Posted by Dr. Aaron Ernst, D.C., D.C., PSc.D.
Poor lifestyle choices, such as smoking, overuse of alcohol, poor diet, lack of physical activity and inadequate relief of chronic stress are key contributors in the development and progression of preventable chronic diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and several types of cancer. Even though doctors encourage healthful behaviors to help prevent or manage many chronic medical conditions, many patients are inadequately prepared to either start or maintain these appropriate, healthy changes. Most patients understand the reasoning behind a healthy lifestyle even if they don’t understand the disease processes that can occur when they don’t maintain healthy habits. Despite an understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, many patients lack the behavioral skills they need to apply everyday to sustain these good habits.
Nevertheless, healthy lifestyle modifications are possible with appropriate interventions, which include nutritional counseling, exercise training, and stress management techniques to improve outcomes for patients at risk and those who already have common chronic diseases.
Medical studies show that adults with common chronic conditions who participate in comprehensive lifestyle modification programs experience rapid, significant, clinically meaningful and sustainable improvements in biometric, laboratory and psychosocial outcomes.
Here’s a list of my top 10 things for you to consider this year for your health. I promise you one thing – your body (and health) will love you for it!
Lifestyle Change #1: Eliminate all carbonated beverages
The following health conditions have been linked to the consumption of carbonated beverages: Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Kidney Failure, Liver Damage, Osteoporosis and Acid Reflux. Why? These drinks are carbonated using Carbon Dioxide (which lowers the pH) and also include a vary powerful acid ingredient (phosphoric acid). In addition, the sugar content is so high that your body would naturally vomit the liquid up instantly. The low pH, created by the addition of phosphoric acid, inhibits the gag/vomit reflex – so you keep the toxic liquid inside the body against your bodies natural design.
Its time to kick the habit. I promise you will see almost immediate results. You can begin this by switching to clean sparkling water. Yes it has the carbon dioxide but lacks the sugar and added phosphoric acid. Over time you can change to other fizzy drinks like Kombucha or Kevita. Eventually, as your bodies pH increases and your health changes, you will find that flat water, green tea and even some coffee’s are the best beverages on this planet!
Lifestyle Change #2: Daily Intermittent Fasting
More than likely, your body already has enough “fuel” on it to last much longer than the time between your current meals. Cutting one or two meals per day offers the fastest ability for your body to become a lean, mean, fat burning machine! An ideal intermittent fasting program would consist of restricting yourself to a 8 hour eating window with a 16 hour fasting window on a daily basis. When timed properly, this isn’t as hard as it sounds. Simply sleep for 8 hours at night, Fast for the second 8 hours (skip breakfast, replacing it water/lemon juice, green tea or coffee with MCT or Coconut oil) have your lunch be the first meal of the day at the 16th hour and for 3rd set of 8 hours you can eat! Repeat daily and watch the guaranteed results.
Lifestyle Change #3: Get Your Spine Adjusted
If you are not getting your spine adjusted on a regular basis – it’s time to wake up! Every organ and cell in your body is connected to your nerve system (brain and spinal cord). A recent study demonstrated that between 77 and 80 TRILLION individual nerve fibers pass through the small hole in your skull and first bones in your neck as they travel from the brain to every square inch of your body. Chiropractic adjustments to your spine, when done with the intent of opening restrictions in nerve flow (as opposed to just blocking pain) are the best and most essential for your bodies optimum performance and health. If you have never been adjusted – make this a year to have your spine de-stressed!
Lifestyle Change #4: Eat MORE Fat
The most recent research, and even mainstream media, is now admitting their mistakes when it comes to eating fat. Low fat is out, HIGH FAT IS IN! Make sure they are healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which you can get from plants and well fed animals). I personally recommend anywhere from 60-85% of your diet overall should be from healthy fat sources: coconut products and oil, avocado and its oil, grass fed butter, nuts and their oils and grass fed/wild caught animal fats. The days of shunning butter are over – it’s time to have it on a stick!
Lifestyle Change #5: Eliminate All Grains
Known as the “white devil” grains are composed mostly of wheat, rice, oats and corn. Grains contain an enormous amounts of inflammatory properties for the human body – with inflammation being linked to almost every disease known to mankind today – specifically brain disease and function. Dr. David Perlmutter, MD authors “Grain Brain” and says “disease starts in your daily bread!” Eliminating all grains is a massive step towards overall health and wellbeing.
Lifestyle Change #6: Test & Elevate Your Vitamin D3
By now its no secret – Vitamin D3 boosts your immunity, reverses and prevents many cancers, diabetes and heart disease and has even been linked to balanced hormones and better sleep. Before you ask how much to take, remember: DON’T GUESS, TEST! An annual vitamin D3 test needs to be part of your health regimen; just tell your doctor you want your 25(OH)D or 25-hydroxyvitamin D tested. I suggest having a level of 80-100 ng/ml as that’s the cancer fighting, disease reversing level.
Lifestyle Change #7: Change Your Proteins
This one will blow you health out of the water this year, and no I am not saying stop eating meats. I’m simply asking you to switch them to only Grass fed for red meats, wild caught for seafood and free range for poultry. Why? All conventional animals in the US eat grains, which makes them just as fat and sick as we are! So, to have your health turn around this year, start eating healthy animals that are fed what they are designed to eat – your health will love you for it!
Lifestyle Change #8: Repair Your Gut
It’s been estimated that up to 90% of Americans suffer for one form of digestive/gut issues – the largest being “Leaky Gut.” This doesn’t mean you are leaking body fluids, but instead, leaking undigested proteins and toxins across the gut wall into your blood stream where they are seen as a foreign object (much like a virus, fungus or bacteria). While this doesn’t sound too bad, its one of the #1 reasons for auto-immune conditions like arthritis, psoriasis, lupus, thyroid and the many other thousands of auto-immune diseases. The proteins that leak across are often from animal sources (the meats your are eating) and your body gets confused between the foods and your own tissues – so over- time, if not corrected, you can build an immune response against yourself and start attacking yourself!
Lifestyle Change #9: Flush Your Liver and Gallbladder
Flushing the liver and gallbladder of stones can drastically improve your digestive system – which holds as much as 70-80% of your immune system power. When the liver and/or gallbladder have stones, this can decrease the normal draining flow of bile and lymphatic fluids from the liver, resulting in increased pressure in the liver. Because liver and gallstones are “sticky” they often collect and harbor bacteria, viruses, parasites and other toxins passing through the liver. This can lead to a “re-intoxication” of these harmful pathogens into your body. Once removed its not uncommon for your allergies to disappear, your skin to clear and your energy and since of well being increase. It can even eliminate pain from the shoulder, arm and upper back.
Lifestyle Change #10: Serve Others
One of the greatest things we can ever do is realize that life isn’t just about meeting our needs, but about helping others. Giving back can be as easy as forwarding this email to a friend or family member or sharing your results with others as your health takes a turn for the better this year. Remember, most health resolutions do fail for one reason or another, to this year why not have a resolution to live a healthier life all together and teach others how you did it! It’s about living a little bit differently, a little bit better, so that ultimately you’re happier and healthier for it.