Health

Focus Areas

An old tortoise on the Galapagos Islands.

One of the focus areas of my life research has been an extensive investigation into our mind & body, from both a mental and physical health perspective. I've studied the mind & body separately and from an integrated whole body perspective (holistic). My investigation has inspired me to question the most fundamental aspects of what affects us - food / nutrition, artificial & natural light, water, EMF, the sounds we expose ourselves to, and how all these are related to each other. Other areas include - "left / right" brain differences, psychology, sociology, cultural differences, and a deep understanding of an area that is misunderstood by many - our feelings, our subconscious feelings, the latter being intimately connected to our appearance, stress levels, and enjoyment of life.

Many people want to live longer like this tortoise on the Galapagos Islands, but 'age' slows us down mentally & physically. Is it possible to be 'older and wiser' while 'looking and feeling younger,' with energy levels of when we were younger, without resorting to drugs, plastic surgery, or fad diets? What is aging? Why do some of us age faster and some of us age slower? Could a more complete understanding of what affects us change your life?

The health pages on this website are meant to give you an introduction to some of the research areas and work related to health that I have done. May you find them interesting and helpful.

Good, Bad, or Relative

There are many claims about what is good and what is bad for us. After extensive travels and intensive mind work, I've changed how I think on a conscious and subconscious level to accept that there is no such thing as good or bad in an absolute sense, and that it is often unhelpful to apply (emotionally loaded) labels to people or situations / studies - in this case, health related advice. Rather, it is just cause and effect, combined with the idea that we can't get something for nothing. Things happen for a reason, and we can choose to apply labels of good / bad, which differ from person to person and group to group, or we may choose to identify causes, determine what outcome is desired on a personal / group level, and make changes as necessary to achieve our desired outcome. Good & bad is relative to the perspective of each individual / group.

Another reason to avoid labels is because there are many "hidden agendas" behind the many health studies that get published. If not corporate sponsorship, then some other reason, perhaps personal bias. Beyond that, the need for specialization and overly structured studies has blinded us to other reasons that may be behind a given set of problems or difficulties.

Summary - Physical Health Results

By learning about modern food production and advertising techniques, and in combination with knowledge of our deep inner mind, I have changed my instinctual dietary choices
Eliminated coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, alcohol, caffeinated beverages. Drinking water and some juice
Eliminated candy, ice cream, and almost all chocolate and peanut butter - in all of their forms
I never get colds, flu, sick, headaches, a runny nose, or hay fever unless I weaken my system by eating enough of the "wrong foods" and/or insufficient water / UV light / fresh air in a given time period (I can count the number of colds I've had in the last 4 years with fingers left over)
Almost never get stressed out / nervous on the outside or inside
No gray hair (can be a reflection of accumulated internal stress) Example - look how much gray hair US President Obama has acquired in a very short time by comparing photographs pre-presidency to while in office. Relationships, unpleasant situations can all be stress inducing...unless one knows how to 'immunize' themself..... :-)
No medications, health supplements - no pills
Lost 25 pounds without dieting -- by focusing on the reasons we overeat (Emotional eating)
Reshaping of facial muscles by releasing repressed stress (very advanced technique) - picture above with tortoise is from 2006 - compare to 2014 photo in ABOUT ME section. Analogy - like a facelift, but without surgery, by changing from the inside out.

Summary - Mental Health Results

Rebalance of heart (emotion) and mind (logic)

Employed new methods (self-developed) to heal mind of subconscious phobias, fears, repressed stress & tension

Learned how to reprogram our instincts to 'erase' (undesirable) habits / thoughts related to diet and 'negative' energy absorbed from others. Goal -- to bring myself to a more healthy, peaceful, mental, and physical state of being. No willpower required, once changed. This is not NLP.
Insights into why we are, the way we are, by studying many cultures and ways of thought around the world - comparative analysis.

Learning by Experience

Acquiring all this knowledge didn't come cheap or without sacrifice. I have a saying - 'we grow through suffering'. For if we don't suffer, we may not be motivated to change. Here is a quick example of growing through suffering as it relates to health.

My happy arrival in Jomsom, Nepal on Cosmic Air
Taking in a view of the Nepalese mountains

On my 1st RTW trip, I went to Nepal and decided to partially trek the Annapurna Trail. The experience did not go as planned. My 5-day hike trip was cut short by me getting altitude sickness (lots of puking) a few days into the hike near Muktinath, Nepal (3,710 meters / 12,171 feet). We (my porter and I) had to turn around before reaching the final destination, for the sake of my life! But, it was a lesson I took to heart for the future.

The reason for puking turned out to be from drinking a large bottle of beer with some new Dutch friends on the first night of the trek, at the "Hotel Hill-ton!" The physical exertion of climbing and low oxygen higher altitude turned out to be a toxic mix. The beer slowed down my body's ability to adapt to a lower oxygen environment.

[Years later, I would learn that we use oxygen to 'burn and metabolize the food' we eat. Due to lack of experience, ignorance, and arrogance, I wasn't inclined to know / think about such basic things like this back then. After all, who "thinks about breathing" in such a way? We just do it....]

Lesson learned - don't drink alcohol at altitude. This was an example of a setback while traveling which I learned to bounce back from and keep going. Living abroad and traveling for extended time periods has its low points, but I always learned to survive, adapt, and change as necessary. These low points can be magnified and more intense, because one is in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar people. These experiences provide me with hundreds / thousands of "data points" to reference when learning or doing something new.