Health is a Choice Series

Part 1 - You Can Control Your Health

There was a time when human beings died prematurely from elements beyond their control. In modern, developed cultures, this is no longer so. Now, we die prematurely from elements that are very much within our control – the choices we make about the way we live.

Today, we kill ourselves from years of poor nutrition, constant busyness and stress, and other unhealthy lifestyle choices, dying decades before we have to, while subjecting ourselves unnecessarily to years of ill-health and disease during our shortened lifetimes.

Your Habits Determine Your Health

Our unhealthy habits and practices cause our body to break down, to degenerate, leading to the onset of what are called degenerative diseases, which include:

  • Heart disease
  • Cancer
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Alzheimer’s dementia
  • Osteoporosis
  • Stroke

Because these diseases are caused by our daily habits, and because we choose our habits, we actually have a very high degree of control over if and when they occur. We have the same high degree of control over whether we suffer from the myriad health problems that precede and promote degenerative disease, including:

  • Weight gain
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • High blood sugar levels
  • Increased inflammation
  • Adrenal compromise
  • Immune suppression; increased risk of infection and disease
  • Slower recovery from colds, flu, infection, and wounds
  • Adult-onset allergies
  • Sleep disruption
  • Digestive issues
  • Loss of libido
  • Fatigue
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Increased anxiety
  • Depression
  • Diminished mental clarity

The Three Keys to Taking Control of Your Health

Because your health is determined by your habits, in order to take control of your health, you need three things:

First, you have to understand how your body really works.

  • Not what you’ve heard or been told by friends, colleagues, family members, and even most well-meaning healthcare professionals.
  • Not what you’ve read from the promoters of the latest fad diet or fitness program.
  • Certainly not from some celebrity touting the latest breakthrough discovery, trick, hack, or gimmick.
  • And, definitely not from the pharmaceutical industry that relies on keeping sick people (otherwise known as “customers”) alive, dependent, and consuming their products for as long as possible.

Next, you need to know which of your habits are supporting your health and which habits are undermining it. Are you:

  • Eating and exercising correctly?
  • Appropriately managing your daily stresses?
  • Getting adequate quality sleep?
  • Doing things that break down your body and accelerate your aging process?

Finally, you have to know what to do instead. You need to understand:

  • The reasons why some of your habits are “bad”
  • How certain habits affect other habits and, therefore, the order in which you have to change them
  • How to successfully and sustainably change daily habits. As you may already know, changing health habits isn’t easy; the failure rate is 95%

Perhaps I Can Help You Take Control

While all of this may sound technical, seem daunting, and maybe boring(?), it doesn’t have to be. Actually, it’s all very logical and understandable if you know what to focus on, which, I’m pretty good at if I can believe the thousands of letters and emails I have received over the years from the more than half-million people who have read and benefitted from my Schwarzbein Principle books.

During the last 30 years, I’ve helped thousands of patients with the same health goals you have, people who face the same challenges you face. I have:

  • Shown them how their habits were undermining their health
  • Supported them in changing their habits
  • Helped them restore their health and slow their aging process
  • Enabled them to prevent the onset of new health problems and degenerative diseases

Soon, through this website, I may be able to help you, too.

Currently, I am working on developing programs that will provide you with the information, insights, direction, and support you need to take control of your health, to make healthy choices, and live in health for as long as possible.

If you want to be kept informed about the availability of these programs, and if you haven’t already done so, click here to join our In the Loop Group.

In the meantime…

In my experience, the reason that intelligent, well-meaning people have habits that undermine their health is that they don’t truly understand how their body works; they don’t realize they are harming themselves. They have been told otherwise.

In other words, the biggest reason people cut short both their lifespan and their healthspan is misunderstanding and misinformation. Where have you gotten the information you rely on to make decisions regarding your health and habits? Are you confident that you’ve made smart choices? Before answering these questions, take a few minutes and read the next article: Why We Do What We Do.

Health is a Choice Series (1/3)