were you really pleased with with the day he focused on it. That puts you into a proper state as well as a really powerful tool as well. So yeah, putting your mind right.
Speaker 1: (15:19)
Yeah. So sleep in terms of your sleep, routine, quality and quantity of sleep. Number one, why else are people tired? Uh, the metabolic reset, Pollock issues. We'll make sure. Yeah, make sure your body's function and right on the, on the internal side. And then the lastly is if you're, if you're in a lot of pain figured out, fix it. Yeah. Getting to the root of it. Get the help, get the help you need, not just symptom relief. It really fixed the problems. Absolutely. Get them fixed and there is a way to fix them. They're really a cell. We help patients each and every day at our clinic. So, uh, hopefully this has been valuable for you guys. Hopefully this has given you maybe a little bit of insight and answer as to maybe why you're dealing with fatigue, maybe why you're tired all the time and if you know somebody that's tired all the time, maybe this can help them as well. So, um, yeah, share this with him and we will talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a great day.
Speaker 2: (16:04)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on in Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode 19 of the Health Fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be talking about a surprising discovery or theory behind your lack of motivation. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:16)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:36)
So, hey everybody, on today's episode we came across something kind of interesting. Uh, there's a new study or uh, I don't want a new theory, I guess, um, that they're looking into and studying as to one potential cause behind lack of motivation. And this is a really important subject because, uh, at the end of the day when we talk about making changes to our health and improvements, that's where it all begins. That's where the rubber hits the road, right? If what's, you know, you were just chatting with the patient the other day, right? Who was struggling with depression. Oh yeah. Is that right? And what was the challenge here? Uh, they, they didn't want to get out and do anything. Right. They, but they knew intellectually. Right. They knew intellectually that exercise helps that eating better helps. Yeah. Getting, moving, getting social, doing, you know, a lot of these different things.
Speaker 1: (01:34)
But, but the problem was they couldn't do it. They'll just come motivation. They cry. They couldn't push themselves to do it. Right. Man, it's, it's, it's crazy. So, well and this, and it's funny cause this very same person and I, and I, and I'm not trying to pick on them at all. So in the wintertime when it was cold and nasty, it was, oh, I can't wait for the longest. The Sun Sunny warm days. Right, right. And then I'm going to get out and I'm going to walk and I'm gonna, I'm gonna move and start doing things. And then in the first, the first thing they said to me was, oh, it's too hot. I can't get out and do anything anymore. I'm like, no, that's not acceptable. Right. Like, sorry, the sunshine is out. You need as you need to get up earlier then or do you need to go late in the evening?
Speaker 1: (02:16)
Yeah. It was like you have to force yourself to do it because, yeah. It's, you know, it's interesting. Um, and I, and I learned this a lot from a book that I've read that I always have applied to so many areas of life. Uh, it's called the willpower instinct by Kelly mcgonigal. I probably talked about it already on the podcast. Um, but we as human beings and there's research to back this up, which is kind of crazy, but we always have this tendency of wanting to live our best life in terms of health in the future and not in the president. Sure. Cause it's always easier, right? Because it's, this is almost like this magical fantasy land where in the future we have way more motivation. We have way more energy, we have way more money, money, time, resources. Everything is easier and, or better.
Speaker 1: (03:03)
Uh, in the future, we don't have the same, uh, constraints that we have now. Right? And so, um, this, this study was actually, um, uh, done by Emory health sciences. And here's what they basically said. They said, uh, they have a kind of prevailing theory that chronic inflammation might drive down dopamine and motivations. They said a new, uh, computational method will allow scientists to measure the effects of chronic inflammation on energy availability and effort based decision making. The method may yield insights into how chronic low grade inflammation contributes to motivational impairments in some cases of depression, schizophrenia and other medical disorders. And so, uh, in English, basically what they're saying is that the cause or the culprit in many instances behind a lack of motivation is chronic inflammation, which when you think about it shouldn't come across as too necessarily surprising rising at all, really.
Speaker 1: (04:05)
Right. So what's the deal with inflammation? What's the, what's the issue there? Let's just kind of break it down to and when, what inflammation does to our bodies. So inflammation generally means you're going to hurt. If you have inflammation in a joint, that joint is going to hurt. If it's in your back, your back is going to hurt. If it's in your head, it's going to hurt, right? Inflammation creates pain, and pain in and of itself has an incredible way of diminishing motivation, right? It's crippling, especially chronic pain, right? Pain is, you know, it, it just beats people down, right? It takes it like Rob's their hope that they can ever not be in pain, right? So the, you know, that's the first part is it really, it'd beat you up. Will, and, and, and, and I think too, there's something to be said for a chronic inflammation, uh, puts stress on the body.
Speaker 1: (04:54)
It's a stressor. And when we're in that state, it's like we're in a survival mode, in a chronic survival mode. Our body is just trying to survive. You can look at all the, the, um, bodies, you know, the functional systems in our body, our cardiovascular. If we have inflammation in our cardiovascular system, what happens? You get atherosclerosis yet, right? We get plaquing. All right. That's our body's defense against inflammation is lacking. Right. All right. In our lungs, if we have inflammation, we get asthma. We can't breathe well. Yeah. Okay. In our joints, if we have chronic inflammation, they become like a generation much, much more quickly. Yeah. In our brains, same time, you know, it's like that's when the amyloid plaques and different things are building up. Like it creates disease processes in every part of our bodies. So it, I mean it makes sense that if you have a chronic inflammation throughout your body over long periods of time that it's going to just rob you of energy.
Speaker 1: (05:51)
It's going to rob you of desire, it's going to run it because you feel crummy. You know? Again, that hope we talked a few I episodes ago about how important having hope is for improving yourself. Right. We'll in there and there's something to be said too, about just the chemistry in our brain and how that plays a role in all those areas. And so chronic inflammation is most definitely going to create altered states of brain chemistry. It is, and that's what they're saying here, right? Is that it's going to lower dopamine. Dopamine is a very misunderstood brain, chemical or hormone in the brain, neurotransmitter, whatever you want to call it. Um, oftentimes people think that dopamine is a reward hormone and it's not necessarily that what it is. The way I've always understood it in the way I've always explained it is it's an anticipatory hormone.
Speaker 1: (06:39)
It's the hormone that helps you see things through for, for this, for the simple fact of the anticipation of the rumor, right? That's how dopamine kicks in is if you feel like something good is going to happen, right? If you want to know why runners love running so much and how dopamine plays a role, dopamine is not the, uh, the, the euphoria necessarily that people think of, or the a, what's the term they use after running the runner's high? That the runner's high or the A, what's the term that they use? Um, uh, the, the, uh, oh, I know what you're saying. Yeah. I'm trying to think of the term there. Uh, it'll, it'll come to me. We'll, but, but the, you know what I mean? All the, all the different, you know, happy chemicals in the brain, the uh, oh golly, this is going to drive me crazy.
Speaker 1: (07:28)
Um, but, but it's not that what it is. Dopamine serves a role too to help propel people forward because they're anticipating the good feelings, right? All those different things. And so, um, so dopamine plays a really powerful role in motivation because it's the thing that helps propel you forward and push you forward because of the excitement, the hope, the anticipation of the positive outcome that you're looking for. Right? And so, um, when inflammation starts to alter these sorts of things, it's no wonder people deal with a lot of these issues. And the thing that I couldn't help but think is, uh, it's no wonder people struggle with these things because it becomes this kind of negative spiral, right? Things start to just naturally spiral out of control. You feel trapped. So yeah. Hurt you don't sleep good. Yeah, because you don't sleep good. You have no energy to get out and start moving and doing.
Speaker 1: (08:23)
And I was actually just going to pose the question. You know what? There's a lot of different ways for tackling inflammation. Yeah. The probably least least longterm effective and potentially most harmful would be what we all are when we reach for our Advil or for some other anti-inflammatory. But, um, you know, really if, if we kind of scale things back to thinking about doing the right thing in the right order for the right amount of time when it comes to inflammation in almost all circumstances. And, and I don't off the top of my head and just that there may be a rare exception. It really comes down to what we're eating initially. I like the, the, the baseline thing to approach in any kind of inflammatory state is what are we eating and how is that affecting our body and what you know, because that is going to have the most profound effect.
Speaker 1: (09:14)
Movement is going to be probably a, you know, right up there right after it. But if we don't have the chemical part inside of us, um, you know, that what we're eating and the processes that are, that are kicked into play, whether it be anti-inflammatory or inflammatory, you know, if we're not eating right, that we can't ever hope to get on top of inflammatory issues. If all we keep doing is throwing fuel on the fire with terrible food. Absolutely right. So, I mean, if I could say, I mean this is, it's, it's very, um, it's encouraging and scary at the same time to think like, oh cause there's a lot of people who deal with chronic inflammation. There are autoimmune conditions that create, you know, chronic inflammation. And, uh, but still when you, when you really think about it, you know, even if you are someone who has been beat down with some sort of autoimmune, uh, issue that makes it very hard for you to not be inflamed, the number one thing that you could do to help that would be to eat an antiinflammatory diet.
Speaker 1: (10:15)
Right? And I don't want to get into that now cause we could talk for probably five. We could talk for five different episodes on different things with respect to diet and things we could eat or not eat. Um, you know, to, to affect that. But, um, I would say an anti inflammatory diet in an in fact, I can't even think of a scenario where that wouldn't be the first place you would want to go. Right, right. So yeah, I would s I would say that I would say one other area, uh, is getting good sleep. Yes. You know, improving diet is going to be probably like you said, that's going to be that foundational baseline first line of defense in terms of helping reduce chronic inflammation. Obviously there's some supplements that you can add into that that can have a role, you know, fish oils.
Speaker 1: (10:58)
Oh, sure. Uh, being a really simple one to help combat. Um, I would also say just, and maybe just following that as just activity increasing. And I'm not necessarily saying you have to hit the gym and start, you know, you know, pounding the pavement in that regard. But just increasing your activity, whether it be a nice, just a gentle easy walk. In the mornings or the evenings or just doing more than you were doing increasing activity as an incredible way for dumping stress, which will also help decrease inflammation. Even if it was something as simple as getting outside and getting exposure to sunlight. Absolutely. Countless studies have shown the power of vitamin D and what that can do to help with pain to help kind of get, we're looking for motivation here. Yeah. These are little steps that you can make to kind of, to, to, to really just spur that, that motivation into action.
Speaker 1: (11:50)
Well, and if, if I can be quite honest and vulnerable here for people who are listening here, this is something that I'm acutely aware of, um, because it's something that I have struggled with, um, throughout my life. Truly it has. And specifically, um, it's something I can, I can really relate to because this past year, as you know, was probably one of the most challenging years of my entire life. Um, my wife has dealt with, uh, for years, a lot of chronic health issues. Specifically this past year. Uh, she dealt with very severe insomnia. I mean, it was, it's the worst it's ever been. And so that had a major negative impact on me and my ability obviously to get sleep if my wife's not sleeping. Um, and, and trying to help her and whatnot. And so what that did for me was that led to, uh, a lot of other issues, um, in terms of feeling less energy in the morning, feeling a traumatic lack of motivation in the mornings to, to really do much of anything.
Speaker 1: (12:49)
And then that kind of led to a negative, you know, cycle of, of other things as well. And so the one thing I can say is for me, if I were to pinpoint, well, what was it that really helped, well, obviously my wife's sleep, uh, has improved, but it wasn't overnight, number one. And I did start to make some positive changes and steps in the right direction. And I would say the biggest thing for me that personally helped, and I don't know what your experience has been in this, but is, is breaking it down into bite size pieces. Um, I think that's one of the biggest things, uh, that I have found that is really challenging when you're in that place of not feeling motivated is feeling like the world's just throwing with, throwing on your shoulders this laundry list of things you need to do, right?
Speaker 1: (13:33)
Well, if you're going to increase your motivation, need to change your diet, you need to detox. You need to go run a mile, you need to do this, you need to do, you know, Dah, Dah, Dah, Dah, Dah. And before, you know what, you've just got this overwhelming list of things that you know you ought to do. Um, but what I've come to find is one of the simplest ways, uh, for me, any ways to improve that area is to break things down into really simple, you know, just steps, simple, simple steps. Like, okay, I'm gonna get up early, I'm going to brush my teeth, I'm going to wash my face. I'm going to, uh, just get out and start walking and start moving. Uh, and then from there I'm going to break my workout down so that I'm not going to do a full hour and I'm just going to do a 10 minute workout.
Speaker 1: (14:16)
Um, and I, you know, I'm going to go run for just a little bit. I'm going to, you know, read something that's going to inspire me. I'm going to write my journal, I'm going to do simple little things step by step, and I'm going to take them one step at a time. I'm not going to think about the whole thing. I'm just going to do one little thing at a time, you know? And that was a huge thing for me in terms of helping rekindle some of that motivation. Um, and get back into some of those patterns. Um, positive patterns, I guess. Any thoughts you have? Nope. Nope. I just, you know, uh, I just would hope that you would take some sort of action. Yeah, that's kind of why I wanted to throw out some ideas as, yeah. You know, if you're, if you're one of those folks that just are feeling like I have no energy or no drive to get out and do something, just do something, do a little something because the, those little bitty steps of action create more motivation and more willpower and more drive and, and, and one sure.
Speaker 1: (15:10)
Fire Way to, to kill motivation even further as to beat yourself up. Oh yeah. You know? And so that's, that's another good point that you bring up there. You know, if something is powerful yeah. Up just a little, little something, anything it can help and build on it. Yeah. And just, yeah, exactly. Build from where you're at. Start where you're at, you know. Yeah. We're not expecting, you know, this overnight a revolution, you know? So anyways, uh, yeah, so, so people struggling with motivation, you know, a good place to look at at at least, you know, they say in theory, but I think we could take it further than just theory, you know, is inflammation, right? What can you do to reduce inflammation? Um, and I think we've given maybe some good practical insights as to some things you might be able to do to begin that process and hopefully then the idea is sustain it, right? So, uh, thank you guys so much for listening. Hope this has been valuable for you guys and we'll talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a great day.
Speaker 2: (16:05)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on in Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode 18 of the health fundamentals podcast. On today's episode, we're going to be talking about new research that shows that just one thing can dramatically increase or decrease your likelihood of back surgery. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:19)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr. Chad Woolner and I'm Dr. Buddy Alan. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:39)
So here everybody on today's episode, we want to share with you a relatively new study that came out that shares something pretty powerful when you crazy. When you, when you first heard the statistics of this study, what were your thoughts? What were your impressions? Well, first it didn't surprise me, um, just because it didn't, but it did it. Yeah. Well, it didn't because just from practical experience throughout the years with patients on a, and I kind of suspected this to be the case, but it did surprise me in that it was coming from a journal. Well, the general dedication from medical journal. Yeah. Yeah. Well we'll that and I would see too, the thing that surprised me was, uh, the actual numbers, the statistics, the odds, you know, that the difference is, is crazy. So it's not just a little bit, no, it's huge. It's huge.
Speaker 1: (01:29)
So, so what we're talking about is a study that was actually published back in 2013, uh, in the spine journal. A spine is a very well known reputable medical journal. Um, and over the years actually spine has, has had some really incredible research supporting chiropractic care and other conservative approaches for dealing with problems like back pain. Right. Um, but what they did, the study was, it was titled Early predictors of Lumbar Spine surgery after occupational back surgery results from a perspective study of workers in Washington state. And so basically what they did was they looked at a variety of different factors. And One specifically, one factor that they really honed in on was what was your likelihood of having back surgery if you sustained a back injury at work. And the one factor they looked at was did you first see a surgeon for your consultation after, you know, w per to, uh, as, as your doctor, as the, as the portal of entry doctor that you saw or did you see a chiropractor?
Speaker 1: (02:32)
And here are the, here are the statistics. I'll read it straight from the, from the results of the study here. Uh, they said 42.7% of workers who first saw a surgeon had surgery in contrast to only 1.5% of those who saw a chiropractor. That's insane. That's crazy. So basically saying roughly almost 50% mean 42 we'll, we'll round up, you know, nearly 50%, uh, had surgery but saw a surgeon first. So I mean, that's like flipping a coin and basically saying, will you have surgery or not? You know, you've got a 50, 50 chance versus if you were to see a chiropractor, hardly anybody 1.5%. You know, in the past we've talked about the system being broken. And again, and I don't necessarily blame doctors, I blamed the system that they're set up in there. There are certain protocols that have been established and they have to do things within kind of the accepted, um, care that is going on at the time.
Speaker 1: (03:40)
And so, you know, docs do what is kind of expected of you, Ben. So, so again, it's not necessarily all of their faults, it's the system that, that were kind of set up in. Yeah. And you actually said it before we even started. You know, there's this funny little saying that we heard, I think the first time I ever heard it was in chiropractic college was, um, when you're a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. Yeah. All right. So if you're a surgeon, his, his tools of, of curing people are knifes. Yeah. So if there's knives that are, what, that's what he uses. So everything that the, the lens through which he sees, he looks at everything as, I could fix this by cutting this and fixing this paradigm. That's just, that's all they understand. Yup. Uh, here's an interesting quote. It kind of along these same lines.
Speaker 1: (04:26)
Uh, and again, that's the thing. Hopefully that people who, whether you've been listening to our podcast for quite some time, or just kind of getting to know us and our approach, understand we're, we're pretty moderate in the way we look at things. And the reason being is because we find that most extremes lead people astray. Um, you know, there's a place for medicine. There's a place for Chiropractic, there's a place for acupuncture and massage, and there's a place for, um, just about every proven type of, of treatment, modality and approach out there. You know, there's a time for conservative care, you know, and that should always be first. We should always exhaust conservative options first, but um, understand we're not anti-medicine, but we do have to acknowledge the truth, the, the painful truth that right now the system is broken and that there are a lot of, um, powers that be right now that want to maintain a broken system because there's a lot of money to be made in a broken system.
Speaker 1: (05:23)
Here's an interesting quote by a Dr Marsha Angle and I think I'm pronouncing that right. Angel Ange Angle. Uh, she used to be the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. So somebody who, who knows why the Pequot yeah, she said it is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. And so the problem that we're seeing here is that what so many in that realm take as authoritative, you know, this is the standard, this is the protocol. This is the, you know, bet these are the best practices. Um, what we're finding is that in many instances, not always, but in many instances, that's not really the case. You know, and I would say especially what the overwhelming research has, has shown time and time again, is that the best approach for back pain is to always start conservative.
Speaker 1: (06:30)
And that's not, this is not some sort of a propaganda piece for us to say, heck, Rah chiropractic. And that's the only thing, um, because, because at our clinic, we utilize a lot of different tools. You Bet. Physio therapy, we use exercise, stretching and massage there. Yeah. But what we are saying is the research has shown loud and clear that you should always start conservative and then move forward from there. And the problem is that I think sometimes, uh, in, in with certain doctors is that they, they look at, like if we are to ratchet the system, right? If we were looking at a ratcheting system one through 10 in terms of conservative, most conservative, all the way up to like most invasive, right? Uh, the, the problem that happens, I think, uh, and you tell me your experience, Dr. Allen, is that many medical doctors will start at one and two and then they'll skip three, four, five, six, seven, eight and go, you know, and nine and go straight to 10.
Speaker 1: (07:26)
And what I mean by that is, is they'll look at the patient, they'll say, well, have you tried Advil? Well, yeah, we try to Advil. And have you tried some home stretching? Yeah, I've tried that. Okay. Those didn't work. So now it's time for us to go straight to cortisone injections and, or surgery. Right. When in reality it's like, there were tons of other options in there. There you could've tried massage, you could have tried acupuncture, huge, could've tried chiropractic. You as a could of tried physical therapy. You could have tried some sort of nutrition or better yet, what you could have and should have done is an integrated approach. Well, and honestly, even when it comes to the, uh, whether it be physical therapy or Chiropractic, you know, frequently I've seen a recommendations and I don't, and I don't blame the doctors per se.
Speaker 1: (08:06)
They just don't understand. There'll be like, I'm here, we want to send you to the physical therapist or the chiropractor for a four visits over the next two weeks, two weeks, you know, to fix this, to, to fix your back problem that's been going on for 10 years. Oh, you met. Or maybe one that you just destroyed right at the, on the job. You know, and it's like they don't, they don't have a true understanding of how, what kind of time it takes to actually, in most cases, even with a terrible things like disc herniations, the research indicates that given time with very few exceptions, right? Um, those will heal and you will not have to go under the knife and you will not have to do super invasive things. There are other alternatives. You, you may have to undergo some pain for a little bit longer or you know, and, and really kind of just again, be patient and, and not only have to undergo pain and be patient, but also have to work, you bet.
Speaker 1: (09:00)
Have to be actively engaged in and be a part of a process that may not necessarily be as convenient as popping a few pills or you know, being put under general sedation and sleeping through a procedure that that doesn't require any effort on your part whatsoever. The problem though is people that wind up going down those roads pay the price in the long run. Unfortunately, you know, um, back surgery has such a lousy track record. Tara, you know, and again, we're not talking about some sort of a personal bias here. We're talking about just looking at the research. What the research shows loud and clear is that back surgeries, the vast majority of them out there don't have good outcomes. They just don't. And when they do, it's very short lived. Right, right. Yeah, exactly. Which I long term, again, we're looking at longterm. You know, that's the sad part with and, and, and I've heard patients, um, share the exact words that, that their surgeon said, you know, do you want to be in pain every day for the rest of your life using fear attack?
Speaker 1: (09:58)
Yeah. Using fear tactics. And it's like, you know, I can certainly, you know, if someone had a disc herniation and you did surgery, the likelihood of getting them out of that nerve pain very quickly is, is really, really good. But the, the long term of that is, guess what? Now you are going to have a chronic back pain forever and it's going to get worse and many of those symptoms will come back. Right. So, yeah. So I think the big take home that we want people to understand about this is I think it's fairly safe for us to kind of extrapolate the meaning of this to a much broader, uh, group. And that is most people, whether you're cause for those listening or watching this podcast right now, they might be thinking, you know what? I don't, I don't work at a job where I experienced back issues or if I'm at risk for uh, developing on the job injuries or whatever.
Speaker 1: (10:49)
I don't think that's really a point of, of the emphasis of what we're trying to say here. I think what we're trying to really say here, um, the real take home is regardless of what type of work you do, if you're dealing with the back issue, if you've just come, if you've just started to develop back issues, understand that these statistics I think are pretty telling number one and I think could to some degree be broadly applied that look, if you first go to a medical doctor and or a surgeon, the likelihood of surgery is going to be dramatically higher. Absolutely. Or, or even medications. You know, right now we're, we're battling a huge epidemic with the opiate opioid, um, you know, crisis that we have with people overdosing. You know, the, the, the statistics are in sounding yas, downing and again, if you, if you go to somebody who that's their tools, again, I don't fault them per se in the fact that that's all they know.
Speaker 1: (11:44)
Yeah. They're doing what they know how to do. Exactly. So, yeah, and, and what we're talking about really in terms of really addressing the root cause, there is something far deeper than this podcast episode. You know, we're talking about an overhaul of the system. Again in terms of education, in terms of, you know, training in terms of, you know, uh, integration, you know, ideally what we should see. If we could wave a magic wand, um, and, and have a as near perfect as possible system in place. What it would look like is an integrated system. You'd see a lot more doctors collaborating together. But the challenge and problem there isn't just the powers that be, it's also the egos that be sure you know, that, uh, you know about this. I mean really looked at these numbers again, 42.7%, you know, seeing the surgeon more likely more likely than if you were to see a Cairo, a chiropractor in this particular study that is 41 times greater chance that you have of going under the knife at least if you had just started at a different starting point, right, of the a better starting point.
Speaker 1: (12:50)
Right? So, you know, those are just, um, I would say think about the tools that the of the doctor that you're going to see and you know, that gives you a pretty good indication of the path that you're probably going down. We, Elena and I would say this, you know, there's, there's one of the things that we try and help patients understand in terms of helping kindle a certain level of hope within them is that it's never too late. It's never too late to make the right decision. That being said though, one other thing that we tell patients is that you're never going to arrive in the right destination if you get on the wrong path. The wrong, the wrong path can never lead to the right outcome. And so that's the thing is just understand this, that, that starting with the right path in the first place dramatically increases the likelihood that you're going to end up in the right place.
Speaker 1: (13:37)
Right? So, um, you know, chiropractic has such a solid track record for being a very safe and very effective approach to helping manage a wide range of different back and, or spine related problems. And so it should make sense, um, to start there. And, and the, the interesting thing is that chiropractic in and of itself can to some degree be fairly polarizing. Um, and it obviously depends on who you're talking to. Um, but if you just, again, if you just look at the research, there is such a solid body of research now that is showing loud and clear just how effective and how safe chiropractic is. And so that would be the big take home here is start conservative first, whether that's a chiropractor or a physical therapist or an acupuncturist or a massage therapist for heaven sake. Um, start conservative and recognize that you always have room to, to kind of advance further, but, but the other take home that I would say kind of along the same lines take into consideration two really important factors.
Speaker 1: (14:48)
If you're in, let's say like you're somebody who's dealing with back pain and you just don't feel like you're getting the results and maybe you're starting to consider resorting to more invasive things like surgery. Understand this number one, what Dr. Allen already kind of hinted at or just straight up said is give it more time. Have you given it enough time and enough time? What would, what would you say in terms of time, enough time would constitute a fair go in your, in your experience depending on the injuries, but I mean, something like a disc, I would say six months to a year, honestly. Like give it enough time. Shoulders, that's not unreasonable shoulders. Um, uh, even tendinitis to, I mean, I've had tennis elbow mysel can be sit, took stubborn year with, with, uh, with therapy and everything to settle down. And you know, it's like I never had to get a steroid injection.
Speaker 1: (15:38)
I never have to do anything invasive. And it finally settled down and I, and I'm great, you know? But I would say just be patient, give it time. So I would say number one, give it time. And then number two, the other question that you want to ask yourself if you're contemplating moving forward into more aggressive approaches is have you done a ace? Has the approach been sufficiently comprehensive? Yes. Meaning, you know, again, going back to one of the, one of the things we say, the helion equation is what the right thing in the right order for the right amount of time, the right things in the right order for the right amount of time. Right? So are we doing the right things together in the right order? Right. And so that's the thing is it may be because we see patients like this all the time, right?
Speaker 1: (16:20)
Where they, I tried this, I tried this, I tried this, I tried this, and none of them worked. And oftentimes we look at some of the things they tried and we know those are things that do help and do work. And so oftentimes, maybe it's just the fact that you were doing the right things together in the right combination, you know, so if you're somebody who's like, I've been trying chiropractic care and it just hasn't been working or I've been trying physical therapy and it just hasn't been working, or I've tried this, whatever you name, whatever that modality is, consider integrating the approach, meaning, okay, I'm going to use chiropractic with active care and rehab as well as massage and you know, make some changes dietarily, you know, increase, incorporate some supplements and this other tool or whatever. But really expanding the, the, um, uh, the, the, the comprehensiveness if that's a word of, of your approach.
Speaker 1: (17:13)
And I think more often than not, what you will find is that that will help you, uh, and, and prevent you from needing to take further steps and, and, uh, and venturing more into the less conservative realm. So anything else you want to add? No, that's pretty, uh, pretty much sums it up. Okay. Yeah. So just remember, man, the, the one, one thing, just one thing, we'll either dramatically increase the odds of surgery or decrease in that is whether you see a surgeon first or a chiropractor first, 42.7% of those people that the surgeon got surgery man, almost half, almost half versus 1.5 nearly hardly, hardly anybody. [inaudible] it's pretty sad. It's astounding. It's very sobering. So anyways, I hope this has been valuable for you guys. Hope you guys learned something and maybe gave you a new kind of way of viewing this and maybe a paradigm shift. Um, if you know others that could benefit, share this with them and we look forward to sharing more with you guys on the next episode. We'll talk to you later.
Speaker 2: (18:20)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr Buddy Alan. And this is episode 17 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode we're going to be discussing the number one secret to improving brain function. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So he, everybody hope you're having an awesome day. Today we're going to be talking about improving brain function. This is a really important subject. I don't think there could be perhaps any more important in terms of our health because everything starts with the brain, right? Bet. So to set the stage for this, uh, you know, it, it wasn't that long ago that, uh, the, the best and the brightest, uh, in, in the realms of health care and science believed and taught that the brain was very rigid in the sense that you can't really change it all that much. You're born with it. You're born with the brain cells you're born with. And that if something happens, if you have damage to the brain, tough luck, um, you're kind of out of options. It's not going to change all that much. And yet, what is the latest science telling us, um, later?
Speaker 1: (01:25)
The more recent science basically is telling us, our brains are more plastic in nature, meaning that we can recreate pathways that may be, have been damaged or, um, disconnected, if you will. You know, there's, we can continually learn and we can improve. And, and then the reason the study that we're sharing is kind of exciting and important is, um, people, you know, sometimes there are genetic reasons why people have, um, yeah, you know, dementia and, or Alzheimer's or other conditions, right? So if, if you know that there's a little predisposition within your family tree, wouldn't it be nice to know that there are things that you could do on a preventative basis? Absolutely. Yeah. Well, and, and, and, and I think that kind of goes to another subject that we could probably dive deep into, but we were not going to, for the sake of this episode, uh, this concept, it's, it's relatively new, is this idea of what they call Epi genetics.
Speaker 1: (02:20)
Yes. Um, you know, old school science taught us, you know, that your genes where your destiny that you either you were, you were either born with bad genes, are born with good genes. And, uh, there's the old joke that we purred before, you know that the patient who is overweight goes to the doctor and says, well, diabetes runs in my family. And the doctors snarky response back is, well, no, the problem is no one runs in your family. You know, and so ha ha ha. You know, not to make light of, of, uh, diabetes or obesity or anything like that. But the idea is, uh, old school science said these are your genes. This is what you were given. Um, tough luck. You've got some bad ones. It's kind of like a, you know, like a Russian roulette, so to speak, genetic Russian roulette. If you're lucky, you got a good cocktail.
Speaker 1: (03:06)
Right? Right. Yeah, exactly. You got you. You were dealt a good hand, uh, in terms of your genes, but actually what the latest research is showing us in the realm of what they call epigenics. The way I describe it to patients is, and this may not be the most accurate, but at least it makes sense to me is a, think of it like a graphic equalizer on a stereo. You know, if you've got a fancy equalizer where you can shift and change all the different frequencies and whatnot. Uh, that's to a large extent, how are our genes are now being described is with epigenetics based off of environmental factors. We can turn certain genes up, we can turn certain genes down or the expression of those genes, we can turn up, we can turn down, we can turn on and we can turn off certain ones.
Speaker 1: (03:46)
And so there's a lot of different things that we can do proactively to change the expression of our DNA, of who it is, who we are at our, at our very essence. Right. So, so what does this study say? And with that we'll kind of do the, uh, the drum roll. What's the number one secret to improving brain function? According to this study? According to this study, it is exercise and not just exercise, but moderate exercise. Moderate. All right. So, um, and I think moderate. I would use the term interchangeable with it. Consistent exercise. Well, and that kind of goes later in this study is, yeah, they're there. What they're saying is a single episode or a seam, a single exercise routine of moderate exercise can have immediate effects on your brain, on your memory, on your ability to recall. Um, and the, and what they're saying is over time they postulated or expect that this will make dramatic differences longterm in your, um, you know, your, your mental clarity, your mental, um, acuteness I guess if you will.
Speaker 1: (04:49)
So, um, staying sharp, stay in sharp. That's it. This was published in the Journal of Neuro psychological, the, the, the Journal of International International Journal of the neuro psychological society. Correct. Mouthful. Yes, it is a mouthful. You're going to need a lot of brain power just to be able to remember where the study was, you bet published. So continue. So continuing a essentially like again, all we, we always try to simplify stuff here, but exercise and especially moderate exercise, um, increases something called Bdnf, which is brain derived neurotrophic factor, which is like miracle grow for the brain. Basically, if you want to, if you're trying to grow your, your, um, your mind and, and learn and you need as much of this BDNF as you can. So the exercise is going to be huge help. Absolutely in one step further. If you want to repair the brain, if the brain has been injured, if the brain has been damaged, uh, what they show is that if you can increase BDNF levels, you can help the brain, which is interesting because, uh, what they're saying is all old school, um, protocols and science said that, uh, the best approach for people who have had concussions is to rest for a long period of time.
Speaker 1: (06:11)
What they're saying now is that's not the case. They're saying get exercising as quickly as possible because that's going to help promote BDNF. And that's the cool thing about BDNF is that while there are certain things you can take supplemental wise that will help boost BDNF levels and we can talk about that in a minute. You don't have to take those things. You can exercise. And that's a very natural response to exercise. One of the many health benefits associated with exercise. Yet again, one more reason to exercises that your body will produce this, uh, this substance, this chemical called BDNF. Um, and so a very, very powerful, um, therapy. I mean, if we're talking about it that way, you know, exercise is a very powerful therapy that is, uh, I, I still think highly underutilized for people. I'm looking to help heal their brain or make improvements to their brain function or help prevent a lot of these common problems.
Speaker 1: (07:11)
You know, a little side note to this is for many individuals, and I would say at one time for even myself, exercise can sometimes feel like a four letter word, right? It's not fun. It's hard, right? And, and a lot of people are like, yeah, not, that's not me. I don't want to do that. But I would have to just say, even just from things that I've learned about myself over the last several years is, um, it doesn't always have to be super traditional exercise, but find things that gets you out, get you active, things that, that you enjoy. Yup. And more importantly, people that you enjoy them with. Yes. I'll, I'll tell you my own personal story was my wife kind of very, I was very reluctant in doing so, but she drug me out many years, probably six, seven years ago to my very first crotch crossfit class.
Speaker 1: (07:59)
Yeah. And in my mind I was like, I'm a class routine type of a workout. Doesn't sound fun to me at all. Sounds like a dance class, you know, I was like, nope, I don't think that's gonna work for me, you know, so I went to this very, very much thinking this is going to be stupid and I'll tell you again now it's six, seven years later and extra the, these are really hard exercise routines and I gotta tell Ya, it's like I really enjoy it. I enjoy the people I work out with. I enjoy how it makes me feel even on those workouts that trash me. Um, you know, it's like, I really do. It's funny you say that cause I would attribute both a Dr. Allen up until what, about a year or so ago. I worked out at the same crossfit gym as a, as Dr. Allen.
Speaker 1: (08:42)
And I would attribute that same experience, uh, you know, that that same, I had a friend of mine who drug me to it and he's like, you've got to try it. And I like so many other people thought of it as a cult and all that stuff. Uh, crossfits a colt and all that. Um, but after being exposed to the community, that was a big part of it for me as well. The social element of it, of, of being there with friends, people that I enjoyed being around laughing and joking. I am not terribly competitive by nature in terms of sports. I'm just not that, that doesn't drive me, but the social element of it, of being involved with good people and, and um, and, and the, the structure of it such that I didn't have to exert a whole lot of mental energy. I just show yourself, just get yourself there and follow the routine.
Speaker 1: (09:31)
Uh, that was powerful for me. And I attribute that to a lot of positive changes that I made with my health over the years. And I attribute that still to this day too. A lot of my workout routines that I do on my own now. Um, I, I modeled largely after things I've learned from there and just the, the, the model that I know works for me. Sure. And so, um, and I would ask you, you know, so you've been doing it what, six, seven years? Yeah, I think so. And on average, how many times a week would you say over the past six, and I know there's been periods where you're more consistent, less consistent, but all, all in all, when all of a sudden done, what would you say? Um, probably at least three times a week usually for, yeah, three to four times a week.
Speaker 1: (10:10)
So I mean, again, that's the, the, the powerful thing about this that we try and teach again, one of our five fundamentals of health is simplicity and consistency, right? It's that consistency that makes all the difference in the world. And that's the thing that I would say is, I would say over the past three to four years, I have been more consistent. There have been many times in my life, uh, where I have done a exercise for a period of time. Sure. Many times. I remember when I was in, uh, back in college, I had several times where I would go for a month or two and I would get in this routine and I would do it and then I would stop for months and months and sometimes longer than that. And A, and it wasn't until for me crossfit, something clicked in terms of that consistency, um, that, that did it for me and helped me.
Speaker 1: (11:01)
And since then, I would say I've probably been fairly close to that as well. I've had a couple of periods of time, a brief periods where I've been, uh, you know, not as active and engaged with my exercise routine. But now, uh, you know, and again, just looking at it collectively over the past few years. Yeah, I'd say probably around that same ballpark three or four times a week. So all I'm going to say is keep your mind open. Honestly, a good healthy mind is going to allow us to do way more and enjoy way more of this life then if we don't have a healthy mind. Yeah. Um, in fact, one of our upcoming, um, uh, sessions of this here, so episodes, sorry, is looking for the word. You need some more exercise man. It's been a long day anyways is literally kind of talking about the very thing of, you know, exercise and then um, uh, basically just how it's going to continue to help us in bless, you know, so we're not getting old and being miserable as we get older that we're actually getting old with grace as kind of what we're going to be talking about.
Speaker 1: (12:07)
So that's a, that's a great point. Um, no, I, I absolutely, you know, the, the one thing that I would say that, that, that people need to understand is, uh, exercise. Uh, you said something really important there that we need to exercise for enjoyment, not out of PR, not necessarily preventing something we're fearful of. You need to shift, shift the conversation so it's something you enjoy. So anyways, hopefully this has been valuable for you guys and hope you got a lot out of it and we'll talk to you guys in the next episode.
Speaker 2: (12:38)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us some reviews. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr Buddy Alan and this is episode 16 of the Health Fundamentals podcast and on today's episode, we're going to be talking about one of the greatest disservices that doctors do to their patients. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So hey everybody on today's episode we've got a great topic that we wanted to discuss. This comes on the heels of an experience we had done it add a few experiences, actually a recent patient and then a doctor friend of mine that I actually just learned her story and it's something that just drives me crazy. That's right. Drives me crazy. First of all, it was your patient actually. Yeah. So this is going to be a little bit of a rant, but hopefully you'll, you'll, you'll pay attention because it's important. We wouldn't be ranting and it wasn't something important. So yeah. Continue. So had a patient, so yeah, in fact, I want to say it was you and I were talking about was your patient and he, uh, he's a younger fellow in his thirties. That's right. Yes. Yes, yes. He is. When he was in high school, I got an injury playing football in his back and his doctor told him, you'll never be able to play football again and likely never viewed, it'll play sports.
Speaker 1: (01:28)
Exactly. Set. And so pretty much this guy has done a bunch of nothing ever since then because the, the, the fear of the doctor put in his, in his mind was, if you do this, the only thing I can do for you is surgery. It's going to be surgery. It's going to be bad. Yeah. We'll, and number one, he's not even close to a surgical candidate, nodding collection calls. He's got significant problems for sure. Um, and he's, he's in the middle of a program that we're doing and, uh, he's doing great. He's responding very, very well. But, um, you're exactly right. Like nothing would warrant, um, that type of a diagnosis and that type of a prognosis. And so what are we talking about in terms of prognosis here? What's the, what's the disservice we're talking about here? The prognosis is when these doctors, they tell patients, and we, I'm telling you, we hear this all the time and you likely have heard it yourself as you'll never be able to do blank veganic right.
Speaker 1: (02:24)
All right. We would refer to this as an absolute prognosis. Yes. And absolutely. More often than not, we'll put it this way. More often than not, when you are given a, an absolute prognosis, um, the first thing I think, and the best thing you could do is seek a second, a third, a fourth opinion on that. Because, uh, absolute prognoses that are given are rarely that. They're rarely absolute, even in very serious and, and seemingly like hopeless scenarios. I mean there are that do tremendous, uh, tremendous and almost miraculous things despite the odds. Right? And, but, and the reason I hate that diagnosis or that, that prognosis, when doctors say you'll never be able to do, or it's likely you'll never be able to do this again. All right. And the reason I hate it is because it is, it completely underestimate our body's amazing ability to heal, especially given the correct attention, the, the right training, the right, it may be hard, okay.
Speaker 1: (03:31)
Even with very serious accidents where there's, you know, you may even lose a limb and you may not be able to, but I'm telling you, you can get on the Internet and again and again and again, see, people do miraculous things completely despite the odds. But the, the sad part is, is we have patients come in that have been told you'll never be able to do this again. And in their mind, this is a terminal diagnosis, right? And they've given up any chance of hope of actually ever being able to go in and do what they used to love doing ever again. Right. Well, and the thing that I would say is, uh, if you've ever read the book or heard of a book called suggestible you, it's a great book. You should read it. But one of the things that they discuss in depth in that book is the research and the science behind the power of the mind.
Speaker 1: (04:21)
Um, oftentimes people have heard the term used. And I would say more often than not, it's almost used in a negative connotation, is this idea of the placebo effect. Um, but the truth is, when you look at the reality of what's happening out there, so much of what goes on in terms of healthcare, uh, is placebo. It's, we're, we're, we're completely unable to remove that entirely from the scenario just because it is so intimately connected with everything that happens. You know, our perception and our belief is, is tied in everything that we do and everything that happens to us. And so it's, it's almost impossible to entirely remove placebo from out of the equation. And so if that's the case and if you look at what the science and the research says, placebo isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in many instances it's a great thing.
Speaker 1: (05:14)
But the interesting thing is if you look at the science as well, there is a, an ugly side to that what we call the no CBO effect. It's the opposite. If you just look at the research by and that our mind is capable of, of either healing ourselves, you know, healing the body, healing in, in terms of controlling that. But it's also, uh, we have the capacity to literally make ourselves sick and, and, uh, you know, have our health, uh, dramatically decline and that that is what we call the no CBO effect. It's literally the complete opposite, the ugly cousin of, of the, of the placebo effect. Right? And so, um, that book, if you, if you want to read more about that in the science on it, look at, look at the book, suggestible you and he goes into it in great, great detail.
Speaker 1: (06:05)
But, but that's the problem there is that is that people like it or not all of us are highly suggestible. Um, especially with regard to authoritative figures, not just not just doctors, but just experts in general. We, we hear certain things. I mean look at it today online. I mean why, and this is why the, the, the media has taken such a beating over the past. Um, I would say past few years is because, um, they have I think to a large extent abuse that position of authority that they've had. And so, um, w the, the issues we're talking about here don't just necessarily pertain to the doctor patient relationship. I think what we're talking about is more of a, uh, a human issue here in the sense that the way we, um, receive and, and more importantly perceive information that's given to us from authoritative sources.
Speaker 1: (07:00)
Right? And so when a doctor tells you, uh, very definitively, like a stamp or a label on you that you, you are never going to be able to, um, do blank. Yeah. Well, and, and I would just say the whole reason this drives me crazy is because we, we have seen and regularly see people do just truly amazing things. If someone ever tells you you can or cannot do something, you know, it's like, it's like you can do whatever you want. You will be amazed. It may be hard, it may take a fair amount of effort. You may require someone to, to, you know, to help you achieve what you're going after. But please don't ever let someone tell you like, you're never going to do this again because they completely miss the mark with our ability, our body's ability to heal and to improve and to get better.
Speaker 1: (07:55)
You may not be 100%. I'm not saying that you can have your lose an arm or a leg and you're going to be 100% yeah. But what I'm saying is there's a, you can do things. I promise you you'll be able to do things that, and I in fact, um, that, that show, uh, what's that? Rock climbing one. We just watched it recently. The Dawn Wall. Dawn Wall. Amazing. Okay. So here's, here's this climber he gets, he cuts his finger off. One of the most critical females use. Yeah. It's your aside from your thumb. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no. And, and all the best. Or like, Yep. He's done. Yeah. Because you're never going to be able to rock climb again. And you know what I mean? If you haven't seen the dawn wall, it's fantastic. Yeah. H very inspiring. But you know what I mean? It's like I'm telling you, there's, there's nothing you can't do if you put a little bit of energy into it.
Speaker 1: (08:43)
Yeah. And, and, and I think the other thing too that you pointed out there that you kind of hinted at is that we're not saying that you shouldn't be realistic with expectations, you know, um, but at the same token, you shouldn't be pessimistic either. Pessimism doesn't really serve much of a purpose. Right. And so, um, you know, I think, I think there's a balance that can be struck there in terms of approaching, uh, w if you're dealing and struggling with a health problem up, approaching it through an optimistic lens, approaching it with this attitude that anything is possible, um, with the right environment, with the right approach. Um, and you know, again that that kind of healing equation, doing the right things in the right order for the right amount item, the right amount of time. Um, miracles are possible. They really are. I mean, truly the fact that we are a living, breathing, doing what we do on a regular moment by moment, day to day basis.
Speaker 1: (09:39)
It's a miracle life. I know it's a cliche statement, cliche statement to, to say, but life is truly miraculous. I mean, you look at it, um, even the greatest, most brilliant minds still can't fully understand why life is, you know, how, what it is that makes us, us, you know, in terms of the, the energy of life, you know, we can, we can spout off all sorts of fancy words and you know, technical, you know, you know, speak in terms of our physiology, but at the end of the day, when you peel back all those things, there gets to be a certain point where we just can't fully appreciate it other than it's just miraculous, you know? Yeah. What, what is it about our body that allows our brain to moment by moment, second by second, communicate with our body so that our heart is, is beating and pumping blood.
Speaker 1: (10:30)
We don't even have to think about that when we eat food. We don't have to think about the fact that our body exactly knows how to digest it in most instances, right? In the vast majority of instances, uh, our, our body, barring a few rare exceptions, our body was designed to be able to take care of itself, heal itself, do what it needs to do. And so, um, the, the point of this episode is to help people feel a little bit more empowered if you've been told by a doctor, um, that you would never be able to do blank or that you, you know, you'll always be stuck with blank or whatever. That kind of absolute prognosis is, uh, take courage and take heart and understand, you know, because the, the problem with that and I think we kind of already addressed this is, um, is that those types of labels are extremely difficult to break through, to peel away, you know, because those, those have such a very permanent impact on us in terms of our psychology, in terms of our beliefs, in terms of our perceptions.
Speaker 1: (11:26)
These are, uh, such common, uh, causes for limiting beliefs with people. Um, and, and again, we're not talking about just kind of pie in the sky Koombaya you know, you know, happy thoughts. Um, W W we're also talking about doing the work, putting in the work and making that effort. I think we've made that abundantly clear, but it's important because, uh, this is something that we find ourselves oftentimes having to help patients undo. Is some of that negative programming that they come in with some of that negative baggage as a result of, uh, comments that I think oftentimes docs don't think twice about it. It's not like they're intentionally trying to sabotage people. I don't think in most instances. But I would say the term that I would use to describe it is it's, it's careless. I think a lot of times it's very careless and I think the intent behind it sometimes is good.
Speaker 1: (12:18)
It comes from a good place. You know, we don't want to, you know, set the bar too high for this person and have their hopes dashed. But I think that's rarely the case. I don't, I don't think, uh, I think the caution is that if docs set the bar too low and people live according to that new standard, that new low standard, I think is the issue there. So any other thoughts? No, just uh, you know, just live your best life and don't let anyone tell you you, you can or can't. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Do your best. Yeah, absolutely. So, all right guys, we'll hopefully this has been valuable for you and we will talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a good one.
Speaker 2: (12:58)
Thanks for listening to the health fund, the middles podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr Buddy Alan, and this is episode 15 of the Health fundamentals podcast. On today's episode, we're going to be discussing the what and the why of your health problems. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:14)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So, hey everybody, hope you're having an awesome day on today's episode. We've got a great topic and subject that we're going to be discussing and that is the what and the why of health problems. And unfortunately what we find far too often when it comes to, uh, so many of the most common approaches to, uh, either managing or fixing various health concerns or health problems is that the primary focus is all on the what of the health problems. So what do we mean by that?
Speaker 3: (01:05)
The, what is essentially just the diagnosis. All right? And the, the, the, the fault with that is it's important to know what's going on, but more importantly, it's, it's kind of like the how did it happen? Why, what caused it, what created it? Because we frequently will have people come in and they'll say, oh yeah, I was told I have this, you know, like back pain. I have, I have a Lumbago, right?
Speaker 1: (01:31)
I have Sciatica is have, uh, you know, insert whatever term is used. And the problem with so many of these, uh, diagnoses that are, that are used is they don't really give us much in terms of any real answers. It's really just a, it's a starting point is really what it is. Um, you know, something like, for instance, uh, the, you know, so many times all diagnoses are fancy words, right? Lumbago which is Latin for low back pain, cervicalgia, Latin for neck pain, sufferer, Algia Latin fit for headaches or even further. Sometimes people think that they've arrived at an answer when they get diagnosed with something highly specific. Like, let's say I've been diagnosed with Migraines, I have migraine headaches or I have, um, anemia, right? Um, and so the, the, the problem is that again, we're still at a surface level there. If you could imagine almost like layers of an onion.
Speaker 1: (02:31)
We've got to peel away at some of those layers if we're going to begin to truly fix the problems. And, and I would argue, um, that our intention and our goal and our mindset should always be to fix the problem and not just mask symptoms. And if you're working with a doctor who doesn't believe that your problems can be fixed, um, I think that's selling your yourself short selling. The body's a recuperative abilities short. And I think, uh, I think the body is capable of miraculous things. And so we always approach, um, you know, our, our approach is always from a standpoint of can we fix it? And if so, what is not sufficient? We've got to dig deeper. And so we've got to answer the other question is why. And oftentimes it requires us to, to kind of peel away multiple layers that, that why question needs to be asked oftentimes three or four times for us to truly arrive at a real answer.
Speaker 1: (03:31)
So let's take for instance, you know, back pain, right? Um, you, you've got back pain. So what's the first question? Um, well golly, there's in terms of, in terms of, in terms of why Laos? Yeah. Let's say, let's say for instance, you come in with low back pain and the first question of why do you have a low back pain? We'll, I've got severe muscle spasms, right? Patients will often say that, right? Yeah. My muscles are just really, really tight and they're in spasm and they're bound up. And that may be the case upon evaluation and examination, we find that, yeah, you do, you have really, really a spastic, uh, you know, really, really overly tight muscles in the low back. But again, if we ask why it gets a bit more of a what still, yeah, it's still a what? Yeah, exactly. You've got tight muscles.
Speaker 1: (04:16)
So then why do you have tight muscles? And let's say that we find upon evaluation what I mean, just throw it out. You could have a, a rotation in your pelvis, your pelvis is rotated, something mechanically is shifted. And again, we could still ask, well, why? Okay. You know, and upon further evaluation, it could be that we find that the way you're sitting at work or the fact that you just sit for prolonged periods of time at work or the fact that you had an old injury to that area or any number of reasons. But once we start answering, you know, answering the, the, the why of it and answering several layers deep, eventually we can kind of get to, if we can get to the source of it and the cause of where everything began and what caused it in the first place, that's when we can start to really do the most good for people and help them.
Speaker 1: (05:06)
And I think that's one of the most important things that as patients, we need to demand that, um, and not even necessarily demand it, uh, of, of the doctor, uh, themselves, but it demanded of ourselves. You know what I mean? Seeking that out. If, if, if you're working with a doctor who's a either unwilling or incapable of, of answering those questions, then that's when you start seeking out the help from other people you know, other, um, and I don't want to say other people, other trusted healthcare advisors will say that, you know, so what are your thoughts on that? Well, the thoughts that I have are the reason that why is so very important is there are, there's a lot of different reasons you could have any type of given. Um, diagnosis. All right, cause low back pain can be caused by dozens different scenarios.
Speaker 1: (05:58)
It can be caused from gut issues. It could be caused from ulcers, kidney stones, uh, you name it. You know, there's tons of, you know, torn muscles in your hip flexors. Who knows, there's a lot of different things that could cause low back pain. And if you, um, and again that's just one example. Low back pain is one example of, you know, we see patients who commonly have obviously low back pain, but we also see patients who have neck problems, shoulder problems, knee problems. Well and another thing that's important about, you know, like when we're trained as physicians to diagnose and then D as we dig deeper, it's like generally what happens is you kind of want to start with the most potentially life threatening things first and ideally rule those out, you know, the most severe scenarios first. But then from there, you know, you kind of just by asking the right questions you can find out, is this something that came on suddenly?
Speaker 1: (06:54)
Is it something that's been developing over time? Did it come out of nowhere? Well, and I think it's important to address too, that while we certainly do, and I appreciate you saying that because we don't want to be negligent with people and, and uh, and skip through any of those important things of, of ruling in or out any of the, what we would consider kind of red flag issues. But usually more often than not, within a few minutes we can rule in or out, that sort of thing. And then beyond that, it's not a matter of looking at what's possible. It's a matter of looking at what's probable and that typically nine times out of 10 is going to get you the best, uh, clarity and the greatest, uh, uh, value in terms of finding out answers to that why question. Um, oftentimes what happens sometimes, especially you'll find this in, um, you know, really large medical settings is that they will go through and they will run a lot of, lot of times, a lot of tests unnecessary.
Speaker 1: (07:54)
In fact, there was a study that was just done a that, or a study that was published, a University of Michigan health systems did a study for neuropathy. What they found was that more often than not, uh, expensive, ineffective testing was utilized when there was far less expensive, more effective testing that could have been done. Um, and so, and that's the interesting thing and this isn't the only time that's been the case, you know, um, there was a study that was published that compared, and I can't remember the, the, the source for that, but I remember us discussing it in school where they, they said that if, if you compared, um, uh, an MRI of the low back disc herniation compared to a, a complete neurologic and orthopedic evaluation of a patient with a disc herniation, they found that the, uh, ability to arrive at a correct diagnosis was, was comparable.
Speaker 1: (08:48)
And so basically what they, what they found was that, uh, in, in many instances it's not to order that MRI. Um, typically when at the time in which it is appropriate to order an Mri, let's just say is when you find that a condition is not responding to the care that, uh, there is suspicion of some sort of spinal cord involvement or problem there or there are progressive neurologic deficits. Those are typically, or presurgical. Um, you know, they're using it as a means of a screening tool in terms of looking at what they're going to be operating in or whatever. But, um, but far too often, um, and this is something that we don't, we're not necessarily, uh, as concerned within our clinic just because it's not the same type of setting, but oftentimes in a lot of medical settings, um, they're, they're very overly cautious and practicing what they call defensive medicine where it's, uh, because of the nature of the world we live until litigious nature of our culture.
Speaker 1: (09:53)
Right, right. Exactly. So, but, but I, I guess the point that we're getting at here is it's really important if you're really wanting to fix problems, you got to arrive at clear answers and just addressing the, what does not give you sufficient clarity on how to go about fixing the problem. You've got to also address the why. Why are you dealing with the problems you're dealing with? Well, and, and the what can vary in many instances be covered up by, you know, if I have a headache, which is the what, it's real easy to say, oh, I'll just take a couple Advil. Right. All right. And you can do that and maybe it's something insignificant and probably more often than not it is right. But it could also be something very serious and severe and, and, uh, so it's important to know why. And you know, what, why the why for the what, you know?
Speaker 1: (10:42)
Yeah, absolutely. Getting clarity on that is going to be a huge factor in you getting longterm results. Yep. I mean, fixing health problems. So, um, the advice, a recommendation is work with doctors who are going to be able to answer not just the what, but the why as well. And, uh, and, and, and the way we do that at our clinic, um, is, and every clinic's going to be different. They're going to have different protocols and procedures, but we try and be as thorough as possible in addressing this. And so we go through and we use a variety of different objective measures and tests that allow us to get a very clear picture and a very objective picture of where a patient is at and what are some of the factors that are involved. We do a full functional evaluation from head to toe. We look at balance and stability.
Speaker 1: (11:34)
We look at strength and coordination and we look at flexibility and quality of motion, uh, throughout the body and the various joints of the body. Uh, we do a digital balance assessment. We do a digital posture assessment, uh, at times if necessary, we'll do digital imaging, we'll take x rays. In fact, more often than not we do. Um, and then as well we can look at and measure range of motion digitally. Um, so there's a lot of different things that, that we utilize. And then obviously as well the hands on physical examination or what we call a problem focused exam, uh, where we look at the various areas that are involved. And based off of all of that information that we're able to, to look at, we're able to see very clear patterns that allow us to answer loud and clear the, the why as well as the what.
Speaker 1: (12:19)
And so, um, I guess that's the take home, um, is, is really, uh, if you want to fix health problems once and for all, you've got to dig deeper and you've gotta be willing to dig deeper. And so that's the thing, uh, as, as patients, uh, we have to take responsibility for our health and we have to be willing to get those answers and to put the work in when necessary. Absolutely. Yeah. And that, and that's the thing we tell patients all the time, uh, that, uh, when you come to our clinic, it's not a passive process. It's a very active process in that could sound daunting I think sometimes for some patients, but that's what we have a team in place, right, to help you, to assist you. And it's easy. It really is. It's easy when people, uh, flip that mental and emotional switch when they're ready to stop being a passive kind of bystanders watching life go by and instead of be an active participant and I should say proactive participants in their health. So, um, so take charge of your health. Uh, don't sit back and just accept the what. Also look for the why and once we start answering those questions, once you start getting answers to those questions, it's gonna take you a lot closer to, um, getting, getting the help that you need. So anyways, I hope that's a hope that's valuable and uh, uh, we'll talk to you again real soon. Talk to you on the next episode. See guys,
Speaker 2: (13:45)
thanks for listening to the health fund, the middles podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr Buddy Alan, and this is episode 14 of the Health Fundamentals podcast. On today's episode, we're going to be discussing the surprising discovery regarding your anxiety. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. [inaudible] sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the [inaudible] down to a science
Speaker 1: (00:33)
Sohi. Everybody on today's episode, we're going to be discussing something really interesting, uh, that a recent study showed regarding anxiety. Um, let's talk about a Dr. Allen. Um, it's, it's always surprising when we find these, uh, sometimes it seem, it seems very simple and yet powerful. And when you look, what did you really, when you think about it and look at it, it's, it makes a lot of sense, right? You know, and there's a lot of people, there is a tremendous number of people now that suffer from all types of different, you know, to different severity levels of anxiety, you know, um, even panic disorders for that matter. Right. And so, um, it, it seems as though, and I don't think it's just my perception, I think the reality of it is, is we're noticing an increase of mental health problem, you bess. And it's one of those things, uh, what's really interesting is, um, when we see a lot of these health problems on the rise, the question that I think is on a lot of people's minds is, is it that the problem is increasing or is it that our methods for detecting it are improving or increasing or enhancing?
Speaker 1: (01:47)
And I think in this situation with regard to mental health issues, and we're just going to put them all together in one kind of bucket, uh, depression, anxiety, and a mixture of other issues as well. Uh, I don't think it's just because we're becoming better at detecting the mind. I think mental health issues are truly on the rise. And I think it's, uh, this is one of those subjects where, um, it's multifactoral yeah. To, to a, to a very large degree such that it's an extremely complicated subject to unpack. And this is one of the primary reasons why so many different approaches. Uh, so many singular therapy approaches have failed miserably. You look at, uh, antidepressants and this isn't some rant just for the sake of ranting against medications, um, because I'm not entirely anti-medicine, uh, but the jury is back and what they've come to find is that, uh, antidepressants and anxiety medications don't work well.
Speaker 1: (02:50)
The research just shows loud and clear that they don't work well. Now, that being said, it's not intended to stigmatize a subject that is already loaded a lot of stigma. Um, but it's just to, to really, I think, illustrate this idea that the reason why, one of the reasons why these therapies haven't been terribly effective is because it's, it's this kind of Mano Causal Approach, right? Uh, you've got this one single imbalance with this one single neurotransmitter, and so therefore we just need to rebalance that. And that's the secret. You know, that's the thing, or a, it's that you've had this, uh, you know, emotional breakdown because of this thing that happened in your past. We just need to do some counseling and that's it. Or it's just that you need more of this vitamin, so do that. That's it. You know, and, and I think the truth of it is, is that I think there are a variety of different reasons and causes behind, oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1: (03:47)
Things I can actually, uh, my wife and I went to a seminar not long ago and it was, it was directed more towards young people and social media and the dangers of it. And, and, and a lot of what came out of there as far as speaking to anxiety and to depression or, or these other mood type disorders, um, we have at our fingertips, we can see the entire world now where, whereas before, you know, people still had anxiety and issues that they dealt with, but it was in such a smaller scale. And now we can see things on this mass scale and we can see what, you know, all these false narratives from people's lives. It looks like they're so perfect. And then we compare. Unfortunately we compare ourselves to them and so we kind of start this spiral of terrible things. And so like you said, there are people who have, um, maybe chemical things going on in their body, whether it be hormonal changes, who knows?
Speaker 1: (04:41)
There's, there are things that can internally be causing us to feel anxious. Oh, well. And, and that's what this research is good. That place. We're going to talk to that in just a minute. Um, and we certainly don't want to downplay a chemical imbalances because that is a major driver behind. Again, what we're simply, I think trying to illustrate here are trying to drive home is, is that, um, the answer is rarely, and I don't think it's just with mental issues. Um, for most health challenges, there's rarely a magic bullet if ever. Right? It's, it's understanding. Um, you know, honestly the five funnel shortcuts either, right? No shortcuts. Exactly. New should note. No. Uh, you know, no magic bullets, no shortcuts. It really is getting back to those five fundamentals of health that we talk about. And, and pretty much every episode one way or another, those five fundamentals come back up again.
Speaker 1: (05:34)
You know? So it's this idea of understanding that it's got to come from the inside. There's nothing that we can take that's going to magically fix it. Although we can certainly do certain things from the outside to assist us for sure. You know, simplicity and consistency being being consistent with good habits of help, making sure things are functioning correctly, mechanically and chemically. You know? And, and it's interesting too because uh, addressing the mechanical can oftentimes, uh, impact the chemical. You Bet. Absolutely. You know, uh, making sure we are mentally, emotionally and spiritually in tune and then fueling ourselves properly. You know, the old adage of you are what you eat. It's true, right? Very true. So that being said, right, those are our five fundamentals of health. We talked about them before. We're going to talk about them again. No doubt. What's the study all about?
Speaker 1: (06:20)
What is, what is basically going on here from, from what this study says regarding anxiety. So researchers basically reviewed and went over, um, 21 different studies with people with anxiety issues, over 1500 people involved in these studies. And basically the, in the, um, they looked at basically the hub, the health of people's gut, the microbiome. Okay. So they, they divided these different studies into different treatment parameters. And, um, many of them use just basically supplementing probiotics. So trying to restore a healthier gut flora, a healthier gut bacteria, so you're processing food more correctly. And basically the role, the results just said that over 52% of the studies showed that the approach was effective. All right. It was beneficial for them to help heal that gut. And we've talked in prior episodes and I didn't get in, like you said, in future episodes. I'm sure this will come up again.
Speaker 1: (07:17)
Yeah. But, you know, it's, it's these simple things haven't having a good, healthy baseline as far as, uh, you know, your nutrition as far as activity and exercise. You know, it's like all of those that you have to have that to be able to build upon it. Right? Absolutely. So, you know, it's like, um, uh, a good example would be like, look, everyone, I think everyone has a desire to be healthy, right? And maybe even be a little healthier than they are now. The problem is is I, I, I can't be 100 pounds overweight and, or 200 pounds overweight and say I want to go run a marathon in a month. Right? All right. I have to get to a certain baseline before I can build upon that or I'm going to hurt myself or I'm going to do something, some other damage. Right. I would say one of the most profound things that I've learned in practice over the years, and it's taken a while to learn this, is to help patients set and myself for that matter set correct expectations when patients come in.
Speaker 1: (08:18)
Because, uh, one of the things that we often find at our clinic is we're not an emergency room and we're not even an urgent care or an urgent care clinic. And so we find oftentimes patients will fall into this kind of gap category where they're not quite to the level that they need to go to the er, their back or their neck is hurting them so bad, but they're not quite to the nine one one yet. They're close. Right. And, and then, uh, and then they're not going to go to the urgent care clinics. So they come into our clinic. And I remember the first few times that that happened to me, you know, seeing this, uh, especially as a new doctor, recent graduate, um, it's, it's scary. It's frightening. You don't know what to do and you're just like, holy cow, what do I even do here?
Speaker 1: (09:06)
And since then I've had, you know, over a decade of, you've had over a decade, nearly two decades of clinical experience. And one of the things that clinical experience has helped me to understand is that when people come in and they're severely unhealthy, whether it be a chronic problem that's been going on for a long or it's really super acute, meaning a, their back is just bad or their neck is bad or whatever. The issue may be helping them understand, uh, the, and set the right expectations. And, and that can be challenging for sure, especially when people are like, you know, I need to be fixed right now. My back is killing me. But, uh, they, they've got to understand, you know, that our first priority is not necessarily to uh, get you out the door 100% today. You know, our first priority is just to take the edge off of things at the beginning, you know, and, and just set reasonable expectations with them.
Speaker 1: (10:01)
And, uh, and when we do that, uh, I think it, it helps set the stage for, um, a longterm gray, a longer term greater outcome. Oh, absolutely. Well, and you know, just again, ratcheting back a little bit, it comes, we're taking them back to more simplistic way of looking at things and, uh, coming back to what we're, you know, our topic here is, man, if we can help our guts be healthier, yeah. That will affect every aspect of our lives. Because a healthy, to have a healthy gut means you have to continue to eat a healthy diet. Right. Our, our culture is surrounded by terrible food choices. Yeah, right. There's fast food and there's processed food and there's garbage food that are high caloric intake, but virtually devoid of any kind of nutritional value of eating a diet that what we call the sad diet.
Speaker 1: (10:53)
The Standard American diet is a constant assault on your gut. And so it's no wonder that so many people have so many, not only gut issues, but oftentimes not necessarily a correlated a mental health issue that, that, that, that, uh, that's either a, the primary driver behind or a huge factor of it. Right. And, um, and so getting a healthy gut is one very simple but very powerful step in the right direction to helping people with, uh, things like anxiety and, or other common health issues. So, uh, we talk about probiotics. Okay. Um, maybe let's dive in a little bit deeper. In terms of probiotics and maybe foods that already naturally have probiotics in them, what would you recommend? Um, honestly if you're going to attack it with a diet, there are some fantastic, uh, any kind of fermented food is going to be wonderful. So things like there's pickles that are fermented Sauerkraut, there are Kefir, um, type of yogurt drinks that are delicious.
Speaker 1: (11:59)
And I mean, honestly, they're wonderful. D some yogurts are better than others. Obviously we don't want them to be late and the sugar sugar. Yeah. But, um, yeah, some good healthy yogurts. Um, oh gosh. Uh, and, and I know there's loads more, but anything, anything that's fermented is going to have loads of good bacteria and therefore you, yeah. And again, it's also good to understand there's, there's tons of different strains of bacteria. Some are bad, some are good, but generally if you're, you know, some of those options are sharing are going to be wonderful for you. Just kind of keep your gut healthy. And, and my, you know, I'm not going to recommend a specific brand of probiotic per se. Uh, but what I would simply say is you don't want to go getting a probiotic at Walmart or target and think that you're going to get a really potent, powerful, um, the, the thing that I would say is, um, talk to your healthcare practitioner, uh, get their recommendation.
Speaker 1: (12:55)
If they don't recommend probiotics, I wouldn't take that advice right? If they tell you that probiotics are no good or anything like that, I wouldn't, uh, I wouldn't trust that type of advice. There's a few things to really, um, keep in mind if you have had any kind of recent infections where you have had, you've been given antibiotics, all right? Those whenever, or if ever you have prescriptions or courses of antibiotics that you have to go through, um, or even terrible gut flus, things like that, where your system has really thrown off those and you don't need to take these indefinitely. All right? Yeah. Obviously if you eat them regularly in your diet, great, but to do a course of probiotics for a month, two months is generally going to be pretty good. Well, and the thing, I think that's a great point that you bring up Dr Ellen and let's kind of talk about that for just a second.
Speaker 1: (13:45)
As is a lot of people have either got issues and or mental issues that stem from originally some sort of a bad bug that they got where they used some sort of a really a potent antibiotic. And the problem with antibiotics is that they're oftentimes very indiscriminant. Meaning they just go in and they killed the good and the bad alike. They just go through when they wipe it out. And so the problem is that number one, uh, that can create, um, you know, it can create inflammation and all sorts of problems on the system. But, but one of the other big problems is that it can lead to opportunistic infection and forward is that the healthy gut flora, your healthy gut bacteria is designed to kind of help keep the gut in check, right? It's kind of this a natural, um, you know, competition that happens there in terms of making sure that the, the bad stuff, uh, stays at bay because the good stuff is out competing it more or less, again, over simplistic way of looking at it.
Speaker 1: (14:44)
But that's really, uh, what happens in terms of making sure we have a normal, uh, healthy, um, healthy, diverse gut biome or, or environment for the, the um, the healthy gut bacteria. Uh, what's the difference for people that are listening here between prebiotics and probiotics because they're not the same thing. No. Prebiotics are kind of like the fuel for probiotics. They kind of help set the stage so the bacteria can thrive. Yeah. Eating foods that have, uh, that are naturally high in fiber are almost always going to be a great, um, prebiotic four probiotics. So think about it this way. Certain foods, and I think, again, this should come across as fairly intuitive, but maybe it isn't. So let's talk about it for just a second. Uh, certain foods sitting in the gut for a prolonged period of, well, I don't want to say a prolonged period, we'll say a period of a time can be very beneficial for them.
Speaker 1: (15:46)
Being in that environment. Other foods sitting in the gut for a long period of time can just create problems. Inflammation, right? So let's, let's talk to a hamburger sitting in the gut. Meat sitting in the gut for a long, for a period of time, let's say, is going to create inflammation. We just know that it's going to right? Versus Broccoli, let's say, you know, there's a cruciferous vegetables, you know, there's, they're, they're fibrous, right? Getting that into your gut. It's going to be your, your body is not going to fully digest all of that. And so there's going to be elements of that that is going to sit in your gut. And again, that's going to act like a prebiotic to where it's going to fuel or provide, uh, you know, food if you will, for the, for the, for the probiotic species to, to thrive, to thrive, right?
Speaker 1: (16:34)
So that's the difference between a prebiotic and a probiotic. Um, so getting kind of back on point here, um, people who are struggling with anxiety, what's the take home here for them that you would say, um, take home honestly is start taking a little closer look at what you're eating because, and again, if you've had, if you know, like, oh, I have had bouts where I've been on antibiotics and really if it's been a long time and you know, it's one of those things that it's not going to hurt you to do it. You might, even if you haven't had one of those things, do, do a spell for a month. Yeah. All right. See how that changes or maybe two months, you know, give it enough time for your body to kind of, to change to build those, um, that biome up in your gut.
Speaker 1: (17:17)
But ultimately it's, you know, let's get your gut healthier because what if, what if you didn't need to take any other nasty or, or more potent medications and you could just, with, uh, you know, improving your diet a little bit, or what if just improving your diet made a significant impact you by reducing your anxiety. Right? Absolutely. A simple thing to do. Uh, the thing that I would also add as well is that you may not necessarily have any gut symptoms. It may just purely be, you know, uh, it's been shocking to me and somewhat surprising how many patients, uh, we found have had gut infections where their only symptom was either depression or anxiety. That was the only symptom, no gut issues at all. Or so they thought, right, and yet your test and you come to find, no, you've, you've actually got a bacterial infection or you've got a parasitic infection or you've got some type of, uh, you know, um, bad bug in your system.
Speaker 1: (18:15)
And so, um, so yeah, that's a, that's a really, really important, um, concept important truth that, uh, that patients need to understand. It's gut health. Can impact so many areas and especially, uh, from these studies here, if you're dealing with anxiety, um, there's a very, very high probability, um, in fact, the thing we can stay from this study 52% more often than not that God is going to be involved. Oh, sure. So restoring that normal healthy gut flora is going to be critical as part of the overall management strategy. So, uh, if you're somebody who's struggling with anxiety, if you know somebody who struggles with anxiety, one simple thing that you can start doing immediately is cleaning up your gut health, uh, watching what you eat, reducing the amount of inflammatory foods, eat, increasing the amount of probiotic foods, rich foods you get, um, prebiotic food, um, that you, that you put in your diet.
Speaker 1: (19:12)
Anything else that you'd add into that? Nope. And just give yourself time. You know, if you're doing the right things, make remember, always given it enough time to actually make the difference. Uh, don't, don't just try it for a few days and be like, oh, it didn't work. Or even a anchor to, yeah, yeah. You know, give it time. Give your body time, but you, you'll be surprised. Um, just about, eh, in fact, I would probably say just about all of any kind of condition you might have would improve by improving your diet. Absolutely. All right, so just keep that in mind, give it time and uh, you know, always it's always best to go the more natural route and just is. Yeah. Awesome. Well I hope this has been valuable for you guys and uh, we will talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a good way.
Speaker 2: (20:00)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on in Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode 13 of the health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode, we're going to be discussing hidden sugar in quote unquote healthy food. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:15)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:34)
So, hey everybody, uh, on today's episode we've got kind of a fun one for you. We know that, uh, some of you are watching this, others are just listening. Uh, what we've got here set out in front of us are, uh, a pretty eclectic mix of some of the most popular drinks, um, that people consume. Yup. And, uh, and one of the topics that we want to discuss, uh, and, and we're going to be revisiting this topic, I think quite a bit, is this idea of how to find or how to, how to look out for hidden sugar, right? Hidden sugar is a, is a really big problem for a lot of people. Um, and unfortunately, uh, for a lot of people I think sometimes they think that they're making better choices in terms of, uh, the food that they're eating, the drinks that they're drinking.
Speaker 1: (01:25)
And the reality of it is, is that all it takes is just a little bit of, uh, uh, understanding of how to look at the labels correctly. And you'll find, I think, some pretty shocking facts in front of you. So, well, and you were mentioning before we even started this, uh, there's a good number of people that are really starting to understand this better and better and at least have a little bit of the radar going on to, to, to think about this. But, um, you know, we all know that soda is not healthy and, and you know, these high fruit toast drinks and things like that that aren't super good for us. And so, um, the, the sad part is, is a lot of people that aren't in the know, especially young people, they go from a, okay, I'm not going to drink as much soda but I'm going to do is.
Speaker 1: (02:11)
And right in front of us, Dr. Warner was saying, you know, we've got an orange juice or we've got one of these naked smoothie drinks, I'm going to replace, you know, I've been in a bad habit of drinking lots of Dr Pepper. Yup. And so instead I'm going to reach for the orange juice and I'm going to replace it with orange juice. And that's going to be a much better decision for my, there's vitamin C in it, lots of vitamin C. Fantastic. Right? So, and that's a great point there. Right? And so when we look at here, what we've got lined up, again, for those who are just listening, we've got a Tropicana orange juice. We have a naked blue machine, um, smoothie or juice drink, a blend of various juices. We have a Snapple mango madness drink. We have a fierce melon, Gatorade. Uh, we have, uh, a green machine, naked juice.
Speaker 1: (03:00)
And then what else do we got there? We've got a red bull coconut, the coconut additions, summer edition, coconut. Yummy, yummy. And then we've got, um, it's called game fueled by mountain dew. It's a, it's a new mountain dew drink, carbonated beverage. Uh, supposed to give you lots of energy for your, for your sports performance, for your sports performance. Exactly. So, well just like the Gatorade, you know, you know, so good for you because it's right. You need those electrolytes. So, so the, the, the, the point I think that's going to shock a lot of people here is like you said, I don't think it's going to take a whole lot of, I think people intuitively realize carbonated sodas and energy drinks are not good for you. I think people inherently know that. I think the problem that's going to be a little bit more challenging for people though is how to identify, uh, or, or at least come to understanding that these other drinks are in many instances no better for you.
Speaker 1: (03:59)
And even in some instances they're worse, even worse for you. So, um, so yeah. Uh, we, we just got off a Facebook live that we did for our clinic here talking about this same subject. Maybe you tuned into that, maybe it didn't. Um, but we pose the question, which of these drinks has the highest amount of sugar in it? Which one is it? Is that the orange juice? The blue machine, the mango madness, the Gatorade, the green machine, the coconut red bull or the mountain dew gimme fuel. Which one is it? Let's give him a minute to think about it for just a second. Pick your answer and then we're going to reveal the answer. I wanted to, you know, make a little statement here. Now, Doctor Walnut and I are anything but extremists when it comes to, um, really anything because we're not, we're not trying to, the whole purpose of this is not to demonize any of these drinks.
Speaker 1: (04:52)
Right? Um, the, the reality is, is we all too often see patients and people who honestly give these efforts to try to improve their health, to lose weight, to take these steps to move in a better direction, only to spin their wheels because they go from one bad thing to something they think is healthy or they think they're making the better choice and they're doing, again, in some cases even doing worse. And so it's more of a, we want people to open their eyes and start looking one at looking at labels to understanding labels. Because one of the things you'll find with some of these drinks and, and especially with drinks, but they, they do it with everything is they don't want anything to, you know, especially with calories, right? They don't want the calories to look like too many calories because then people are going to be freaked out to drink it.
Speaker 1: (05:40)
So what do they do? They basically say, oh, it's only got a 150 calories, but you know, they read the fine print and I find that that represents for one serving and that can have whatever that bottle of wine, two or two and a half and a half or three servings in it. Yeah, exactly. And so now all of a sudden what looked pretty automated and 50 calories, you know? Okay, that's okay. And even that, what you need to understand in terms of the grand scheme of things, a 150 calories represents a pretty significant portion of daily caloric intake for, for a woman, probably going to be somewhere between, um, probably 17, 1800 and a guy's going to be 2000, maybe 2100 calories a day. And everybody, and again, the thing I would say is everybody's going to be a little bit different, especially based off of if we're talking about somebody who's a high intensity athlete, obviously your caloric needs and end or demands are going to be different than uh, the, the, the typical person.
Speaker 1: (06:38)
Right? But just understand, um, calories. You know, again, calories can't be completely ignored. No. You know, calories definitely are part of the equation. Okay. So, uh, do you guys have a guess as to which one of these has the highest amount of sugar in it? It'll probably blow your mind. Well, I think first Doctor Ellen, I'll let you reveal it, but, but um, tell, tell them what it, well, I guess I'll ask you, what do you think most people would guess here as far as the highest amount of sugar in it pro? I'm guessing they would guess either the mountain dew or the red bull. That would be my guess. I would say some people might even cue in and say, because, uh, as I bought these this morning, uh, I asked the, the a cash register, a gal, the Gal at the cash register, I said to her, I said, which one of these?
Speaker 1: (07:26)
And you want to, her guess was she thought it was the orange juice. Yeah. She's like, it's the orange juice, isn't it? And I was like, no, it's not your issue. But that's a good guess. It's bad. It's high. Yeah. It's, it's really high. So a total of 51 grams of carbs in this one. This has more sugar than the, than the red bull, the rebel and the mountain dew and the mountain. In fact. Yeah. Hold on a sec. The Red Bull. I'm gonna move my glasses here. So yeah, you could almost put both of these together and it would equal the amount of carbs for that orange or that one bottle of orange juice. Is that crazy? Is that crazy? He said bull and amount. And this the, what is the red bull? It's 12 ounces. And then, uh, what is that 16 ounce can of mountain dew?
Speaker 1: (08:15)
So those together all, they're just a little bit more than that one bottle of one bottle of worn. She says crazy. So which one is it? Doctor Allan. Which one has the highest amount of sugar in it? The one that has the highest by far by, by a good long shot is this beautiful naked blue machine. All right. And it looks like a smooth, you know the naked, it's supposed to be. This healthy smoothie buys, it says a blend of forge uses with added ingredients and other natural flavors. And on the front it has, it's got vitamin C and you want to know what it says here? Two on the front. And this another way they trick you. No sugar added is what it says. So somebody looks at that, oh no sugar added. Yep. You don't need to, it's already got the money. How much does it got in it?
Speaker 1: (09:00)
71 grams of carbohydrates. 70 and I think 60 60 some odd are sugar 70. No, 76 77 76 grams of total carbs. Crazy. And the other one 76. So this other, this is again the other naked drink, the green machine, it has, um, this one is a total of 63 grams of carbs with 53 sugars. So put that in perspective. Compare that to the red bull. So 76 in the green in the blue machine. 76 grams of carbs compared to how many in the red bull. And the red bull has 38 grams. 38 grams. Sorry, 40 total. 40 total grams. So 76, so it almost has double. Yeah. Double the amount of sugar that a red bull has. That is astounding. And then which one has the lowest? The lowest is actually this, this, um, the mountain dew, mountain dew. Give me fuel. How many grams of carbs this one has.
Speaker 1: (10:05)
It's got 24 grams of total carbs. 24 grams. So don't misunderstand what we're saying here. We're not recommending an adviser that mountain dew is a good healthy drink. That's not what we're saying. What we're trying to say here. I think the, the, the first point we're trying to drive home here is if nothing else become more aware. Yeah. Um, become more aware of what's out there. Start looking at labels, figuring out the ways in which, uh, manufacturers of these foods and beverages, uh, can, can hide things, you know, in plain sight. So, and again, the other side, other side of that we had talked about earlier was for instance, this Gatorade. Yes. You know, and it doesn't, when you look at the label, you're like, oh, it's only got 22 grams of carbs. That's not bad. But then when you pan up and you look at the top, oh, that's, there's two and a half servings here.
Speaker 1: (10:57)
So now you're looking at 50 some odd grams of carbs in this one Gatorade. Right? Right. So again, uh, they just, they play with our minds, be aware, learn to look at the labels and learned to understand and then learn to understand what you need for what you're doing. Yeah. And, and again, I think in terms of moderation, the biggest thing that I would simply say, uh, is, you know, if you think that you're going to get healthy by consistently drinking, um, fruit juices for the vitamins and the minerals and things like that, just understand that is a recipe for disaster. That is a recipe for a tremendous amount of frustration and heartache and disappointment for people who are trying to either lose weight or get healthy. Because unfortunately these things are anything but healthy. Now again, I would just simply reiterate too, that's not to demonize any of these drinks.
Speaker 1: (11:48)
If you want to have a drink like this. Every now and again, you know, and again, this is a, you know, it's going to be dependent upon your situation. If you're somebody who's struggling with say type two diabetes or neuropathy or some sort of an autoimmune condition and probably you're going to need to be even more strict than that. Um, but for the typical person having a drink like this every now and again, um, you know, again, it's one of those things where we need to look at the big picture here and not fixate and chase after. I think so many people these days are, um, you know, demonizing Wa, you know, straining at gnats. I think this is the, is the big thing that happens. And so I think what we have to understand is look at the big picture. It's about making sure that we find ways to reduce the amount of carbohydrates and sugar we put into our body because we know just not good for us.
Speaker 1: (12:39)
Um, but then also looking for better choices. So, um, yeah, anything you would recommend to them as an alternative to these besides water, obviously water's going to be a better way to go. Um, anything you'd recommend? Oh, goodness. You know what I liked? I can't remember what it's called. Um, oh gosh. They give it to, they gave, the first time I had it was after a, um, uh, we, I finished a spartan race. It was, uh, the heck was it called fit aid? Fit Aid. Oh, yes. There's, those are delicious. Yeah. Yeah. I want to say it's only got like 12 carbs. It's got an carbonation. It's a citrusy, they're loaded with B vitamins is actually, and honestly, it's the same price as just about any one of these things fit. It's a good way to go. It's been pretty, pretty dang good. Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, I would say to, you know, if you like the carbonation, uh, reach for a Pellegrino or a Perrier, you know, um, if you'd like the carbonation, you know, and, and a little lime or lemon with that is fabulous.
Speaker 1: (13:43)
Absolutely. Um, the thing that you're gonna also need to, and this is a whole different topic for another subject or for another show that we could do is be aware too, that you're not escaping problems by drinking diet sodas, your bus. Well, you know, there's, that's a whole nother issue. There've been other, can there've been a, there've been a lot of studies that have been done showing, uh, in fact there was one recently, um, that showed a dramatic increased risk of stroke associated with drinking diet sodas, consistent, consistent, uh, consumption of, uh, of Diet Soda. So, um, just be aware there are sugar hidden in plain sight everywhere. Uh, just because you think what you're drinking is healthy doesn't necessarily make it healthy. Um, learn to read the labels on the back, look for it. Um, no, what you're looking at, know the ways in which these various manufacturers like to hide things and trick us and uh, do, do sorts of manipulative tactics to, to massage out the numbers and make the data look okay.
Speaker 1: (14:41)
Uh, anything else that you would, um, no, just in the grand scheme of things, if you're, if you're someone looking to either lose weight or struggles with, you know, maybe you put weight on very easily. Um, one of the biggest things you could do to limit a tremendous amount of calories out of your diet, your daily intake would be to avoid drinking your calories, drink your calories. It's way too easy to drink a load of calories, um, in the liquids. And, and again, it doesn't give you any kind of satiety. That doesn't make me feel full as just as just like empty calories that really run up your caloric intake really fast. So, I mean, if that's again why I said earlier, we're not extremists in like, oh, you can't ever enjoy anything again, but be smart. You know, don't, don't be trying to put forth an honest effort and think that, oh, if I'm being good everywhere else, I can still drink soda. Be Smart. That's all. No, that's great. Awesome. Well, I hope this has been valuable for your guys and uh, we look forward to sharing even more with you guys on upcoming episodes. We'll talk to you later. See you soon.
Speaker 2: (15:50)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us some reviews. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at Info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
What's going on. Everybody. Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr Buddy Alan. And this is episode 12 of the Health fundamentals podcast. On today's episode we wanted to talk about the hidden culprit behind thyroid problems. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:12)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chat volar and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having a great day. On today's episode we wanted to talk a little bit about thyroid problems, thyroid problems that seems today like are becoming more and more common or have been, uh, quite common and even more, getting more common over the years. Um, this is, uh, an issue that is very near and dear to my heart as my wife has struggled for years, uh, with thyroid issues. Um, ultimately I think it was, golly, it's been, I think it's been about eight years now. Uh, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, had her thyroid removed. And as I'm sure you can probably imagine, that creates a whole host of problems in terms of trying to balance, uh, what is, uh, already a very delicate balance that needs to be reached. And so, uh, trying to manage a thyroid hormones, uh, effectively or properly without a thyroid gland is a very tricky, oh, it's like a, it's like hormonal gymnastics.
Speaker 1: (01:31)
So, uh, so we've been down this road for quite some time and it's really challenging because, uh, if you are like so many other, uh, not only women, but men too who struggle with thyroid problems and you've tried to, uh, address these problems through most of the conventional approaches, uh, it can be quite frustrating. Um, because, uh, far too often what happens is they look at a blood tests and what did the blood test typically say? You're within normal. Yeah. Everything looks okay, everything looks fine. And yet you've got all of these classic symptoms of thyroid problems, hypothyroidism, right? What are those classic symptoms people that we see that you hear of low energy, dry skin, um, gaining weight? Uh, hair falling out. Yeah. Eyebrows, thinning, yes. Um, cold. Yeah, exactly. Always cold, always cold, you know, all these classic symptoms and signs of thyroid problems.
Speaker 1: (02:34)
And so, uh, where do you go? You know, especially when everything that the doctors are looking at seems to from all accounts look normal and yet you're not instilling symptoms. Clearly there are things that are going wrong and it's not being addressed well. Um, you know, number one, we'll preface this episode by saying, you know, thyroid issues are complex. Absolutely. Anybody, anything different has not dealt with thyroid issues long enough to, to be able to recognize and appreciate. Now that being said, that's not saying that we can't give answers and it's not saying we can't help people cause we help people with thyroid issues all the time. But just understand, uh, that in the, in the confines of this single episode, we'll, I'm sure we'll talk about thyroid issues plenty, uh, you know, on future episodes, but just understand it's a really complex issue multifactoral uh, as so many other health issues.
Speaker 1: (03:29)
But one area that we wanted to kind of dive a little bit deeper in is, uh, one of the most common and yet hidden culprits behind thyroid problems that is being ignored, largely ignored. And what would that be? A really stress stress. Once again, stress shows his face as a something that's going to complicate and or, um, amplify, uh, you know, just the negative effects of, of different things in our body. But yeah, absolutely. The, our stress hormones get 'em all out of whack and it just, it kind of just confuses our body. Yeah. So let's, let's dive deep into this. You know, so when we say stress, uh, stress will have an impact on the body and specifically one of the organ systems that gets neglected with thyroid issues is adrenal problems, right? A adrenal problems are oftentimes ignored or neglected or just not even thought of.
Speaker 1: (04:21)
Um, in terms of thyroid issues, you know, far too often, uh, doctors will look at the thyroid and only the thyroid and think that that is the primary issue when in reality, oftentimes, uh, it could really be on an underlying adrenal problem that's going on as a result of stress. So, uh, let's kind of unpack that and let's talk a little bit about it. How the adrenal glands and where their function can impact and or impair fibroid function. And so, uh, let, let's kind of unload three key areas where the adrenal glands can impact the thyroid gland. Uh, number one, it can affect how we produce the production of thyroid in general or by hormones. Exactly. Um, number two is going to be the conversion of those hormones into the proper forms. And then the third is gonna. It creates resistance issues, resistance problems, who to the hormones.
Speaker 1: (05:13)
And one of the, one of the things that you'll see is that with some of those areas, those problems that are created wouldn't necessarily be manifested effectively or appropriately or, or visibly on a blood test. Right? And so you, you look at like for instance, resistance, a resistance problem or even a conversion problem. Uh, those types of problems, uh, aren't going to be readily seen on a blood test right now if it's a true, legitimate, like production problem where you are hypo thyroid, where the body is not producing sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone that may or may not show up on a blood test. But these other ones definitely probably aren't gonna show up on a blood test. So let's talk about production. How that's influenced. Well, it's actually kind of a simple, when you, when you simplify it, when you kind of look at it in general, right?
Speaker 1: (05:59)
When the body is undergoing stress, your adrenal glands are the primary stress coping mechanisms within the body. Your adrenal glands will produce cortisol among other things. And Cortisol is used to help combat that stress. And so imagine like this feedback loop where you have your brain that senses stress, whether it be physical stress, emotional stress, chemical stress, you name it. Well, that that brain then sends a signal to the adrenal glands via the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland. They call it your HPA axis. I don't expect you to remember this, but just to understand, your brain sends signals via the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland then send signals out to the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands will produce stress hormones, primarily cortisol to address the stressor, right? This is what people refer to commonly as the flight fight or flight response, right?
Speaker 1: (06:52)
And so then the cortisol, the, the presence of Cortisol will then send a signal back to the brain to say that, yes, we have produced the appropriate hormones. We are now addressing the problem. And so then ultimately it should ideally, in an ideal situation, a create a negative feedback loop to where it, it stops the off everything. Yeah. The off switch, we've, we've, we've either run away from the tiger where we've killed the tiger right from our caveman days. Right? And so the problem though is that what if the stressor isn't gone? What if the stressor is still there? Or what if there's an immediate stressor right after, at one, right after the other, over and over and over and over again, right? So again, uh, do we ever have a deficit of stressors in our life, right? I mean, and that's, and then we fix one, one problem only to find three more, right?
Speaker 1: (07:38)
Or, or what if there's a chronic infection that's just not being addressed? That's still there, that's still there. You know? And so you can immediately start to see the problem there is that what happens is our body, uh, is, is, becomes hyperfocused on that, that loop in such a way where everything gets diverted at the detriment of so many other processes in our body, including thyroid production. And so all of a sudden production starts going down to try, and it's kind of the proverbial robbing Peter to pay Paul scenario where a thyroid production gets put to a halt along with everything else in effort to try and address the stressor, to produce, to signal the adrenals, to produce more cortisol and other things like that. And then eventually things just kind of start really going wonky and crazy. And so, so that's how production happens.
Speaker 1: (08:24)
So then the next is conversion, right? And so, um, there's a lot of ways that conversion can be impacted. And when we say conversion, let's get specific here. You know, when your thyroid gland produces thyroid hormone, it produces primarily, it produces what's called t four, which is an inactive version of the thyroid hormone. Uh, like you'd said, kind of used for storage. Um, and so the body needs to convert that to t three, which is the active form of t three. But then also on top of that, the interesting thing is that the body will also produce what's called reverse t three where we will, uh, kind of put the brakes on the uh, uh, the utilization of the active form, the, the free t three. And so, uh, and so you've, you've got this process of conversion that has to take place there. And what happens is when your body is in a chronic state of stress, oftentimes it creates inflammatory markers in the body that will impact the conversion process.
Speaker 1: (09:20)
It'll, it'll impact the, the various enzymes that are involved in that delicate process of conversion. And so now all of a sudden the problem there is that when you run blood tests and you look at t four levels, the t four levels all look Litho, normal range or what's called Tsh, thyroid stimulating hormone, um, you know, everything looks good. It's stimulating the right amounts, the right amounts of t four there. But the problem is is that if it's not being converted effectively, that that thyroid hormone is not going to be utilized. And so you will still have hypo thyroid issues. Um, you will have legitimate hypothyroidism happening there even though everything looks normal. Right? So then the last part is resistance. Let's talk about resistance. And resistance is very much, um, it's very much like a, you know, diabetics or, or insulin resistance leading to diabetes.
Speaker 1: (10:10)
Uh, there may be ample there, but it's the insensitivity to it because of all the stress hormones that are floating and the inflammation that's caused and all of these mixed signals that your body is getting under each and environment to where the tissues are not going to be able to utilize it like they could or should. Right. So again, that's, and that's a perfect example. You know, we were familiar at least maybe should be familiar with uh, common things like insulin resistance, right? Where, uh, when the environment gets, gets completely out of its normal ranges, uh, the tissues no longer respond the same to, to those, to those signals, right? Those hormone signals like insulin, right? But in this instance, we're not talking about insulin. We're obviously talking about thyroid hormone where you may have the proper levels, but if the tissue's just simply aren't, aren't taking it in, taking it in and utilizing it, you know, we have resistance problems and so then all of a sudden we've got a, yeah, we've got a issues there.
Speaker 1: (11:07)
I rate issues, right? So, uh, understanding the adrenal glands and the critical role that they play in normal, healthy thyroid function, uh, is really important to understand because then we start to get answers where previously we didn't have the exams and we have, we have a direction of action that we can take. Okay. We need to be able again, to take a step back and look at our lives and be like, look, stress is a normal part of our life and we're supposed to be able to deal with it in a healthy way. Our body, we have mechanisms to be able to do it. And uh, so we need to look at, you know, do we have physical stressors? Do we have a mental, emotional, what are the stressors in our life? Is there some sort of sanction? Right? Is there, is there an infection that we have to look at?
Speaker 1: (11:48)
Right? And so, yeah, and so again, uh, if you, if you went back to one of our episodes, we about depression, he said one of the first things you got to step back at it, you've got to get clarity and look at where are the areas that are being impacted, you know, and that might require some additional testing outside of the normal parameters. Right? I would say if you're not certain, if your adrenals are impacted or not get an adrenal test, it's very simple. They test salivary hormones. It's a test that can be done at home, uh, having your adrenal function tested. Um, and then the other thing you can look at is, are you dealing with some sort of an underlying, uh, internal pathogen? You know, so having a GI pathogen test, gut issues, right? Uh, are there food sensitivities? Are there emotional stressors that haven't been dealt with appropriately or effectively that you're still harboring and struggling with?
Speaker 1: (12:34)
Right? Um, are there environmental factors right now in your life that maybe need to change? Maybe you need to change some things. Maybe you're in a job that you shouldn't be in. Uh, maybe it's that you've got a diet that needs to be cleaned up. Maybe it's that you need to be a little bit more active and that can be a catch 22 in and of itself in terms of exercise and activity level. If, if people are already feeling already burnt out and they've got these issues, sometimes that can kind of create some problems. But ultimately really trying to identify maybe some of the areas that need to be looked into further to get more answers. And then once we start having some of these answers right in front of us, then we can start creating a little bit more of a comprehensive plan of attack to begin, you know, solving these problems. So anything else you want to add to this episode? Nope. Let's try to keep things simple and let's let it just, let's peel it back to, you know, what, what's, what are the causes? And this is a big one for a lot of people, so it's not getting addressed. Fibroid issues and you're stressed. Um, let's see if maybe we start addressing the stressors and see if your thyroid doesn't respond appropriately. Yeah. So, all right guys, we'll, we'll talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a good one.
Speaker 2: (13:42)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered, live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
What's going on. Everybody. Doctor Chad Moeller here and Dr Buddy Alan, and this is episode 11 of the Health Fundamentals podcast. On today's episode, we wanted to share with you the shocking discovery behind migraine headaches. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chat Vola and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, hey everybody on today's episode we wanted to share with you something really interesting. Um, there was a recent study, um, or I should say relatively recent study. Um, and while it's shocking, I think to a certain extent, I think there was a mount of, of, or there was a, there was a certain amount of kind of like, oh, that makes sense. Yeah, it, yeah, exactly. It was kind of like, yeah, that makes perfect sense. And it wasn't to a necessarily surprising but shocking from a standpoint of a, it's one of those things that is so simple in plain sight. Um, so, so check this out. Uh, we were, we were online and we found there was a study that was published back in 2016, uh, by Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. They said a high percentage of children, teens and young adults with migraines appear to have mild deficiencies in Vitamin D, Riboflavin and Cohen's and coenzyme Q 10.
Speaker 1: (01:29)
So that's kind of crazy. It is kind of crazy and it's kind of funny cause we have frequently talk with patients about different vitamin deficiencies and how it might benefit there. They're varying issues that they're suffering with. And I think it comes down, a lot of people don't think of vitamins because vitamins don't, or minerals for that matter. They don't react the same way medications do. All right. We've been conditioned to think that, you know, we take a medicine and in 20 or 30 or 40 minutes we can feel an effect. We can fill a decrease in the migraine or the symptoms. And in our mind we're thinking up that fixed it, that that was the problem, right? When again, we're just kind of, all we're doing is we're numbing the pain. We're not really getting to the root issue. And vitamins and minerals are a very different, um, and how our bodies respond to them.
Speaker 1: (02:14)
We don't generally, when you get, when you take vitamins or even if you had a vitamin injection for heaven sakes, usually airs a little bit of time that passes before you realize, wait a second, I haven't had migraines in weeks or months. You know, it's not like this immediate, uh, response. And so I think that's probably why this, um, to some people may sound a little shocking. Like what really, uh, vitamin D, Riboflavin Co, Q 10, three simple, very easily attainable and not even all that expensive supplements yeah. Can, can mitigate and, or, um, largely get rid of these might these. And cause, you know, migraines are things that generally impede people's ability to function at a normal level, right? It can completely put in bed for days at times, you know, so it's a significant thing. In fact, migraines in general, I found something that said world worldwide, as many as 1 billion people are affected with Migraines, making it the third most preventable illness in the world.
Speaker 1: (03:13)
That's huge. That is huge. That is huge. And to think that it could just be, you know, truly coming back down to, like we said, it's kind of a, Oh Duh, you know, you mean having a, a very balanced diet and having the building blocks in our body to be able to function as we were meant to can make a difference? Well, yeah. Can make a huge difference. Right. And I would argue we were talking about this, I would argue as well. Uh, if he were to dig even deeper, you would find several other vitamin and or mineral deficiencies common, uh, as common denominators amongst migraine sufferers. I would say hands down, you'd probably find deficiencies with magnesium would be a huge one. We talked about that in one of our previous episodes, the miracle mineral of magnesium and just how absolutely critical it is and what a role it plays in so many different processes in our bodies.
Speaker 1: (04:01)
And I get three fatty acids, omega three fatty acids. Absolutely. I would venture a guess to say that if you did a huge yeah, if you did a test showing Omega three levels in your blood, my guess is people who suffer with migraines would probably have low levels of Omega three s as well. Absolutely. Um, so some simple things but yet a very profound in their implications. You know, these things. Um, increasingly these not only through diet but then also through supplementation could have a huge impact on helping mitigate a migraines or maybe even completely resolving migraine problems. So, and again, if this is one of those things that you yourself suffer from, from time to time, um, what a simple thing for you to do. Don't expect immediate results, but what a simple thing to do that really can only help you. And we know there's no, you're not going to do anything negative here by bumping up your vitamin D or coke.
Speaker 1: (04:58)
Exactly. So, well, and I think that you brought up another subject that we can kind of dive a little bit deeper in on this episode as well. It's just this idea of feeling versus function. Absolutely. You know, there is such a, uh, again, culturally pervasive, uh, way of thinking that symptoms are the most accurate representation of what's really happening when in reality nothing could be further from the truth. Symptoms, uh, can, can oftentimes be extremely misleading as to what's really happening. Or oftentimes I should say more often than not, the absence of symptoms sure can be a big misnomer, right? So, so purely basing everything off of symptoms or absence of symptoms, um, can oftentimes be misleading. Now that's not to say that you shouldn't, you should ignore symptoms. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm simply saying is underlying symptoms, the more often that we can measure function, the more accurate we are going to be in terms of figuring out what's wrong.
Speaker 1: (05:57)
So perfect example, you know, somebody who feels fine, quote unquote, they feel fine and then one day dropped dead of a heart attack. Clearly lack of symptoms there did not really serve them very well, right? And so, uh, if they were to, let's say, get a full physical evaluation, done a stress test on their heart, look at, for instance, we'll just say throw out there, maybe, uh, looking at certain markers in the blood, like c reactive protein or high sensitivity, c reactive protein, and let's say that that sky high, that could be a predictive marker of function and, or what's really happening in terms of their, their health, what's really going on, right? Rather than a, I feel fine, therefore I am fine. You know? And so, so that point that you kind of brought up at the very beginning, right, that, that we have become conditioned to expect that if I take this, uh, thing, and if I don't feel a significant improvement, that it's somehow not working or it's not as effective as this, uh, prescription drug or whatever, when in reality, just because you don't feel a significant difference doesn't necessarily mean that the function and or the physiology isn't changing for the better.
Speaker 1: (07:12)
You know? And that's so important to understand because again, oftentimes with vitamins and minerals, um, not always, but oftentimes it requires a consistent amount of, of, uh, of, uh, replenishment, I guess it's fuel, you know, the vitamins, minerals, they, yeah, they, uh, they affect certain things in our body, you know, different, uh, metabolic processes and different, uh, uh, neuronal connect of ish. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, they're there for a reason. Yeah. Things, things that you may not necessarily be able to feel occurring below the surface are certainly occurring or not occurring if you're not doing it right. You know? So, uh, bear that in mind. If you're somebody who suffers with Matt, uh, with Migraine headaches, uh, or know somebody that does, uh, keep in mind, it could be just something as simple as this, right? Vitamin D, cocuten, Riboflavin, really simple, really straightforward. And I would add into that mix again, magnesium. Right. Um, so hopefully it's been helpful. Anything you want to add to this? Nope. Always seek those, a natural routes prior to the more potentially the bigger guns. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So, uh, thanks for watching guys. And we'll talk to you guys on the next episode.
Speaker 2: (08:24)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
What's going on, everybody, Doctor Chad Woolner and Dr Buddy Alan. And this is episode 10 of The health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode we're going to be talking about the surprising truth behind acid reflux. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:14)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show was about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So happy Friday everybody. Hope you guys are having a great day and hope you guys have totally exciting plans for the weekend. Um, we wanted to kind of dive in deep on a subject that's really important in that is acid reflux. This is a really common problem. A lot of people struggle with this. Uh, when it comes to acid reflux, how would we describe it to people if people, uh, I think most people know if they struggle with this. People do. And this is kind of coming off the heels of our last episode where we talked about, um, our gut health and depression and basically how all of that kind of comes together. And acid reflux or heartburn if you will, is really another one of those things. It's a symptom. It's a symptom of something greater. All right, so I'm going to go through a whole list of different things or different, uh, different ways.
Speaker 1: (01:23)
Acid reflux or heartburn manifests itself. And I want you to just listen to see if any of these ring true to you. Because if it does, if this is something that you're, you're struggling with on a, on the regular basis or your pop and Tom's on a regular basis, again, it's an underlying symptom of a greater issue. And so that's kind of what we want to tackle here. So obviously heartburn and you know, have you ever have a bitter taste in your mouth? I'm waking up in the middle of the night. Like you're choking. All right, a dry mouth. Um, you have maybe a really bad breath regurgitation, so you kind of burp up that acid, you know, you get that, uh, you burp and it's kind of burns in the same time. Um, nausea. You could have bloody vomiting, um, lots of belching or gaseous. You know, if you're getting tons every time you eat your bourbon and, um, you know, you're getting all of that, you have hiccups that are really difficult to stop.
Speaker 1: (02:16)
Um, hiccups are actually spasms of your diaphragm. And so if there's something irritating that, um, it can create those, you just, that, those nasty bouts of hiccups, um, you could have unexpected weight loss. I'm sure most people wouldn't mind that, that were, that are suffering from it would probably be not a bad symptom, but that's going to be more rare. Wale. And I think typically that's going to be also associated with some other serious problems. Absolutely. To be full. And then there's, um, increased discomfort when you're bending over or lying down. You know, you just get that burn hoarseness in your throat when you wake up. And then I'll honestly, uh, just the, the chronic throat irritation, um, how would even say, if you didn't mention it, maybe you did, but even just that deep boring chest pain. Yes. I think most people when they talk about, that's what they recognize.
Speaker 1: (03:00)
It's that kind of just deep nagging. You can't really pinpoint it. Uh, achy chest pain that's there. And then the longterm danger of that is you can get something that's called, and you know, this was kind of a, a scientific term, Barrett's Esophagus, which is basically the cells in your, in your esophagus start transitioning and become precancerous and then ultimately they can become cancerous. So obviously not something that we want to have to ever deal with. So let's talk about this. Fit for pronic longterm irritation and or inflammation is never a good thing in the body and it never turns into anything good. Um, that, that's one of the big problems. Uh, you know, that, that chronically untreated inflammatory problems, uh, very frequently wind up turning cancerous. Um, that's a, that's a really, really big problem. So, um, so in order for us to kind of understand this topic and kind of talk about the surprising truth behind it, um, the approach to managing, um, acid reflux, or at least the, the, the current paradigm, the way that we oftentimes do it is counterproductive.
Speaker 1: (04:10)
You know, uh, most of the approaches, whether the, whether they be prescription or over the counter approaches all have the same strategy in mind. And it would, it would appear like it would make sense. Um, but the problem when we kind of understand and unpack the, the whole real cause behind acid reflux, you'll see just how detrimental and harmful these things are and how counterproductive they are at solving the problem. Right? So most of the approaches are all designed to do the same thing, and that is do what? Right. Reduce acid, right? That, okay, acid reflux does, the problem is acid. Right? Um, so what we want to do is we want to neutralize that acid with some sort of a, a, a, a buffering agent, like a atomic tone or a, or some sort of a Rolaids. Or are there are rolling still or, or, uh, what's the other one?
Speaker 1: (04:59)
The pop pop fizz is the outgoing Elser Alka Seltzer, you know, all these different, uh, even the, uh, the good old pink bottle of Pepto bismal Dobyns now all those things. And then obviously the prescriptions. And then sometimes you have things that are a various forms of prescription drugs. One of them is a, what we call a proton pump inhibitor, which is ultimately designed to try and prevent the source of production of the acid to try and minimize the acid production, uh, in the, in the stomach. And so again, it would seem at first glance, like those would be very logical, uh, approaches to managing a acid reflux. Unfortunately, when you recognize kind of what's driving the acid reflux in the first place, you're going to, it's, it's one of those things where it's like, for those watching, it's the, it's the proverbial smack on the head, forehead smack.
Speaker 1: (05:47)
Like, Dang it. You know, why, why are we doing that? Right? So, so in order for us to kind of explain this, we have to kind of step back a couple of steps. Let's start with the, the, the, um, digestive process in the first place, right? So we start eating food. We have our esophagus into our mouth, and then it leads to our esophagus down the throat and down at the Esophagus, right where the esophagus meets the stomach, there is a muscle that that creates a contraction or a or a, uh, or a closure there called the pyloric sphincter and is basically a muscle that opens and closes, right? A sphincter is this muscle that separates or closes off the stomach from the Esophagus, right? And so the question that we have to ask is, number one, what is it that causes the pyloric sphincter to open the first place?
Speaker 1: (06:36)
And I think most people could intuitively figure this out, but it's the, it's, it's a pressure sensor, right? The minute that it senses pressure or weight upon it, right? So you're eating the food, it goes down the esophagus and then it, and then it, it rests there on that pyloric sphincter. Once it senses that pressure, it opens, right and so once it opens, the food drops down into the stomach. Now for the million dollar question, what is it that causes the pyloric sphincter to close? That's the important question. What is it? It is the acid. It's the acid is since his acid. That is what creates the closure. Now what is the problem? If there is too little acid in the stomach, it's not going to close very tightly. It doesn't close tight. It doesn't close efficiently or effectively and then we start getting that stomach acid seeking seeping upward.
Speaker 1: (07:28)
That regurgitation of the stomach acid, there is stomach acid there, but it's not a sufficient amount of stomach acid to create a healthy, strong tight muscle closure. That is the problem. That's kind of the hidden in plain sight problem or the surprising problem or the surprising truth behind acid reflux is that it's a problem with dwindling stomach acid and or you could even go so far as to say. Also additionally to that digestive enzymes a with poor diet, this shouldn't come as any sort of a surprise or shock. A poor diet can negatively influence stomach acid levels as an it lowers them. Okay. And so then on top of that, you have just the fact that as we get older with aging, stomach acid production also diminishes or decreases. And so then on top of that, you compound that with the fact that now we're introducing all sorts of either over the counter or prescription drugs to also lower stomach acid production.
Speaker 1: (08:27)
Then all of a sudden it's just compounding that problem again. Now you have a chronic issue that's just, it's more than it seems to be more and more frequent. Exactly, exactly. And so it's just, it's, it's kind of this perpetual cycle that low stomach acid leads to buy uloric sphincter that doesn't sufficiently shut it, doesn't sufficiently shut, creates more irritation and inflammation with more irritation. Inflammation. We take more, uh, Tom's, we take more Alka Seltzer, we take more whatever it is that we take to try and push that further. And you can just see the insanity of this whole process, this cascades. So, um, you know, what we don't want to say is it certainly by no means a magic pill or a magic bullet, but one of the first things that you can do to kind of begin the process that the catalyst, so to speak, of helping in this process is start actually believe it or not, introducing acid into your diet, right in the form of, there's a supplement that you can get online.
Speaker 1: (09:22)
Go to amazon.com and I'm sure you can get it for just a couple bucks called Betaine hydrochloride, and you start supplementing with that. And what that's going to do is the actual opposite thing. So I would say also logically in inherently, you're going to want to taper off the tums or the whatever it is that you're using to lower the acid start introducing Betaine hydrochloride. I would simultaneously introduced that, introduce into that as well. Um, uh, diet, digestive enzymes with your meals, right? Digestive enzymes help break down the food. And so that's gonna, it's gonna, uh, take a little bit of the burden and the load off of the stomach in the first place because you're going to be assisting with the Betaine hydrochloride as well as the digestive enzymes to help, uh, assist in breaking your food down. The food is going to break down more.
Speaker 1: (10:07)
And there's a whole nother topic we could get into in terms of digestive issues. There is that what happens when your food doesn't get effectively digested properly in the stomach is that what happens is it creates a host of other problems and that's how that to belching and you know, where you're always burping and you have the, basically you create a ton of gas, right? Well and not only pressure, not only that, I'm talking even longer term. Chronic is that if you're, if you're, uh, if your food is not getting properly digested, um, what that can lead to is food allergies and food sensitivities because what happens is, uh, they'll, they'll start to create inflammation in the gut and inflammation can lead to leaky gut, what they call leaky gut, where the food starts to kind of break through that wall. And all of a sudden, if these particles are larger than they should be, meaning it hasn't been broken down to its most simple form, uh, the body will wreck, begin to recognize it as foreign and all of a sudden that's when you start creating a lot of these, uh, food allergies and sensitivities and reactions and things like that.
Speaker 1: (11:11)
That's a whole nother subject. But, uh, the idea being is that we want to increase stomach acid through this supplementation, number one. But then obviously, uh, the idea is this, this isn't licensed to continue to eat the same crappy diet and just kind of be popping these things. But instead rather saying, okay, step number one, start introducing the supplementation to assist. Step number two, clean your diet up. Start introducing a lot more kind of, uh, anti inflammatory foods. You know, like the same things we've talked about in the past. A healthy fats. What else would you recommend? A healthy fiber. I eat vegetables, fruits, um, leaner, healthier proteins. Yup. Um, all of those are going to, again, Mo, this is a symptom. Um, chronic heartburn, chronic regurgitation, chronic issues here. Whenever we have symptoms are like, Gosh, I didn't use to have this problem. We can't think of it as, oh my gosh, I got to start taking Tom's like mom and dad used to, it's a, wait a second.
Speaker 1: (12:10)
Why is this happening? Because this is a result of something else that I'm doing. We've got to make some changes not doing. Yup. All right. So again, it comes down to we have to fix what we've been doing incorrectly. And so, yeah, you're right. Yeah. You know, we don't do ourselves any favors if we, if we kind of tried to lessen, you know, like, oh well I'm not that overweight or I don't eat that badly. Right? Or, yeah, don't soften it. Just like be honest with ourselves. It's like we know when we're not being as true to ourself or as true to a healthy diet as we should be. And if we're having the symptom just like, look, it's not about if all we're doing is, um, covering up the symptoms eventually were chasing other things that are going to be a lot worse. You don't want to use digestive enzymes or Betaine hydrochloride as a bandaid.
Speaker 1: (12:55)
It's not, it's not, that's not what it's intended for. Again, uh, I saw a great quote by doctor Mark Hyman online the other day. He said, and I think it was him that said this, he said, food is not like medicine. He said, food is medicine. You know, and so that's a really important distinction there that we need to understand is, I think that's something sometimes we can think of. It's like food is kind of like medicine. No, he's saying food is medicine. That should be, absolutely, that should be the primary form. You know, uh, in Chiropractic College, uh, we had what, two, three years of clinical nutrition in it, in a variety of forms because that is one of the most primary and in fact that is the primary intervention, uh, in terms of medicine speaking, uh, that people should be focused on, you know, is, is making changes to diet.
Speaker 1: (13:39)
That's one of the most powerful therapeutic interventions. A frontline that anybody can do, you know, in this whole process. And so if you're struggling with acid reflux, if he knows somebody who is number one, recognize that it's a symptom, that's not the problem, right? There's something else going on or an that's like the first step number two, uh, introduce pertain hydrochloride and digestive enzymes to assist the stomach and the number three. What a number, sorry, I wasn't expecting you took my head was totally elsewhere. I apologize. Number three, right? Dietary choices, making those dietary changes get with the program. Man. Sorry, I was off in Lala land for a moment. So, and that's all right. That happens. So that's right. So, uh, hopefully it's been helpful for you guys. Uh, if you know somebody that can benefit, uh, share this with them and, uh, make sure you subscribe to the podcast because we've got lots of great information, still yet to come. Uh, all sorts of great subjects that we love talking about and unpacking and uh, so, uh, yeah, we'll talk to you guys in the next episode. Have a great weekend. We'll talk to you later.
Speaker 2: (14:45)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr Buddy Alan, and this is episode nine of the Health Fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode we're going to be discussing a surprising cause behind neuropathy. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:13)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:32)
So, hey everybody on today's episode, we wanted to share with you a recent study that came out that showed up pretty surprising cause behind some types of neuropathy. Um, it's kind of, again, a background if you haven't watched, uh, I think it was episode four. I think it where we talked about, uh, neuropathy. Is it possible to reverse neuropathy, um, you know, to begin, let's kind of describe or define for those who aren't familiar with neuropathy. I would, I would say that probably if you have neuropathy, most of Noah Noah, right? Um, but, but how would we describe it in a nutshell? Neuropathy can come from many different causes. It's frequently and probably most frequently associated with diabetic neuropathy. And, and, and the reason what happens is because of a lack of control of blood sugar, over time your, the vasculature in your body starts to get damaged.
Speaker 1: (01:23)
And, and because of that, the nerves start to die off. And as nerves are dying off, they, they just, your body becomes very sensitized and very painful. You'll, it can be like pins and needles. It can be a numbness burning. Exactly. Ah, you know, uh, it basically, the culprit of the cause is inflammation due to uncontrolled blood sugar, which ultimately leads to that the damage, damage and deterioration. It can also be caused by, uh, chemotherapy you buy. It can be caused by different other chemical toxic exposures. Um, sometimes there are not necessarily any observable causes, but a recent study that was done showed a cause that maybe people may not, might not be familiar with. You know, because they, they, they may find that on testing. I wasn't familiar with it. Yeah. They're, their blood sugar looked fine. I did, you know, I did my blood sugar, I don't have diabetes.
Speaker 1: (02:18)
My blood sugar is under control. Everything looks good, but I still have neuropathy. And if that's the case, uh, this may be to blame, this may be not cool. We see a lot of this with, um, it's gluten intolerance. Yeah. So literally over time, if you are gluten intolerant and you continue to consume gluten, what happens is over time you can actually have a diabetic or not or neuropathy type pain caused by this gluten intolerance because of the of this, you know, reoccurring exposure or irritation that you're, you're creating in your body. And so, right. And so, yeah, basically what happens is your body, if it's intolerant to gluten, it responds, um, to gluten as though a, an era. And so what happens is it creates inflammation. And we're talking about that same kind of cycle, right? That inflammation leads to a damage to the blood vessels, which leads to poor a poor blood supply or poor circulation to those areas, which is a, those nerves depend upon that circulation to keep them alive and well and healthy.
Speaker 1: (03:22)
And then all of a sudden if those nerves start to die or dwindle or become unhealthy as a result of not getting adequate blood supply, then all of a sudden, um, that's when you start dealing with a lot of those symptoms that are commonly associated with neuropathy. And this, this research article, basically the, what they were doing was they were following individuals who were very strict and, and you know, observed, you know, a diet that was gluten free. And they did, they did much better, you know, significantly better with respect to their pain. Um, and one of the interesting things, um, maybe a little side note to that is those individuals who didn't eat a gluten free diet and we're in greater pain, also a scored worse on their mental, um, their mental health actually, right. So it actually, if they were, and significant effects of brain, you bet it affected how they were feeling.
Speaker 1: (04:14)
Yeah. And so, you know, and as we were talking about this, um, and we've talked about this, I'm pretty sure we've talked about in, if we haven't talked about it yet, we'll talk about in future episodes, but how is sugar in general? Um, and, and gluten generally comes from grain, from, you know, from our wheat. And it's a, it's a protein that's, that's created with, with wheat or that's found in wheat. And wheat is a carbohydrate, which as when it's refined is, you know, just like sugar. And so anyways, high carbohydrate, high sugar diets create inflammation in our systems. Inflammation in our systems creates damage and trauma. And so, um, it's, it goes without saying. If we can control and bring down the amount of sugar or carbohydrates that we consume, very likely we're gonna feel, you know, like the, the incidence of pain that we have will improve.
Speaker 1: (05:09)
Right. Yeah. And I, and I would say, you know, as just a general rule of thumb, a, if you're dealing with problems like neuropathy, it's never a bad idea to, if you haven't already, try going off of gluten for a week to two weeks to even a month and, and see how your body responds and see how you do. And, uh, and I think for a lot of people, especially the ones who can't necessarily identify, uh, a, um, a, a really clear answer as to what's causing their rock empathy, I think for them, uh, they, they may be one of these people that the study is referring to that it might be the gluten that's creating some of these problems. And the other thing too, you know, that, that a lot of people are finding to, I'll, I'll kind of extrapolate here. A lot of the latest research is showing too, that it may not necessarily even be the gluten per say, but, but that, um, uh, uh, the life life, I say, Oh yeah.
Speaker 1: (06:03)
A life estate in the, uh, in the pesticides that are used to try any agricultural, uh, process of, of, uh, growing and harvesting these, um, these grains, you bet. And so a glyphosate, uh, is obviously toxic to the body. Uh, we were not meant to consume glycosate and yet it's found a lot in a lot of these foods. Um, and so, uh, that could be a culprit as well. And so that could be the issue in terms of going off of, uh, you know, grains or at least just avoiding that toxin, just avoiding it all together. Yeah, exactly. So, uh, if you're somebody who's struggling with neuropathy, consider, uh, reducing or even all together, eliminating gluten out of your diet, see how you respond. Um, I would say probably more often than not, people would do better. I would agree. You know, anything we can do to reduce inflammation in the body, uh, reduce the intake of foods that create irritation, um, or inflammation, uh, the better, you know, in general, um, reducing, like you said, carbohydrates, increasing healthy fats.
Speaker 1: (07:09)
You know, the, the interesting thing is, uh, and this is going to be a generalization, but, uh, you know, if you look at, um, if you look at sugar and fat, and again, this is going to be a generalization, but you could almost look at sugar as a, an inflammation accelerator and you could almost look at fat as a break to inflammation, right? Slowing the breaks. Especially when we say fat, we're talking about like I'm specifically referring to healthy fats. Um, Omega three, yeah. Even more specifically Omega three, Omega three. If you look at the science behind it, it acts like a balancing mechanism to shift our body's internal chemistry away from inflammation instead of towards inflammation. Um, if you look at the, the sad diet, the standard American Diet, uh, one thing that is obviously clear that they know is that it is skewed way too heavy in, in favor of what they call it.
Speaker 1: (08:03)
Omega six fats and Omega six fats are primarily found in grains, in a, in meat where the red meets, where the, where the, the, the, um, the animals that you're eating fed off of grains, grain fed meat, um, as well as a lot of the other processed foods that we eat, processed carbohydrates. And so what happens is that skews things, uh, in favor of an Omega six slanted. You know, again, if you look at it like a teeter totter on one side, you've got Omega three on the other side, you've got Omega six. If things are skewed a far more towards an Omega six, what happens is the chemical pathways lead to eventually, uh, inflammatory byproducts as a result of it. And so if we can shift things towards more of Omega three level, it's almost like putting the brakes on inflammation. So eating more, consuming more things like Avocados, uh, fish, uh, you know, fatty fish, a fish like salmon is a great, great example of that.
Speaker 1: (09:03)
A Omega Three's also come from nuts. Um, anything else I'm missing there in terms of seed is pretty flaxseed. Chia seed is a great seat as one source Omega threes. Um, you know, so, so, uh, supplementing with those can be very, very effective for helping to reduce inflammation. So, so think about it like that. And I know it's an a maybe an overgeneralization but not only to reduce gluten or eliminated altogether, but also reducing carbs or reducing corroborates and sugars in your diet, but then also increasing fats to maybe help, uh, put the brakes on inflammation a little bit. So any other thoughts you wanted to share? A No. So hopefully this has been valuable for you. If you struggle with neuropathy, consider this. If you know somebody that does as well, share this with them. Uh, hopefully this gives you some new insights and information that maybe you haven't considered before. And more importantly, I hope this helps. So we hope this. Absolutely. All right guys, thanks for listening and watching and we will talk to you later.
Speaker 2: (10:04)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here. And this is episode eight of the Health Fundamentals podcast. On today's episode we have a special guest, my good friend Bob Gardner here with us. He is going to be teaching us today about how to conquer addiction. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:17)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:36)
So, hey everybody, I'm really excited about this episode today. We have my good friend, Bob Gardner, Bob Gardner, uh, Dustin. Pretty amazing things among many of the things that he does. He helps people with addiction issues and, uh, we realized, I realized, uh, this topic comes fully loaded with lots of stigma. Um, and so I'm really excited to be able to discuss this and have a fob on this, uh, this episode with us because I think, uh, if we do our job right, if Bob does his job right, which I think he will, uh, he can help kind of to de-stigmatize, uh, the challenge of addiction and maybe give you guys some tools and resources and some ideas to really help really solve a major problem. So, Bob, uh, thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to be with us on today's episode.
Speaker 3: (01:34)
My pleasure. Buzzer.
Speaker 1: (01:36)
So, um, I guess the best place to start is what got you into this, uh, into this round. What's your story? You know, cause uh, you have kind of an unconventional story in terms of, um, helping people with addiction problems.
Speaker 3: (01:52)
Yeah. So what got me into addiction versus what got me into helping people with addiction, two different stories, right? And the one led into the other. Okay. I was 14 years old when I started with pornography addiction. So I was 18 years of my life, I stuck in pornography addiction. I remember when it passed half of my life, I was 28 years old and I thought no more. And it kept going. Um, and I remember this, this bear, I remember how painful it was. I remember feeling like I was broken for a long time before even the word addiction became a possibility. Like, oh, there's a thing. It's not just me who's a retard, sorry. Those of you who are words like that, I'm not trying to offend anybody know. Um, so, and uh, and, and it went a long time. And I went, when I finally figured out that there was something there and I was married at the time, I was suicidal.
Speaker 3: (02:51)
Like I was deep in depression. I was in graduate school and we were living in Seattle. So imagine dark and stormy night every night, um, for nine months of the year. And it was just not a good space for me. Um, and it was just really, really bad. And we got to a point where we almost got divorced. It was never something I'd never thought about. My wife would do. Um, but she couldn't handle it anymore because I couldn't handle it either. And I wasn't living up to my end of the bargain. And so as I was staring down the barrel of that gun, looking at the possibility of living the rest of my life alone and without really access to my kids who were some of the only things that lit me up, uh, on the inside and still miserable as a business owner are still horrible with relationships.
Speaker 3: (03:40)
Still so many things that I didn't know how to figure out. I was able to kind of white knuckle it. Like a lot of them talk about it. I was able to kind of hold still, but that didn't end the actual fight on the inside. Right? So even though I could control the behavior, it was like living in a straight jacket. Like all day long, my wife leaves home the computers and the corner. Oh my gosh. Oh, well I'm from not looking at porn. Then I'm like thinking around on Facebook or playing video games or something because I'm still looking for a fix. Right. I got to the point where I couldn't handle that anymore, where I was like, look, if this is going to be the rest of my life, like they all tell me if, if, if that's it. Once I'm stuck with this, it's just going to always be a battle the rest of my life and maybe I'll have a good life but I'll just never be over it.
Speaker 3: (04:27)
I was like, I don't want to live a life like that. Thankfully I was beyond the suicidal tendencies at that point, but all the years of searching still hadn't provided an answer. So I just started experimenting on my own. Like I was the Guinea pig and I figured out ways of connecting what I had learned over the course of, in some cases, 30 years of training and in other cases, just a few years of searching and it all came together in this unique process that helped me to dump all of the baggage I had been carrying for so many years so that I can then go look and find what was really at the bottom of stuff. And once I handled that, the fear and the urges and the addiction and the images in my head and all the stuff that I was struggling with, like literally vanished in what some people would call almost overnight.
Speaker 3: (05:16)
It wasn't overnight. It took like maybe a few days of work, so it wasn't quite overnight, but by all standards of overnight and still to this day, it's, it's so amazing to me. Um, and I didn't do anything else with it. Couple of weeks later I was driving down the road and I had this really powerful experience that helped me really see the shift that had happened. And, um, you know, it was of a spiritual nature. So I don't know if this is the forum to share those types of things, but if you want to know about it, reach out to me and I'll tell him, maybe we can have a video link and they look at it. Um, but it was a really powerful experience. And then from then I was like, okay, I'm done. And so then I moved on with my life, which is what I wanted everybody to do.
Speaker 3: (06:01)
Can't we just graduate from suffering and move on? Like why does it have to be a fight forever? Right. So, um, it was only, it was like a few years later that this mom came to me and she was, we were in a, in an event together and she was just telling me about her son who had just run into some pornography on her dad's computer and how he, uh, uh, like if her dad, her, like her ex husband didn't mean to, but the son now was just terrified. He couldn't function around computers. It was very nervous around him. Like it was controlling how we could function at school whenever he had to deal with computers. And she was like, he's going to deal with this forever. The rest of his life. She came from a counseling background, you know, this is what they were taught. And um, and uh, so she was like terrified and I was like, ah, I don't think it has to be that way.
Speaker 3: (06:50)
Here's been my experience. And I told her my story and she's like, can you work with them? So, fortunately this is like, he was 14, he was 12. So when I got out of this, I was 32. So that's an additional 20 years of junk. So he didn't have much to deal with, which meant that for him, it literally took 45 minutes for him to just drop the whole thing. And from that day on, he's been great. I mean, I just reached out to her a little bit ago. It's been a few years. She's like, he's good and he's a teenager, but he's good. And uh, so that was the first instance where I was like, okay, well what I, what I discovered isn't just something that was just unique to me. Maybe there's something to this. And so then, you know, a little bit later I had a business coach telling me that I should help people with this because, well, one, I was stuck in a business anyway, so it doesn't really matter what I do and to, um, do like, he's like, this is a big problem.
Speaker 3: (07:46)
And nobody has an answer. Like literally nobody. And if you could tell people, literally you can change lives of generations, you can stop a massive problem that people are struggling with. So I turned around, I got my first 10 guys signed up and I just threw everything I knew at him. And it took me about eight months to figure out the pieces that were essential, the ones that worked, how to figure out how a person's wired so that what the tools that they needed for their own unique personality. Um, and we're still always, you know, but like once we figured out that little process, then all of a sudden people started getting huge results in very short amount of time. And you know, we've helped about 170 people so far, um, of various different addictions, but mostly porn and sex addiction. That's amazing. So couple big kind of thoughts that I had is you're sharing this with us. Um, let me see if I can kind of unpack all of this. Cause what you shared is just an incredible already, uh, number one, uh, the, your, your vulnerability and transparency. And this is huge. You know, that such a, again, we talk about a stigma. Addiction is one stigma
Speaker 1: (08:55)
I think, but pornography addiction is a whole nother level of stigma associated with it. And so to hear that level of, of transparency and vulnerability I think lends to a tremendous amount of, uh, number one attention to what you're saying. And number two, I think there's an inherent level of trust that's already built there. When you, when you come from that place of, uh, it's not this academic approach, which not to say that there's anything wrong with an academic approach, but this is a very raw, real story that you come up and a place that you come from. And so I think there's this inherit a rapport that can be built instantly with people who are struggling with addiction, who know that this is not just coming from textbook learning. This is coming from real life experience that has been tested and has been shown a substantial, I mean, you said how many people, 170 plus 170 plus, uh, people who have gone through this same methodology in the same approach, uh, to experience it.
Speaker 1: (09:54)
So that's huge. Um, you know, with the health fundamentals podcasts and we talk about our five fundamentals of Health, um, addiction certainly can have such a profound, a negative impact on so many areas of health. Uh, namely we talk about this whole idea of, of being mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in tune. And for us, people can read into that how they want to, but this whole idea that stress, uh, men, the mental, emotional or spiritual stress that's upon us, uh, we'll obviously have those negative impacts on us. It not only in a spiritual and emotional way, but in a literal physical way as well. And so these things will take their toll and I'm sure you've seen that on in your life, but, but the other people, um, so where do you even begin? Uh, you know, and let's say for those who are watching this show, uh, be it a guide who's struggling with pornography addiction, we'll just say, or a woman who either is struggling with pornography addiction cause that does happen too.
Speaker 1: (10:53)
Or, uh, who has a spouse who's struggling where to even begin, what would you say to them? They're there. They're watching a show. Where do we start? Um, first, uh, where do we start? Where, I don't know if I've ever on, that's a broad question. I get it. I get it. I mean, like for instance, I started, first off, let me back up a second. Sure. Ability and me showing this was not easy and it's not easy for anybody else to reach out for help. I've never, I have help. I learned tools along the years that I had to piece together and yeah, I did some work on my own because nobody else had a real answer for me. But even figuring it out, I had help from unseen places at times where it was just pure inspiration that gave me something, I don't claim that on my own. Sure. I put in the work to piece it together and to really run through the process and figure it out afterwards. But I had help and reaching out for help is very difficult. When I put my story on screen in front
Speaker 3: (11:54)
of the world, I probably should have told my family about it before we put it on video cause we got some calls. But like the only reason I had the courage to even do that was because I had a coach who believed in me and scared me a little bit. Sure. And that was powerful because he's like, you got three days if you're okay being known as the porn guy, uh, the one that like nobody really wants to talk to you because of what you do, which I've had happen, you know, um, you know, and but you're willing to help people then like go do this. You got three days and it dives I to do this so I'm going to get kicked out, you know, and I did it and we did more than what he asked for. Eventually within the first couple of weeks, my wife got on camera and told her story.
Speaker 3: (12:43)
You know, there's a lot of stuff that we put on there, but reaching out and having that, the place to start is really, if you ask me getting help, too often we look for information and people are wired differently. Some people will need information you get going and that's okay. And I tried to give some good information where we can, but ultimately when you're dealing with something like this, it's unconscious. It's happening below. Like the reason it's happening. There's something driving this behavior that you're not aware of and another set of eyes, especially a set of eyes working with somebody who like has been there, has been there a lot and knows what they're doing is so powerful. Um, just because for you to sort through your own stuff, I mean, the way I talk about is my head was at my rear end kind of, and that means everywhere I turned out, while I could see it was crap.
Speaker 3: (13:31)
So there was no way I was going to find out of that unless until somebody pulled my head out of my were so same idea, you know, I'd say the place to start is go look for some help rather than trying to do it on their own. I've seen too many marriages, especially in marriages, like really wrecked because husband and wife were trying to figure it out together. Now she becomes his police officer. He's busy trying to do accountability, but then he starts resenting her and then even when they're fine now she's wearing the pants and he's like, he feels horrible. And 10 years later their relationship was still weird. Um, go get some help. Right. You know, don't make that be what your marriage has to be about. Right. What would you say to people who are core watching, who have felt like, I've tried a addiction recovery programs.
Speaker 3: (14:15)
I've tried counselors. I've tried, uh, you name it. Like they feel like they've, they've done everything proverbially. Right. What would you say to those people? Um, I did it too. I mean if you've tried addiction recovery counselors, um, psychology, alternative therapies, if you've tried mindfulness work and meditation and, and uh, um, I mean I did, I went and trained with x, Russian spies in the bowels of Canada to figure out my emotional junk. I to figure out how to handle my fears when a nice is that my throat. Like I was extreme, I went everywhere and still there was no answer. And I'd say to those people, there is an answer, right? It's not where you've looked. Did, do you feel that there's good in those, in those approaches, do you feel like there is, is, is value in those things and, and if so, what's the value?
Speaker 3: (15:10)
And then w where are the shortcomings? Um, okay, so like for instance, counseling, tons of value in counseling. Could you give a chance to sit in front of somebody who's paid to just listen to you? Right. You can dump all your stuff. You can get your story out in front of somebody without worrying about retribution or judgment. And oftentimes that can give you different ways of looking at the situation and some tools or processes to do things. The downside of counseling is, um, some people love it. So like some people still go, I mean, I think Bernay Brown still goes to a counselor or is that right? I mean, I'm familiar with her but I don't know her stuff that well to say for sure. Shame researcher. Right. Um, but, um, I mean some people love it, they love that and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that in terms of handling addiction, you just have to understand that anybody coming from a government regulated industry like counseling and psychotherapy and psychology and stuff like that, they have a certain way that they've been trained.
Speaker 3: (16:13)
It doesn't mean that they believe it necessarily or, I mean they might have different viewpoints, but they've been trained to think a certain way and there are certain restrictions on what they can do to help you out. And so, um, the way that they've been trained is, look, addiction is this thing that doesn't go away. It's a disease. And the best you can do is really manage it or cope with it. And then my partner Tucker actually has tons of experience with counselors. Um, he went to a lot of them and some of them, even after he went with me, he went after and just met with some of them cause they were curious about what had happened. And they started opening up and sharing how like it comes to porn and sex addiction specifically. None of them know what they're doing. This was in the Seattle area.
Speaker 3: (16:57)
I'm not saying no counselor does, but um, like the group that she was talking about, like none of them they'd like, they don't even want to take it on because none of them really know what they're doing. They get to a point where they're like, we'll just stop, you know, like we're replacing it with a different thing. We've exhausted all the tools that we have available. So here you go, make a go of it, make it stop. Yeah. So counseling has its tremendous upsides. You'll pay per session over probably a long period of time. Um, and if you're, you're good with that. And you liked that approach then by all means, you know, go that way. Alternative therapies, um, most of them I've seen are heavily emotional. Okay. Um, uh, women seem to do less, seem to flock to them more than men. Um, Dutch not saying anything about women or men, it's just seems to be the case, but they're more emotionally driven.
Speaker 3: (17:51)
And so, you know, that can be very powerful because they offer a space where you can just emote and there's no problem. Right? You have tools and things to help you. I know people have helped kind of heal past traumas with EMDR and things like that as well. So I know it sort of depends on what you feel you're gravitating toward. Everything has its value. What I do is like, look, if you want it gone, if you just want to be like done, let's move on with life in the shortest possible time. I've, I've dealt with this forever. I'm done trying to heal. I want to go live now. I don't want to have to worry about this anymore. Yeah. Okay. Uh, that's where I was. I was like, look, at the rest of my life, I don't want to waste it fighting this. I don't want to, I was born for something.
Speaker 3: (18:35)
There's something I want to do. Let's move on. 12 step programs. Um, there are a powerful place where people can dump their story too. Um, you know, they had, they built a good environment for that. The difficulty with them is that they teach them things that are blatantly not true in my experience, in my opinion. You know, they obviously think that they are true. Would you say, what, can you get specific on that in terms of what are the things that are just not true? Yeah. Okay. So for instance, if you go in and they have you introduce yourself and say, I'm so and so and I'm an addict, or I'm addicted to whatever, the fact that you're declaring that is helpful as a diagnosis and, and let's be clear on this. And, and you work in, you know, healing the healing world. Like diagnosis is a very useful thing as an identifier of where you are, but not as an identity.
Speaker 1: (19:28)
Right? Right. Not where you want to stay, not where you're going to continue to be right now. That's, that's a really important distinction there. You know, where you are right now currently is useful, assuming that the plan is to get past that and to move forward and not just stay there. And it's really, it's interesting you say that because in my world we deal with a lot of, not necessarily addiction per se, but I think you could even say that that chronic health issues, it's real easy for people to slip into a role where they become a victim or when they use that a chronic health problem as a big component or part of their identity that they lean on almost as a, as a source of significance. And again, this is not to be harsher to be cruel to people like that, but I've just seen it enough that when people get rooted in, uh, in a negative identity and they use that as a source of either significance or a source of meaning in their life, um, it can, it can certainly trap them and keep them kind of from progressing further. So that's a really important point that you brought up. So anyways, continue on. Sorry.
Speaker 3: (20:36)
Yeah, no, but like to your point, I mean, I spent several years certifying and training and a biodynamic craniosacral therapy. I'm a registered craniosacral therapist and in all those years, writing books on it and stuff like that, what I saw, and I went there because I was looking for answers, but what I saw was people would get past their thing, but then they'd get addicted to the healing process. And so we call them cable tarts, you know that there was always something else to fix. So they would be on this roller coaster of like, what's the next thing? Right? We're able to just move on with their life. And I was always like, well, when do we get to graduate from suffering here? Move on. And if you're going to a meeting every week or every day, depending on who's advising you and how often you go and you're declaring I am addicted or you're declaring I'm an addict or you're declaring, I suffer from this, then what happens is you're reinforcing that the identity, the thoughts, patterns, the emotions and the behaviors, all four levels that you need to be free in order to walk away from it. You're enforcing all of those just by saying, so that's the first place. The second thing is in the, in the first thing, like we recognize that we're powerless over our addiction. That's not the case at all. If you were powerless over your addiction, um, I wouldn't be free of it.
Speaker 3: (21:56)
Um, but, and then they claim they, you know, they point to a higher power, which is great and it's super powerful. I tell you, I went to those meetings for a long time and then I facilitated some for a long time and there's a reason that I left him behind, which was they weren't working for me and for the people I saw around and stuff for permanence, to be able to leave it behind powerless is not true. What happens is you have the power, you just don't know how to use it. You haven't trained yourself to use it. It's like being given the keys to a hummer. When you're 12 you're probably going to run into the neighbor's mailbox and if you've dumpsters along the road and stuff and you just don't know how to use it when you have, when your sex drive's turns on, your body doesn't just not used to that.
Speaker 3: (22:44)
And it's trying to figure out how to regulate and you're probably gonna run into problems there. Like there's just so many things that happened with having power. Doesn't matter how big the engine in the car is, if you know how to drive. Some people are like, but I have the high sex drive. Okay, cool. So you got like a dodge viper and I got a Ford Pinto way to go. If you know how to turn the key in the ignition so that the cars off and parked in the garage, not a problem, then turn it on and drive where you want to go. So powerless is really disenfranchised as a person from taking the power that if you, if you believe in a higher power, when you want to say God, and we do like my family, we go to church every Sunday. But I try to make this open for people.
Speaker 3: (23:29)
Um, the, if God made your body this way or your higher power major body this way, then the power is in it, right? If it's in militude, then it's there. It's just untapped. So to reinforce that you're powerless is going to reinforce identity, saw emotion and behavior of powerlessness, and you're gonna feel like a victim to your wife, to your environment, to your kids, to your work, and to stress quote unquote. And all the other stuff that comes. Third piece is the description that it's your character flaws that are the problem and Aye have never seen that to be true. Now, I mean, I'm sure there are people that are like, no, we're all flawed. I don't find that to be a helpful statement. It might be true. Maybe not, I don't know, but I don't find that to be helpful in terms of activating get possibilities within me, but I've never seen it be the case.
Speaker 3: (24:22)
Every person that I've ever spoken with our work too, and we're talking hundreds of people, every single one. It's not that there's something wrong with them. It said there, they've got some suffering. They're suffering on the inside and their behaviors that are coming out of them are just trying to deal with the suffering in the best way that they know how. That's it. Is it, are you flawed if you're suffering? No. Are you flawed if you don't have the skills yet to, to live your life in a way that's totally 100% happy? No. Is a toddler flawed because he doesn't know how to walk yet. And he wobbles and bumps into walls. No, he's just learning. Is it tree Vlade when it's a seed, no, it's just a seed and then that sapling and then you know, it grows. And so the flaw thing, that's something that again, I don't find very helpful at all focusing on your character flaws and that that's your problem has not ever been helpful. In fact, it kept me in more guilt and more shame and more like self defeating, uh, behaviors. Then there was needful. And then the last thing of course it is prevalent in those environments is that once you're an addict, you're always an addict. You're not an addict, you're a human being. Let's start treating yourself like one.
Speaker 1: (25:40)
Right? So if I'm hearing, I'm going to kind of tease out some stuff from what you shared there. Cause there's a lot of great information he shared there. But in general, uh, you know, and people want, unfortunately, sometimes they want generalizations with things that necessarily can't always be perfectly generalized, but uh, people would, would want to know, okay, so what's the cause of addiction, right? If they're asking like, what's the cost? And if I'm kind of hearing bits and pieces of what you shared there, would it be accurate to say that in many instances, if not most instances, the root cause of addiction is some level or some form of deep rooted suffering or struggling that people are going, going through that they just haven't been able to necessarily uncover around pack or get to the get to the bottom of,
Speaker 3: (26:25)
uh, yeah. Well, I mean we could even be a little bit more specific and a little bit simpler. Sure. Suffering comes from the mind. I'm not talking about physical pain even though that is up in the air and sciences and still know what pain is. But let's avoid physical pain. For now. Let's just talk about, that's something that comes from the mind. Probably something that you're not conscious of or you wouldn't be constantly doing. Right. Um, so suffering is something that's going on under the hood. What does that mean? There's some way that your mind is working, seeing the world and operating that is generating problems in here. Right? So we've identified negative emotions as an, they've tested these as acidic or poisonous or some way detrimental to the human system. They break it down. So anything we call a negative emotion, maybe they're not negative two baboons, I don't know.
Speaker 3: (27:18)
But to humans, they're negative because they break your body apart. So how long would you sit in a vat of acid before getting out? Right. You wouldn't jump right out. Right, exactly. If you were conscious of it, it would be instantaneous. But, and I apologize for the lighting. The clouds came over. Yeah, it's getting a little dark. It's getting a little light. But that's okay man. For those who are listening, it won't matter anyways. But, um, if you were sitting just in a, in a tub water and someone came up behind you without knowing it started pouring acid in, at what point are you going to hop out? Right? If a lot more subtle in that process. And that depends on your sensitivity. Some people sensitive skin and they'll pick it up right away. They're like John Parks, you know, one part in a million and they're like gone.
Speaker 3: (28:08)
And other people, they're going to wait till their finger falls off before. Like there's a problem here. Maybe I should get out of this water. And so, um, that's just a matter of sensitivity. So your body is sitting in acid essentially when you have all this negative gunk going on in your brain and at a certain point it flips the switch and goes into total survival mode, which is why you don't feel conscious, you're not aware of what's happening and it goes to whatever behavior is going to change the chemistry. And we know all about the neuro neurotransmitters and all that other stuff. Um, neuro neurochemicals that happen when you're engaged in pornography or other types of addiction. That's some chemistry. If you're doing alcohol or drugs, you're just introducing chemicals to change it or food, whether you're forcing yourself, you're using something on the outside to stimulate chemistry production on the insights, or whether you're just adding chemicals to your system.
Speaker 3: (29:03)
Either way, you're trying to change this so it's no longer hurtful, right? That's all addiction is your suffering and that thing is one rung up on the ladder, right? So the answer is to move up a few steps on the ladder, right? And then it's a step down and you won't go there. Right? It's interesting that you say that. I remember Tony Robbins talking about, you know, how some of our most fundamental baseline human needs are so strong that we will sacrifice other needs to satisfy those first baseline needs. So for instance, uh, people will use, let's say smoking as a means of meeting some of those baseline needs, like a certainty and variety. Even though they know smoking is detrimental for them and detrimental to their health, uh, that pull is so strong that they feel like that's going to help, uh, solve some of those, those baseline needs.
Speaker 3: (30:03)
You know? Right. But it's not just that they feel like it's going to help solve the baseline needs. It actually does look like it's not that they're deluding themselves and thinking, well I know so he's bad and, but I'll just pretend like they actually does. It gives them the hit that they need. Right? People talk to me and they go like, wow man, but I don't like porn. I don't like looking at porn. Or the answer is you actually do like, it feels great. I did like it makes, it just, it lit me up on the inside. It made me come alive. Like I could feel, it gave me a chance to escape things that I was dealing with and made me feel like I'm losing control. It made me feel wanted. It made me feel like I could feel the chemical rush on the inside.
Speaker 3: (30:46)
My heart beat a little quicker and my hands started shaking. Sometimes they're tingling and like everything's Sorta came alive and I didn't get a feel that the rest of my life. So it did solve that problem. Right? Just temporarily. And this would be a wonderful exercise for you to do because I remember when that insight hit me and I thought, oh no, I'm not supposed to like porn cause I was out on the lawn of the Marriott hotel out and like Laguna Beach, California, I was sitting there, it was like five 30 in the morning. I just finished the workout. There was mist coming off of the ocean and there were like rabbit's hopping around through the for the cold, like wet grass. And I just finished doing like a 10 minute plank or something. So I was a little shaky in the arms and I was wandering through it and doing some of the, just the mental work that I was prepping myself for the day and this lightning bolt hit.
Speaker 3: (31:36)
And I remember at first total fear, I like porn. Oh crap. Like I'm not supposed to like porn. That's not good. I can't tell my wife that, you know? No that's not good. And then the next question that came was why. That's when I discovered what it did for me and I noticed that in my description there was nothing anatomical in the description. Okay, yeah, I liked girls, but why? Why do I like girls? I wasn't about anything about their bodies or anything about that. It was completely about how it made me feel and then the next question that came was, well, what else makes you feel that way? And that turned the corner from me in a huge way because now I started focusing on what would make me come alive. So the didn't have to use that other thing. Now that's a standoff.
Speaker 3: (32:27)
That's a change of behavior. It doesn't free you from what's really at the bottom of it, but it gave me such a different perspective shift that it literally open some things up for me that I didn't have before. Just because I had to have the honest awareness that yes, it did solve the problem. Yes, I did like torn. Here's the deal. When you're in survival mode and addiction has always survival mode, when you're there, you're only going to run as when the leopards chasing you. You're just going to run to the nearest safest looking tree. You're not actually going to go change your life after that. You're like, is always about what's going to get me out of this the quickest. It's always a short term solution. Addiction is always a short term solution, right? To be able to make longterm solutions, you have to get yourself enough foreign.
Speaker 3: (33:15)
You have to give yourself enough distance from the Deng Cida that you're not making survival decisions all the time. And that's why we go dip deeper and the way we just find what's at the root of it, because that's what releases, that's what creates the gap and allows you to finally make the shifts so that you're not doing it because the Buddha said it this way, Buddha, he goes, if you don't change directions, you might end up where you're headed, right? Uh, as as like ridiculously stupid as that sounds. It's true in both a positive way and a negative way. Too many people with addiction are looking for a program that is going to help them feel this amazing weight lifted, but they haven't ultimately shifted their direction. So they feel great and they still walk off the cliff. Right,
Speaker 1: (34:02)
right. No, that's huge. So I would say from what you're saying, there is huge first step or a huge first place mentally that people have to get to a before really trying to tackle this is just coming from a place of honesty, just being honest about the problem, being honest about the fact that they, uh, that they feel temporarily better when they utilize whatever form of addiction, addiction, choice that they, whatever motor method, whether it be pornography or sex addiction or a food addiction or an actual drug addiction, whatever that is. Um, being honest about the fact that they, you know, even though there's a stigma or a taboo associated with that, right. And rightfully so, uh, in, in the sense that those things aren't good for you. Um, being honest enough with yourself to say that you like the way that those things make you feel at least temporarily. Right? But, and again, it's this, it's a short term gain, long term loss. And in the end, uh, ultimately the, the, the, the cons weigh out the pros, which is ultimately what leads people to recognize that you can't continue this life and addiction. Right. So, um, very, very powerful. I think that, that, that kind of idea of honesty that you're talking about there.
Speaker 3: (35:17)
Yeah. And that is step one in the 12 step program, right? Honesty the truth, you know? Right. Ah, but I've taken it to a really extreme level, uh, to get past all the moral implications of it and just look at what's really there. Um, because a lot of times the moral implications we carry with us can cloud what we're actually seeing because we believe it's supposed to be a certain way and well, because that's going to fulfill me. If I'm living up to that, then I got to speak that way. But that doesn't actually help me handle the problem. I'm not saying morals are bad, but a lot of times in cloud the issue. And so,
Speaker 1: (35:57)
yeah, and I think if I'm hearing you correctly, you know, sometimes we can allow certain imposed beliefs or things like that too obscure, objective viewing
Speaker 3: (36:07)
of what's really happening. Yeah. You can still have the belief, but you still gotta be able to see the truth,
Speaker 1: (36:12)
right? Absolutely. No, and I think that's true and I think that goes for anybody of any background, whether it be a, a religious individual, uh, somebody who is not necessarily the religious or whatever, whoever. I think that's truthfully anybody, right? Not allowing your own personal filters of the world to a obscure, a objective reality of what's happening, you know, physiologically, chemically, however you want to put that. Right. So, um, so for, for, for people who are listening here, um, let's say that what you've shared here today resonates with them and they're like, man, I want to find out more about what Bob is doing. How can they get ahold of you? What would be the first step for you? Uh, what should they do
Speaker 3: (36:52)
to reach out to you? Um, so you can go to my website, liberate a man.com. Uh, it works for women too, but that's what I named it when I started. Right. You can go to my website, there's an opportunity for you to like kind of peruse it a little bit. There's not much there. It's basically there for you to get a chance to schedule a time where we can chat on the phone and on the phone. What we're going to do is look at your situation and see what's going on with you and see what's going to be the bet, what is it you want to accomplish and what's going to be the best next steps. We don't work with everybody we talked to. We try and make sure that you can make the best decision for, for what you need. So if you want to do that, that's great. If you want to, we're starting up a podcast soon. Um, it'll be called alive and free. Um, look for that. It's not up yet. And if not, you know, I'm on Facebook and you can find me on Facebook. facebook.com/bob Gardiner is my page. Okay. And you can connect that way and ask questions. Reach out, send a message.
Speaker 1: (37:54)
Awesome. Yeah, you don't really appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to be with us here, Bob, because what you shared is really powerful and really timely, you know, mental health issues and we'll categorize addiction as a mental health issue. Mental health issues have become a major epidemic in our society today. And so we need more real solutions, more practical solutions. Um, and I would say the biggest thing, uh, about what you're doing is the, we'll call it clinical evidence, even though you're not necessarily taking a quote unquote clinical approach, we'll just say, yeah, empirical evidence, right? Real world in the trenches, evidence of the fact that you've been able to work with hundreds of men and women and help them with a wide range of, of addictive problems, but obviously with a, with a pretty heavy emphasis on pornography and, or sex addiction.
Speaker 1: (38:49)
And so, um, appreciate the work that you're doing. And I hope that this has been extremely valuable for everybody watching or listening to this podcast episode. Uh, any final thoughts that you want to share with people? Anything you want to close with? Yeah. Uh, if anybody tells you it's impossible, all that means is that they haven't found a way. It doesn't mean it's true. Yeah. Don't believe them. It might be impossible for them, but there is a way and okay. If you think it's too good to be true, since when did the truth stop being good? Right, right, exactly. I would just simply say as well, you know, those listening, if you or someone, you know, struggles with some type of an addiction, uh, share this episode with him because I think there are some, uh, significant, uh, nuggets of value in terms of things that you shared there, Bob, from your own personal experience, having struggled with addiction and then also being able to, over the years, uh, help other people find freedom at the end of the day.
Speaker 1: (39:53)
You know, I would say, uh, you know, I do lunch workshops in our community and one of the most common things that I wind up sharing with people as I say, you know, I don't care if you're, uh, you know, uh, religious, not religious. I don't care what race you are, what, uh, you know, whatever it is about you. I would say the one universal human characteristic that all of us have is we all want to be happy. And, and I would say included with that in inherent, you could almost use it synonymous is all of us want freedom, right? That's, that's kind of synonymous with happiness. Those two go hand in hand. Right? And so really what I, and I love the name this, this idea of liberate a man, because ultimately that's what you're trying to do is help free people from things that would prevent them from truly living a happy, fulfilling life.
Speaker 1: (40:37)
And, uh, remember happiness and freedom both is, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. It's not something that's going to be accidental. You can actually develop the skill to have them all the time. Absolutely. No, that's a great way of looking at it too. So, uh, again, Bob, thank you so much for being with us. I mean, we could talk for hours and hours, but I feel like what you've shared already has been immensely valuable and a, and I hope that it touches more people's lives. I hope that this allows your message to amplify and get out to more people to help allow you to serve more people because heaven knows that, uh, uh, this is something that a lot of people need right now in their lives. And so thank you again for being with us and thanks for listening guys and we'll talk on the next steps. So thanks Bob. My pleasure. Thanks for inviting me.
Speaker 2: (41:28)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least. If you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what is going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here. And this is episode seven of the Health Fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode we have a special guest, my good friend Dr Matt Ogle. He is going to be sharing some secrets with us about how to fix colic naturally. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:17)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:37)
So, hey everybody, we are super excited about today's episode. My good friend Dr Matt Ogle, he is going to be sharing something really valuable with you guys. A really unfortunately common problem that I think far too often parents feel like they don't have a lot of options for and that is uh, parents who struggle with a colicky baby. And so, uh, Doctor Matt, maybe give them a little bit of a background as to how you kind of got started in this arena in the first place and maybe we can kind of go from there. Sure. Yeah. Um, you know, me and my wife learned firsthand, uh, pretty quickly what it was like to have a baby that's struggled with symptoms of colic. Um, and, and the definition of colic for some people varies. Some people think colic is like, oh, my baby cries for 10 minutes, or, or my baby, you know, they spit up a lot.
Speaker 1: (01:27)
But really all of these things kind of makeup, colic, babies that are inconsolable, that struggle with sleep issues that are fussiness, that are refluxing you're spitting up a lot. You know, we noticed with our first son that he was dealing with that a lot. He, um, there was a lot of birth trauma, you know, from a labor and delivery. And so we think that that, or we know that that kind of led to it. But, um, you know, for him, I think the struggle for, or I should say for us the struggle was realizing we need to do something right because, and that's maybe part of the challenge for parents too, is because, uh, there are oftentimes a wide range of variety of different symptoms. And so that can sometimes create a little bit of confusion in terms of where do we even begin? I'm sure you're dealing with crying, fussiness a achiness, reflux problems, gas, bloating, all that stuff.
Speaker 1: (02:22)
And so for parents, oftentimes that can, uh, create some times a little bit of additional stress in that they're not quite sure what to tackle first or how to tackle all of these things all at once. Are they related or that, you know what I mean? How are they all connected, et Cetera, et cetera. And what do you do? Like you go to Google and you, you, you find so many different things that you do or, or, or you, you read that there's something that is way different about your book or you know, your baby has colic, but you end up thinking that they've got x, Y, and Z and write and start treating the wrong thing. Go down all these different rabbit holes, right. Trading even more. And that's one of the things we talk about on this podcast, honestly, is that the challenge these days is, it's not that we're at a lack of information.
Speaker 1: (03:05)
It's that what you do with the information that they're, how do we make sense of it? How do we create greater clarity? You know, back in the day, uh, used to be that getting information was not nearly as easy or accessible even in our lifetime, you know. Oh, sure. Yeah. We watched that show. The Goldbergs. Have you ever watched that show? A TV show? It's really funny. Uh, there was, uh, it takes place in the 80s and a, and they were having this debate about what actor, uh, it was a, did val Kilmer play in, Ah, what movie? Anyways, they were saying Val Kilmer played in a movie and they're like, you know, what's awesome is we can go into the library and we can go through their file index and we can look and we can make, get micro fish and then we can do this.
Speaker 1: (03:45)
Uh, technology's awesome. We'll be able to find out within a couple hours whether or not val Kilmer played in this movie are, the whole point is like, there's obviously tongue in cheek. Funny because these days, you know, with a quick search, you know, of a button you'll be able to get answers at your fingertips. But again, it's not necessarily the quantity of information. That's the problem is the quality and how do we sift through that and get that information, you know? And so, so there, you guys are struggling with a colicky baby. What happened? Well, um, it seemed like, I mean we were trying to, everything, right? I mean long car rides, swings and anything to try to help him. Uh, he dealt with a lot of reflux and so, um, and also sleep issues. So we, I'd take them on long car rides to just try to get them to calm down.
Speaker 1: (04:30)
And I remember driving one night, um, I was literally gone for like an hour and he was just screaming the whole time. And so like, you know, for a parent, you're, you just hurt. Right? And it's frustrating and like, you know, you just feel like just sitting there and crying and just, just giving up in a way, but what you can't and so you continue on and you just, you just kind of grin and bear it. Um, and so, uh, that's kind of where we were in every path that we went down. Like we had taken him to the pediatrician and, and a couple of different doctors actually, and everything that like the dead end was prescription medication. And, um, there's a lot of research about prescription medication specifically for babies that are dealing with colic and reflux. Now that came out just, I mean like last April, that is just astounding as to longterm complications or side effects like allergies, like you 250% more likely to have asthma and allergies and things like that.
Speaker 1: (05:28)
And so when we hit that roadblock of like prescription medication, at that time we were like, we don't want to do this. I remember filling the prescription and putting it in the fridge and just letting it sit there. And both me and my wife were like, we're not given this to them. We're not going to do that, you know? So we just kept hitting that wall. Prescription of prescription. Yeah. And meanwhile, you were in practice, uh, chiropractor, um, you had a heavy emphasis focusing a lot on pregnant women and children and helping them. Yeah. I mean, our practice is primarily a prenatal and pediatric, uh, as far as the focus, I mean we see everybody, but that's really our focus because we, because I think because of my experience, right? Like my family and with my wife and helping her through your pregnancies and then also my kids.
Speaker 1: (06:18)
Yeah. I've often said that we find our greatest passion through our greatest pain, you know, and so sometimes in life of those experiences that we have as difficult and as painful as they may be, they serve a real powerful purpose in helping us to really find our path. You know? And so since then, you've, uh, you know, I, I guess if you can, if you're able to, how did you kind of discover your, your process? Cause cause you definitely have a unique approach to helping parents, uh, fixed colic problems. Right. Well, and I guess, I guess even a better question first before, before we even go down that road, is, is it possible to fix colic without drugs? Absolutely. It is. Oh, absolutely. You know, we, we see this all the time. Um, so absolutely. It, can we do this without prescription medication? Yes. Okay.
Speaker 1: (07:06)
Um, we'll maybe somebody's healthcare provider argue with me that that's not possible. Absolutely. Yeah. Uh, you know, but I, I think that that's part of what fuels me is because people need to know, like, there, there are options that can help that don't require prescription medications. And if you're passionate about that and doing that without prescription medication, then great. Yeah. Yeah, there are answers. Absolutely. And I think it should go without saying. If you've listened to our podcast, even the previous episodes, we're not anti medicine entirely. Oh No, absolutely. You know, there's a time and a place for it, but unfortunately this is one of those issues and one of those times where it's not the appropriate approach, uh, especially when there are approaches where there is substantial and sufficient evidence showing that a natural approach can take care of it. You can fix it, you know.
Speaker 1: (07:55)
So tell us a little bit about that process, how you kind of stumbled on that or how you, how you figured it out. How did you figure out that there was an approach that would work? Well, you know, I, I, uh, a lot of research, obviously I'm, I'm a chiropractor and a doctor, obviously very nerdy. So I like to read research. I liked your work into things. And so I did a lot of searching, um, specifically because of how things were with, with Preston, with, with our first, um, and, and then I just, I started using these things, right. I just started using them in practice. Um, I started using different techniques, different, um, supplements, if you will. Sure. Therapies. And I mean I'd have parents come in and so when you, when you say techniques, we're talking different manual techniques using hands on Lexi's parents can do, I mean this is stuff like, yeah, I'm a chiropractor and I'm trained in this, but this is stuff like manual therapies that parents can actually do at home.
Speaker 1: (08:48)
So specific types of massage. Yeah. So it includes massage, acupressure, acupuncture, acupressure, which is like acupuncture without the needles, right? Sure. Um, so acupressure and massage, those two combined. So if we were to describe this to parents, uh, cause I know that there's no possible way that you're going to be able to go through all the details of everything on this episode. But just in general, helping parents understand applying specific pressure in certain areas in a certain way, similar to massage, similar to a pressure point therapy, you know, at certain times. Uh, it would that be an accurate way of describing it? Yeah, I mean that's what I, that's actually what I really like about your podcast and how you talk about things as you're very good at kind of taking like the big picture. Sure thing. Here's what it is. Yeah, sure. Absolutely. Giving pit.
Speaker 1: (09:37)
Yeah. Giving, giving people a little bit more clarity on that. So parents, parents who are listening here, okay. So using manual therapies and hands on therapies to help. And then you talked about some nutritional, uh, uh, therapies that you'll utilize as well. So the hands on therapies, this is something that parents can do immediately, like right away. Um, and nutritional therapies, meaning like, I developed a cookbook specifically to help eliminate specific allergens that actually make colic worse. So something you shared with me a while ago, this is a good segway maybe into that, you said cookbook. For those listening, they're like, well, what do you mean a baby's breastfeeding? You know, at that age. So what's, what's the deal? You're not going to be feeding these things to the baby. So why a cookbook? Right. And, and, and maybe that's kind of one of the biggest Ahas that, that I had at least when we, when we talked about this before, because we've talked about this at length in terms of that.
Speaker 1: (10:32)
And so what would you say about that? You know, why a cookbook, well, you know this, it's interesting because colic is with the baby, right? We look at colic as, oh, it's the baby. We need to do something for the baby. We need to do, we need to fix something with the baby. We use maybe this or that. But we also need to look at where does baby receive their nutrients from. Right, right. And, and not only that, it's not just with their breastfeeding. Cause then, then if parents were like, oh well I'm not, or if mom's like, I'm not breastfeeding. Well that's, that's part of it. Right? It's not just the, it's not just that, it's, it's their surroundings, like their entire surrounding environment, the environment especially. And there was research that showed that um, babies in, in a stressful environment, it actually changes their DNA.
Speaker 1: (11:17)
And it's crazy because if, if we can just change the stress in their environment alone, not just for them but also for mom and dad and dad as well. Yeah. But for Monta, she's, you know, it's been said you are, you are what you eat, right. But you're also, you are what you eat, ate. Right. If that makes sense. Right. So, so for those breastfeeding, right, uh, what mom is eating, it's going to transfer over. And I think sometimes moms to a degree get that. Like for instance, when you hear like these examples of like, I can't eat spicy food cause that'll, you know, transfer via the breast milk to the baby, things like that. But, but wasn't there something as well in terms of like there've been studies where even like skin to skin contact if the mother has a heightened level of stress in terms of like elevated cortisol that has an impact on the baby as well.
Speaker 1: (12:06)
Weren't you saying that something like that? Actually the skin to skin contact decreases of cortisol levels for baby and for mom. Okay, okay. Yeah, that, that's one thing where skin to skin, if you can get baby skin to skin with mom, that actually helps bring their cortisol levels, their stress levels shirt down. Sure as well. Yeah. So, okay, so we've got supplements, we've got dietary modifications. What would be some of the dietary modifications you would tell them right now that you could immediately like say, just as a rule of thumb? I say in general these are the types of recommendations that I would make immediately eliminate dairy. And that's a hard thing for people. I mean moms and when I say eliminate dairy, I mean I can't tell you how many men, how many moms are like, no, I don't like that's cheese. That's, that's, that's yogurt.
Speaker 1: (12:49)
That's ice cream, like yeah, you need to read labels and, and honestly, it's going to force you to eat more raw foods like foods, you know, and not, not as process. So number one, that is by far the number one thing and within a period of two weeks, you should see a chain. Huge difference there. Yeah. And, and, and that's just part of it because those, those parents who do that and they're like, okay, I see no difference. Okay. That's fine that we continue on because there's more than just, Oh, it's just milk. It's not, that's not just dairy. Yeah. So eliminating milk if that doesn't work, a eggs and then even citrus though, those are offenders for, yeah. For breastfeeding. Okay. So that makes sense. So, so then, uh, making those dietary changes, implementing the hands on therapies, uh, implementing, what are some of the nutritional therapies that you recommend?
Speaker 1: (13:34)
Um, you'd said probiotics, is that part of it? Yeah, probiotics are really good. And, and it, you know, when it comes to probiotics, people can go to Walmart and get probiotics, but like, it's really specific strains of probiotic, right? Yeah. And so that's really important for people to know is that it's not just the strain but also the potency as well. Right? Like concentration. Right, exactly. And so it's not just, hey, go down to your Walmart or go down to target or Costco and, and, and get a probiotic or, or even Omega and Omega three is helpful in reducing stress and inflammation. Um, don't just go get those, you know, that there are certain, uh, dosages that that need to be followed to really get the best benefit. Sure. But probiotic, the Omega is, um, there's also another one for babies that helps with the brain body connection that I really recommend is Dha.
Speaker 1: (14:20)
But again, that's also one that should not just be you. You can't just go out and buy that because of, um, the potential for toxicity and they're from, one of the things that we stressed in this podcast as well that we've talked about before, is that far too often people will try various strategies as a panacea, right? I'll, I'll, I'll extract this one thing and I'm going to try that one thing and then maybe I'll try this thing. And then I'll try this one thing and I'll try this one thing. And very rarely does that get the desired result that we're looking for. Typically the solution is far more comprehensive than that is, or a a far more comprehensive approach is required. And so for those parents who are listening who are like, I've already tried that, I've already tried that, I've already tried that.
Speaker 1: (15:04)
Yes. But have you tried everything together as a comprehensive solution? And that's kind of the little thing. Uh, you've developed an entire program to help parents. Maybe, uh, we'll, we'll do a quick plug for the program and I'm not getting any sort of cut from this. I'm just saying it's a great program that you developed. Maybe introduce that until the parents a little bit about that. Um, yeah, I mean I think you hit it on the head is it's like you can extract different things and just say, hey, use this, like eliminate dairy and use a probiotic and then using omega. But, but it's a matter of of not just using a product. It's a solution, a solution. Right. That's like proven and that has been proven to show that you can actually change things. Right, right. Um, and so yeah, I mean I have a program for parents that have babies that struggle with colic.
Speaker 1: (15:49)
It's called colloquially see secrets. And that program is specifically like the whole program is laid out where their supplementation for mom. There's supplementation for baby. Um, we go through like what to take and when, um, what to do, how to do, how to do it. Like we talked about accuracy. Um, something that I developed was, was uh, it's called baby sooth, Kay and baby sue. There's an essential oil blend that is specific and it's the right essential oils in the right concentration. It's concentrated in the center along with a guide as well. If they, if they do that, that'll show them the proper application of where to apply it, how to apply it, when to apply it, et Cetera, et cetera. All that stuff. So, and it's, and the thing with this is like, it's all safe and effective for babies. There's no potential that this baby might have 200% increase in allergies and asthma or something like that later down the road.
Speaker 1: (16:39)
Like there's actual research, like 200% increase in those things from the medications that are being used for babies right now for colic. Yeah. And that's, and that's the real, the real frustration is that, uh, you're talking about a relatively short period of time, uh, you know, and you're talking about a hefty toll that they're going to pay the rest of their life. And that's not to make parents feel bad who have used medication. I can't blame them and we're not going to create some sort of a stigma there. But, um, what you've provided here for parents is, is a better approach. You know, so if, if parents who are listening, they're like, okay, that's fine. That's great. How do I get this? What do I need to do? Like if they're kind of more of a cut to the chase led. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. What is it, what does get to the point?
Speaker 1: (17:23)
What's the point? How do they get this? Uh, what we did is, is just, just because I have kids and I know that it's like what will help me write immediately, what will help me right away right away. And so, um, if, if parents go to college relief secrets.com they can get a bottle of the babysitter, the blend, the essential oil blend. Um, they can get that for free. Okay. Okay. They just cover shipping and handling, but they can get that at their door. I mean, we expedite shipping for each order just so they can it as soon as possible to start seeing the changes in their baby. Perfect. Yeah. So you can get a free bottle of baby suit that you guys just cover the shipping and handling. Go to cholic reliever secrets.com. We'll make sure we put that in the show notes so you guys can get that.
Speaker 1: (18:02)
Yeah. Anything else you want to add? I mean, so we've talked quite a bit, kind of about, you know, the approach that you use. Uh, we've talked a little bit about a colic itself, a kind of your story. Anything else that we're missing here that you want to add into it? No, I think it's just important that parents, um, we give themselves some credit, right? They give themselves credit for what they're doing, you know, like inherent, struggling right now. It doesn't, it doesn't help anything to be hard on themselves and beat yourself up. Yeah. Yeah. And, and if you've used medication for your baby, okay, well maybe there's another way. Right. Right. And so that's an opportunity. And unlike you, I'm, I'm not opposed to using medication. It's just a matter of like is, is there something that we can do before that? Right, right, right.
Speaker 1: (18:42)
And so I, I just say like for any parents out there, you know, just don't be hard on yourself. We're all doing our best man. Like no matter which way we're doing it, we're all trying for the same goal. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. You're, you're intentions are the same. You want to help your baby. I would bench guests to say that just about 99.9% of parents out there, at least we hope, let their love their children and they want what's best for them and they want them to be happy and they don't want them to be crying and struggling with all these different things. And so the exact, like you said, I think they're just trying the best they can. And so, yeah, uh, that's the exciting thing about what you've, what you've created here is it gives parents an opportunity to get their, their children, their babies to help that they need and not have to resort to, uh, some of these dangerous and quite oftentimes harmful medications that so often, unfortunately they feel like are their only option, you know?
Speaker 1: (19:33)
So anyways, um, that's awesome man. Uh, the program's amazing. I've seen it and I've seen the results that he's been able to get with his patients. Uh, you know, uh, doctor Ogle, he actually practices not too far from us. And, uh, so it's neat to be able to see that and hear the stories, hear the success stories and see the success stories of parents whose lives had been changed because their children's lives have been changed as a result of the program. So appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule. You Bet, man. Now you're off to another appointment here. So thanks for being on the show and thanks for listening guys. Hopefully it had been valuable for you guys. If you know, uh, parents who have children who are struggling with colic, uh, share this episode with them. Uh, let them know that there are definitely solutions out there for them. There are answers, um, and Dr Ogle has, has generously provided a way for you guys to get a bottle to try of the babies who the whale. So, uh, thanks guys. Have an awesome day and we'll talk to you later. We'll see ya.
Speaker 2: (20:30)
Thanks for listening to the Health Fund, the metals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com.
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan. And this is episode six of the Health Fundamentals podcast. On today's episode, we're going to be discussing the question, do you actually need knee surgery? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:14)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:33)
So, hey everybody, welcome to the episode on today's episode. We wanted to kind of dive in and talk about a pretty important subject in general. Um, specifically we're going to be talking about knee surgery today. Um, but, uh, I think we can apply this to a lot of procedures even beyond just surgery. You know, I think there's some pretty, uh, pretty important implications that patients need to consider, uh, when they're making a decision as life altering, uh, as surgery, right? As permanent as surgery. Yeah. And I think the first place to start, to be honest, um, we want to preface this by saying, by no way, shape, or form are we trying to imply, uh, that you shouldn't ever receive surgery if it's recommended to you, that you shouldn't ever, uh, not listen to the recommendations of trusted healthcare professionals. Uh, but I think it's important to understand that gone are the days where, uh, you know, it used to be almost like, it almost reminds me of like the old and times where, you know, back in, in the dark ages, you know, there were certain people who held all the power in terms of the knowledge and the understanding.
Speaker 1: (01:46)
And throughout time what we've seen is this dramatic democratization of information, you know, the Internet, uh, for good and for bad. You know, and then we talked about this I think in episode one in terms of that. Yeah, there's so much information now. How do you make sense of all right. Yeah. And so, um, to, to start this off, uh, you know, there was a study that was published. I'm just going to talk a little bit about this study here. Um, it was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in this kind of caught my attention years ago, trying to see this back in 2013, December of 2013 and basically what the, what the study did was it compared arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus sham surgery. So basically from meniscus tear of the medial meniscus, they went in and they compare. They actually went in and repaired it and then the other group and they blinded it and they didn't know who the patients didn't know who got what a, they literally just poked a hole in the knee and didn't do anything else.
Speaker 1: (02:47)
Just kind of pretended to do this. It was a sham surgery. Right. And, and listen to these results or listen to the conclusion in this trial involving patients without knee osteoarthritis, but with symptoms of a degenerative medial meniscus tear, the outcomes after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy, we're no better than those after a sham surgical procedure. Scary. Yeah, that is scary. You know, and granted, we understand there's some pretty specific criteria here that they're talking about. Um, and so we, we don't want to like paint everything with one bro. So that means if you've got a meniscus tear and you don't ever do knee surgery, we don't ever need knee surgery. You know, we see patients all the time and, and as much as we would love to say, you know, we can always, uh, prevent patients from, from getting or needing surgery, that just isn't reality.
Speaker 1: (03:35)
You know, sometimes it is, uh, the appropriate course of action. Right. So, um, so what are your thoughts on this? So the thought on this really comes down to the fact we've got studies that show, and I promise you there's thousands of these surgeries done regularly. Still to this day. There are, they're still doing these surgeries. Okay. And, um, so the scary part of this is how many times, or maybe you yourself were told by a doctor that said, hey, you need surgery. And you were like, Dang it. And you go through with the surgery and without any sort of second opinion, you don't think twice about it. You know, I've, I mean, I would have years ago I would have done that in a second, you know, um, fortunately because of education and reading and research and, and just more knowledge and understanding and really frankly learning a lot from patients and things that they have had done.
Speaker 1: (04:26)
Um, my eyes have been kind of more open to, again, not just say no, I'm not just saying throw it out because it's garbage. Everything's garbage. Cause that's not true. But there is, there is always reason now to like, am I sure is that exactly what I need? Because the problem with surgery is while in some cases it can be very, um, incredibly helpful. It can also not be, it can also be very, um, basically it's something you live in with the rest of your life and there's no going back. No, there's no second chances with that. Your life will completely be changed from that point on. You know, we've, unfortunately, we've seen many, many patients and this is especially the case. You really need to, I think be especially, um, conscientious, I guess. And, and judicious, I guess the best word I could come up with a thoughtful, if back surgery is in question, uh, back surgery in general.
Speaker 1: (05:22)
Most of the back surgeries out there have notoriously poor, um, outcomes. Um, you look at so many of the studies, I mean that's precisely why there is such a, an actual diagnosis called failed back syndrome. Um, it's basically saying you've tried multiple back surgeries and it's just to a point where it's irreparable. Um, and we've seen patients like this. In fact, one patient comes to mind, uh, the poor guy, he's, he's just living his life, uh, on a cocktail of pain meds the rest of his life. My father, my father was your father. Yeah, he had multiple low back surgery. And, and what's interesting is initially the symptoms would abate, whether that be numbness or other things that the symptoms would improve for a short time. But generally within a year or two years at most, usually all of those symptoms started coming back. And to every bit is severe degree and you know, and it's like there was less and less you could do to help bomb it's short term gain if you want to call it that very, very long term permanent loss.
Speaker 1: (06:21)
You know, and the interesting thing for me personally, you know, talking about your dad, um, you know, I come from a very unique perspective in that my father was a registered nurse, um, incredibly, uh, skilled and extremely competent, knowledgeable, I mean, brilliant. Um, and so from that side of the lens of that medical model, I grew up, you know, with a father in that, in that role. But then also my mother and my aunt, um, and actually my, both of my brothers, uh, my mother and my aunt are heart transplant recipients and they're alive today as a result of sure, incredibly skilled physicians. I'm super grateful for that. That type of surgery, you know, has, has given me more time with my mother, which is incredible. My, both my brothers, uh, as a result of, um, uh, a, a genetic condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Um, both of them have had a interventions as a result of that.
Speaker 1: (07:20)
And so, um, again, this just saying we don't want to make some sort of a blanket statement. All surgery is bad. I think the punchline we're trying to get out of it, I think that the truth we're trying to highlight here is that it's not always the most appropriate course of action. And so if it's not always the appropriate course of action, then how do we, how do we go about, what would you recommend to patients who are contemplating this? You know, what, what would be the, what would be the appropriate course of action? We kind of have to take a little bit of a step back because we've kind of been conditioned to, um, many of us when you've had pain that's been there for long periods of time and you're like, oh, I've, I went to PT four times and it didn't do anything and I have been adjusted a couple of times or a handful of times or maybe even a bunch of times and it didn't make it all go away.
Speaker 1: (08:04)
And so we think that there is that, that's the last thing we can do. Right. That's it. Um, the reality is, and a lot of these times it's, we have to take a little bit more, um, I guess put a little more energy into it is what I'm trying to say. Take personal responsibility and ownership. That is it. We literally have to dive in and understand like, look at this is on me because guess what, the doc who does your surgery and if it, if it works, wonderful. If it fails, that doesn't hurt him at all. All right. He doesn't have to live with that the rest of his life. So I would say the biggest thing with even this question in, in the beginning here of do you need a knee surgery, do actually need knee surgery is it's think about like where you're at.
Speaker 1: (08:49)
Take that, that introspective look and just say, what do I need to do to make myself healthier? Yeah. The best thing all of us can do as far as getting healthy and, and, and taking care of ourselves is put the energy in, you know, put the energy into yourself, put the time in, try, you know, like I would try, I would say to, um, really important kind of critical questions you can ask yourself is, number one, have I truly exhausted all conservative options? Have I done that? Okay. And, and if you really truly can say, Yep, I've, I've exhausted. And I would say in most instances people haven't done that. They haven't exhausted all conservative options. And then number two, the other question is, is it really urgent? You know, cause in some instances, like for instance, let's say a patient has a disc herniation and it's getting to the point where it's starting to create deficits, you know, in terms of their, uh, function.
Speaker 1: (09:47)
Um, that's not something you want to fool around with. You know? And so we, there have been several cases I know you've had and I've had where we've seen patients where it's like, Yep, unfortunately you're at a point where we can't fool around with this. You definitely need to get in and consult with an orthopedic specialist. Um, and so, so, but, but there are also on the flip side times when, uh, you know, when you've experienced this as well, where there have been, unfortunately some doctors who have blatantly, I don't want to say blatantly, maybe intentionally or unintentionally, they have not been straightforward with patients. Uh, using fear as a means of getting patients to make decisions. Uh, hastily, we'll say, you know, so I would take those two questions. Number one, have you exhausted all your options, conservative options? And then number two, is it urgent?
Speaker 1: (10:35)
Do you need to, do you need, do you really need to make that decision as quick as the doctors perhaps recommending, you know, and, and, and, and I think, um, in most instances you're going to find that you have ample time to really consider that, you know, and, and we're not talking that you need to sit and wait on it. Months and months and years, but enough time to at least do a little bit of a investigation for yourself. Get a second, third or fourth opinion if necessary and a, and really think about it. You know, I think most people don't, don't really look at the longterm perspective of what could this do. Yeah. Short term. It might make me make the pain go away. Right. Um, longterm. What does this mean? Yeah. All right. You know, cause especially when it comes to joint replacements, two fusions to things like that.
Speaker 1: (11:21)
Yeah. Those always have other things that you have to deal with down the road. Longterm ramifications were really bad as human beings, just in general at forecasting into the future. You know, we always think, you know, there have been numerous studies that have been done, psychological studies. I, I quote this, uh, when I ever I do, we do a variety of trainings for other healthcare professionals. And one of the, the pages that I quote from a book, it's a great book called the willpower instinct by Kelly mcgonigal and she quotes this study. Uh, you can read it on page 95, but that's how, that's how many times I've read this to people. Um, in terms of a study that was done to see how people perceive their futures. And the, the, the punchline of it is that everybody perceives that their future is going to be amazing.
Speaker 1: (12:10)
Like we're going to have more time in the future. We're going to be more motivated, we're going to have more energy, we're going to have more resources. Things will always be better in the future when in reality, what we have to understand is that your future, not that we, not that we can't improve our future. I'm not trying to paint this know, gleam, bleak picture, but we have to understand that our future is going to have the same constraints as the presence. We're going to still be bound by the same 24 hours that we all get a lot of to us each and every day. You're going to be still, uh, have the constraints of, of the, you have a certain finite level of energy and attention and motivation. Um, you know, so, so there will definitely be the same constraints in the future that are here and the presence.
Speaker 1: (12:51)
So we sometimes we'll remove those and paint this beautiful, overly optimistic, blissful, perfect future when that's just not the case. And so when, when contemplating something like surgery, uh, we really got to think about the future implications, like you said, you know, are there going to be longterm lasting ramifications as a result of that decision? And, and an almost always there will, you know, and so sometimes it's just a matter of really truly getting a clear picture of cost versus benefits. So anything else you want to add? Uh, not so much. I'm really just be smart about this is your body. Yeah. Again, anyone else treating you and trying to help you. Um, especially when it comes to more invasive things, it's like, look, they don't have to live with the body. You do. Yup. Absolutely. It's so, so take it seriously. You know, the, the, you are what you eat and the, and you know, it's like you're going to pay a lot less now than you will in the future, you know, as far as what you put into yourself, whether it be for fitness, whether it be for what you're eating and, and all these different, even what you put into your mind, the things you're reading.
Speaker 1: (13:54)
Absolutely. All of these things make a big difference on who we are and what we will be in the future. And hopefully with those optimistic projections of our future are things that we can, that we actually make happen because that's, we all want to feel like we are getting better as we get older and smarter and um, just make sure we don't make those hasty decisions because we're inpatient now when more often than not, if we give our body time and do the right things like we talk about with our five fundam fundamentals of health, if we do the right thing in the right order for the right amount of time, there are very few things that we can't fix. Yeah. Very naturally a great things will happen when you follow that. So. Absolutely. Absolutely. So hopefully this has been valuable. Hopefully this has given you some food for thought and uh, maybe given you, um, open the door to some options that you may not necessarily have felt were available to you. So, uh, thanks for listening and uh, we'll talk to you guys the next episode.
Speaker 2: (14:53)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr Buddy Alan, and this is episode four of the Health fundamentals podcast. And on today's episode we wanted to dive deep into a subject that's really important. We want to talk about neuropathy. Is it possible to reverse neuropathy? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:17)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:36)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having an awesome day today. We wanted to talk a little bit about a really important subject that we as of late have been working a lot with. Uh, and that is the condition neuropathy. Roughly 8% of the population suffers from this condition. And, um, the experience that we've had, it's been pretty debilitating for a lot of people. And, and, uh, quite frankly, it's, it's pretty heartbreaking to see a lot of these cases that come through our door of people that have been, um, in, in most instances, uh, struggling with it for years. You Bet. And you know, it's, uh, for those of you who have neuropathy, you certainly know what it is, but there are plenty of people who have heard the term and don't actually understand what goes on with that. And, uh, and there's, there's multiple different causes, but ultimately the symptoms are very similar.
Speaker 1: (01:27)
There's none. Usually it starts with numbness, tingling and it kind of progressed is from tingling to burning to constant pain to, uh, literally where you can't sleep. It's, it's always there people. And typically when we say the location, you're usually going to have it either in the hands or in the feet or in both. Yes. You, yeah, exactly. And it generally just gets worse and worse. It's kind of this progressive, a condition that people feel truly trapped. Um, and, and there's really not a lot of answers, answers and, or to them finding help or, or results. Yeah. And, uh, for a lot of people too, it can influence balance, uh, create balance problems because whether you realize it or not there, there are a variety of different types of nerves in our body that do a lot of different types of things, right? So there are nerves that are involved in light touch sensation.
Speaker 1: (02:23)
There are nerves that are involved in, in a deeper touch or you know, Sharp, the sharp, a Dole, uh, temperature, cold, hot, um, balance since stabilization. And so, uh, these different nerve fibers are responsible for a lot of different things. And so, um, it can have some pretty far reaching effects on people for, for the, for the worse. Um, and so again, we see a lot of people who are, quite frankly, they've just lost a lot of hope and they're pretty frustrated. And so we wanted to create an episode of this podcast to really answer that question. You know, can you reverse neuropathy? So let's, let's really dive into that. Dr. Allen, is it possible to reverse neuropathy? The very short answer is yes, absolutely. It's not necessarily that simplistic. And, and part of it goes down to, or it comes down to first of all, what caused it, what's the cause and when, I guess even a better question, backing up real quick is the answer to that question.
Speaker 1: (03:25)
Can you reverse neuropathy? I think a lot of it depends on who you would ask. That's trite, the conventional models and the conventional approaches and the conventional doctors that, that probably see this, um, whether it be out of ignorance or, or just out of sheer frustration of, of them being at a loss in terms of what they can provide in terms of answers. Um, we hear from patients all the time who tell us that the answers that they've been given, uh, largely is you have to live with it. You just have to live with it. Here's the drug or drugs multiple or here is, you know, these, these things to try and manage the symptoms. Um, but for the most part, the, the majority of people that we talk with, the majority of the patients that we see, those are the types of answers that they're getting out there.
Speaker 1: (04:11)
You know, in terms of is it possible reverse it? Nope. You just got to live with it. Yup. But it's possible to manage it, you know, at best. Well, and the sad part with that is recently in one of our talks and talking about neuropathy, um, with the public that it was a gal that showed up with two missing lower legs. Oh, that's right. Yeah. It was literally because she came to a point where they said there's nothing we can do for you. And it was so maddening. And so, um, she was in so much pain exactly that she was finally to that point. And, and first I think for people listening here, they might think what would drive a person to do that? Well, day in, day out pain that is relentless I think can do a lot of things to people. And she finally made that decision, like you said, to have her legs amputated or record.
Speaker 1: (04:57)
It was pretty much all the way almost up to our knees. It was most of the lower leg and most of the lower leg were amputated. And the saddest part was did that solve the problem? No, she was, she came to the event because she was still having terrible phantom pain and other pains associated with what she had gone through. Yeah. So it didn't, it didn't solve anything. Exactly. So, so anyways, kind of getting back to this question then. So we're saying at our clinic, uh, we tell patients all the time, it is not only possible, um, to reverse neuropathy, but it's quite frankly, we tell patients it's inevitable that you'll reverse it if, if you start on the right path. Exactly. And so you were kind of talking about something there, uh, in terms of kind of before we even get into that, what were you were talking about in terms of the call, what caused it or, exactly.
Speaker 1: (05:45)
So there are actually several different causes that people may have. The symptoms of neuropathy sometimes at the specifics might be different. Exactly. Like some, there are people that have neuropathy because of chemotherapy, which causes a tremendous amount of damage in the body and those nerves get injured. Right? Yeah. Um, you know, probably more commonly are people who have diabetes or uncontrolled diabetes and um, and what happens or other toxic exposure to toxic chemicals or you know, exposure in those, in those things that you were going to say about diabetes and with diabetes, it just comes down to, um, because because you don't, it's not managed correctly at damages. The vessels, which in turn damages the nerves. And as those start dying off, you start having all these crazy symptoms, you know, these unrelenting symptoms, high, high blood sugar levels are toxic, they're toxic to the body.
Speaker 1: (06:36)
Your body is not meant to have that in the system. And so your body's going to do everything it can to try and flush and shuttle, um, and utilize that blood sugar. But eventually there's a point in time where things just kind of tap out when enough's enough, right? So, um, whether we're dealing with diabetic neuropathy, whether we're dealing with, uh, uh, neuropathy that's caused by chemo or some other toxic agent, at the end of the day, the problem is still the same nerves have been damaged. There is damage to the nerves. And so if we understand, uh, number one kind of where we're starting with that starting point, that universally, regardless of where you came from, where you're at right now is you're in a situation where the nerves are not functioning like they should, they've been damaged. Um, so that's kind of number one. But then number two, we really have to start from the right framework and that is understanding the inherent truth.
Speaker 1: (07:31)
And this is something we teach in our five fundamentals of health, that the body is self healing. This is a fundamental number one. Health comes from the inside. The body is capable of miraculous things. It really truly is. And that might sound perhaps even a bit cliche to people like yeah, I've heard that before, but it really is true. And that's the thing that's been I think so amazing to me in, in working with a neuropathy patients and other patients who struggle with a lot of these chronic, really nasty chronic health issues is the body even after it's taken a tremendous amount of abuse is capable of incredible things in terms of healing itself. But we have to understand that premise and start there first. Because if we don't start there, no amount of anything we throw at it is going to fix it. Right?
Speaker 1: (08:17)
Because the problem with the conventional approach in general is what, what's the problem? We're addressing symptoms rather than the cause of the issue. Generally we're trying to mitigate and or less than the pain or discomfort, which is basically kind of the, the proverbial just covering up the engine light that's on. So you don't see it. Therefore the engine problems not there. Right. So if we cover the symptoms, we're not truly doing anything other than masking. Right. We'll end. The other thing I would say too about the conventional approach, whether intentional or unintentional, what you are saying, uh, whoever is prescribing the medication, what you're basically is, you are inherently saying your body is incapable of taking care of itself and managing these problems on it's own. So therefore we will externally come in from the outside and we will manage it from this source. And unfortunately in, in some instances, some people are in that position where they don't want to manage these problems on their own.
Speaker 1: (09:14)
They don't want to take responsibility for their health. And this isn't a point any fingers or cast any judgment or, and I would say that the majority of the people that we've met who are dealing with neuropathy or anything but that most of these people are honestly, sincerely seeking answers and are ready there to a point where they're just so fed up, so frustrated, so desperate and quite frankly so on the verge of hopelessness that they're ready to, to take action and they're highly motivated. So understanding that that number one health comes from the inside. Um, so now the question is, is it possible then to restore these nerves, uh, you know, these nerves that have been damaged, is it possible for them to heal? Is it possible for them to restore normal, healthy function? Uh, again, the, the short answer is absolutely. Okay. And, uh, and, and it comes back to what is, what does it take to heal?
Speaker 1: (10:02)
All right. When we, and any part of our body, right, we got to make sure we're getting the proper nutrition to the and the proper, um, building blocks to the area that needs to be repaired, right? Right. So if the nerves are largely dying and, or damage because of lack of blood supply or lack of nutrition to the area, how do we fix that? Simple answer is we got to start by restoring some blood flow down to that area. We have to, and again, even a step B step before that is you got to clean up. If it's, if it's your poor diet or poor management of your diet or whatever it might be, you can't continue to insult your body and expect it to be able to heal faster than you're breaking it down, right? Right. So the bleeding, where will, and I think sometimes people will do this where they will think that, um, uh, a handful of magical herbs or supplements can somehow offset or compensate for a poor diet.
Speaker 1: (10:57)
And that's just not the case. Uh, supplements are there to supplement. That's the point is they're there to assist or help. They're not there to compensate for poor dietary choices or lifestyle choices. Right? And so, um, you know, something Dr. Allen I learned, I learned from, from Dr. Allen, uh, quite some time ago. Uh, you know, that we've kind of taken as kind of our mantra is that a healing the equation for healing is doing the right things in the right order for the right amount of time. And so, uh, W W we'll get into some of the more specifics, but just understand first we got to create a framework or at least the foundation, you know, create the right environment for the body to heal itself. If we're, if we're gonna, if we're gonna reverse this process, if we're going to reverse neuropathy, you've got to first put your body into a better state to allow it and assist it to heal itself.
Speaker 1: (11:47)
So in terms of dietary modification, what sorts of things would you recommend for a patient generally speaking, approach it with somewhat of an anti inflammatory type of a diet. Generally, that's going to be lower in carbohydrates. Not completely devoid, but it's going to be lower in carbohydrates. It's going to be, again, probably a medium to moderate amounts of protein, healthy proteins. Um, and again, just it, it really just comes back to avoiding those things that cause inflammation, which are, you know, like the, the fatty red meats, a lot of processed meats, processed foods. You know, we're kind of bringing people back to a bit more of a whole food type diet and it goes without saying lots of green leafy vegetables, uh, a variety of different colors. These are going to be loaded with a lot of different vitamins and minerals. Uh, you know, I think we had mentioned on a previous episode, Dr. Allen and myself had been doing a continuing education clinical nutrition training, uh, that we've been going to.
Speaker 1: (12:43)
And one of the interesting things, we've been talking with some of our colleagues, other doctors that are there and one of the doctors was saying, you know, that, um, you're not going to get the same benefit taking a, let's say a vitamin C supplement, you know, that extracted supplement. Um, and, and think that that's going to do the same thing as eating an orange. You know, there are other constituents, other things that we just don't quite fully understand yet in terms of what makes whole food so special. There are other elements in terms of the, the, the total context of it. You know, as much as we would love to be able to think that we can just extract different elements. So this has lots of vitamin C, so if we take lots of vitamin C, it's going to get the same result. Not necessarily, you know, it's not saying you shouldn't take vitamin C, that's fantastic, but just understand in context of a whole food diet, there's something really special about the whole food.
Speaker 1: (13:35)
You're getting those vitamins, you're getting minerals, you're getting a lot of other, uh, what people would kind of judge enzymes, enzymatic process, fiber, uh, you know, Fido nutrients, you know, just in general things that we, you know, understand, but other things we quite honestly don't fully understand. You know what I mean? And that's the [inaudible] we should be okay with the hat. We should be okay saying we don't fully understand this, but we just know that when it's taken in that context in the whole context, uh, it gets an overall better result. So dietary modifications going to be a huge part of this. What are some other, what are some other tools that we use to assist the body? Um, we actually do use some supplementation to kind of help our body with different, um, uh, I guess metabolic processes because again, our food, it's hard sometimes to get all of the nutrition.
Speaker 1: (14:23)
We absolutely don't have whole foods, you know, if, and especially once we've been devoid for some times, we have to build those you bat surpluses up to where we have an adequate amount in our body to actually utilize. Yeah. So the goal is we, you know, we want to, we want to, again, a supplement with things that are going to help with blood flow because again, blood, our blood flow is what supplies nutrition to our body. So we want to help regrow these nerve cells and improve their function. We have to be to get blood to them. So we have supplements that help to increase the blood flow, increase a space more specifically. Um, there's a chemical called nitric oxide, which is a what's called a vasodilator and opens up blood vessels, helps get more blood flow to the area. One of the other things we talked about on a previous episode, the Miracle Mineral Magnesium, right?
Speaker 1: (15:11)
It's a natural muscle relaxer that's going to help also to open up those blood vessels and start getting more blood flow to that area. Right? And then not to mention all the other wonderful things that magnesium is involved with, right? So supplements to help assist in getting better blood flow to the, to those areas specifically, uh, to the nerves, right? Uh, the further away your body part is from the heart, the more energy is required to get it there, right? So we want to really try as best we can to open up those blood vessels and really try and deliver a as much blood flow to the extremities, to your, to your hands, your fingers, your, your feet and your toes as much as possible. Um, so then in terms of blood flow, what else do we use? We use what's called low level light therapy.
Speaker 1: (15:56)
And a w with a specific wavelength of light helps to actually regrow vessels and vasculature in those, um, those far reaching parts of your body. Again, your hands, your feet, your fingers, toes. Yeah. It stimulates something called V e g f. It creates more what's called Vgf at stands for Vasos endothelial growth factor. It's a fancy word that basically means this, this chemical will go into the area and it will stimulate a process called angiogenesis, which is basically create, it's fancy term, basically means creating new blood vessels so you can create more blood vessels to the area. Uh, even if there's been damage to the area, it's a way of creating new ones to begin, uh, getting more blood flow to the area and ultimately getting those healing nutrients that the, that the nerves need that the body needs. Um, so using low level light therapy, uh, what else do we use?
Speaker 1: (16:48)
We conjunction with that. Uh, we do some other therapies again that helped to retrain the nerves and start waking, you know, again, reconnecting them to our brain. We do some, uh, balance challenge trainings. Yeah. There's other and there's a handful of different, uh, you know, things that can be done, but again, doing these things together, you know, and in the right order for that right amount of time. And that's just what I was going to get at there too, is that for, for somebody listening to this show and like a light goes on in their head, I haven't tried that. You know, don't think that any single one therapy by itself is going to be the answer. Right. The answer really is in a comprehensive solution. That's what's allowing us to help so many patients reverse their neuropathy is a comprehensive approach that really does the very best job of setting the stage for the body to begin the process of healing and repairing itself.
Speaker 1: (17:42)
I mean, it really isn't it, it's not really rocket science when you think about it. No. It's a very simple approach. But that simple consistency that we preach right then that our highest levels of health are going to be achieved when our approaches one of simplicity and consistency. This is a very simple strategy, but in that when people are consistent with it, that that kind of multipronged approach just gets such amazing results. So anything else you want to add? Um, not really other than just the fact that remember our bodies are, like we said in the very beginning, they are incredible when we start doing the right things for him. And that's, I mean that's, while neuropathy is horrific, there's plenty of other chronic issues that people have. And same applies to tell exactly like there is, it's never too late. Obviously the sooner you get after things, the better results you're going to have.
Speaker 1: (18:35)
Don't just keep thinking, oh, I'm going to be the exception. If you already have symptoms, don't wait. Don't wait for it to get worse. The, we always tell patients that the last thing we want is for you to progress to that next level of, of broken down, you know? So we want to make sure that one have hope to, um, there is help out there, you know, so don't, don't give up despite what you've heard or been told or even past failures. Um, there is absolutely things you can do to help repair the neuropathy damage that you may be suffering with. Yeah. And if you or somebody you know is struggling with neuropathy, please feel free to reach out to us. We'd be happy to set up a time for us to chat, discuss it, and ultimately find out if we can help. Um, so hopefully this has been valuable to you guys.
Speaker 1: (19:23)
Any final thoughts in closing now, Sir Alan? So, uh, thank you guys so much for listening. Please subscribe and hopefully you can, uh, this is either helps you or you know, somebody that you can share this with, um, that can help them. So, uh, neuropathy is definitely, definitely something that can be reversed and we see it all the time at our clinic. We see miracles each and every day and that's why we love what we do. So, uh, thanks for listening to this episode of the Health Fundamentals podcast. We'll talk to you guys on the next episode.
Speaker 2: (19:54)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here and Dr. Buddy Alan, and this is episode two of Health Fundamentals podcast. On today's episode we're going to be discussing the question should you get stem cell therapy? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:14)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:38)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having an awesome day. Uh, what we wanted to dive into on this episode is a discussing stem cell therapy. It's a really hot topic right now. And, uh, we wanted to kind of dive in and perhaps give you a little bit more information and lay of the land. Um, you know, uh, in general, uh, we'll kind of start by talking about regenerative medicine kind of step. Step up just a little bit. We'll talk a little bit more broad and kind of dive in a little bit more specific, but, um, you know, it's, it's no mystery or surprise to people that any more these days, there's a lot of information that people have to filter through. And when it comes to stem cell therapy, it's a really hot topic right now that, that people are discussing. And a kind of a, when it comes to the information that's available to us, it's kind of a double edge sword, right?
Speaker 1: (01:26)
There's a, you, you had said, uh, you know, the issue back in the day was not enough information. You know, nowadays it's kind of information overload. And so where do we even begin with all this information that's in front of us? I'm sure, uh, unless you've been living under a rock, if you've looked up stem cell therapy, you've probably seen all sorts of things that have been said about it. You know, stem cell therapy is good. No stem cell therapies bad. It works, it doesn't work. Uh, it's even dangerous, you know, so, so where do we even begin this process of filtering that information? Um, it kind of goes for me, it kind of goes back to one of our very first seminars that we did when we were talking about stem cells. And it Kinda goes down to, um, there was this medical doctor, this retired, I think he was a neurosurgeon.
Speaker 1: (02:10)
He had said he was there with his girlfriend and he basically had mentioned at the end of the, the talk that we did, he was like, man, you guys need to sell this way harder to people because the days of cutting out joints and replacing. And he's like, that's archaic. This is, that's old medicine. And, and it Kinda caught me off guard cause this, we were fairly new into this and I was like, really? You know, so again, talk, you know, you're talking about these varying degrees of belief in it. You know, this doctor had, had it done himself and he was, I mean, he was such a huge presence and uh, and, and then all obviously, you know, he's seen over the years, both the good and the bad that maybe comes from surgery. And the, the beautiful thing with regenerative medicine in general is it is we're tapping into one of those fundamental things that we talked about as our bodies innate ability to heal itself.
Speaker 1: (03:01)
And we're just, we're using something to help accelerate that or focus that attention in one area, two or multiple areas in, at times. So, um, to kind of dive into that and really figure out where, my goodness, how do you, how do you do it? You know what I mean? Cause you start going and you look at, um, you look at research, you know, we, we always like to go to the tried and true, what does the research say? Yeah. And, and the, the sad part of that is, um, well in just recent days, literally in the last few weeks, there was Duke University, Duke University settling some hunt, $114 million settlement for falsifying medical research for their, you know, so they could get grants and what have you. And the sad part is, is I'm sure they did lots of good research and I'm sure that very valid research and there's lots of other people doing the same thing, but now we have this gross breach of trust.
Speaker 1: (03:56)
Yes, absolutely. Huge breach of trust there. And so the, the problem there is that, uh, you know, w w what do you believe? Who Do you believe, you know, and that, and that can be kind of a frightening prospect for a lot of people because I think for a lot of people, they take their cues from the academic circles or the traditional medical circles and a, and again, this isn't to say that all research, uh, is bogus or it off or fraudulent or anything like that. But the simple fact is that so long as human beings are conducting research, there's always the potential for bias to enter laws. There was one key that I cued into, in our research methodologies class years ago. It was that you can find bias in just about everything, right? And so, uh, it's, again, don't misunderstand this, this isn't saying you can't believe the research.
Speaker 1: (04:45)
What we're simply trying to say is that you can't necessarily put your entire, just one piece that has one only one piece. Yeah. Uh, you don't want to put all of your proverbial eggs in, in that single basket. You know, in terms of looking at the literature, literature is certainly important. You want to at least maybe begin there and kind of look and see what it says. What you're likely to find, um, is to some extent a mixed bag. I think it's pretty rare that you would find a, a universal consensus. Sometimes you find more general consensus is that the pro is that the fluorophore consensus consensuses consensus. Um, you'll find kind of these general, uh, uh, uh, beliefs or GE general conclusions, but it's pretty rare that you would find any sort of a universal statement. And again, that's kind of an implied in the nature of science itself, right?
Speaker 1: (05:35)
It's ever, ever learning, right. Ever. And unfortunately we're always very skeptical to new and changing things because, uh, you know, we've been doing something for so many years and we consider this to be the, this is what you do. This is the one that all of a sudden when that's challenged are, are, I would say our human responses. Whoa, wait a second. You know, we're going to, we're going to of put up a little barrier there and until we have ample and maybe even, um, excess, yeah. Overwhelming, uh, research or evidence that that's the case. We're going to kind of dig our heels in just a little bit. Absolutely. So if we're not going to put everything all into that basket of, of the literature, what else do we look at? Uh, frequently? Um, in fact, you've said this lots of times and I really, I 100% agree is you gotta have to, you have to look back at history and, and, and kind of look what are some, is there historical precedents that, is this something that's been done in the past?
Speaker 1: (06:31)
Is there, and, and, and even beyond that is, does it make sense? Does it make sense? Is there a historical precedent? And then don't ever discount or dismiss clinical evidence right in front of us. You know, especially if it's a clinic or a procedure that has been used for quite some time. Um, there's, there's merit to that. You know, and especially when we look at the idea that, that hopefully you're starting to get from this is that we want to look at multiple sources of evidence to then start to see a pattern emerge is really the whole idea. You know, when a patient comes through the door, we'll use the same analogy. One of the things that we were taught in terms of developing a diagnosis for a patient is you don't want to rely entirely on one single test, whether it be an orthopedic or a neurological test.
Speaker 1: (07:17)
That's not the way it's done. If you go to any doctor who's doing it right, be it a medical doctor, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, uh, for heaven's sake, a dentist, you know, um, you're typically going to find at least the ones that are doing a thorough job. They're going to run a series of tests. They may look at blood work. They may do an evaluation of your muscles, your bones, your joints, your nervous system. They might look at a variety of these things and do these tests and then ultimately look and see kind of what pattern has emerged as a result of that. And that's what's going to ultimately going to steer them in that direction. Then obviously it goes without saying the patient history is going to be a big part of that puzzle as well. Right? So, so the idea being is that we don't want to put our, uh, entirely put everything into one.
Speaker 1: (08:03)
One thing we want to look in look for the pattern is really what we want to do. So, so that's at least a good place to kind of start. Um, and so we kind of already introduced this, this concept of regenerative medicine. Um, you know, the, the, the, the premise behind regenerative medicine is that what we're trying to do is tap into and allow the body to heal itself. Uh, something that, that you had said prior to prior to us doing this show here, you know, is it's been our hope for quite some time now for patients to understand the true nature of procedures like stem cell therapy. Far Too often. What do people think of stem cell therapy that we find, right? They, they think and actually more hope that it's like that magic bullet. Yeah. All right. They hope that it's just this, this is the missing piece that I've been missing for all these years and as soon as I plug it in, everything's going to be better.
Speaker 1: (08:53)
Yeah. How should patients view, uh, procedures or, or, uh, options like stem cell therapy? What should they ideally be focused on? The reality is, is while they are incredible and they, you know, from my own, it's my own personal experience, um, I, it made a huge difference for me. Um, but more, more often than not, or more appropriately, they should be looking at as more of a catalyst to again, help their body start healing, ignite that spark and then in a very localized area to focus that, attend our body's attention to healing. And I think most people can, can get on board with this idea that barring those few rare exceptions where a, and I shouldn't say rare, but, but less common, we'll say a exceptions to where it's been an acute injury, right? They slip, they fall, sports injury, et Cetera, et Cetera, things like that.
Speaker 1: (09:41)
More often than not, most of the cases that we see for a stem cell therapy joint, we'll, we'll say joint pain cases are problems that are chronic in nature, that have developed over time, right? And so most people could, if you really walk through with them, could tell you how they got there. You know, it's just been a slow and steady process. And the problem is that most people would, would know how to get back to a state of health if they could, meaning, uh, well, you, you got to get out and exercise. You've got to get moving. Uh, you gotta eat right. You know, all those things. But unfortunately for a lot of those things, uh, it's a catch 22 in the sense that I would get out run, I would get on an exercise if it weren't for the fact that it would flare it up too much and create more pain and then all of a sudden, you know, they're laid up for another week and that, uh, kills the motivation that much more than they seem to sink that much further.
Speaker 1: (10:32)
You know? So, so in terms of this idea of it being a catalyst, really what we're trying to help patients understand is use this as a, as a, as a golden opportunity, as a window that opens or a new door that opens for you, that would allow you the process to begin, uh, doing those things that will allow your body to heal itself. You know, regular exercise, uh, making those necessary dietary changes in your life and, or other lifestyle modifications that need to be made. You know, there's, there's something that we've kind of left out of here that you frequently mentioned and that is a really critical part about anybody getting better. And it is hope. Yeah. All right. So many people when they've had a chronic condition for, you know, and we see people all the time, this has been here for 15 years, 20 years I've had issues.
Speaker 1: (11:17)
And um, and literally they, they're like, I've done injections, I've done steroids done and nothing seems to help. I've, I've lost weight. And you name it. They're like, I've tried, I've done it. And it doesn't help but to say, listen, what we're finding is, you know, it conditions like yours respond incredibly well to these types of injections. And so literally that little bit of hope and desire is, uh, the capitalists. It's hugely important. It's that initial spark, right? So, so, okay, so let, let's talk, let's dive in a little bit more deep. You know, re under that umbrella of regenerative medicine, what are some of the things or procedures the patients might encounter? Now? Obviously step, let's start listing stem cell stem cell therapy at the top of the list, right? So it in general, but before we dive into that, let's just understand like the way the body, you know more, more specifically, the way the body begins, the healing process is utilizing its own stem cells, right?
Speaker 1: (12:10)
Every cell in your body at one point in time was a stem cell. Think of a stem cell as the template, right? That's the template that your body uses, right? So whether it be your skin, your bones, your cartilage, your eyes, your nerves, your blood, everything starts off as a stem cell. This blank template that then, uh, grows up, quote unquote, to become whatever specific cell type that it needs to be, to be part of, uh, the tissues that make up the various organ systems and or, uh, cells of our body. Right? So, so stem cell therapy, what's that? What's the story behind stem cell therapy in a nutshell, for people to understand? Stem cell therapy is basically getting a cluster of stem cells together, you know, in an injection and putting them into an, uh, like in a condensed area, localized area, localized area to stimulate healing in that spot.
Speaker 1: (12:59)
Right? And so where do, where do clinics that are utilizing stem cell therapy, where do they get stem cells from? So there's a variety. There's a few different ways of, of gathering those. One of those is from your own fat cells or bone or from the, yeah, they'll basically drill into the marrow of the bone and pull them out. And then there's a process of spinning amount and growing. Um, and yeah, exactly. And then the, um, a third way is from like umbilical cords. All right. Cord blood has stem cells in there that are undifferentiated. They're basically, they're there, haven't been marked. So they can be put in anybody without any adverse affects of rejection or things like that. And then again, those, those do an incredible job at helping people to recover from different arthritic conditions. Other, and you're going to find various camps that are going to promote, uh, no, this is the best way to do it.
Speaker 1: (13:48)
This other way you shouldn't do or vice versa, you know, uh, when you, when you're deriving or when you're pulling stem cells from your own body, the term you'll hear or see is autologous, these are the autologous stem cells coming from your own body. That has been a ton of research on those. Um, in fact, I would see the, the, the research is really compelling saying that that's a good way to go. However, there's also a ton of research on the other end using stem cells from say, um, uh, umbilical cord or umbilical cord blood or we'll just say cord related products that had been presented. The, the biggest thing that, that, that really I would tell patients is, is kind of two things. Number one, look at the company that is, that is that they're, that they're using. Um, and uh, looking at, uh, either, either looking at the company and seeing what kind of third party data they have to validate how many life cell live cells.
Speaker 1: (14:42)
And then also I think just as important if not more important, is look at the a clinical experiences they've had. Right? This, this is how long is this pump company been around? How long has this clinic been doing a stem cell procedures, one of the patient's experiencing, you know, don't, don't dismiss that. That's huge. That's really, really important. And so, um, so that, that, that's kind of in a nutshell, I think stem cell therapy, uh, what are some of the other regenerative medicine type things like PRP, which is platelet rich plasma where they draw your blood out, spin your platelets, pull them out, put them in the joint, that that kind of creates more of an inflammatory response. That again probably draws yourself. You're your own stem cells or other healing agents to the area. Um, those can be helpful as well. Generally that takes multiple treatments.
Speaker 1: (15:30)
Um, there are things like prolotherapy is, there are other amniotic products actually, which, um, well prolo let's back up real quick. Prolotherapy describe that for patients who may be prolotherapy is basically injecting something into a joint that creates a ton of inflammation, which again, inflammation. It's designed to irritate the joint and there's, there's a method to the madness. There's a reason for that. And that is that ultimately what we want to do is we want to stimulate some new inflammation, uh, to hopefully begin that process of, of, uh, healing, healing. Yeah. That repair process, inflammation kind of takes a bad rap. People think automatically inflammation is a bad thing. Uh, and, and inflammation is such a contextual conversation, you know, chronic longterm inflammation, not a good thing. Yeah. But Acute, localized inflammation with the intent or focus of beginning a healing cascade or that healing process is actually very, very good thing.
Speaker 1: (16:25)
So, so that kind of answers prolotherapy. And then you were, you were talking about amniotic products. Amniotic products are, um, basically kind of like the stem cell injection minus the life stem cells. And how do they derive the Amnio? Where do they get the amniotic products from? So they'll take those from the court as well as the amniotic membrane. Um, listened to, plus sites are derived from a placenta, uh, you know, uh, we're not using any fetal tissue or anything like that. Um, and they, they process these in very stringent, uh, controlled environments to where what you're getting are a, are pure cells that are undifferentiated. They haven't received any sort of marking to, you know, or any sort of, uh, uh, labeling saying that they belong to a specific individual, which means that they're, the term is their immune privilege. That means if you inject them into, uh, any human being, uh, the body is not going to recognize them as foreign and it's not going to create any sort of a, a, you know, a, an immune response or anything like that.
Speaker 1: (17:27)
Create any sort of a reaction to those. And the amnionic product that we use, uh, has been used over a million times. They've had over a million procedures that have been performed with this. So there's a overwhelming evidence they're showing it's extremely safe, it's extremely effective. And for us, one of the reasons why we offer this for our patients here in our community is it's a really affordable option for people. Uh, for a lot of people, stem cell therapy, as amazing as it is, it's just not affordable for a lot of people. And so what we've done is we've kind of opened the door, uh, to provide them with this regenerative procedure, um, at a fraction of the cost of stem cell therapy. And so it, it gets great results. The cool thing, buddy kind of already alluded to, maybe you can tell them a little bit about your experience utilizing cause because buddy is kind of the walking poster child for both stem cell therapy and uh, amniotic therapy.
Speaker 1: (18:18)
So yeah, I initially did an amniotic or uh, uh, stem cell injection. Kali has been a couple of years ago now. Um, prior to that I had injured my need doing something at crossfit and for well over a year, I want to say it was almost a year and a half. I was wearing knee braces. I was, um, you know, I'd leave the gym, just hobbling. I couldn't kneel down. I couldn't pull my heel to my, but I had a limited range of motion and uh, and I, and I had tried other therapies and I was doing other things that just kind of weren't getting me, I wasn't getting anywhere. I'm finally, we, uh, we brought, I got an injection into my knee of the stem cells and after about a month, I was like, I one day forgot to wear my knee brace at the gym. And I'm like, wait, my knee feels pretty good. And, and long story short is, since then I've run two half marathons.
Speaker 1: (19:08)
I've done a couple, I've done three Spartans actually. And um, basically, you know, in the Spartans you're crawling around on your hands and knees under Barb wire on rough, rocky soil and is like, and I did just fine. Right. And like, um, my knees, I mean I can kneel down, I can touch my yield and my, but like, it's good. It's really good. Um, loved it. Yeah, no, it's been amazing for me. And then, um, just, you know, and not, not too long ago, four months ago, and I saw, I injured my, again at crossfit doing pull ups, I hurt my, um, I actually had a, I call it a slap tear, which is basically kind of a, a labral tear wear of the cartilage in the shoulder. Exactly. So that, and again, that was well over a year of dealing with that and I tried the amniotic product that we're using now and I've have every bit as good a results from that as I did with the stem cells.
Speaker 1: (20:01)
And that's honestly what we're seeing with our patients as well is, is they're getting pretty darn comparable results, uh, using the amniotic product. Uh, maybe describe kind of how the amnion product works. A amniotic product. The beautiful thing about it is it, it comes dehydrated. There are a bunch of different growth factors in there. And so when the doc, um, basically they, they rehydrate it with céline, they draw it up in the syringe and then they put it into the joint capsule. And, um, and then, you know, for the first day, the first 24 hours for me, my shoulder was real sore. Yeah. But within, you know, with, with just, and that's you, you prepare yourself with a lot of these regenerative therapies. One of the common things is because inflammation is the factor is the kind of secret are key to this process. There is going to be some soreness for the first day, sometimes even as many, we've seen patients for the first week, sometimes that can be pretty sore.
Speaker 1: (20:54)
Um, but the, the way that the amnionic product works is it really acts like the term that we use to help describe it as, it acts like a stem cell magnet, even though we're not injecting a live stem cells to that area, what's happening is the process that takes place in that joint is such that it begins attracting the body's own stem cells to begin that repair process. And so it was pretty, pretty incredible. That's awesome. Yeah. Awesome. So, so hopefully the answer is clear. The conclusion originally, the, the question that we pose is, should you get stem cell therapy, uh, assuming you're a candidate for this procedure? Uh, the answer is a resounding yes, absolutely. It is such an incredible option with a, you know, such a, a heavy skewed, uh, you know, risk to benefit ratio, skewed in favor of the benefits, the benefits far outweigh the risks.
Speaker 1: (21:43)
Um, huge in this area, you know, and especially if you're somebody who's on the fence considering the possibility of, of surgery, either joint replacement or some other type of surgery, uh, explore this procedure first before you do that. See if you're a candidate, see if it's a viable option for you. And if it is absolutely incredible. Anything you want to add? Uh, no, other than the fact that like, I would do this again and again with the results I've had. And I think it's, like you said, because of the, the benefits far outweigh the risks that are involved here. Um, there's no, you're not causing any longterm trauma of any kind. Yeah. So I would do this again and again and again and again. We're going to kind of, I want to circle back on one subject that we kind of just hit on, but I want to just end on this emphasis that the idea again is this, this isn't a magic bullet.
Speaker 1: (22:31)
It's not intended to be some, you know, Harry Potter Wizard rehear that you can rely on to just fix everything for you. At the end of the day, the, the, the operative process is that the body heals itself. There are certain things that we do or need to do to assist and help the body in that process. Obviously we talked about it. Most of these are our lifestyle factors that aren't really, shouldn't come as a huge surprise to people, you know, uh, consistent, regular exercise, consistency with fueling yourself properly. You know, the things that we talk about as these five fundamentals of health that we talk about, those are the things, and so view regenerative medicine as the catalyst that's really kind of the bottom line. View it as the catalyst in allowing you to really get to the best place possible for you to live your best life ever. That's really the hope. You know, obviously this show is helping you kind of showing you through an evidence based Lens how to live your best life possible. So, uh, hopefully this has been valuable to you guys. Any final thoughts that you wanted to add in the shell? So join us on our next episode. Yeah, we're excited to share it with you guys and we'll talk to you later.
Speaker 2: (23:36)
Oh, thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody, what's going on? Doctor Chad Woolner here. Dr Buddy Alan, and this is episode one of the Health Fundamentals podcast. Welcome on today's episode we're going to be discussing the question is moderation a bad thing? So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:15)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show,
Speaker 3: (00:30)
the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:36)
So, hey everybody, welcome to the episode. This is our inaugural episode. There's been a lot of thought and energy that has gone into this and so we're excited to finally launch the podcast. As a quick introduction, my name is doctor Chad Woolner. Uh, I'm a chiropractic physician here in Meridian, Idaho. I'm Dr Buddy Alan. I am also a chiropractic physician here in Idaho. Um, been doing it for a good lot of years, 15 plus years and love it. Yeah. And we've known each other for Golly, Glenn, 12 years, almost 12 years. I, uh, I moved here to Idaho, uh, after finishing school and started working for you. And, uh, a couple of years are. And then after about a year, started my own practice and, uh, Doctor Alan joined us about four years ago, uh, here. And we've since, uh, integrated our clinic and it's been a ton of fun and it's just been a really great experience working with Dr. Allen and we've just learned a lot over the years.
Speaker 1: (01:38)
And this podcast has been something that we have been talking about for Kali well over two years. Yeah. And so now we're finally pulling the trigger on it, launching the podcast. We're excited. And basically our whole approach, uh, with this podcast, the health fundamentals is really our intent behind this is to really give people a actionable but simple concepts, strategies, tactics, tools that they can use and apply into their life to have a dramatic impact for good, to help them, uh, improve their health and ultimately improve their life. And, uh, and so we wanted to kind of kick off our first episode by first introducing a, what we call kind of the framework or the Lens in which we see the world. Uh, we've had like a, like I said, we've had collectively we've had over 20 years of experience working with patients in a variety of different capacities, both from a chiropractic clinic, from an integrated clinic now.
Speaker 1: (02:35)
Uh, and then also Dr. Allen has done a lot of health coaching over his ears and we can talk a little bit more about that, but, um, to kind of set the stage, uh, let me just kind of introduce for those who are, uh, watching this show, um, and, and whether you're watching or listening, we're going to go over at the same, but we created a, what we call the five fundamentals of health. And this is kind of our declaration of really a framework that I think people can see and embrace that would really help them maybe simplify the way that they look at improving health. Because again, uh, if you look at the information that's out there, sometimes things can get really, really complicated. We are incredibly good as human beings at taking something that is fairly simple and complicating the heck out of it.
Speaker 1: (03:18)
Absolutely. And just making it, making it way more difficult than it need be. Yeah, absolutely. So a doctor, Alan, you want to introduce the five fundamentals of health? Absolutely. So again, five fundamentals. Just coming back down to, there's a few simple things that we need to remember and understand and focus on to be able to move forward in a very positive direction in our life. And, and so we basically started out by saying we believe that the highest levels of health are going to be achieved when one, we understand the truth that health comes from the inside. All right? It's coming from within, not because we're missing something from the outside in. Okay. Number two, our approach, our approach towards health is one of simplicity and consistency. Once again, coming back to we're really good at complicating things in our lives. It comes down to a few simple things done consistently over time will make a tremendous difference in the outcomes of our lives.
Speaker 1: (04:13)
And that's not to say that you shouldn't have, uh, the right information. Sometimes people are missing some things. Sure. But again, more often than not the things that they're missing or just simple little tweaks here and there and hopefully you can get that from this podcast. You know, some of those answers, some of those insights, some of those things you may not be aware of or familiar with you about. So number three, our body is functioning correctly, both mechanically and chemically. All right. Our bodies are both, you know, we have moving parts both inside and out. And, uh, if things aren't on a functioning level and we're not doing things correctly, then what's going to happen is we're going to start having hidden things start to show their face. We're going to start having symptoms. Yeah. Chemical breakdown, mechanical breakdown, either way. Yeah. A number four.
Speaker 1: (04:59)
And then lastly, we are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually into one more. That's four. We got, whoa. One more. Oh, sorry, sorry. And number five. Sorry, I was getting excited. Yeah. Don't, don't miss. Number five. This is an important one. Um, and then the fifth one is that we're fueling ourselves properly. All right. It comes down to a few simple, a simple things that we can be doing to making sure we're, we're feeding our body right? We're feeling our body right. Because ultimately, as cliche as this sounds, that we are what we eat, it's more true than people understand. Absolutely. Yeah. And so the, the thing that's been really interesting, uh, we've, we've seen, uh, over the course of our, of our time, both working together and, and by ourselves, you know, the vast majority of people that struggled with health issues, this shouldn't come as any sort of a surprise to people, but the vast majority of people that are struggling with, with real significant problems are people that are dealing with chronic health problems, not acute health problems are not some sort of a rare disease.
Speaker 1: (05:58)
You know, those, there are those people who do struggle with those things, but hence the term rare. Those are the exceptions and not the rule. And so most people that we work with on a regular day to day basis are people that have just let some of these things slip over time. Uh, maybe they've just lost track, maybe they just didn't know a or a combination of those two things. And really at the end of the day, uh, getting people to a better place in their life has really one way or another focusing on one or more of these five fundamentals. Right. Absolutely. Which kind of brings us to the question that we wanted to kind of tackle an episode number one. Um, the term that has kind of taken a beating over the past, I think, I dunno, a couple of years that I've seen on social media here and there and, uh, is, is this term moderation?
Speaker 1: (06:48)
Uh, both Dr. Allen and I, you're going to find, while, we don't agree on everything. Maybe. I Don't know. I think most things we see pretty eye to eye on, that's why we get along. That's why we're able to see a partnership in business as much like a marriage. Right? And, uh, and so, uh, but the thing that, that he and I have have both understood over the years is that we see fairly ida I in terms of moderation, that moderation isn't a bad thing. And yet it's kind of taken a beating and social media. I've seen several instances where people will say things like, a moderation will kill you. Um, and it's not about moderation. Moderation is a lie. And, and I can appreciate to a degree where they're coming from, I'm not trying to play overly diplomatic here. Sure. But the problem is that what they're doing is they're, I think, and I believe they're addressing it from an inappropriate lens.
Speaker 1: (07:36)
They're not really talking about true moderation. I think sometimes people can use moderation as an excuse to indulge, right? We talked about this earlier. You know, that somebody who's eating a Mcdonald's once a day, that's moderation. No, that's not moderation. You know, or somebody who, um, you know, whatever drinks, drinks, Soda Pop, uh, twice a week, moderation, we'll even, that's not moderation. You know what I mean? And so understanding what true moderation really is, uh, is, is really the key here. And I think that's the thing that's unfortunate is moderation has kind of gotten a bad rap because it's been, I think, largely misunderstood or used as a, people have kind of camouflaged bad behavior or poor behavior, poor choices under that banner of it being moderation. Right. Well, and you know, people, again, a Dr. Warner mentioned that I had done a lot of health coaching over the years working with people in weight loss.
Speaker 1: (08:26)
And it's interesting because the problem is, is we, we have a tendency when people are talking about moderation, we're trying to fit everybody or they're trying to fit everybody in the same box, right? And the, the reality is is we're all different. You know, some people, some people when it comes to making changes in their lives, need someone on there that just pats him on the back and says, you're doing a great job. You know what, you're, you're doing awesome. Other people need a drill sergeant, right? Some people, you give them the right path and it's like all, you don't ever have to talk to him again. They will do, they will take it and run with it. Okay. So when you start talking about moderation, um, it's, it's honestly, it's, it's one of these people that are like, they're probably the type a that's very, um, self, you know, self directed self, very driven in, in one direction and, and they live a very rigid life.
Speaker 1: (09:15)
Okay. And unfortunately that doesn't work for everybody. Yeah. It's not a one size fits all. Exactly. Yeah. No, and that's, and that's really cool. You know, what's neat is, uh, doctor Alan's experience over the years doing health coaching, uh, that has been an incredible education in terms of human nature, uh, in terms of, you know, the psychology, uh, of change, right? It's really what we're talking about. And, and at the end of the day, and I think that's maybe a good shift that we can kind of kind of, uh, end with in terms of this episode is talk about that. Like, uh, how does, how does moderation play into this idea of change? We talked about this, right, in terms of, uh, you know, when we look at polar extremes, it seems today anymore, these days, that's, that's what gets most of the attention today. When you look at the news, when you look at politics, when you look at current affairs, when you look at all of these things, um, the headlines are extremely polarizing one way or another.
Speaker 1: (10:09)
And the, the challenge there is that, uh, the polar ends get most of the attention. And what happens is moderation gets kind of a bad rap there too, because it's not as exciting. It's not nearly as enticing. Oh, absolutely. And, uh, and so, but, but the thing is, is when we're talking about true long term consistent change over time, rarely do the extremes, uh, provide any sort of a longterm solution. Sure. You can use extremes. And, and I would even argue that, that there is a time and a place sometimes for extreme measures temporarily. Absolutely. You know, but in terms of the overall, if we're looking for long term permanent change, um, it's gotta be sustainable and, and the key to sustainability is going to be moderation. It really is consistency and simplicity. The things we've been kind of saying here and the way that I look at it, this is kind of the way that I frame it and you can kind of share your experience with this too, is if you look at two polar extremes in terms of the way people's psychology is on one end of the spectrum, one extreme, then you have what we call self defeating behaviors and attitudes.
Speaker 1: (11:17)
Uh, and then on the other end of the spectrum we have self deceiving behaviors and attitudes. And neither of those two polar ends are good for us. Right? And what I mean by that, let me give some context here. You know, the self defeating is when, when somebody isn't living up to the standard that they feel they should be living up to, they, they impose self punishment, whether it be a negative self talk or, or they'll, you know, they'll punish themselves by saying, okay, well tomorrow I've got to, you know, to make up for my poor behavior today I've got a, you know, and they assign whatever punishment do you know? Or, or even worse, what they'll do is they'll, they'll indulgent certain comforting behaviors too to help assuage the pain of the, of the, you know, of the self defeating, um, negative self talk, etc.
Speaker 1: (12:03)
Etc. And then on the other end, it's interesting because, uh, on the self deceiving and fit, we're really good at lying to ourselves and softening things and not being realistic with ourselves. I had a patient some years ago who, who told me he only had to lose 40 pounds, which in and of itself was, he had way more to lose than just 40 pounds. But even that, he acted like 40 pounds was no big deal. You know, in 40 pounds as a, in the grand scheme of things, that's a huge deal. That can make a huge difference in somebody's life for the good or the bad. And so right in the middle is, is really the, the operative term in moderation that we're going for is this idea, this concept of self awareness. Right. And so maybe you can kind of talk a little bit about that in terms of your experience, health coaching with people finding that kind of that middle ground where they can be consistent with it.
Speaker 1: (12:48)
Absolutely. But you know, you were talking about, um, patient patients are, I would have to say one of the best things I love about practicing is I get to learn from so many different people, their experiences, the things that they do and learn, you know, like, Ooh, that was awesome. And that's not so awesome. I mean, we have patients that come in that are 80 pounds overweight. Their blood pressure is normal only because they take a ton of medication for it. And yet when they, when they're asked what is, how would they rate their health? They put excellent. All right. So I mean, that's completely deceiving. Exactly. So if, if that's how your mind is working or you need to lose 80 pounds and you say, oh, I just need to lose 40 pounds, all right. It's like 40 pounds is great, but you're, you're shooting yourself well, short of where you need to be headed.
Speaker 1: (13:36)
Right. Um, and then on the other side as far as finding, finding that happy places on the, again, the other extreme, I've had people, and literally I had a gout once years ago, lose a hundred pounds and she was, she had another, I think 40 or 50 pounds she wanted to lose. She was doing amazing. She had one weekend where they went to the Oregon coast. They had air, she, I believe it, she had a bowl of clam chowder. And in her mind she had failed. And from that point on she went to go, go on and gain all that a hundred pounds back. Because again, that whole like, I'm a failure. I'm not good. I'm so she felt like all or nothing thinking. Yeah. And so the reality is, is again, who we are today is a compile a nation of our daily habits, routines, and actions. Okay.
Speaker 1: (14:27)
And so if we consistently each year are putting on a few extra pounds or five or 10 extra pounds, the reality is is we've got to get some things in check really quickly. Okay. Because it's not just because you can't blame it on DNA, you can't blame it on your, your parents, your injuries. I mean there's lots of different extenuating circumstances. But the reality is, is the things I do from a dated on a day to day basis when I wake up, when I go to bed, when I eat, what I, you know, what I'm drinking. All of those things play a part in who I am today. Yeah. So the, the best way as far as from a moderation standpoint is like, and to be able to really give a, a very self aware, look at where I'm at. It's, where was I a year ago? Okay. Was I better or was I worse?
Speaker 1: (15:18)
All right. Cause if I'm, if I'm improving, that's wonderful. All right. And are there things I could do to improve even more? Um, and again, the extremes, you can do extreme things for a short period of time. Extreme things are, if not impossible, they're incredibly hard to maintain. All right? So it's like from a, from a very moderate standpoint, moderation is just about finding something that works, learning what to eat, how to eat, still being able to eat the things that you enjoy, but also be able to maintain your health. Right? There's, there is a balance there. Absolutely. And as much as some people may gain weight easier than others, I promise you, you can figure out the tweaks in your life to make it to where, and I, and I talk about weight because I have a ton of experience with that, but the, the same energy it takes to lose weight is the same exact energy it takes to get stronger takes to get better than business, to heal injuries, some health challenges, et Cetera, et cetera.
Speaker 1: (16:18)
Absolutely. So yeah, through this podcast, you'll hear me refer to that a lot because I have a ton of experience with working with people in the weight loss realm. And again, it's just, it's that same energy that we're trying to tap into to be able to make good positive changes in our lives and everything that we're talking about. Again, that moderation is about learning. How to, um, you know, using like our five fundamentals of health to simplify your life, but at the same token, by simplifying it, actually simplify it in a positive direction, right? And let's kind of end with kind of two concepts that we want to drive home. Let's get really tactical for people who are listening to this are like, that's good and fine. You know, finding that balance, right? Finding that self awareness, right? We talked about one in self deceiving, the other end self defeating right behaviors.
Speaker 1: (17:02)
We want to, if we're looking for that self awareness, how do we go about doing that? Well, I would propose and feel free to add to this Dr. Allen. I would propose a simple tactical thing that you could do starting right now. We're starting tomorrow. Better, sooner, the better, right? Absolutely. There's a great book called Atomic Habits and I learned this from, from that book, phenomenal book. In fact, we're going to be referencing a lot of great books. A lot of the concepts that I've kind of developed in this realm come from another great book called the willpower instinct by Dr. Kelly mcgonigal. Um, which is a phenomenal book in and of itself. But in the book atomic habits, one of the things he talks about, um, in terms of finding consistency is that far too often we focus our efforts on the, the what, right? And he says a simple little tweak, uh, which is, which is very profound when you think about it and CSUs focus on who instead of what it meaning, who do you want to be, what do you know, what not necessarily what do you need to do, but, but what do you want to become?
Speaker 1: (17:58)
Who Do you want to become? Meaning creating a clear true self identity, right? That, um, I want to be, and at my core, I believe myself to be this type of an individual. I believe at my core, I'm somebody who values health. So therefore I'm a healthy person, right? And you may not at the beginning, you may not necessarily buy into that. You may not believe it, but you have to to some level or another, get deep enough inside to, to really peel away at the, at the negative self talk and the negative self image. And really carve away to the essence of who you really, truly a desire most ardently to become. And, and that, um, becomes the kind of guiding tension, tension. And we'll talk about the idea of tension moving forward and stuff, but to pull you towards changing the appropriate behaviors.
Speaker 1: (18:50)
Because if you can, if you can truly convince yourself of your real identity and not a fake identity based off of either self deception or self defeating, uh, attitudes and behaviors, um, that will be a sufficiently strong and powerful, um, guiding force, we'll call it to dictate a pair of behaviors. Because really, uh, at, at the, when it, when all is said and done, we as human beings, we need congruency in our lives. If there are things that are incongruent, we will either rise or fall to meet, uh, that, that identity, right? If we believe at our core that were unhealthy, unworthy, slobs, pathetic, you will change your behaviors accordingly to meet that identity to, you know, we'll either rise or fall to the occasion, so to speak, right? And so really getting a clear image of your core identity, right? So literally what you can do tactically, literally write that down in a journal, a today or tomorrow, ideally today.
Speaker 1: (19:45)
Write it down. Who are you at your core, or at least who are you striving to become. Really identify with that. When you identify with that, that will create a certain amount of self awareness that will then allow you to create behaviors. And then the things that you do on a regular basis, the habits that you develop, um, you can, you can judge those habits against you. You now have a standard, right? I am this person. I want to become this person. This is the ideal that I'm striving for. What a healthy person do this thing. Would a healthy person eat out regularly? Unwritten. Oh, they wouldn't what a healthy person get up early in the morning and exercise. Yeah, they probably would, you know what a healthy person's study more about nutrition with the, you know what I mean? It let that be the guiding kind of pull to create the necessary tension.
Speaker 1: (20:29)
Um, so that would be kind of the, the first thing. Uh, and then the other thing that you had kind of mentioned, I'm drawing a blank on it now. You were, we were talking about it. I lost it. I lost my train of thought. Um, but you, you had been talking about, uh, your experience health coaching, um, golly, it'll, it'll come to me. But what were you, were you going to say anything add to it? You had mentioned two books and one of the other books that I was the, as we've been talking and really that kind of, I think initially led us to thinking about these five fundamentals of health was the compound effect. Oh, great. Darren hardy rate book, wonderful, Wonderful Book. And, and a very, a very simple, easy read, but very powerful in that, you know, we all have the ability to change.
Speaker 1: (21:13)
All right. Change. And we've doctor Walner frequent talks about the, the beauty between our 24 hour day period where we literally get a daily do over every morning, daily reset. So we can reset. We can just because the past 10 years haven't served us, it doesn't mean tomorrow can't. Yep. All right. And so, um, what I would say is in kind of closing, what are my thoughts for this morning and as we begin this podcast is, you know, what we all, and the reason we're doing this is because we all need help to get better, to improve. We all need coaching. All right. And, uh, and, and really the best of all individuals, whether it be in business, whether it be in sports, whether no matter what it is, everybody has mentors, tutors, coaches, people that help them, that, that actually see more in them than they can actually see in themselves.
Speaker 1: (22:06)
Yeah. All right. And they help us become better. And so our whole goal with this as we hopefully can help you, um, think about things differently. Um, you know, find that energy and that willpower within, within yourself to kind of change, to want to move forward in a different direction. Um, the beauty with, again, those daily do overs is just because, let, yesterday, yesterday was terrible. Um, it doesn't mean tomorrow or today can't be fantastic. Yep. Tomorrow hasn't written itself. Yeah, exactly. The great point that you bring up there. Yeah. And I would just simply say that you know, that if, if worst comes to worst, worst case scenario here for Ya, if you don't feel that in yourself, lean on us right now, lean on this podcast, let this podcast be a, I know this might sound cliche and cheesy, but let it be a beacon of light and hope to you, uh, that things can change and that they will change.
Speaker 1: (22:54)
And hopefully that's what we can provide for you guys, is a, is the necessary tools, strategies, and motivation, uh, to really, um, help you make significant breakthroughs and changes in your life in terms of your overall health and well being. So anything else you want to add? No, sir. K uh, thank you guys so much for listening to this first episode. Uh, we, uh, we're looking forward to sharing a whole lot more with you guys. It's going to be great. This has been a ton of fun already. I know. I am just going to really, really enjoy this whole process and this journey of, of going through and, and uh, just sharing a lot of the inside conversations that doctor Alan and I have on a, on a fairly regular basis. Um, we're definitely not for a lack of opinions on things and so we're ready to share it, but hopefully you recognize to some degree in another that our opinions are based off of a lot of collectively a lot of experience that we've had over the years. And so we know a thing or two about helping make changes in their life and get healthier. And so we hope that you'll join us along the way and subscribe to this podcast and uh, and uh, enjoy this process with us. So thanks for listening and we'll talk to you guys in the next episode.
Speaker 2: (23:58)
Thanks for listening to the health fundamentals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
What's going on everybody. Doctor Chad Woolner here, Dr Buddy Alan, and this is episode five of the health fundamental podcast. On today's episode. We've got a good one for ya. We're going to be sharing with you guys the number one secret to taking control of your health and your life. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:17)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:37)
So, hey everybody, hope you're having an awesome day. What we want to share with you. This is a subject that is very near and dear to I think both of our hearts. Absolutely. Uh, I think this is going to be a really, really good episode for you guys. Um, highly valuable. Um, we're going to be sharing what we call the number one secret to taking control of your health and your life. And it is a very, um, hidden in plain sight strategy, super simplistic, but incredibly powerful, very, very powerful. Uh, to set the stage. A, anybody who knows me might already know this story. Um, but, uh, years ago, this has been almost 20 years ago now at this. Yeah. Yeah. It's been 20 years ago. It's crazy old man. Hi. No Man. Seriously. Um, uh, nearly 20 years ago, I left, uh, to serve a mission for my church down in Louisiana.
Speaker 1: (01:30)
Um, my brother, uh, my older brother who was 10 years older than me, he had served a mission in Spain, um, years prior. And, uh, as I was getting ready to leave on my mission, I was literally getting at the airport with him and he handed me this letter and he said in this letter holds the secret to being an effective missionary to being a great missionary. And of course, obviously I wanted to do a good job. And so I was like, well, I want to know the secret. He says, don't open it till you get on the plane. So he built up a sufficient level of suspense and excitement about it. What's the secret? I need to learn the secret, right? And so I opened the letter and I proceed to read and he basically says, look, you're going to get a lot of advice from a lot of different people.
Speaker 1: (02:10)
And he says, I'm sure that all those pieces of advice are going to be great. He says, you can think of those as various keys to being a great missionary. He says, uh, but he said, what I want to share with you here is what I believe to be UV master key that everything else kind of falls under and a with that, he kind of again, sufficiently caught my attention thinking, what is it? You know? And then he, uh, he proceeded to give me the punchline. You know, this, the suspense is revealed her. He says, here's the secret. He says, the secret is commit to getting up on time every day of your mission, getting up early, getting up on time and engaging in basically your morning routine. And it was, to be honest with you, looking back at it somewhat underwhelming. Um, but now having, having looked at my life ever since then, I can see a very clear pattern of, of a really profound truth and secret that I have learned.
Speaker 1: (03:07)
And that is that if you look at the very most successful people in the world and we, we understand there's an important principle of modeling, right? Um, you know, they always say that the saying, and I think it's probably come become a bit cliche, success leaves clues, but it really does. You can see patterns, you can see distinct patterns, uh, with successful people and unsuccessful people for that matter. And one of the most common patterns, common traits, common habits that you will find with the most successful people, the most healthy, uh, you know, uh, successful in business, successful in relationships. They all have a very, uh, distinct, clear and consistent morning ritual and morning routine and a, and that is the number one secret. So let's kind of unpack that and talk a little bit about it. Dr. Allen, obviously you had experience in this realm as well.
Speaker 1: (03:59)
Absolutely. And it's kind of interesting. It's, it's one of those things that you kind of, it's like, yeah, that makes sense. You know, getting up, starting your day and, and starting off correctly. But it's like, um, I don't know about you, but I'm a little, sometimes I'm a slow learner and it's as I was starting to read and do my own, you know, personal growth type of, of research and you learn about different folks and your, it really is true, the most successful people. And when I say successful, it's like a successful and very [inaudible] and like all meaningful ways and very meaningful ways. Like they, um, you know, they give back, they, um, they just, they just enjoy their lives. Right? And every single one of them will have, they have like this routine. I remember reading the four hour work week by Tim Ferriss, which, hey, you know, if I could get get by with four hour work week, I be great.
Speaker 1: (04:48)
Right? So I'm reading this book and, and man, that guy, you could set your clock to his routines in the morning and in the evenings. And I was just like, that's kind of, you know, so it's like, like you said, there's a clue there. The clue of we had this guy is doing pretty well for himself and he's got these routines that, and one of the things he said, I remember that really hit home to me and made so much sense. He's like in the morning and in the evening there, these are two times that are largely completely within your control. What happens in between there during the day is there's all kinds come react. You can become react, you can get derailed and you can be, you can go all different directions from where you actually plan to go. Whereas when you get up there and you set aside a specific amount of time in the morning and the evening for the things that are important, then they always get done.
Speaker 1: (05:38)
Absolutely. So he calls him the book and the book ends of your depending. Yeah. Book Ending Your Day. So that's an important principle. Um, there's something very profound and powerful about the, just the act of getting up early, getting up early. Um, you know, one of the things I talk about, we do a lunch workshop here in our community. We've been doing it for years, teaching a morning routine, we call it the 30 minute reboot. And, uh, and just the idea of getting up early in and of itself is a really powerful, uh, principal. Um, you know, a lot of people we run into wouldn't consider themselves morning people, quote unquote, perhaps you listening right now, uh, might not consider yourself a morning person. But the truth is I share with people is that we are biologically wired to be morning people. If you look at our circadian rhythm, uh, the various hormones that are involved in that circadian rhythm are at their peak at 6:00 AM every morning we are wired to be up and moving a at 6:00 AM.
Speaker 1: (06:36)
And so, uh, so for people who are like, man, I'm just not a morning person. Understand number one, we're designed to be morning people. Number two, for people that aren't feeling it, they feel sluggish. That's typically a sign that there's something going on that they lost to be addressed. You know, and it may be something, it may not be something that, you know, critical, but it might also be something important that needs to be addressed. Right? So just understand that a number one, number two, there's something very powerful about the psychological benefits of getting up and proactively starting your day on your terms. Like you kind of talked about, you know, that's within your control, taking control and ownership of that. Um, there was, uh, a famous, uh, video that was going on in a kind of a viral video. I think he was a navy seal commander or something like that.
Speaker 1: (07:19)
He said the first routine that, that he teaches his, uh, trainees is to get up and make your bed or bed, make your bed every morning. And, and that, that habit alone has a very profound, uh, psychological, mental, emotional impact, um, at the beginning of every day. And, uh, and so getting up each morning. Um, and so what sorts of things, uh, somebody who's, who's listening to this podcast right now, what sorts of things would you suggest to them in terms of, uh, things that could or should be included in a normal good healthy morning routine? Well, the, uh, the morning reboot that we know that we go and share with the community really is kind of it. Cause if you're going to do something over and over, it has to be something that's one simplistic enough to be able to do on a regular basis. And it just can't be super complicated.
Speaker 1: (08:07)
So the first thing we say is one, get up early to we want people to do some sort of exercise and generally we, we encourage high intensity type exercise because research suggests that we can get an incredible workout, a very, um, physiological and effective workout for our body in a matter of minutes with literally within 10 minutes. Yeah, very efficient, very efficient. Um, we talk about meditation, we talk about fueling our bodies correctly. We talk about, um, you know, making, and with that all being said, you know, even proper rest and proper sleep. And, but all of these things are important for us to be able to, and again, they're just simple components, simple little things, not terribly complicated at all. Not at all. Right? So, uh, yeah, exercise. Meditation is profound. A huge, if you really want to do something interesting, go online and just look at studies on meditation that had been done.
Speaker 1: (09:06)
There are some, there are some really, uh, unbelievable benefits to meditation and it doesn't need to be terribly complicated either. Right? Um, and then making sure that you're fueling yourself correctly in the mornings, uh, is a big part of it as well. We typically recommend, uh, either some sort of a protein or a smoothie type shake with Greens in it. Uh, we typically will recommend a handful of other just really good nutrients. Uh, Ceylon cinnamon is great for blood sugar control. You can put a small little, uh, you know, a half a tablespoon of that into that. Um, you say on cinnamon, uh, organic vanilla powder, a natural antiinflammatory, uh, MCT oil or MCT oil powder is a great way to go. Stands for medium chain triglyceride oil. Uh, it's an extract of coconut oil and it, it's a, it's something that you can use to boost your metabolism.
Speaker 1: (09:57)
And so, uh, the, the biggest thing that I share whenever I go out and do these workshops is the idea behind consistency. Um, the, the secret to consistency is shaping this and creating it and crafting it in a way that it's something you actually enjoy doing. If it's something you don't enjoy, you're not going to stick with it. And so you've got to figure out a way to kind of rig it mentally and emotionally in such a way that you actually look forward to it. You know, there are some things that I've learned from you over the years and I, and this one was, um, I thought it was a huge one because exercise for lots of people, even those who are generally generally pretty good at doing it, it's like get rid of as many obstacles as possible. They will be in, you know, getting your way from going.
Speaker 1: (10:42)
And you had mentioned that you leave your clothes out for the gym the next day on the bathroom counters. So you don't have to even fumble through your closet to find your workout clothes. They're sitting there waiting for you. Yup. So any and everything you can do to take out the barriers that would prevent you or get in the way of you from following through, then you know, that makes all the difference. Yup. Yeah. It's called lowering your activation energy. Right. Anything you can do to just make it a smooth transition as smooth as possible. And so I'll do stuff like that. I'll typically get out my clothes, like you said, I'll typically have a water bottle ready to go. Um, I'll typically, you know, in, in terms of making it fun and enjoyable. Typically find like kind of new morning cocktails, you know, so there's like a green strength that I've done for awhile.
Speaker 1: (11:26)
I'll mix it up. Sometimes there's another, uh, you know, variety of different vitamin or mineral powders or amino acid powders that I'll put into drinks to just kind of experiment and have fun with and change the taste, find something that actually tastes good and is enjoyable, is healthy. I know I'm getting hydrated and things like that. So things like that. Um, so I'll get my water bottle out, I'll make sure my, I'll make sure that my, uh, socks and shoes are, I'll make sure that my socks and shoes are out, like, like we had said and all those things. So, um, anyways, uh, making sure we lower that activation or ci. So morning routines are absolutely critical, absolutely huge in, in helping, uh, to literally make significant shifts longterm and your health and in your life. Um, anything else you want to add to that?
Speaker 1: (12:15)
Um, well I think that's, if there's anything you can do it starting outright, starting the day right is, is so incredibly powerful and that's kind of why we, we really hit on this morning routine more than anything. As you know, it starts and actually something we haven't mentioned that I, that we also frequent tell people is, um, every day we get that 24 hour clock, which is our daily do over. Yup. So just because yesterday or the day before was not your ideal day or maybe really crummy day. Um, today is a new day. And so if we can start out today correctly, then today's going to be great. Tomorrow can be great. And so it's just, remember every day we have this chance to start a new, to try to better ourselves. And that's kind of the ultimate goal is we want to, you know, we all want to be better.
Speaker 1: (12:59)
We want to feel like we're progressing and moving forward in life. And, uh, the best way to do that is to just start off your day correctly. Start off on the right path. Absolutely. Um, so, uh, if you're local here, if you're somebody local, uh, we do a free lunch workshop or reteach this entire morning routine from start to finish. We go through and we go through everything. And this is just a free service that we've been doing for years. It's a great way for us to get to know people in our community. It's great marketing for our clinic. Um, but if you're somebody who's listening to this podcast and you're not local and you'd be interested in hiring us and having us come out and train your group, your team, um, contact us, reach out to us, uh, info@thehealthfundamentals.com and just say, hey, we'd, we'd be interested in hiring you guys and having you guys come out.
Speaker 1: (13:43)
We can do that. We do that and we do a group trainings all over. So, uh, this is something that we absolutely love. We're extremely passionate about it. As you can probably tell. And, uh, we hope that this has perhaps maybe sparked something within you, inspired you to begin that process of, of creating your own morning routine. So, uh, anything else you want to add? Nope. Just get, make the plan. Get it started. Yeah, figure it out. Make the commitment. Yeah. So you owe it to yourself. Change your health, change your life. So, all right guys, thanks for listening and we'll talk to you guys on the next episode. Have a good day.
Speaker 2: (14:18)
Thanks for listening to the Health Fund, the metals podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop and in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com
Show Notes:
Speaker 1: (00:00)
Hey everybody. Doctor Chad Woolner here. Dr Buddy Alan. And this is episode three of the Health Fundamentals podcast. On today's episode, we're going to be sharing with you the miracle mineral that could save your life. So let's get started.
Speaker 2: (00:14)
You're listening to the health fundamentals podcast. I'm Dr Chad Woolner and I'm Dr Buddy Alan. And this show is about giving you the simple but powerful cutting edge tools you need to change your health and your life. So sit back and enjoy the show as we show you the path to your best life down to a science.
Speaker 1: (00:34)
So, hey everybody, hope you guys are having an awesome day. What we want to share with you guys is something pretty powerful that is like staring us in the face. Uh, we call it our miracle mineral. So this, uh, this quote unquote miracle is so far reaching, um, just share with them kind of some of the laundry list of, of things people maybe be experiencing and how this miracle mineral is, is related to those things. Well, just think about your, your life and also just even culturally around us. People that are deficient in this mineral will frequently have heart disease, diabetes. Um, they will be stressed out of their mind. They will get frequent cramping, they'll get headaches, migraines, spasms, constipation, constipation. There are loads of other, um, problems. Issues. Yeah, that is actually, yeah, absolutely. In fact, this was kind of brought to our attention recently, you know, as docs, we get frequently do a continuing education and we were at a continuing education course that we're taking and it was like we're doing, yeah, we're doing a clinical nutrition, uh, continuing education training and it's been really good.
Speaker 1: (01:47)
Awesome. Because speaking of the fundamentals, we've been focusing on the fundamentals, I mean, nothing we're, we're, we're learning about is really anything exciting in, in, in terms of, it's not like some new cutting edge thing, which those things are always cool. Don't get me wrong, but we're going back to the basics here. In terms of nutrition, we're talking about vitamin therapies and mineral therapies and, and those things. And so in that process, it's been pretty powerful to see just how many problems can be addressed and quite frankly, resolved with some of these most basic, uh, therapeutic interventions. The most fundamental, you knows, nutrition, right? Well, and one of the reasons I think nutrition gets neglected is because we've kind of been conditioned to want to see results right now or within, if I take a supplement or an Advil or let's say Advil for a headache, I want to know that within a half hour that I can feel a difference, right?
Speaker 1: (02:42)
And more often than not, when it comes to nutrition and, or vitamins and minerals, it takes a little bit of time for your body to get, you know, build them up to distribute them to the right places and for your bodies, chemical systems to normalize, right? But generally speaking, you all, when you look at the research, it's, it's more than evident that vitamins and minerals are incredibly beneficial and completely necessary for us to function correctly. The problem is, is we don't just see the results within minutes, right? So that's probably why we have a tendency to, well, and again, it's just, we've been, we've been kind of, we created this monster for ourselves. We want, we want results yesterday. Absolutely. Now. No, totally. Um, so what is it? What is the miracle? What is, what is the miracle mineral? All right, here comes the drum roll.
Speaker 1: (03:32)
All right. So, and it's not like some mysterious mineral, you not at all. Magnesium. Magnesium is huge. So here's some thoughts or some kind of bullet points for you guys to consider in terms of magnesium. Okay. Uh, it's involved in well over 600 different enzyme. In fact, it was around seven to 800 different enzymatic processes in our body. So very intimately involved in, in the chemistry of life, right? Day In and day out, right? Uh, it's great for muscle pain, cramps and spasms from head to toe, literally, uh, great for chest pain, right? Um, great for your heart muscle, right? You're, you're the highest concentration of magnesium in your body is found where in the heart, in the heart, right? Your heart requires that to function properly. Uh, it's a great remedy for headaches and Migraines. It's great for people who are constantly fatigued or week.
Speaker 1: (04:27)
It's, it's actually extremely effective, uh, as a therapeutic option for people struggling with mood disorders, depression, anxiety and edginess. Um, you know, people who constantly crave chocolate, chocolate is high. The real chocolate is high in magnesium, right? So that should tell you something, right? Um, it's great for insomnia. It's great to calm the body in general. The way that I describe it to patients in terms of just a quick snapshot and this is far underselling it, but, uh, it's great for helping, uh, act as a natural muscle relaxer. And it's also great for acting as a very mild natural sedative on the nervous system. So if things need to calm down a little bit, a magnesium is a great way to go without feeling drugged, without feeling like you're a, you know, loopy or anything like that. You can totally take magnesium in the day and still be able to function and perform normally.
Speaker 1: (05:19)
Um, but very, very effective for a variety of those things. Uh, and in terms of this whole idea of, of nerve function, nerve health and or muscle health, uh, I think far too often we think of muscles as being just here, right? Our, our skeletal muscles. When in reality, uh, we don't just have skeletal muscle, we also have smooth muscle, right? So what are some examples of smooth muscle in our body? Move Muscles is going to be your guts, the moguls that line your guts and kind of move the food through your system. Right? And so what's one of the natural consequences or side effects of high doses of magnesium? It has a laxative effect. Helps move things through your, your mouth. Yeah. Yeah. And so one of the mechanisms of action behind that is your gut is going to act just like any other muscle.
Speaker 1: (06:06)
It's going to relax. When it relaxes. It allows things to move far more freely. And so if somebody has ever had really, really high doses of magnesium, you've probably experienced that effect of magnesium, which to be honest, is probably a good thing for a lot of people. You know, you look at the statistics a, we just looked them up before the show, roughly 16% of the population is struggles with constipation. And then when you get older at age 60 and above, they say roughly one third of that population struggles with constipation. So it's a huge, huge issue. And I always remember back to Dr Hoyer, big shout out to Dr Hoyer back from a break from school. Remember what he said? He said death starts in the colon. That was his like big thing. Uh, his big thing was if you eat everyday, you poop everyday.
Speaker 1: (06:51)
That's like the, the most fundamental uh, aspect of health. Right? So, uh, so, but, but I mean obviously we talked about the heart, but think about this to your blood vessels. Also our smooth muscle, right? So how dilated your, your blood vessels are or how constricted your blood vessels are? Will, will to some extent. I would see very largely a be influenced by magnesium. If you, if you're deficient in magnesium, uh, that's gonna have a negative impact on not just your skeletal muscle, but smooth muscle digestive system as well as blood vessels as well. Right. Um, and so really, really important mineral that has a lot of very important, uh, implications. Therefore us. Um, so in, in terms of magnesium, uh, you know, uh, we, we kind of talked about deficiency of magnesium. How do we determine a deficiency with magnesium? You know, is there a, is there a test?
Speaker 1: (07:45)
There are blood tests, um, the only downfall, and so you can kind of get a general idea if you have it in your system. The problem is, is magnesium is stored in the cells, right? So if it, it's like it needs to be in the muscles that needs to be in the correct organs to be able to do it. So you don't necessarily get a completely accurate year or accurate result from just looking at what's in the blood. You do very much have to look at the symptomatology of what, what happens when you, um, when you're deficient. In fact. Yeah, I would say when I've, uh, the first big eyeopener for me with magnesium for myself was having patient, you know, we frequently have patients that get crazy spasms when they tweak their back. Right? Yeah, absolutely. And um, I had a gentleman that was from the gym I work out at and he, his back would shift and he would come in, walk in next to himself, he'd be so crooked and spasms and F and I treated him for a long time without magnesium.
Speaker 1: (08:39)
And he would, he'd get better and then he'd be back. You know, it was just a cyclical thing. And from the day that I started him on magnesium, he has never come in again with a major spasm in his back. He comes in and it'll be a little sore, but there's not the spasm, which totally shuts him down wood prior to shut him down. And since him, I've had anyone that comes in with that massive spasm, I get 'em on magnesium and without fail, they stop having the massive spasms that are associated with that. Those back issues. Yeah. So let's talk about different forms of magnesium because not all magnesium is a, is equal, right? Not all forms of magnesium or equal, uh, magnesium typically is bound to something, um, in terms of, in terms of a form, right? So there's a lot of different forms, but let's just talk about some of the most common or popular ones.
Speaker 1: (09:29)
Um, magnesium glycinate, right? A magnesium glycinate, uh, it has a fairly high absorption rate to it. It has a calming effect to it, which is good. Um, magnesium citrate is a really common one as well. A fairly good absorption there. Um, does have a little bit of a laxative effect to it. So, but again, that may be not necessarily a bad thing. Um, magnesium threonate is a really cool, wonderful form of magnesium. We, uh, we utilize this at our clinic. Uh, we prescribed this for patients all the time. Uh, three and eight, uh, actually has been shown clinically to pass the blood brain barrier. And so this is something that you bet helping with headaches, migraines. This is our go to for migraines. It'll, it'll knock migraines out really, really quick. Um, and it's also great for a sleep. People just kind of calming people down right before bed.
Speaker 1: (10:19)
It's a powdered a supplement, put it in a glass of water, eight ounces of water, drink it down. Uh, it's fantastic. Uh, magnesium malate uh, can sometimes have a little bit of an energizing effect to it is what they say. Um, it might be too stimulating for some people, but that's one. Um, I would say about the only form of magnesium that you probably don't really want cause it's just not terribly bioavailable and it's just not terribly effective in terms of its absorption and, and, or just what it does is magnesium oxide. That's about the one that probably we, we, that would be the one that would absolutely caused you to have a laxative effect that because it wouldn't absorb well, so it would just blow right through you. Um, and, and obviously even Epson Salts, essentially our magnesium, that's why they're so effective when you have achy muscles and a sore body, you know, like that magnesium helps those muscles relax here.
Speaker 1: (11:11)
Here's something interesting too. And other form of magnesium, magnesium Toray. There was a report published, uh, back in 96 that indicated a administering patients with magnesium Toray made them more responsive to insulin. And I think you'd find that, uh, with, with not just that form of magnesium, but again, uh, using magnesium is a therapeutic, a tool to help with managing diabetes would be a really, really effective and very smart thing to do to begin that process of, of improving overall a sensitivity to insulin. Um, some hormonal benefits of magnesium and improves thyroid function. It supports estrogen detoxification of and detoxification of harmful metabolites, lowers blood sugar levels, uh, helps with adrenal function and, and cortisol production, uh, supports testosterone production, increases Serotonin, uh, improves or increases DHE. So these are a lot of different important hormones that again, in and of themselves have very far reaching effects on our, on our body and on our health.
Speaker 1: (12:12)
So, um, in, in terms of different ways to administer magnesium, most people I think, think of pills, powders, right? But what are some other things that we use, cause you talked about magnesium, but I don't think you went into specifics with these patients in terms of what former, what administration method you utilize with these guys. So, um, as far as with patients, we have sub again, we have powder supplements that you can mix as a, like a drink that they can take. Um, which I think are wonderful. Obviously it's going to break down more quickly and more easily absorbed. Again. There's tablet forms. There are again, even, um, even just taking the soak in the bath, you know, you will absorb the ball baths. Great way to go. We'll absorb that into your system. There are the, yeah, those are probably the most common magnesium lotion is going to be a big one though.
Speaker 1: (13:00)
Yet the tribe as well. Magnesium Lotion, a you could do a intramuscular injection can, you can do intravenous. Uh, that's a really popular therapy now. It's gaining a lot more popularity is doing kind of as a therapeutic approach. Uh, regular, uh, uh, intravenous injection. That's actually what they do for women who go into premature labor. That's right. I try to stop the contractions, they will do magnesium. So, so, um, so in terms of magnesium, where do you get it in terms of just diet? Well, the number one, uh, there's kind of 10 magnesium rich foods. You can look at a pumpkin seats full of magnesium, cashews. In fact, I just found a cashew that I love. Uh, I just found out it's probably not the most healthy necessarily cause it's probably got some sugar in it, but uh, it's uh, it's magnetic or not magnetic. It's going to say there are these cashews I got at Fred Meyer, uh, citrus chipolte lay.
Speaker 1: (13:57)
Oh, interesting. Mazing so good. Uh, so cashews, a salmon is high in magnesium. Right. And that, that would make sense just from a logical standpoint. You think about how muscular these fish are swimming upstream, you know, so their bodies probably required tremendous amount of magnesium. Absolutely. Um, so, uh, this is something that we're kind of Dr. Allen and myself, we're kind of spoiled with, cause we do salmon fishing every year. We typically come home with a cooler full of salmon. So we never, we never buy the store bought stuff. Oh, we're kind of spoiled that way. So magnesium, a dark chocolate, like we said, a spinach, a dried figs, peanut butter, almonds, bananas and Avocados. Um, so if you're, if you're ever in doubt in terms of food, what contains the most of this, that or the other? Avocados are always on the list just about the number one for just the number one super food full of everything.
Speaker 1: (14:49)
Right. So, um, anything else you want to add into this in terms of the miracle mineral, the miracle mineral? The one thing that I would like to make sure I don't forget to say is oftentimes what we do when we think, when we hear about something as, as benign and amazing as, as magnesium or other vitamins are, we think, well, if a little magnesium's good, a ton has got to be better, right? And so just be smart. Okay, go get help if you don't, if you don't understand vitamins and minerals and how they work in your body, find someone who does, find somebody who has training on clinical nutrition. Exactly. That can guide you through this process. If you're eating, if you just go through and be like, hmm, I want to naturally bump my magnesium up, look at this food list. You know, do like a doctor Walner just went over and just start eating more of those foods and you will naturally do that.
Speaker 1: (15:38)
But if you feel like if you have a bunch of these symptoms and you're like, I need a little bit of help, go find some that'll help you. Don't try to do the proverbial like if a little is good, a lot must be better. Absolutely. That's great. Great insight there. So hopefully this has been a valuable for you guys. Maybe, uh, open your mind and open your eyes to just how powerful magnesium is in terms of helping with a wide range of health conditions and uh, hope you start utilizing this and seeing really amazing results. If you do a and you start, start seeing how it helps with headaches and muscle spasms and cramps and things like that, shoot us an email. We love to see those. We will read those emails. Uh, let us know your experiences utilizing magnesium and a, and if you have questions about it, uh, that you would like us to talk about on a upcoming podcast episodes, uh, let us know. Uh, you can shoot us an email and I know we covered this in the end of the episode, but it's info@thehealthfundamentals.com and we'll answer those questions. So thanks for watching guys and have an awesome day.
Speaker 2: (16:41)
Thanks for listening to the health fund, the middle's podcast. Be sure to subscribe so that you stay in the loop. And in the note with all of the cutting edge health information that we share, if you know other people that could benefit from this information, please share it with them as well. Also, be sure to give us a review. These really help us to ultimately help more people. Last but not least, if you have questions that you want answered live on the show, or if you have ideas for topics that you would like us to cover, please shoot us an email and let us know at info@thehealthfundamentals.com