As a physician with over 45 years of clinical experience, I have a unique perspective on sickness and health. Humans have dealt with illnesses and trauma, leading to poor health, since the dawn of mankind. Until the last 100 years or so, treatments were quite limited and sometimes dangerous. Few effective medications were available, and surgery was a risky form of torture without the benefit of modern anesthesia. Over the past century, we have developed a wide range of medications and high-tech procedures to address every imaginable medical malady. These developments can be lumped together under the term “sickcare”. You get sick or injured, and we attempt to bring you back to a healthy condition. Our entire medical care system is based on this flawed concept. What is missing? Allow me to walk you through this evolving mess.
The nature of injuries hasn’t changed much over time. Whether it’s a gunshot wound, a knife wound, an auto accident, or many other myriad forms of injury, the response by the medical profession is the same. Splint, cast, suture, operate—the overall goal remains unchanged. When it comes to common diseases, it’s essential to distinguish between acute and chronic diseases. Most acute diseases are caused by some type of infection. The majority of our healthcare resources are now aimed at chronic medical conditions such as:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Hypertension
- Hyperlipidemia
- Vascular disease leading to heart attacks and strokes
- Gout
- Obesity
- Asthma and COPD
- Chronic kidney disease
- Osteoporosis
- Cancer
- Common mental illnesses
- Arthritis
Our current sickcare system is based on waiting until these diseases show up and then throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them! “Health” insurance should be relabeled as “sick” insurance, because it is geared to managing these diseases rather than preventing them. Our entire medical system is based on this approach, and it lines the pockets of those participating in this dysfunctional system. Thus, there is little incentive to change this setup.
I have a better idea. We need to develop a healthcare system that is focused on preventing or reversing these common chronic conditions. I believe the fuel driving many of these illnesses is the adverse effect of ultra-processed food on brain function. Over time, this can lead to a disorder I have termed Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. Most of these common chronic diseases are the downstream effects of CARB syndrome, so when it comes to prevention, focus on the brain. To keep it simple and easy to do, follow these steps:
- Whenever possible, reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods. Everyone, including myself, consumes at least some of this toxic food. It’s hard to avoid doing so in our modern society, so follow the remaining steps.
- Exercise, exercise, and then more exercise! I swim for at least 90 minutes, five days a week, and lift weights on the other two days. Trust me—it’s almost impossible to do too much exercise! Simple daily walking can be very beneficial.
- Take targeted supplements. I recommend taking a high-quality omega-3 supplement to achieve an optimal AA/EPA ratio of 1:3. Additionally, I suggest taking a multivitamin daily and a neurotransmitter precursor product, such as CARB-22. This supplement helps suppress cravings for sweet and starchy foods while also helping to control excess appetite. I also like supplements like co-enzyme Q-10, alpha lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, and PQQ to enhance mitochondrial function. I am also a big fan of Mind Lab Pro as a general brain neurotropic. I learned about this from my friend David Tomen, one of the world’s top experts on brain supplements.
- My friend Richard Johnson recommends limiting fructose intake to no more than 25 grams daily from any source, and I agree with him. My friend Robert Lustig is also a champion of severely limiting fructose intake by avoiding sucrose. He is one of the masters of healthy eating to maintain optimal metabolic function, so I recommend spending time reading his blog posts and books.
- Get at least eight hours of restful sleep every night. I take a combination of melatonin, timed-release L-theanine, 5-HTP, and timed-release lithium every night, and I sleep like a baby.
- Learn to meditate or practice mindfulness. There are many ways to do so, and it doesn’t take a lot of time.
I have followed my own advice for years. In the distant past, I took medications for insomnia, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, osteoarthritis, GERD, and BPH. Today, I rely on these six measures with minimal medications. The sickcare industry isn’t too happy, but the healthcare industry sure is!
