Health is Wealth: II
THE REAL PANDEMIC — Part II of III
If we know that an alarming number of severe COVID-19 cases are related to obesity and inactivity (see Part I), then improving our health and helping people move more, eat better, and become less obese/overweight should be the world's number one priority. In simple math: good health > poor health. Speaking of health, here is some history of mine…
As a life-long athlete, martial artist, and personal trainer, I have always practiced, played, trained, and moved my body. Even though genetics have blessed and cursed me with a big ass, I have never been overweight or had any body dysmorphic issues. In college, I had a rough bout with mononucleosis which essentially ended my football career and a shoulder surgery that stalled my baseball career. A few years ago, I had major ankle surgery after a freak judo accident. Aside from a couple of sports injuries, I have always been healthy, had a positive relationship with my body, and enjoyed being active.
But, I used to be a believer in magic pills. The phrase "sports nutrition" conned me into purchasing and consuming supplements that I really didn't need. As a college athlete, I took creatine, HMB, protein shakes, and anything else that the Universities of Iowa and Nebraska provided. It was all legal; products that you would see on the shelf at GNC. More importantly, from an overall health perspective, my diet was incomplete and full of nutritional holes. I didn’t need sports supplements, I needed to eat healthier. Fruits and vegetables were basically nonexistent and, for as many calories as I was burning as a fullback and a catcher, I did not eat enough whole foods for adequate recovery. I did not drink alcohol, but I also did not drink enough water to combat the relentless sweating. I was often dehydrated, which severely hindered athletic and academic performance. Taking supplements was not an adequate substitution for an incomplete diet.
In Lincoln, I was introduced to the flu shot. Everyone hates the flu. So, as an impressionable college kid, getting a flu shot made sense and every year in Nebraska I got one. But, when I became a trainer and learned more about how nutrition impacts overall health, I drastically reduced my dairy intake and consumption of processed foods. As a result, my overall health improved dramatically and I can't even remember the last time that I was seriously ill. More importantly, my strong immune system and good health habits are likely to ensure that this pattern continues. I have not received a flu shot in almost 20 years and I also have not had the flu. When my daughter was born in early December 2013, I argued with the Northwestern Hospital medical staff over my refusal to get a flu shot. Even though the flu shot was strongly recommended, based on my previous health history, I declined. My rationale was that I already don't get the flu, so why do I need a flu shot? But, in the unlikely event that I do get the flu, then my healthy immune system will quickly seek and destroy this influenza like the Bears “46” defense. Bottom line, I did not get the shot and everyone was OK.
There are many ways to solve a problem.
Flash forward to 2020-21 and, understandably, people are scared. The media has shoved a fear-based narrative down our throats for 19 months and we have been conditioned to believe that what we see on the news and what we hear from our doctors to be authoritative. It must be true if a doctor is saying it. (Is that why so many people were persuaded to smoke Camel cigarettes?) But sometimes, doctors give incomplete or biased advice.
After my shoulder surgery, my doctor prescribed me an unlimited supply of Vioxx to help with inflammation. As a baseball player that needed his shoulder healed to resume throwing a baseball, I religiously followed my doctor's instructions. At 22 years-old, I started ingesting a daily pill in hopes that it would help me heal faster and stay true to my recovery timeline. Some days, if my arm was sore, I might even take two pills (because more is better?). I would do anything to get back on the field. In the summer of 2002, I was still rehabbing my shoulder and not cleared to play baseball, so I took a job as the Omaha Royals bullpen catcher. The O-Royals were Kansas City’s Triple-A team and had a partnership with the Omaha School of Massage Therapy. When I went in for my first massage, the therapist saw the fresh scars on my shoulder and asked how many massages I’d had post-surgery. (Hint: none.) The therapist explained that through manual manipulation, scar tissue could be broken up, blood flow could be increased, and healing could be accelerated. Those all sounded like positive outcomes, yet this was the first time that anyone had suggested anything besides magic pills.
Why didn't my doctor write a prescription for a massage? (Side note: Health insurance probably covered pharmaceutical drugs but not massage, but we won't get into that whole scam. Why didn't he ask about my diet, which was full of processed foods that contributed to inflammation? I don't blame him. He was just doing what most doctors do: Trust that pharmaceutical companies have created a pill to save us. Back then, I was ignorant to the well-documented history of big pharma incentivizing doctors with kickbacks, and the ongoing opioid crisis directly linked to big pharma. So I trusted my doctor. I did not ask any questions about how Vioxx could impact my short-term and long-term health or about his potential professional conflict of interest. In my specific case — and in many specific cases — lifestyle changes would have been vastly superior compared to the daily ritual of using pharmaceutical drugs. I took the "medicine" for 3-4 years and it became part of my mental pregame: If I'm going to play baseball, then I need to pop a Vioxx.
Vioxx included some serious side effects. Wait, you don't remember? This FDA-approved medication came in a little white vial and the samples came in a little orange box. It was pulled from the market in 2004 — while I was still using it — for causing heart attacks. While I never had a heart attack, those years of minor league baseball were probably my least healthy — for reasons including Vioxx, dehydration, and not enough income to eat anything besides Subway or clubhouse peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It would have been more advantageous to my performance if I focused on better overall health, which is the message that I now preach to everyone.
Fortunately, in my adult life I have not needed to see doctors for much more than an occasional checkup. But when I really needed help, I have also been the recipient of a doctor's bias. About ten years ago, I had an excruciating pain inside my mouth. I couldn't pinpoint whether it was my jaw or my teeth, but temperature sensitivity — drinking ice cold water, steaming hot tea, or even inhaling sharp, winter air — was a major source of intense discomfort. It resulted in massive headaches and overall irritability. I started looking for help from my dentist. Based on my pain, my dentist (Doctor #1) thought that I had a serious problem and referred me to his brother-in-law, who happened to be a plastic surgeon/facial expert (Doctor #2). Doctor #2 was convinced that my pain was caused by trigeminal neuralgia, which impacts facial nerves and is linked to multiple sclerosis.
As a contact athlete, I've become accustomed to head trauma: foul tips off my catcher's mask; head-to-head football collisions; and being taekwondo kicked/punched in the face. I've always worn a mouth guard to protect myself (even in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu) but have also experienced plenty of concussions. Was my mouth pain related to all those head traumas? Was this the beginning of some major brain trouble? CTE damage? I was not as concerned when I thought that my pain was a dental issue, but Doctor #2's suggestion that it could be something far more serious had me worried.
Per trigeminal neuralgia protocol, Doctor #2 put a pair of Botox injections in my forehead. As he explained, a big clue regarding treatment effectiveness is whether or not the injections helped reduce the pain. If they did, then we would continue trigeminal neuralgia treatment. Alas, the pain was not reduced after a few attempts so Doctor #1 and Doctor #2 referred me to the Lincoln Park Dental Specialists where Doctor #3 instantly recognized that I had a slightly exposed nerve inside my mouth and needed an emergency root canal. What I did not need, Doctor #3 said, was Botox shots in my forehead. My pain was directly related to needing a root canal; not caused by trigeminal neuralgia. Doctor #3 also noted that Doctor #1 should have immediately known this, which would have eliminated the need for Doctor #2 and any unnecessary stress from a possible misdiagnosis. It took one extra step to reach this conclusion and after the root canal, I found a new dentist. Now, I can only assume that my team of doctors did what they thought was best for me. But, if Doctor #1 was not related to Doctor #2, would we have bypassed him and gone immediately to Doctor #3?
There are many ways to solve a problem.
* * * *
As a trainer, I am extremely fortunate to learn from other high-level professionals. From colleagues, doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and natural health practitioners, I was taught the importance of asking questions and listening to what is being said, as well as what is not being said. Most importantly, I've learned that to obtain optimal health, people need a mixture of good nutrition, consistent/varied training, stress management techniques, sleep/rest/recovery, and positive relationships. Sometimes, my clients needed to lay on the table and stretch more than they needed an intense workout. There were many ways to help people feel better and the same recipe does not work for everyone.
Enter Dr. Jason Godo, DC — one of my best health resources. He provided a couple of "aha" moments for me when I was a young trainer. First, we shared a client, "Greg," who was healthy, active, and a high-level executive. Greg played volleyball on the weekends and trained with me a few times during the week. He had some knee pain and Dr. Godo’s holistic approach recognized that Greg's stress levels were extremely high and his adrenal glands had shut down. The adrenal gland dysfunction resulted in knee pain. Dr. Godo gave Greg some adrenal support supplements and the knee pain disappeared. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Greg's knee. What happens if Greg sees a traditional doctor for this same problem? Probably an X-ray — which would have shown no significant damage — and a prescription for an anti-inflammatory drug; maybe some physical therapy. All of those solutions address the effect, but not the cause. Now, I'm not hating on brilliant medical doctors; their orthopedic role has been crucial with both my shoulder and ankle surgeries. In an emergency situation, I would trust my life to them. But, Dr. Godo's ability to think independently saved Greg from taking a pill that he didn't need and encouraged lifestyle adjustments to make sure that he managed his stress levels better.
The second "aha" moment came when I dislocated a few of my ribs at judo practice. As a new white belt, I tossed my much larger opponent over my shoulder without keeping control of him as he landed. When my partner hit the ground with his back, my lack of control resulted in being pulled down on top of him. I fell over and jammed my ribs into his upright knees. Crack! There was instant pain in my chest and it was hard to breathe. The next day, Dr. Godo was at Crunch Fitness providing continuing education to the trainers. He didn't have to be a detective to see that I was uncomfortable. After explaining the situation, he had me lay down on a foam roller so that it aligned vertically with my spine. Dr. Godo felt my dislocated ribs, asked for my permission (I consented), then popped them back into place. Ouch! He explained that I would be sore for a few days but back to normal daily activities sooner than later. As I proudly shared this information with clients, some of them talked me into a small panic. Wait, Dr. Godo didn't X-Ray your ribs? How do you know that he didn't make it worse? Did he puncture a lung? That small panic led me to visit the Illinois Masonic Medical Center for X-Rays, where the technician showed me that my ribs were in perfect alignment. As a result, Dr. Godo has earned my trust and if I ever have a health problem, I always go to him first.
Back when the lockdown started, Dr. Godo released a YouTube video explaining that everyone would eventually be exposed to COVID-19. While TV experts were preaching avoidance, Dr. Godo was talking about acceptance. I sent it to everyone I knew. The video put responsibility on the individuals to take better care of themselves — it was our most controllable defense. Dr. Godo suggested taking action for mental health through meditation; decreasing inflammation in our bodies by reducing processed food and adding fruits and vegetables; higher quality sleep; and supplementing with a multivitamin and immune boosters. "We want to be as healthy as we can to help others," Dr. Godo said, as he encouraged everyone to model healthy behavior. This is a simple, common sense suggestion that we can all easily implement. It also speaks perfectly to my mindset: I can’t optimally take care of my family and my clients if I’m not first taking care of myself. This process has protected my health for many years, as I strive to lead by example through my actions. Finally, 19 months later, "experts" are starting to recognize that a poor diet is connected to COVID-19.
Every day, we have a choice. We choose the food that we eat, the exercise that we get, the quality of relationships around us, and the self-regulation stress relief tactics that we implement. Good health habits are under our control and extremely effective at strengthening the immune system and preventing illness. Why has this simple message been missing from the mainstream media?
There are many ways to solve a problem.
Let's change the way we eat
Let's change the way we live
And let's change the way we treat each other
You see, the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do
What we gotta do, to survive
2Pac, "Changes", 1998