Your Greatest Preparedness Asset
By Kyle D. Christensen, DC, ND, MH
Changes are coming. Many
suggest that we are on the cusp of financial and economic set backs with rumors
of the collapse of the Euro to be quickly followed by the dollar. Natural disasters
in the form of volcanic activity and earthquakes with the threat of tsunami are
escalating at an unprecedented rate. The Rule of Law has been taken from the
people by politicians and judges whose dictates appear to favor the agendas of
small but aggressive special interest groups.
The moral compass is spinning out of control and the crosshairs seem to
be sighted on Christianity. So called
“religions of peace” are seemingly given a pass on violent and murderous acts,
while free speech is only tolerated from the liberal and progressive left. What was once considered evil is now praised
as freedom of choice and lobbied for as constitutional rights and what was once
deemed as moral and virtuous is shouted down as intolerant, divisive and
politically incorrect. Finally, the
healthcare in our nation currently rank as number one on money spent per
person, yet limps behind the modern world in quality of life and life
expectancy with 35 countries out living us and 34 countries deliver
healthier babies with higher survival rates.
Yes, to many of us, it feels
like things may be getting worse (a lot worse) before they get better. As a
result, some (not as many as should), but some, are focusing their time,
attention and dollars on preparedness with the ever-looming question, WHAT IF…?
Ultra-light
In the cycling and
backpacking world a new term has arisen over the past couple of decades. Ultra-light.
The concept is simple. Lighter equipment will result in less physical exertion
allowing the athlete to go faster and farther. Ultra-light almost always comes
with a hefty price tag. Dollars are set on the counter for titanium bicycle
components or camping cookware thus shaving off grams of weight or if you
really spend the bucks, a few ounces. Here is the irony – very often those
boasting of the backpack or bike weighing-in under 20 pounds could easily stand
to lose 20 pounds from their waistline.
And so it is with
preparedness. We see preparedness
enthusiasts plunking down hard earned money for the latest and greatest
supplies and gear, yet they sometimes have neglected their most valuable
preparedness asset. Their Health. You see, when and if there is ever a hiccup
in the economy or outright collapse of life as we know it, if you cannot be
truly self-reliant at least for a time, you stand a much greater chance of
suffering or becoming a casualty.
The reality of healthcare in
the United States is that 80 percent of health care costs are the result of
persistently poor lifestyle choices. From Type 2 Diabetes and obesity, to Heart
Disease and stroke to most cancers and arthritis, we earn our way to the
doctors’ office and hospitals because of lifestyle choices made based on
convenience (in our diets) and laziness (lack of adequate exercise). And sadly,
when you finally come to yourselves, for many it is too late because you have
so severely damaged and broken your body through misuse and mismanagement that
the saying “you can’t get there from here” resounds true. I believe however, that this is the exception
and applies to only a small percent. I
have witnessed a great many who have returned from deaths doorstep and have
returned from drug and medical dependency to a healthy active drug free life.
While the way to health is
achievable, it will require change. And for many this change, while rewarding,
will not be convenient, but it will be worth it. You see you have been caught in a trap, a
trap that has been shrewdly planned and meticulously set in your path. Please understand
that THEY are not looking out for your best interests. THEY – being the food manufacturers, the drug
companies, the tobacco and alcohol industries and even the government does not
sit in their meetings trying to figure out how to make John and Jane Q. Publics
life happier and more complete. The
conversations are more along the lines of how to increase their financial
profits, their control and using (or misusing) you to meet their various
agendas.
Is it noble desires and
sincerity of interest that caffeine is added to the liquid candy we call soda
pop? Or is it designed to create a physical addiction or dependency to keep you
purchasing the products? We have been carefully marketed lies and half-truths
in an effort for someone else to make money from our addictions, naivety and
desires to get something without paying the real price (fitness without
exercise, health without a good diet). This malicious marketing comes from both
sides of the healthcare isle. I believe
that those pushing their ‘natural – super healthy’ ware can be just as
misleading and devious as those promoting regulated substances. For example,
the advertiser who convinces you that you can get all of your fruits and
vegetables with their capsules or delicious powder mixed in a drink. That way you won’t have to eat those nasty
tasting – prone-to-rot fruits and vegetables sold in the produce section.
It is human nature to try to
get the greatest results with the least effort. Remember the old margarine
commercials that said “you can’t fool mother nature” – well you can’t. You can’t eat unhealthy foods (processed,
pre-packaged, denatured, manipulated, microwaved, modified and “enriched”) and
undo the damage of putting those in your body by popping a few pills or
drinking a smoothie. Likewise, you
cannot be sedentary and expect to have energy and health into your middle or
senior years. So now we have picky eater
grows up and decides to not inflict the emotional trauma they experienced as a
child upon their kids. But at what
cost?. So you don’t like to eat
healthy. So you don’t like to exercise
(oh, and I am so tired of hearing women tell me, ‘I don’t like to sweat’.).
That is all fine and dandy, but please don’t expect to escape the consequences
of your picky or childish behavior.
Sadly, many use nutritional
supplements as a crutch to offset a lazy or self-destructive lifestyle. Unfortunately, we have been programmed
through orthodox medicine that health conditions are inevitable and that
degenerative conditions are best to be managed rather than cured
(oops, I’m not supposed to say that word, ‘cured’ – darn I said it again). Just
because we have a whole nation that has bought in to this lie, doesn’t make it
true. Arthritis, heart disease, dementia
and diabetes are not inevitable – only if you do as most Americans do.
A great challenge of getting
healthy is trusting who to believe. In our population many are ardent
supporters of modern medical practice, yet we find that “established medical
facts” seem to change – the latest being that eating saturated fats and cholesterol
is NOT linked to heart and artery disease.
And that the cholesterol-lowering drugs (the statins) are shown to
accelerate heart disease. This is coming from the American Heart Association.
Likewise, consuming salt is no longer the villain once supposed.
The Reason to take a Supplement
I believe that the reason to
take a supplement is so that you won’t have to take supplements. Let me explain. If I have a health concern or condition that
is associated with a deficiency of a nutrient, I should be able to supply my
body with that particular set of nutrients (found in a supplement or better yet
in healthy foods), heal the body and then once I am well, I no longer need to
take the supplement – provided that my diet is adequate and healthy.
However, I continue to see
people who have been taking an ever-rotating combination of nutrients, drugs,
and concoctions for decades. The natural
supplement industry markets the concept that our food is so deficient in
nutrients that unless you take ‘their’
high potency, super-duper pill or powder, you cannot hope to obtain any
semblance of health.
Some may argue that the
quality of our food has been so decimated due to chemical fertilizers and
improper agricultural practices that the nutrition of all food has been reduced
to almost nothing, therefore, NO ONE can be healthy solely by eating food.
Therefore, it is necessary that a significant portion of your food budget be
spent on pills, powders, oils or potions.
I, for one, don’t buy
it. I agree that quality is a major
issue, but I also believe that if you shop right, and prepared your own food
from scratch, you can and should get nutrition from the foods that you
eat. The problem is the foods that YOU
eat. Not only are many of us not eating
healthy foods, but we eat foods that will pull, draw out or inactivate the
nutrients that do manage to find their way into the digestive tract. The primary “Anti-Food”, of course, is
processed SUGAR. This substance alone
has caused and is causing more health problems that probably everything else
combined. It is the main contributing
factor behind diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancers
and adrenal fatigue. It is highly
addictive, but let’s face it – it really tastes good.
Understand, I am not
suggesting that eating sweets is a bad thing.
After all, God gave us taste buds that specifically taste
sweetness. And he wired these
sweet-tasting buds to the pleasure centers in the brain. Sweets are not the
problem. It is sweets made from refined
and processed sugars – high-fructose corn syrup, white sugar, and all of the
chemical sounding names that mean sugar. The artificial sweeteners are probably
worse for other reasons – but that is another discussion. (However, there does appear to be a direct
link between High Blood Pressure and consuming Corn Syrup). I believe that
eating the sweetness that is found in fruits, honey, and real maple syrup are
good. (Sorry, Agave fans – it’s highly processed and not on the healthy list).
In addition to sugars,
things such as plastics cause health problems.
Plastics are known to be hormone disruptors. Ever wonder why so many people have hormonal
problems (thyroid, testosterone, estrogen and adrenal) – look to plastics as at
least one of the contributors. The list
of harmful chemicals we are exposed to goes on and on.
Those who enjoy good healthy
may not be overly concerned with this aspect of being prepared for “come what
may”. However, if you are unhealthy, restoring your health should jump to the
top you’re your priorities.
Getting healthy is often not
much more than returning to the basics (or discovering them for the first
time). Rarely have I seen the
pharmaceutical approach to health successful. Pharmaceuticals (drugs) for
chronic and degenerative conditions generally suppress or manipulate symptoms
to give the illusion of health. The
paths that I suggest to restore your health is 1) Eating a healthy and
nourishing diet, 2) taking nutritional supplements that may be missing from
your diet and 3) Lifestyle changes, such as exercise, adequate rest, etc.
Can you really get the
nutritional building blocks to build and maintain health solely by the foods
that you eat? I believe, yes, but you
will have to work at it. Can you rebuild and maintain health by taking the
right supplements and still get away with eating a poor diet? I believe, no. Mostly, because of the
anti-nutritional properties of foods that were touched on earlier (sugar, white
flour, plastics, hydrogenated oils, food additives, etc.).
Without getting in to
specific health conditions, let me offer you some general recommendations on
building your health.
Exercise - 6 days a week, you must
be moving you body doing something that would be considered exercise. Walk,
swim, or cycle, you've got to do something. Log how many minutes each day. Set
some goals. Remember: A goal not written, is only a wish.
Sleep - we've been taught from
childhood that we need eight hours each night. Understand that hours of sleep
BEFORE midnight are more beneficial than those after. Schedule bedtime so that
you get at least 8 hours. You may need more or less, but plan on eight. Figure
what you really need and sleep in a DARK room.
Deep
Breathing
- Oxygen is vitally important for good brain function. Take time to breath
deeply each day. Think of it as clearing out the cobwebs in the lungs and
brain.
Avoid
Negative Thinking
- Stinkin Thinkin! Are you sarcastic, pessimistic or talk too much about
what is wrong? Certainly, we must live in this world of grief, sorrow and
gloom, (and we are not promoting naivete), but as you focus on the positive,
your brain will begin to change in good way. Try this Goal: I went a whole day
without saying anything negative.
Water - Drink Eight - 8 oz
glasses of water per day. It should be pure, filtered water. Drink from glass
containers. Avoid plastic.
Diet - You cannot expect to be
healthy if your body is taking in harmful chemicals, preservatives, food
additives and the plethora of unnatural foods. Eat whole natural foods! Enjoy a
plant-based diet loaded with fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables diet. At our
home, we are vegetarians that cheat (eating small amounts of meat occasionally).
Bottom line is grow up and eat healthy.
Spiritual
Activity -
Develop a spiritual pattern of daily prayer/meditation/contemplation and
scripture study. Avoid reading a certain number of chapters or pages, rather
spend 20 to 30 minutes each day. It is okay to spend all of your time on just a
verse or two. Ponder and reflect on what scripture means in your daily life.
Memorize favorite verses.
Classical
Music -
Music can fill your soul with light or darkness. Relaxation or tension.
Classical music, harp music and lovely melodies really can soothe the soul.
Download or purchase music that will lift your soul. Listen to it. Really
listen. I'm not talking background music, I'm suggesting sitting and
consciously listening.
Sunlight - We all need light. Make
the effort to get in the sunlight every day. It is healing, it will increase
your vitamin D. Most depressed people are vitamin D deficient and taking a
supplement is not as good as the Vitamin D created by sunlight touching your
skin. Depending on the fairness of your skin, you will be able to tolerate more
or less direct sunlight. Remember, you do not want to get sunburned.
I hear far too often, “Isn’t
there just something I can take?” Honestly, No, there isn’t. In order to change
your life (from being sick and drug dependent), you must change your lifestyle.
This encompasses changing the way you eat – which necessitates spending time in
the kitchen making food from quality ingredients from scratch. It
necessitates that you get some sunshine, exercise and go to bed early. It may mean that you find healthier forms of
entertainment – too much time in front of a video or computer screen will
slowly but steadily suck the life out of you.
Can you restore your health
without supplements. YES, but it takes
work, planning and preparation. I often find that a combination of diet,
lifestyle changes and a few key supplements will give you the fastest
results.
Caution
If your goal is to get off
your prescribed medications, understand that you should work with your doctor
and pharmacist to do so. The objective
is to make the meds no longer necessary.
As your health grows, the action of the drugs will be too strong, thus
requiring a lower dosage. As this continues, eventually the meds may no longer
be necessary. Going off prescription drugs ‘cold turkey’ before your health has
been restored can be foolish and even deadly in some cases.
The backpacker or cyclist,
trudging up a hill with an over-weight, out-of-shape body may not justify
spending thousands on losing ounces on equipment weight when losing the weight
makes more sense. Having your basic
preparedness needs and a healthy fit body (regardless of your age) that is
accustomed to and actually enjoys healthy food and physical work and exercise
is preferable to being overweight and drug-dependent with all of the cool preps
money can buy.
Obtaining good health will
take more than a casual commitment. For many, it will need to be a major
physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual shift. Transformation is
possible. If your goal is health, sit down with a loved one and do it together.
It is a road of spiritual adventure and discovery.
Blessings,
Dr. Kyle D. Christensen, DC,
ND, MH
May 2015
