Happy New Year!

January 2, 2021

It’s finally 2021 and I want to wish everyone a Happy and especially a Healthy New Year. A lot occurred in healthcare in 2020, most of it not under our control. A little over a year ago, could anyone have predicted what 2020 was going to look like? The elephant in the 2020 room which unfortunately is still with us is COVID, a serious pandemic that has changed the world forever. There has been a tremendous amount of information put out by the government and media concerning COVID. I will try not to delve into what I believe to be true or false, but instead I ask that you become critical thinkers about the information you are given. I ask that you take back control of your healthcare decisions by not blindly following anyone, without asking and having your questions answered. What I have realized is that there are many truths, but far more falsehoods. The powers that be in government and the media often manipulate us into believing they know what is right and wrong.

I also ask that you try and keep preconceived personal and political beliefs out of your thought process. The scientific method that has advanced us over the centuries always questions its beliefs and theories over and over again. The true scientific method is always trying to prove and disprove theories over and over and again. It takes a whole lot to prove a theory. It does not take much though to disprove a theory.

I often say the following. “I do not want to prove my beliefs correct when dealing with a life situation whether it be health or other concerns. Instead, I want to get it right and keep myself safe, productive and moving forward, without hurting anyone in the process, regardless of whether that direction follows my initial beliefs.” I call this evolving. I will not bury my head in the sand and refuse to hear other points of view. I will not blindly believe what my friend, family member, colleague, coworker, neighbor, politician or media pundit espouses. I want and need to see actual real life experiences to decide upon a healthy path. I learn from every interaction I have, especially those with all of you. In medical practice I need to hear about your life experiences that both improved or worsened your health. This is how I learn! This is actually what makes Direct Primary Care (DPC) so awesome. We have the time to spend with you to get to know you better and to answer more of your questions. What we are being told about health is not always true. It may have once been thought to be true, but as real life experiences and data are gathered, we learn from them. At least we should, unless the mainstream decides to shout us down or censor our thoughts and questions. Why they do this is not something I want to go into today. But we all know it is occurring.

The world is always changing as is beliefs on what is healthy. So let me provide some examples for you to think about based on my own life and professional experiences. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that to lose excess weight it was just a matter of calories in- calories out. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that dietary fat is bad and that we should eat very little fat and replace the fat with a large percentage of carbohydrates, especially grains. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that dietary saturated fat was bad and increased the risk for heart disease. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that dietary cholesterol was bad and increased the risk for heart disease. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that dietary protein should be kept low to prevent kidney disease. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that cardio/aerobic exercise was the best form of exercise. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that if you exercise enough, you can counter the effects of indiscriminate dietary choices. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that High Blood Pressure and Diabetes, once diagnosed, were chronic and progressive diseases that required more and more medications as one aged. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that there would be a new and safe pharmaceutical treatment for most health issues. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that health insurers and government health rules and regulations allowed for proper and equitable care for anyone who needs it. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that vaccines once they were approved for use, had gone through years and years of testing and were safe for everyone to use. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that medical research studies followed the scientific method and that I could believe what was written in medical journals. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that scientific medical research published all findings, whether good or bad, to advance medical thought, and move towards helpful solutions to health issues. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Early on in my medical career I was trained to believe that cholesterol was bad and we needed to reduce it greatly to prevent heart disease. In real life I learned that not necessarily to be the case. Do you get my point? My purpose is not to be contrarian just to be different. I just tend to ask lots of questions and always want proof of WHY something is occurring, good or bad. It goes back to: “I do not want to prove my beliefs correct when dealing with a life situation whether it be health or other concerns. Instead I want to get it right and keep myself safe, productive and moving forward, without hurting anyone in the process, regardless of whether that direction follows my initial beliefs.”

Always know that I agree with the large part of mainstream medical thought. But where professional and life experiences make me question the mainstream, I will be asking lots and lots of questions to try and find a safer direction towards improved health. That is why I continue to read, research and take courses in areas that need improvement from mainstream thought. I do this knowing that at some point in the future, when the mainstream allows more open debate, that this new direction will become mainstream. This is how the medical profession has always evolved, and how it needs to continue in the future. So I ask that you evolve with it, and allow yourself to question what you are told until you believe you have been given good answers, while remaining open to further questions as new data or life experiences occur. I do not ask or expect you to blindly follow my health advice and guidance. I want you to understand why I advise as I do. I truly welcome your questions as hopefully the answers I provide will give you a deeper understanding of WHY your health is good or not, and what you need to do to execute your plan to improved health.

This is how we will get through COVID. This is how we will improve our individual health. This is how we will improve the health of our friends and families. This is how we can take back control of our individual health from those that do not want to answer our questions. This is how we can take back control of our individual health from those for whatever reasons are trying to control us.

I will end with another of my favorite quotes. I wish I remember where I first saw it. When deciding upon what path to wellness you take: “Always look out for Number 1, but don’t step in Number 2.” To Good Health! DrH