Monday, July 27, 2009

Well My Doctor Says,....


The photo above is actor/wrestler Ric Drasin. He currently trains six days a week, and follows a strict diet. He takes responsibility. Read more here.


"Well my doctor says,..." by Tom Furman

"Well my doctor says, I have a / an (allergy, bad back, high blood pressure, arthritis, bad knee, fibromylgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, sensitive stomach, restless legs, walking pneumonia, shin splints, acid reflux, heart burn, uneven hips, herniated disks, L5 subluxation, yadda-yadda)". My reply, "Your doctor says THAT, what do you say to yourself?" What type of self talk is going on? At what point did you decide you wanted to adopt a limitation rather than viewing a challenge or a message as an opportunity to improve your game, your knowledge, or your condition? Rather than moving forward, around, through, or over obstacles, you choose to lie down, quit, or treat them as pets. You feel more comfortable talking about your bad knee than doing something about it. Your condition gives you ample stories and attention. You become closely identified with your injury or condition. You are "Suzy with the bad back", or "Bob with the tennis elbow". ( If you don't get enough attention verbally, you can always wear a brace or splint to inform others of your plight.) You will seek out medical sources that lend fuel to the fire as well. This removes the responsibility of taking charge of your own life rather than giving the power to a physician. This may be a good thing though, since we know Doctors NEVER make mistakes.

I had a conversation with a Doctor at a medical convention once. I asked him why he didn't insist his patients adopt a healthier diet, fitness routine, and stress management tools instead of prescribing blood pressure medication. He had a beautiful, one word answer. "Adherence." He told me that I was correct in my life style change approach, but he knew that most everyone would fail at the challenge of change. He would rather keep them alive and do no harm rather than, "Having them check out on my watch." It's kind of scary when you look at causes of death from 100 years ago and now, and "drug interaction" is so high on the list currently.

Wear and tear is part of the game. Not feeling 100% percent is too. The alternative is death. It's how you deal with the bumps, bruises, and detours that determine your character and determine the quality of your life. My first suggestion to dealing with life's "issues" is to read Dr. John Sarno's book, "The Divided Mind". His works are simply the best of the best. You have no right complaining about injury or many so called illnesses until you read, re-read, and study his method. The second part is actively taking responsibility. That means you have the reins. Not your doctor, not anyone else... YOU. That seems weighty, but if someone else has the power ( it's not my fault,.. I'm not to blame,.. Well my doctor says.) then THEY are in control. If you assume all the power, then YOU are in control. How incredible is that? Every result, every circumstance, every outcome can be traced back to YOU! It's actually the path to ultimate power and in the scope of our theme, REVERSING our way of thinking about aging.

Most injuries can be overcome or adapted to. Your next comment will probably be, "well my doctor says,..". Here is the case of strength coach Louie Simmons,

"I broke my fifth vertebra twice, ruptured my left patella tendon, and detached my right biceps from the bone. I rehabbed myself to the point of being able to set a record squat of over 900 lbs in my 50s!"

I'll bet strongly that good old Louie has had a rougher path than you have and he's still plugging along. He's taken responsibility for his course and done something with it. The other thing is that he believes in physics. He understands the idea of being strong, being mobile, and being fit. Those three things form the triad of anti aging's physical tool box. If you are 45 and have bad knees, I have a few questions to ask.

Me- "How much did you weigh in high school?"
You- "Oh, 155 lbs.
Me- "What did you squat?"
You- "275 lbs for 10 reps in football camp!"
Me- Great. "What do you weigh now?"
You- "Around 230 and a nickel."
Me- "So you need to lose 80 lbs. and start squatting again."
You- "Oh, I could never get down to 155 lbs!"
Me- "Why? Have your bones gotten heavy?"
You- "My doctor says that squatting is bad for your knees."
Me- "Really? Then how do you sit on a toilet seat?"
You- "What are you telling me my problem is?"
Me- "My knees would hurt too if I wore an 80 lb. weight vest.

My point is, being proactive is always better than the knife. If you don't believe me, maybe you'll believe the New England Journal of Medicine.

" A report in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that knee surgery to remove cartilage is worse than doing nothing. The headline from Baylor Medical School, where the landmark study was performed, is that "Study Finds Common Knee Surgery No Better Than Placebo." Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who underwent placebo arthroscopic surgery were just as likely to report pain relief as those who received the real procedure. The researchers say their results challenge the usefulness of one of the most common surgical procedures performed for osteoarthritis of the knee. Lead investigator Dr. Elda P. Way states, "The fact that the effectiveness of arthroscopic lavage or debridement in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee is no greater than that of placebo surgery makes us question whether the one billion plus dollars spent on these procedures might not be put to better use."

There are similar levels of research surrounding many, many, many, maladies. That doesn't mean illness and disease does not exist, it just means if you want a problem, there is a whole industry of medical professionals, natural healers, and voodoo practitioners who are quite adept at surgically removing money from your wallet to help you stay "ill". It's because they have the power to do so. They got that power because YOU gave it to them. You do what they say, because, "the doctor says". The question is...WHAT DO YOU SAY?





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