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Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum's Column...expert advice on CFS, Fibromyalgia and other Health Topics. |
You can benefit from Dr. Teitelbaum's wisdom and experience by visiting us at The Environmental Illness Resource regularly to read articles from his latest newsletter!
Sunday, August 12th, 2012:
What Are the Real Causes of Disease — and the Real Cures?
by Jacob Teitelbaum MD
Dear Readers,
On August 7 my newest book was published, the paperback edition of Real Cause, Real Cure: The 9 root causes of the most common health problems and how to solve them (Rodale, August 2012), which I coauthored with Bill Gottlieb, CHC, a bestselling health author and certified health coach.
I wrote Real Cause, Real Cure to be a "natural owner's manual for your body." It explains how your body's normal health systems work and how underlying issues can sometimes creep up to undermine them — issues such as nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, hidden food allergies, and other often-overlooked problems. It also shows you how natural therapies can be used to help keep those systems healthy, and how they can contribute to restoring them to optimal health when problems arise.
From arthritis to zits, you may be surprised to learn just how much you can do to maintain and restore your health — safely, naturally and inexpensively. Through focusing on natural options, it even lets you know when medications can be helpful.
Real Cause, Real Cure provides research-backed evidence of the benefits of holistic medicine, a medical approach that sees the body and mind as a self-healing system that stays healthy when it's provided with simple, natural factors of wellness — and it does this in a fun and easy read!
More good news? Things that make you feel good are often good for you. So we bust a lot of old medical myths that do nothing but suck pleasure out of life. For instance, did you know that foods like chocolate, eggs, salt and (in moderation) coffee are not only healthy for you, but even encouraged?
Real Cause, Real Cure is my way of putting a Holistic Health Practitioner on your bookshelf — and I feel confident you'll love it should you decide to order a copy.
In this and the next two newsletters, I'll discuss the nine root causes of illness in people's lives and I'll share some of the simple, natural approaches that can be used to help in each case. In this article, I discuss the first two.
Real Cause #1: Nutritional Deficiencies
With two-thirds of adults being overweight or obese, we Americans don't obviously look like we have nutritional deficiencies. But extra calories don't necessarily translate into extra nutrients. In one study, most of the participants got less than 5% of all of the government's Recommended Dietary Allowances for key nutrients essential to health.
So why are so many of us deficient in vitamins and minerals? We eat too much sugar and white flour, which are devoid of nutrients. We eat too much processed food, which is usually stripped of its nutrients. We don't eat enough nutrient-rich foods, like vegetables and fruits. And the stress and toxins of modern life drain the body of nutrients and block their absorption.
Real Cures
It's never been more important to take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement each day. Everyone should also drink more water. And you should restrict your sugar consumption to only when you're having desserts. If you're fighting a sweet tooth (how many of us aren't?), satisfy your cravings with foods that use sugar substitutes such as stevia and chocolate. It's also very healthy to have a glass of red wine with dinner, add some berries to your breakfast, and have nuts for snacks. And these are just a sample of some of the easy habits you can adopt that can do considerable good in keeping you from becoming nutritionally deficient!
Real Cause #2: Poor Sleep
Over 50 million Americans have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting refreshing sleep. And many have other types of sleep wrecking disorders, such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome.
Sleep is an absolute must for physical rest and repair, and mental and emotional maintenance. And too little sleep can also cause or contribute to anxiety, fatigue, pain, weight gain, poor immune function, and a host of other problems.
Real Cures
Practice good "sleep hygiene," including sleeping in a dark, cool and quiet bedroom. Many times when you can't sleep it's because you have too many worries on your mind. If this is you, make a list of your problems and write them onto a piece of paper. Then simply forget about them for the rest of the night (this simple trick works). After trying these suggestions, if you still don't sleep well consider using herbal sleep supplements — there are many good formulations out there!
These natural approaches should soon have you sleeping like a kitten. But if they don't, sleep medications are reasonable to consider.
My book Real Cause, Real Cure, can help you understand the different natural options available for supporting healthy sleep, and, when needed, which medications are usually a "better bang for the buck" and safer to use than others.
And along the way, it'll give you an insider's perspective on how to best survive the nightmare we call our "health care" system!
Used with permission from Dr Jacob Teitelbaum's free newsletters-available at www.Vitality101.com
Learn more from Dr. Teitelbaum's books:
From Fatigued to Fantastic!: A Proven Program to Regain Vibrant Health, Based on a New Scientific Study Showing Effective Treatment for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia
Pain Free 1-2-3: A Proven Program for Eliminating Chronic Pain Now!
Real Cause, Real Cure: The 9 Root Causes of the Most Common Health Problems and How to Solve Them
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