Where's Your Hole in "Whole Health"

What does "Whole Health" mean anyway?

A variety of companies and organizations seem to be engaging in a concept that encompasses every form of wellness—creating a circular spectrum of health. I guess when you really stop and think about it, any area of your life that isn't so robust and vibrant could be deemed as unhealthy. And, the obvious questions I think most of us ask are: should we care about everything? And, is it possible to achieve complete wellness?

Let's say my relationships are strong, my physical health is envied, my spiritually is glowing, and my emotional health is robust—yet, I'm the guy who somehow turned out to be happy with only a slightly infectious disease called personality. If all of this is in tact, I should be great. But, what if my pocket book is suffering? Or, what if I hated my job?

One of the most intriguing tidbits of scientific brilliance I've learned from working side-by-side with Dr. Lundell on our book, The Cure for Heart Disease: Truth Will Save a Nation is that our physiology is completely biological—we're simply moving masses of interconnected living cells.

What does that mean? Why should we care that we're not just a bunch of machine-like parts?

Well, it means that if we don't practice a philosophy of "whole health," sooner or later our weaknesses will catch up with our strengths. It's impossible to have diabetes without the disease, at some point in its progression, leading to heart disease. It's impossible to be overweight without the excess body fat slowly planting a flag of disease somewhere else in the body. And, all this havoc is really caused by the same thing—inflammation.

So, what does inflammation—the heat, swelling, and physical irritation that can cause disease—look like in a spectrum of "whole health?"

Well imagine that all things I mentioned earlier in this post were interconnected like the cells of our body. Just like inflammation, if you allow any injury or foreign object to continue to irritate and progress, it can proceed to creat a much larger problem—a small infection can overrun your entire body. And the same is ture with your"whole health." Maybe your physical health depends on keeping your stress levels in check, and your stress was created by financial strife, and your financial strife affected your relationship, and your relationship issues lowered your self esteem, and your self esteem affected your productivity to a greater extent at work—at a job that you already despised, which got you fired, which further enhanced your financial difficulties, and so on...

Tired yet? See the downward spiral?

Physical health is the foundation to complete health. When you achieve physical wellness, your healthy body can better manage all the other aspects of your life.

Ta-Da! Maybe you're now realizing where your hole in "whole health" is located.

The healthy human is the whole human. And, sadly, we all have at least a few potholes in our life that need to be mended from time to time.

Posted By Todd R. Nordstrom, Co-Author, The Cure for Heart Disease: Truth Will Save a Nation

75 percent of Americans overweight by 2015

A recent study published by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, indicates that if the rates of obesity and overweight continues at the current pace by 2015 75% of adults and nearly 24% of children and adolescents will be overweight or obese.

Currently, 66% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. An alarming 80% of black women, 44 over are overweight and 50% are obese.

Obesity is a public health crisis, if nothing is done, it will soon become the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

Obesity creates a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is the cause of heart disease, Alzheimer's, stroke, depression, and a long list of other chronic conditions that plague Americans.

Can Type 1 Diabetes be Prevented

Can Type 1 Diabetes be prevented?

Type 1 Diabetes, the third most common chronic disease in children, occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly targets the pancreas, killing the cells that make insulin.

A study published in the September 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concludes that children who were at high risk for developing type 1 diabetes, because a sibling or parent had diabetes, dramatically reduced that risk by consuming Omega-3 fatty acids.

Children who ate a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids had a 55% less chance of developing antibodies to their own insulin producing cells. To make sure that diets were accurately reported omega-3 levels were measured in the red blood cell membranes.

Dr. Lundell's comments:

While we still don't know what triggers the auto immunity that destroys the pancreas. The possibility of preventing this devastating disease is exciting.

Omega-3 fatty acids are known to reduce inflammation, the fact that they seemed to prevent the antibodies from forming in the first place is further indication of the broad anti-inflammatory activity of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Can Type I Diabetes be prevented?

Seven Principles Of Healthy Living:

1) Maintain a healthy weight. Excess body fat cells produce chemicals that cause heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, and many more. Aim for a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or less

2) Exercise. Be more physically active. Working muscle cells produce chemicals that reduce heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, diabetes and obesity. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, included resistance exercise and intense intervals to build muscles for better health.

3) Relax. Learn to control stress. Chronic stress leads to poor mental and physical health. Get involved in productive, and pleasant activities involving family, friends, community and spirituality.

4) Get Proper Nutrition. Balance calories consumed with calories burned. Cut back on simple carbohydrates, especially chips, cookies and commercial baked goods. Eat more lean protein. Eat healthy fats, Fish and fish oil, Oils from fruits and nuts and seeds. Avoid vegetable oil, especially if hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated (as most are). Take a high quality supplement with antioxidant vitamins and minerals

5) Maintain Dental Hygiene. Chronic calm and tooth disease are associated with heart attack. Chronic infections in the mouth and elsewhere produce chemicals that cause heart disease.

6) Don't smoke, use drugs or excess alcohol, don't engage in risky behaviors.

7) Be informed, be prepared. The informed consumer as ultimate power, know what you want and demand it. Learn all you can about proper human nutrition, then share it. Know where to go for professional help if you are sick or injured. Resolve conditions as soon as possible.

World Alzheimer's day, September 21st should cause us to reflect on this terrible disease that effects 5 million americans and costs over $100 billion.
Just like Heart disease, Alzheimer's is caused by chronic low grade inflammation. This month's issue of Neurology contains a study which showed that Alzheimer's patients were 76% less likely to die if they adhered to a Mediterranean Diet. This diet is rich in fruits, nuts, whole grains, fish, red wine and olive oil.
Key components thought to be beneficial are polyphenols, antioxidants and Omega 3.
If it is good for treatment it should be better for prevention!
Get off the SAD (Standard American Diet) with it's low fat-high carbohydrate toxic mess, eat more like the Mediterranians, get antioxidants and Omega-3 in suppliments if needed.

The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, still we rank poorly in almost every measure of health status. This paradox results from our emphasis on high technology and polypharmacy with no emphasis on prevention. Over 80% of health insurance claims and over 40% of premature deaths are a result of lifestyle choices. Behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse are obvious, but the largest factor is obesity. Smoking is on the decline but we are being overwhelmed with the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity.
We are now raising the first generation of Americans who cannot expect to live longer than their parents.
Full and free access to health insurance will not solve this problem!
Having spent a career as a Cardiac Surgeon I was a provider of high tec solutions. As dramatic as each individual operation was it is not the cure for heart disease.

The Healthy Humans Foundation is dedicated to improving human health by:
1) Empowering people to take control of their health through education about nutrition and activity choices that impact good health
2) Improve our food supply by the power of educated consumers.
3) Building a database of scientific information about health and nutrition that is current and free from bias.