No Quick Fix

For about a year now I have been living a ‘Leptin Lifestyle’ according to the recommendations made by Clinical Nutritionist, Byron Richards. Prior to that I was already eating the right things and had almost restricted myself to eating the right quantities but I was still eating ‘on demand’ with a snack bowl of nuts and dark chocolate close at hand. At first Richards’ rule of ‘No Snacking’ filed me with dread, but although the first few weeks were difficult, thereafter all cravings disappeared just as he said they would. In a small way I have proven to myself that well established patterns can be broken and I feel encouraged to continue the journey.

Long before reading Richards’ book ‘Mastering Leptin’ I was basically on the right path and seeking answers. I was mentally in a good place for experimentation. Over these past few weeks my mind has been focussed on a holistic approach to optimising health in Mind, Body and Spirit. Now I can almost glibly discuss the importance of Richards’ work and easily forget the many months I spent stumbling in the darkness for direction. So even when the will is strong there are times when we simply cannot move forward because we don’t know what to do. This is a perfect scenario for frustration and abandoning the effort. Fortunately I stayed the course and found the way through. I’m reminded of the Chinese proverb ‘When the student is ready, the teacher will appear’.

In our modern society we have become accustomed to instant gratification. We live in a fast track world where we have come to expect instant solutions. Personal computers have revolutionised communications and keep us constantly in touch with ‘friends’ through social media. To a sixteen year old, six months is a long time. Adolescents and young adults often have no concept of patience or restraint. To them, living in the moment is more likely to mean binge drinking, substance abuse and experimental sex rather than peaceful self awareness and mindful relaxation. Clearly the student is not ready for a teacher.

While a certain waywardness has always been a part of growing up, the stakes seem much higher in the 21^st century. With increasing frequency by the time the student is ready she needs a chaplain rather than a teacher. I guess my underlying feeling in writing this piece is one of frustration. When you’ve ‘found the answer’ you want to share it and since everyone can apply some aspect of it, ‘all should listen’. Until 2009 I was blissfully unaware of the dangers of my habits. I had it all worked out and someone like my current self would have sounded eccentric, even irritating. What I need to learn is acceptance that the only person I can change is myself. My role is to model healthy living and to be ever present to anyone seeking guidance.

The Leptin Lifestyle promises a recovery to health for those able to stay the course. When I was ready for it I found it, though even then the transition was far from quick. Why then does it feel so urgent that I convert the world and his wife? There is no quick fix to change one’s lifestyle. Neither is there a quick fix for my missionary zeal. However, I trust that in time I will achieve true serenity and be content with my role as a silent lighthouse.

The Atherosclerotic Mind

It is said that the process of atherosclerosis begins in early life, at a rate dependent on lifestyle and sadly we have too many examples of chronic illness afflicting people scarcely out of adolescence. The atherosclerotic process is one of arterial repair following micro abrasion of the endothelium, the lining of the arteries. To prevent arterial scar tissue breaking off and floating down to the arterioles where it can cause blockage, the endothelium grows over any scar tissue so that the artery gradually narrows in a process called stenosis. When coronary arteries constrict, blood flow is inhibited and the individual can experience angina, heart pain, especially in response to exercise when greater blood flow is required.

It is said that the ‘The Mind is like a parachute; it works best when it is open’. This jibe can be levelled at just about anyone since we are all encultured through our upbringing and experiences. Indeed it’s very hard to remain open minded since we actually depend on stereotyping and patterned behaviour as a means of providing mental short cuts to help us cope with life. For most of the time such patterned thinking is harmless and, at a societal level, it is much prized by marketers wanting to target groups with particular interests. It seems to me that stenosis of the mind occurs in a similar way to the atherosclerotic process. A sensitive individual, perhaps one with low self esteem, may struggle to deal with chronic irritations such as cyber bullying, academic difficulties or limited financial means etc. The easiest defence to employ may be to ‘run with the crowd’, denigrate academic achievement or continue retail therapy with another credit card. By ingesting poor spiritual nutrition they are engaging in behaviour which limits their perspective, if not their prospects, and which will inevitably lead to crises later on.

A diet of mental hurts over a prolonged period can cause us to build up ‘emotional calluses’ that can damage our ability to create healthy relationships, limit our potential and can even fuel prejudice. We may withdraw to the company of similarly blinkered folk to soothe our wounds with like-minded ‘stinking thinking’. We may also feed our minds on a strife filled diet of TV soap operas or imagine living our life as the vengeful crusader in a host of violent movies. Not infrequently we’ll prepare for the event by opening a can of beer or a bottle of wine and sit with a TV dinner on our lap. Inevitably over time our outlook becomes narrowed and our attitudes hardened. For too many of us this is the life we have chosen. We become sponges for the social engineering programme of the moment.

Achieving true health in mind and body requires broad spectrum healing and cannot be limited to purely diet and exercise. Just as the subconscious will undertake physical repairs when fed the right nutrients, the soul will respond to a wide range of ‘spiritual anti-oxidants’ that rejuvenate us and work in concert with our physical reconstruction. Prayer, meditation, gratitude and service nurture the soul. Playing music, reading challenging texts or learning a language stimulate the mind. Playing sports and physical exercise like dancing will strengthen co-ordination and co-operation. Any and all of these activities enrich us as individuals and in our ability to serve each other, our communities and the wider world. Instead of accepting the status quo of the lowest common denominator leading to chronic illness, premature ageing and death, let us instead choose a life rich in love, learning and healing. Are you ready to undertake the journey to responsible living and true health?

The Wellness Spectrum

All of us will have been caught out at some point without an umbrella or have found ourselves at our holiday destination with inappropriate clothing. In our hurried preparation we have overlooked something important or have had false expectations about the weather. Such situations often require unscheduled shopping on location resulting in additional expense and lost time. I often think that our approach to health is similarly haphazard.

To me, wellbeing requires a balance of health in mind, body and spirit. We need to nourish ourselves across all aspects of our lives in order to be well and bring a sense of purpose into everything we do. Good nutrition is foundational for our physical health and from there we can seek to satisfy our higher needs. However, a focus on purely physical health is insufficient as it will inevitably fail with advancing years and it is wise to accept this fact and mentally prepare for change. A balanced health approach will require that we achieve an optimum blend across our physical, mental and emotional needs appropriate for each stage of our lives. Becoming caught up in the corporate life with its heavy demands on our mental capacities often leads to stress related illnesses and even cardiovascular disease. Here failing to nurture the whole often results in an unscheduled hospital stop, significant expense and a lot of lost time.

Our current medical paradigm is based on a Sick / Not Sick choice of opposites that ‘gives us permission’ to follow abusive lifestyles until we’re clearly very sick indeed. At that point we turn to the Slash, Poison or Burn ‘Allopathic Remedies’ to manage the situation rather than cure it. If instead we considered ourselves positioned on a multi-dimensional wellness spectrum we could live so healthily that the Sick / Not Sick paradigm would become irrelevant. No one will encourage us to change perspective; doing so threatens the status quo. But when we accept personal responsibility for our wellness we will naturally address the interrelated dimensions of mind, body and spirit so that we achieve an optimum balance. We are open to new experiences of health. We challenge conventional dogma. We expect more of ourselves and are prepared to work for it.

When we do the results are often staggering. Thousands have walked the path before us. TED and YouTube are filled with the most inspiring examples and I will list some of my favourites here –

• Martin Boorman, disabled paratrooper walks again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448&feature=youtu.be
• Nick Vujicic, quadriplegic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc4HGQHgeFE
• Steve and Mary Newport, Treating Alzheimers’ and Dementia with Coconut Oil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iScs0uzQZFk
• Terry Wahls, recovering from MS through the transformative power of vegetables http://blog.ted.com/2012/08/09/10-talks-on-the-transformative-power-of-vegetables

We deserve better than the Sick / Not Sick paradigm. Let’s seek out proper nutrition for mind, body and soul that will give us the wellness that is our God-given right.

Mind, Body and Soul

Achieving optimum health requires a holistic approach that includes cognitive, physical and emotional components of our personality. As human beings we are complex blends of all three and will not attain full health by addressing them individually. Indeed, by separating the components we may delude ourselves into a ‘Sick, Not Sick’ mindset whose focus is on symptom relief rather than wellness. Separation also negates the contribution that our mental state makes to our health and denies the role of our spirit in bringing joy and sense of purpose to our living.

Last week I succumbed to a nasty stomach bug which tore through our household. After the nausea and diarrhoea had subsided I was left with a headache, chesty cough and sore throat. My appetite disappeared and I found it difficult to do anything. As I have often found before, when I feel low physically I’m not able to think clearly either. Some who think my health interests to be ‘unhealthy’ were quick to point out that my habits did not protect me from the bug - as if this somehow justifies their own damaging lifestyle. In recent years I’ve generally been delighted to enjoy robust good health and avoid many of the ailments ‘doing the rounds’. I’ve never thought myself invincible however, and none of us are.

Today my elderly mother lies in a local hospital wracked with illness and failing health. Despite her confusion and weakness, her inner peace is evident and her soul content. She is prepared for her inevitable departure and is surrendered to God, having lived a long and loving life. For her there is no unfinished business, no preoccupation with world affairs nor the pressures of daily living. She has serenity, calm and confidence that her soul will return to God as she hands on the baton to her children to continue the run.

These events illustrate for me how our concept of Optimum Health must change through life, As parents to the very young we want our offspring to have the best start in life and, if at all possible, will provide them with the best nutrition as we understand it. Infants and young children delight us with simple smiles and unconditional love. Their minds and bodies are growing at an astonishing rate and their souls are bright. With a total dependency on her primary carers, the child’s healthy growth is largely determined by the maturity and life perspective of her parents. In the teenage and young adult years physical development is rapid and the mind is keen but the soul’s purpose is often  hidden from view as the individual finds her way in the world. It is typically in middle age, and often in response to a life-changing event, that the soul re-emerges and finds expression.

We naturally lament the loss of life but it is important to remember that at every age the person is whole, even though it is only at the point of their death that their life journey is complete. Mind and body have provided the coach in which the soul has travelled through life. Just as a good life coach will be a catalyst for growth, the spiritual growth of the individual will be facilitated when mind and body, in good relationship, coach the soul. Most people will make their journey through life without a formal coach but at some point all of us find our soul deeply touched by someone in our lives and our learning is profound. At such times it is the quality of the relationship which determines the success of the engagement. So whether it is with a professional coach, or through the companionship of one’s own body, let us consciously strive to listen attentively to it and achieve the most wholesome learning relationship between mind and body, so that whether they inevitably fail, or prematurely stumble, the baton is passed as the journey is completed and the soul released.

Product Management

One of the roles I had during my corporate life was that of a Product Marketing Manager. In this role I was responsible for a range of products ‘from cradle to grave’. It was my task to plan every aspect of the product’s existence from the original definition of form and functionality through to sales forecasting, pricing, service and repair and even market withdrawal. Always the hope was to anticipate the need of the market and to match the product such that it would enjoy ready market acceptance and achieve maximum profits. My business plans would forecast the costs of development, the cost of sales, sales volumes and so the net profit of the venture over its lifetime. Our CEO expected us to be God to our products, to know everything about them and the market into which they were to be introduced, to bestow their personality and the seductive appeal of their form. We were product champions.

After several years away from the corporate business environment I reflect on the experience with mixed emotions. The work was wide ranging, engaging, very demanding and hugely enjoyable. At the top of my game I felt empowered, driven, fiercely competitive and highly protective. I was able to convey my dreams and wishes to the teams of professionals that would implement the design and bring it to market. In every case our joint creation matched or exceeded my original concept. Along the way however I became so focused on the company’s product creation that I neglected my own. I saw little of my young family, when I did I was impatient and demanding so that, after several years, my wife eventually threw in the towel. Our divorce was the most painful experience of my life.

My current work as a Health Coach is a lot more rewarding and I know that everything that has gone before has prepared me for the task in hand. I see my new role as a catalyst, helping clients to shift perspective and to achieve the health outcomes that they desire. Like me, many of them have become derailed by life events. It is my pleasure, challenge and privilege to get them back on track and to walk their journey with them. Of necessity the work is holistic rather than medical. No tablet can mend a broken heart. No drink can restore healthy self esteem. So often it is these deeper issues which need healing before an individual can set about picking up the pieces. Perhaps that’s where the ultimate product manager can help.

In the beginning there was God. There was perfection of creation. There still is, though it has become more difficult to see. We bring our imaginings into being but allow them to be directed by others.  Our minds are filled with dreams of someone else’s making. Our workplaces are often unnecessarily stressful. We live in fear of dismissal, reduced hours, ‘downsizing’, loss of income and inability to service mortgages or debts that we took out in better times. To ensure our survival we’re driven to become more competitive. In that place it’s difficult for anyone to ‘think big thoughts’.

Today’s Product Manager role is for everyone. Every individual has the right to bring themselves to fruition, to define their own lives, to live in freedom. I’ve come to understand that the closer we keep to the evolutionary blueprint the healthier we become. With proper nutrition for both mind and body we have all we need to grow healthy. I can now convey my dreams and wishes for good health to a highly professional subconscious knowing that my body has the necessary raw materials to achieve all of which I’m capable. The market opportunity is immense. There’s never been a greater need for healthy living and the only profits sought are that, when our product is withdrawn from the market, we leave it better than we found it. How will you manage your finest product?

Happy Easter

In the Christian tradition Easter is the most important feast of the year. We celebrate resurrection, the victory of life over death. We speak of transformation through love, forgiveness and healing, human frailty redeemed by God and that same redemption offered to all mankind. To a strictly secular society it may sound a little bonkers, a tad too fundamentalist, subversive and perhaps even dangerous. Dangerous to whom?

During the season of Lent that precedes Easter, Christians are invited to examine their lifestyles and consider how they do not serve their highest purpose. We are encouraged to make changes for the better and to acknowledge the human condition in our failures. Here in Ireland, St Patrick’s Day (March 17^th) falls during Lent and it often provides a rest day from fasting or other promises of observance. Over the years St Patrick’s Day has provided ample evidence of the human condition. What other purpose might it serve?

Since suffering a serious illness in 2008 I have become fascinated by health and nutrition. The more I have explored alternative medicine the more disenchanted I have become with the cultural norms of our society. I routinely question the perceived wisdom around foodstuffs and their marketing. I have even revised my views on established medical practice and look for the beneficiaries behind new initiatives.  In a very real way my life has been resurrected and transformed. I am healed of illness despite my human frailty and am aware of and seeking to live in alignment with my highest purpose. Yes, I recognise that my ’foodist’ views appear fundamentalist, challenging to others, including close relatives, and subversive to the status quo. If allowed to spread, ideas such as these might indeed prove dangerous to the profits of sugar refiners, processed food manufacturers and pharmaceutical interests.

In my childhood Lent was all about giving up something, usually sweets. It was a tall order and lapses were frequent. Perhaps it’s natural to rebel against ‘Thou shalt Not’ injunctions. As Wayne Dyer tells us – ‘The war on drugs is being lost; because it’s a war’.  Those who stand For something are strengthened whereas those who battle Against are weakened. It is said that Patrick came to Ireland as a slave but that he so loved the place that later, as a free man, he chose to return and preach the Gospel. He is better known for making converts to Christianity than for conducting a war against slavery. Maybe in the future the Lenten season will be considered a time for renewing life-giving practice within which St Patrick’s Day will mark a celebration of progress rather than become an opportunity to rebel against injunction and display our lowest common denominator.

After decades of strife there is great healing underway in this country and a new awareness of potential and purpose. I see beyond the current economic difficulties to a time when wealth is truly recognised as Health in Mind and Body. At that time we will rejoice in the abundance that is ours. We will celebrate the strength in our diversity. We will co operate and jointly create once again a Land of Saints and Scholars. Were he then to observe our progress, Patrick would recognise his work, God’s work, continued, his wishes fulfilled.

What discoveries have you made about your Highest Self this Lent? What new practice will you take forward to improve your life in the coming year?

Sugarholism

The work of Dr Robert Lustig, a consultant Paediatrician in California, has heightened awareness on the dangers of sugar to the human body. Lustig explains why the massive increase in sugar consumption is responsible for the explosion in obesity and chronic ill-health affecting the Western world over the last four decades. He draws attention to the range of illnesses afflicting the overweight and identifies them as exactly the same illnesses that alcoholics suffer from – heart disease, fatty liver, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and dementia. With such a strong correlation might it also be appropriate to address sugar addiction in a similar way with a twelve step programme?

Overeaters Anonymous formed in 1960 and is now present in 75 countries. It helps tens of thousands of sufferers break their habits of compulsive food consumption. OA has adopted the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions format to help normalise the eating patterns of its members. Like the AA however, the evidence suggests that millions more are not yet in recovery and are still in the grip of habits which can lead to misery and untimely death. While those with compulsive eating or drinking dispositions are largely aware of them, whether or not they are in recovery, the likelihood is that 70% of us have an unhealthy relationship with sugar and would not accept it as dangerous.

Now I can readily distinguish between compulsive disorders and culturally acceptable practice in relation to sugar. Neither are healthy, but whereas a compulsion and addiction can rapidly ruin lives, John Yudkin, Robert Lustig and others have pointed to a 20 year pathology gestation period for ‘normal’ sugar consumption. Sadly this leads to disinterest or a dismissive attitude - “It’s tomorrow’s problem, have another slice”. I am not in favour of prohibition but I certainly do believe that we should have a ban on TV advertising of sugar based products and that we should extend such a ban to ‘Low Fat’ products and any foodstuffs containing artificial sweeteners. How can it be culturally acceptable to promote the sale of dangerous products? It’s said of diabetics that ‘they dig their grave with their teeth’ and for many that’s true enough. Is suicide not suicide just because the bullet takes 20 years to hit its target?

Leaving aside what some readers may consider confrontational or judgemental statements, there is ample evidence that sugar causes a weakening of the immune system. It is also known to provide a benign environment for the growth of fungal infections and cancer. Sugar consumption results in the formation of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs), amyloid tangles and causes neural degeneration and depression. Quite simply, it interferes with our ability to think. My belief is that when people can personalise and accept such information then they will change their attitudes towards sugar and the market will collapse. I do of course recognise that this is unlikely to happen any day soon. Through my work as a health coach I have encountered exclusively positive outcomes with everyone who has rejected sugar ‘and all its empty promises’.

Slavery in the 21^st century is alive and well but instead of forced exile to labour in the sugar plantations of the West Indies, today’s slavery is self inflicted through addiction. To free myself from its tyranny, and to journey toward optimal health in mind and body, I call on the God of my understanding to keep me free from refined sugar one day at a time.