Rabbit Hole

After my own hospitalisation in 2008 I wondered why I’d fallen ill. All my life I’d had a varied exercise regime. Although I was never at competition level I kept myself reasonably fit through running, swimming and cycling. But when it came to eating, I simply didn’t have a clue. As it turns out, neither did the hospital consultants. They did a wonderful job of saving my life. The professionalism of the entire hospital staff was exemplary but it was after my discharge that my GP gave me the clue I needed. According to the guidelines my blood chemistry indicated that I needed statins, which she offered me. Initially I thought I’d need them for a couple of weeks like a course of antibiotics but when she told me this was for life I felt trapped and implored her ‘There must be a better way?’ ‘There is’ she told me ‘but it’s too difficult for most people and they prefer to take the pills’. She went on to explain the lifestyle overhaul I would need and was surprised when I chose to engage with it. Several months later my blood tests told a very different story and she told me ‘Whatever it is you’re doing, keep doing it. It’s working better than any drug I can prescribe for you’. Naturally I was delighted and asked if I could quote her. She gave me an emphatic NO. My journey down the rabbit hole had begun. In the ten years since my operations I have explored many aspects of a healthy lifestyle and I am constructing my own jigsaw from my findings. Today I recognise my hospitalisation as a gift, summarised in the modern day beatitude – ‘Blessed are the broken, they let the light in’. My engineering training has proven very useful. It demands an enquiring mind and is biased toward practical applications of theory to find solutions for problems. Unlike in modern medicine, dogma is discouraged. I’ve come to appreciate the freedom of thought engineering has given me. Sometimes the concept of a Health Coach baffles people – ‘What do you know about health? You’re not even a doctor’. ‘Thank God I’m not a doctor, I’ve less unlearning to do’. One can too easily become transfixed with all the problems facing our world and environment. I believe that this in itself can so affect us emotionally that we become chronically depressed and bring disease upon ourselves. When people ask me ‘Are you not worried about …..?’ I now respond ‘I worry about nothing but I’m concerned and will explore it further’. From a place of worry we become ineffective. But with a healthy concern for Public and Planetary Health we become avid researchers, educators and motivated campaigners. Many times I have been labelled ‘Stuck in the mud’ or branded ‘Anti-technology or anti-progress’. This is plain wrong. Mankind is hugely innovative and engineering is a wonderful career but along the way we’ve mistakenly exchanged the thrill of discovery for the imperative of commercialisation. When the love of money is our primary motive we are undone. Instead we must now use our unparalleled scientific knowledge and capabilities to understand natural processes and systems so that we bring our way of life into harmony with nature and clean up the planet we have trashed for too long. I love the rabbit hole I’ve discovered and I’ve met many likeminded explorers. By helping people recover their health and understand how to protect it, we will bring about a transformation in our thinking that protects our planet for future generations.