Last Monday, my wife (Dr. Sarah) and I attended a lecture here in Charlotte by Dr. Deepak Chopra, MD. It was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had in a while–not because of what he was talking about (Self Healing), but because of the tidal wave of people attending the event. The entire Belk Theater here in Charlotte was sold out. He was scheduled to begin speaking at 7:30pm but did not make an appearance until almost 8pm as people were still arriving trying to get to their seats.
The lecture reinforced what I already know: there is a revolution occurring as we speak in healthcare today. And the revolution is YOU! (at least that is what Deepak said at his talk).
The events flyer read:
“In the face of environmental toxins, potential epidemics, superbugs, and the accelerated aging process, the significance of achieving optimum health has never been more crucial—and the burden to achieve it now rests on individuals making the right lifestyle choices every day. That means you. You—not doctors, not pharmaceutical companies—are ultimately responsible for your own health.”
The idea, or thought, that a respected medical doctor could draw crowds of people and tell them that medicine has no answer for health is revolutionary – and the crowd ate it up!
Deepak shared insights from his newest book The Healing Self, and if your interested, I would like to give you a synopsis of his 2 hour lecture:
Are We In The Midst Of A Major Paradigm Shift In Science?
Deepak began the event by asking the audience if we thought the current model of science was the most up-to-date. It’s a loaded question because “your” current model of science is not “the” model of science, i.e., science is always advancing – with new discoveries today that may disprove some of what we used to believe as truth.
Here are just a few MAJOR paradigms that have shifted recently:
Disease is caused by DNA
FALSE: Our newest model of science says we have TRILLIONS more genes from the bacteria on our skin and in our gut (microbiome) that actually play a massive roll in our genetics. This means your health is more about your bacteria’s DNA that it is yours.
NEWEST MODEL: Psychobiotics – the study of how good bacteria actually help us heal and interact directly with our brain.
Only Medicine Can Cure You
FALSE: while it has its place in crisis situations, medicine has not and never will be able to provide a cure for any disease that is a result of lifestyle (which, by the way, is 90-95% off all disease). Knowing this places the responsibility for healing on the PATIENT not the doctor.
Diseases like Cancer, Heart Disease, MS are incurable
FALSE: New research is suggesting that by balancing the microbiome and brain connection (gut-brain-axis, which involves the bacteria themselves and communication with the Vagus nerve), these conditions can and do resolve when the body is in balance.
Do We Have The Ability To Influence The Future Of Our Health?
This is where some of the most profound information was shared – Deepak took the audience through the understanding that ultimately it is YOU who is responsible for everything in your life – including your health. He talked about how the decisions we make are based on our current beliefs about what is (and isn’t) good, i.e., food, exercise, chiropractic, etc.
He showed that through hundreds of years of study and thousands of articles proving that the basics of health are broken into the following pillars:
Sleep: Sleep not only physically gives your body the time needed for rest and rejuvenation, but is also gives your mind the ability to dream! According to Deepak, dreams are the way our minds manifest its desires projected through a “dream” which, if you can pay attention to and recall more, you often find most of the answers to questions you have been asking yourself.
Meditation/Stress Management: Deepak shared various studies that showed activation of an enzyme called Telomerase in those who meditate regularly. Telomerase is the enzyme that prevents the ends of your DNA from being “clipped” every time a cell replicates in your body. Longer telomeres has been connected to longer, healthier life. That and meditation allows you to quiet your mind, focusing on prayer and reflection which has also been shown scientifically to decrease inflammation and turn on genes of healing.
Movement: It goes without saying that living things move, and dead things do not. Movement of your joints, specifically your ribs and organs is most important, again noting what I said about Pranayama on the front page. Chiropractic philosophy fits in here perfectly – a moving spine does not degenerate at the same rate of a non moving spine.
Emotions: Science has proven that feelings of love, joy, laughter, play increase self-healing states. Hostility and anger have been shown to be a predictor for all disease because it increases inflammation. Fear is mostly that of being separated or isolated which is usually based on guilt, shame and/or depression, which again increases inflammation and turns on disease genes.
Nutrition: As I am sure you are aware this goes way beyond “you are what you eat.” The newest science is showing how food can actually increase (or decrease) the expression of disease genes. This all comes from the fact that your bacteria (microbiome) is the first part of you to interact with all food you consume. Inflammatory foods, inflamed microbiome, inflammation = disease.
