The state of health in the Western world isn't looking too good right now. In more than 35 years in practice, I've seen that our health is sliding consistently downhill. The average person is really suffering -- and unnecessarily so.
In America, we are arguably the sickest nation there is. We spend more on health care than the next 10 countries combined.
Yet we have more disease than any other nation.
And some of these diseases were not even in existence until more recently. Things are getting worse, not better.
America makes up about 5% of the world's population, but we consume 50-60% of the world's pharmaceuticals.
Clearly, this is not a recipe for good health.
I recently read the other day that the current generation being born in the U.S. is expected to be the first generation that will not outlive their parents.
It's because of the choices we're making and what we're being exposed to.
The amount of health issues we have is daunting. And I think it's just the tip of the iceberg. If we don't start to address the root cause of WHY we are sick, we are in for a tsunami of health crises.
You've heard me mention it before: the cells of the body. They're our foundation. Everything that happens in the body, has to occur at the cell level. That means when something is wrong, it's because the cells aren't working as they should.
No disease or symptom occurs independent of the cells. None!
The membrane is like the brain of the cell. It lets in good stuff like nutrients, hormones, and oxygen. And it also lets the bad stuff, like waste and toxins, get out. The dynamic of "good stuff in, bad stuff out" is what keeps you health.
The reason that so many people are unhealthy is because the cells are damaged, and aren't working like they should.
People come to me all the time and says, "What are some simple switches I can make?"
I have four principles that I inform these people about.
Get rid of the bad, inflammatory fats like vegetable oil, corn oil, canola oil, trans fats, and margarines. They are rancid and cause dysfunction and disease. But then at the same time, you need to add in good fats. Why? The cell membrane is made of two layers of fat. it should be semi-permeable, but it loses permeability from being chronically inflamed. But you can heal the membrane! Consume good, healthy fats like
You can also switch out unhealthy proteins for better choices. The beef or chicken we eat shouldn't be what's kept in a cage where the animal develops disease because of the unsanitary conditions they live in. Or when farmed fish are raised in a pen and fed an unnatural diet, turning their meat gray and then being dyed orange to make it look more appealing. The way these animals are being raised actually changes the makeup of the meat, and it becomes an inflammatory food.
Look for grass-fed beef. Free-range chicken and eggs. Wild-caught fish. Avoid farmed fish and conventionally farmed animals.
This is a big one. Today, we consume far too many carbohydrates. It's not just sugar, either. Foods that turn into sugar include rice, pasta, breads, biscuits, cereal -- all the things I was raised on! I came from the time of the food pyramid, where we were told to have 6-11 servings of those foods each day. It's no wonder we're sick and overweight.
We've got to cut out the foods that contain sugar, or readily turn to sugar. It's what is driving so much inflammation at the cell level.
Sugar damages the gut as well as drives inflammation in the body. It really upsets the gut ecology. Have you heard of the gut-brain connection? If you have a damaged gut, you will wind up with brain-related symptoms, too. A damaged gut disturbs your digestion, so you won't digest and assimilate your food like you should. Your gut is likely chronically inflamed, and you may even have a "leaky gut," which feeds more inflammation throughout the body.
If you're going to have sugar, you need to have the natural versions. Honey, in moderate amounts. Fruit like berries and apples (buy organic whenever possible!).
Most people don't drink enough water. And then, the water they DO drink is chlorinated and fluoridated. Chemicals like chlorine are designed to kill things. So what effect do you think that has on the body?
The natural microbiome the body has plays a huge role in the gut-brain connection and on our brain function. When we disturb the balance of bacteria in the body, the bad bacteria begins to proliferate.
You have to make sure the water you're drinking is clean.
I have a well at my house, and I've had it tested to make sure the water quality is good. But I still bought a Berkey countertop filter. You pour a gallon in, and then you know that's about what you'll drink in a day. We have one in the office, too, and it does a great job of purifying water.
If you are willing to make these four switches, I promise you: it will make a difference. You need to be diligent and stay strict about it. 
Most people try to justify eating bad goods because they also ate a good one that day. But that's throwing gasoline on the fire. You have to put out that fire if you're truly going to improve your health.
Try these changes for 90 days. Set your mind to it. Clean up what you're putting in the body. Get rid of the bad stuff and only take in the good stuff. Start healing your gut and brain, and you're going to see a tremendous transformation in your health, like I do with nearly all of my clients.
