Lyneil what is your opinion on holistic medicine? - Shalana Villella

I am very open to alternative forms of treatment.  Medicine in the past few decades has been dictated by insurance reimbursements and has primarily become treatment of symptomatology.   Historically, up until about the late 1800's, medicine was primarily preventative and holistic. Then the microscope was invented and researchers could see what happened on the cellular level.  Today we know so much more happens on even a smaller level and still we don't know for sure what it is going for everything.  They didn't always have a pill or a surgery to "fix" something and had to try to stop things before they happened.  They also thought of hygiene much differently than we do today. They didn't put chemicals on their skin and hair, in their mouth and in their bodies to attempt to look and smell a certain way.  They promoted daily exercise regimens and proper nutrition to control disease.  It’s crazy but they had a good gauge on health as long as 3-4000 years ago.  Today we place little value on these types of things because there is no immediate consequence.  We can quickly get a pill, injection or surgery to save us and get us back to work so we can make money for our employers and/or the government.  It's a vicious cycle.  As I have said in the past health is about homeostasis or equilibrium.  When we move away from equilibrium we place ourselves into a state of pathology.  This makes our immune system weaker and us more susceptible to pathology.  If you think about we are always being exposed to bacteria and viruses, every minute of every day.  We have bacteria that live inside our bodies.  So why aren't we sick all of the time?  Most of the time our immune system is strong enough to fight off the pathogen and we never experience anything.  The problem is many things we do can cause our immune system to be suppressed.  If it stays like this for too long we are bound to catch some thing.   If it stays pathologic for way too long the unbalanced nature of our systems gets out of control and we develop serious problems such as cancer.  there are studies which show that eating too much sugar (about 50 g or one can of your favorite soft drink, soda or pop whatever you call it) in one sitting can lower your white blood cells(immune system cells)  by 50% for up to 5 hours.  Think about how many people basically live like this.  When we get dehydrated we can experience feelings of fatigue, nausea, irritability, headaches, and muscle pain.  These symptoms are often associated with fibromyalgia.  But when is the last time a physician checked to see if you were hydrated at a visit.  Studies show that 70% of people are chronically dehydrated and don't even know it.  Vitamin C is the most abundant in green vegetables like broccoli but have you ever seen a commercial for kale or broccoli? 

So in conclusion, we have a difficult time with medicine today.  We have started a war on cancer and many others simply to see an increase in the incidence, prevalence and deaths.  There is a reason our health care system is in shambles.  We are letting too many people get sick.  When they do get sick we treat it with things doctors can bill insurance for. I.e. medicine, injections and surgeries.  Even physical therapists don't get reimbursed for the education we give patients.  We typically as a profession do it because we want to see our patients and clients get the best results.  Medicine is good for saving lives and helping with many horrible diseases out there.  For the average person however it actually creates an avenue that allows neglect, irresponsibility and complacency. 

In order to have good health we have to understand what that means.  So the question is what allows us to have good health?  What truly is moderation?  For example many people think drinking a few beers on the weekends is harmless because it is a socially acceptable norm.  Don't get me wrong I still have a few beverages every once and while.  I know however that more than .5 glasses of beer or wine in one day has a negative long term effect on our health.  That is how fragile we are.  There is more and more data coming out that shows what we used to think the human body could tolerate is now way less and people are experiencing disease because of this.  A holistic preventative mind set is the best approach to avoid getting sick, joint problems and becoming disabled.  If you do happen to have an unhealthy occurrence, you can always seek medicine if you really need it.  Just remember for most of us who are still borderline healthy, there are silent symptoms such as dehydration and mineral imbalances occurring in us right now that could be leading us to pathology and disease.  We need to start thinking about restoring our equilibrium and ultimately optimizing our chances for a healthy life.  I am not saying avoid physicians and medicine.  Just realize you have a lot more control in the situation than you think.  My advice is to do what they tell your children, a kindergarten teacher typically knows how to live life for health and wellness.  Eat your fruits and veggies, tie your shoes, laugh a lot, play games, roll around on the floor, get your daily physical activity, learn as much as possible and last but not least continue to use your imagination and chase your dreams. 

Sorry this was so long.  I know my social media director is going to be upset.  Oh well I hope this answered your question well enough.  If not feel free to ask me somethign more specific.

Thanks