Stand Here, No Here, Over There, Not Here…

Stand Here, No Here, Over There, Not Here…

The quest continues to pursue a return to “normal” in spite of the ever-changing facts of science and how we adjust our actions in response. There is plenty of blame to go around, red, blue, green, yellow – pick your favorite color of the rainbow to blame. However, while blame may satisfy our ego in determining whose fault this all is, blame does not fix our problems. Our own actions of personal self-care through self-responsibility are the key to our better health and happiness.

The root causes of our public healthcare hesitancy, comes from a growing distrust of our government and medical experts that often never seem to agree on any course of action and what is fact or science. I think there will always be opposition to government intervention, depending upon the issue and who it affects the most. However, in the case of the current pandemic, the distrust has grown seemingly across many demographics. In my humble opinion I think there have been numerous times where government leaders (politicians and medical experts) stated a particular direction and then soon after changed that course. When this continued to happened over the last 2 years, the public trust eroded rapidly to where we are at today.

In late 2019, government leaders said the US was fine and had no worries with the Covid19 virus, as it was contained in China. People were encourage to enjoy the holidays and not be afraid. Obviously it was not contained and Covid19 made its way to the US in early 2020 and probably even earlier in late 2019.
Shutting down the US borders in early 2020, in response to Covid19, was considered xenophobic. Late in 2021, the US restricted foreign travelers entry due to the Omicron variant and xenophobia was barely mentioned by leaders and news outlets.
Similarly, early in 2020 theories of a possible virus leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were seen as racist, xenophobic and the product of conspiracy fanatics. Later in 2020, some US leaders and the World Health Organization were supporting investigation of the Wuhan lab, albeit a day late and a dollar short.
In early 2020 Americans were directed by the government and medical experts to lock-down at home for 2 weeks to “flatten the curve”, referring to the spike in cases hopefully leveling off with a relatively short amount of time. Instead, lock-downs continued in some areas, off and on for the next 12 months.
In December of 2020, then president elect Joe Biden stated if he became president that he would not mandate Covid19 vaccination mandates. In early September of 2021 President Biden mandated vaccines for all businesses of 100 or more employees.
The CDC has changed its direction numerous times on masking, distancing, quarantine duration and other relative information. As scientific data changed, so did the CDC’s confusing guidance on quarantining from 10 days to 5 days. However, this change was implemented during a massive increase in infections of the Omicron variant during the end of 2021. More infections nationwide, but less quarantine time led many people to believe the changes were more politically motivated and not science-based, in order to keep people working in healthcare, retail, etc. to maintain the economy through the holidays and coming winter months where many other illnesses often flourish.

Understanding that science is a process and not a belief system, can help us to better understanding that science is an evolving process of research, discovery and conclusions – that will all continue to change as time proceeds forward.

Science is always evolving and changing! Science is about predictability! It gives us the ability to predict certain things about the world around us.

People do pay attention to what government leaders say and often try to hold them to their words. Continuously changing information and direction, if not distributed consistently and with transparency leads to more distrust. I think that it will be very difficult for the US government and medical experts to regain the trust of the American people any time soon. If there was perhaps some transparency, sense of humility or humbleness by leaders, confirming that they really don’t know exactly how to handle our national (and worldwide) crisis, but that they are doing their best and have a ways yet to go, it would maybe instill some level of hope in people.

Be Curious- look around and ask questions. Be Skeptical- Don’t always believe the first thing you hear or read. Be Flexible- Even if you have found one explanation, look for another one. These three brain exercises add up to what is called Critical Thinking.

Regardless of vaccination status, social distancing and masking for the greater good, other lifestyle vices too have a ripple effect on our heathcare system & personal well being. If a poor diet, smoking, being stressed all day, drug/alcohol abuse, being overweight/obese, etc. only affects that person, realize that the whole healthcare system takes a hit for these “bad behaviors” as well . This puts a strain on the whole system causing inefficiency due to the shear numbers of ill people or by issues impacting others around you through stress, money, time & other resources. Those relying solely on pharmaceuticals to stay sick-free, still should eat healthier, be active, get sunlight & fresh air, stop smoking, manage stress – in other words “build their natural immunity”. Shouldn’t natural immunity through living a healthier lifestyle be promoted to keep the next virus or pathogen at bay? The top causes of death in the US (cancer, heart & lung disease) and root causes can often be managed through lifestyle choices. Scientific data has proven that the majority of deaths related to Covid19 are from people who had multiple comorbidities, exacerbating death not from Covid19 but rather death with Covid19. More than 81% of COVID-19 related deaths occur in people over age 65. The number of deaths among people over age 65 is 80 times higher than the number of deaths among people aged 18-29.

The Scientific Method. Observation- Careful watching of something around us. Hypothesis- An educated guess explaining what you are observing or how to change what you are observing. Experiment- Testing your hypothesis by designing and carrying out an experiment.

Maybe it’s time for us to reevaluate what normal is and choose to not go back to it, but rather move towards healthier, smarter, wiser.

Be well, become healthy, be wise.

References:

Post, Lori & Issa, Tariq & Boctor, Michael & Moss, Charles & Murphy, Robert & Ison, Michael & Achenbach, Chad & Resnick, Danielle & Singh, Lauren & White, Janine & Faber, Joshua & Culler, Kasen & Brandt, Cynthia & Oehmke, James. (2020). Dynamic Public Health Surveillance to Track and Mitigate the US COVID-19 Epidemic: Longitudinal Trend Analysis Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 22. e24286. 10.2196/24286. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347798855_Dynamic_Public_Health_Surveillance_to_Track_and_Mitigate_the_US_COVID-19_Epidemic_Longitudinal_Trend_Analysis_Study

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/06/17/1006352333/the-mystery-of-the-origins-of-the-pandemic-can-it-be-solved

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html

https://fortune.com/2021/12/30/cdc-guidelines-isolation-five-days-how-long-to-quarantine-covid-exposure-memes/

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-profile-of-the-unvaccinated/Links to an external site.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm#Comorbidities

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html

https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/121919-1Links to an external site.

https://khn.org/news/article/lie-of-the-year-the-downplay-and-denial-of-the-coronavirus/Links to an external site.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/16/covid-a-year-later-trumps-15-days-to-slow-the-spread-pledge-shows-how-little-we-knew.htmlLinks to an external site.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55193939

https://slideplayer.com/slide/11903493/

Is Better Health a Priority in the US? (1 year later; has anything changed?)

I posted this article of mine almost 1 year ago. I thought it would be interesting to re-post and re-visit to contemplate if much has changed in the last year regarding the health of our nation.

In the words of Dr. Jerome Adams, the former surgeon general of the United States, “You know what will make you and your community healthier but still, you choose not to do it.” He goes on to state that 7 out of 10 of 18-24-year olds are ineligible for military service. They cannot pass the physical, can’t meet educational requirements, or have a criminal history. In years past, recess and physical education were part of the school day from kindergarten through elementary school. High school students had PE every school day until graduation. Today if students are not involved in school or extracurricular sports, few make the time or commitment to stay physically active. Unhealthy kids quickly turn into unhealthy adults. The health of our people is directly affecting the safety of our nation.

Ask an average citizen in the US if their health and their family’s is a priority and the response will be something like, “Of course our health is my top priority and we have the healthiest country in the world!” No, not true for both statements based upon data from seemingly reputable data outlets. The Bloomberg Global Health Index for 2020, ranked the US #35 in the world for overall quality of health but ranks #1 for healthcare spending. The US spends more than $3.4 trillion annually on health care, more than any other country. Made obvious from the data is that investing more money in healthcare, does not necessarily make a country or the person healthier. Money does not change our health. We need to improve life expectancy and other indicators of health with better education along with a change in mindset. If someone has great healthcare coverage but eats junk food every day, does not exercise regularly and has a negative outlook, they will probably experience health issues sooner than later.

As a nation, we eat an extremely high amount of low-quality junk food and then sit for hours per day. We hope to efficiently digest low quality food that will eventually often cause illnesses and even death. More than 36.3% of youth aged 2-19 eat fast food on a given day.This is complicated even more so with the sedentary lifestyle and laissez-faire attitude towards individuals accepting responsibility for their own health. Americans meeting the CDC guideline for aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises is only 23.2% as of 2018.These factors help contribute to the increase of obesity over the last 60 years. Obesity is a key factor in many health issues based on data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other reputable sources. In 2017–2018, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in adults was 42.4%. Stats for kids (not shown) are just as appalling. These numbers are truly pathetic. Further issues to discuss would be how many manage their nutrition by monitoring their intake of sugar, salt, trans fat, alcohol, and other consumables? What about managing stress and emotional health? The US economy needs our citizens to support the fast-food industry and consequently gives the health care industry an overabundance of its own customers. It seems as if the US wants its people to be healthy enough to work, but not too healthy as to put the fast-food and healthcare providers out of business. This is our reality that many choose to deny.

The leading causes of death in the US are all very much influenced by our diet, our sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise and excessive sitting. Also contributing is our attitude towards managing stress or lack thereof. Thinking that more is always better or if we are not stressed, we are not doing enough. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory issues are all leading causes of death by far. Each of these ailments can be much less if we made it a priority to do so.

Another health issue is our obsession with following the news and the mental stress that can develop from it. Media in the US, love it or hate it, usually focuses mostly on reporting politics, crime and mostly the negative aspects of our society. The phrase “If it bleeds it leads” shows America’s fascination with negative news. This year so far has been mostly the tragedy of Covid19. The media, the government, the entertainment industry and healthcare leaders fail to promote personal responsibility for the individuals’ own actions relative to diet, exercise and lifestyle, and how that can affect on a much broader level the health of our nation. Instead the strong focus is mostly upon wearing masks and social distancing as a way to make an unhealthy nation, somehow immune to disease and illnesses that affect most those that have multiple health issues to begin with. Please understand that even typically well and health conscious people do get sick also. Athletes and health enthusiasts can get sick too. However, people that are active usually recover faster though.

We need to honestly look at the root causes for our health issues, instead of looking to politics or others to blame for our own personal accountability. Blaming others will not make us healthier. We are where we are, because of our choices. I love pizza but I should not be eating it every day of the week. Some TV viewing is fine but 4-7 hours a day is a bit much no? We need to own our health.

Our actions support the data that we do not truly put exercise, nutrition and stress as high priorities deserving more action than mere conversation. Healthy living and habits are a choice and a mindset that we as Americans as a whole, fail terribly at practicing. It does not need to be this way. There are things that can move us forward to become a healthier nation.

Eating healthier can be achieved by managing less intake of junk foods, sugar, and salt, as well as reasonable amounts of alcohol. More fruit and vegetables are healthier snacks that have many nutritional rewards. Become more active by getting up and off the couch, stepping away from the PC, TV, smartphone, and other electronic addictions. Better sleep is a major immune system booster and can be earned by being more active during the day. Relieve stress through exercise, meditation, or breathing deeper and more deliberately, or take more breaks from the news and social media. Be nice to others because what you put out, you receive back. Basically, get moving more, eat healthier foods, sleep better, stress less and be a nicer person. Enjoy life but know your limits and take all things in moderation.

Be well, stay healthy, be wise.

Jim Moltzan

Works Cited

Adams, Jerome, “How resilient communities can create a healthier country.” Youtube, uploaded by TEDxMidAtlantic. September 23, 2020. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIY13uvlGLY

American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine

www.worldhealth.net/news/bloombergs-global-health-index-2020/

Fryar, Cheryl, et al. Fast Food Intake Among Children and Adolescents in the United States, 2015–2018, NCHS Data Brief No. 375, August 2020, www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db375.htm

CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. Exercise or Physical Activity, May 11, 2020 www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/exercise.htm

Hales, Craig, et al. Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2017–2018, NCHS Data Brief No. 360, February 2020. www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db360.htm

Xu, Jiaquan, et al. Mortality in the United States, 2018, NCHS Data Brief No. 355, January 2020. www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db355.htm

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Qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga are not the only methods that can be used within this formula but have proven the test of time as methods to cultivate harmony of the mind, body and spirit. These exercise practices offer a wide spectrum of physical wellness benefits, stress relief as well as means of self-awareness. Not all teachers nor students practice these for the same goals.

I am currently offering wellness lectures and classes for group, small group & private instruction in Wekiva, Longwood and Winter Park.

For more info, contact Jim Moltzan at info@mindandbodyexercises.com, 407-234-0119 or through my site at http://www.mindandbodyexercises.com

http://www.Amazon.com/author/jimmoltzan

Get your jab, and if you behave you get a FREE cookie!

WOW, free goodies from Budweiser, Junior’s Cheesecake, Krispy Kreme, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, White Castle and others for getting a jab.

Seems so gracious on the surface. Good marketing ploy and press for the junk food industry. But really counterproductive in principle if we truly are trying not to be sick, these are 1st items we should remove from our diet. Being healthy is not the same as not being sick.

Excessive consumption of junk food (low nutritional value items), and abuse of alcohol, help cause diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and other commorbidities, WHICH ARE the leading risk factors with COVID-19. Being part of the solution shouldn’t really contribute to the root problems of poor diet & lifestyle.

Instead, maybe give out free vitamins and a brochure on how to to live a healthier life through better nutrition, consistent exercise, management of stress, fresh air, healthy social interactions, sunlight, connection with nature, a sense of purpose.

Got vaccinated?

Here’s all the free stuff you can get that is truly terrible for your health:

Be well!

I teach and encourage how to live a healthy lifestyle. Learn how this works and relates to your health and well being.

Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

http://www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

www.facebook.com/MindAndBodyExercises

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

https://umareg.com/masters-council/

Viscious Cycle of Healthcare Mentality

Allopathic medicine or allopathy is a health care system in which medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals are licensed to practice and treat symptoms of ailments and diseases. Treatment protocols generally address the symptoms of particular issues, often regardless of the root cause of the condition. For example, treating chronic headaches with pharmaceuticals, rather than a change in lifestyle factors such as stress or poor diet. Obesity might be treated with Lap-band gastric surgery to restrict the size of the stomach rather than the individual adjusting their diet.

Allopathic medicine came to dominate health care over the span of the nineteenth century. This new scientific path to health was attributed to the increase of university medical training to guarantee practitioners were experts in the science of medicine. Consequently, the laboratory became the desired venue for medical research.

Doctors and medical professionals saw their social status increase as they established their own associations to set rules and standards regarding who they felt could or should not be allowed to practice health care methods. As the American Medical Association (AMA) formed in 1847, it gained its influence in society, as healers of various medical models, such as osteopaths, chiropractors, herbalists and midwives were discredited as not being “based on science”. The first chiropractic organization was the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), and was founded in 1905.

The American Medical Association is an extremely powerful organization with its political influences as well as vast financial resources. The association and many of its members previously (and maybe currently) did not want to give away patients to other methods that the public sees as more effective, cheaper, less invasive and sometimes easier to obtain. For example, up until 1976, the AMA labeled chiropractic as unethical and unscientific and conspired to destroy chiropractic medicine. A lawsuit in this year revealed that the AMA’s intent was to decrease competition for financial reasons rather than to protect the public from unethical practitioners.¹

During the proceedings it was shown that the AMA attempted to:

Undermine Chiropractic schools
Undercut insurance programs for Chiropractic patients
Conceal evidence of the effectiveness of Chiropractic care
Subvert government inquires into the effectiveness of Chiropractic
Promote other activities that would control the monopoly that the AMA had on health care²

To have CAM practitioners and their methods become more integrated within the US healthcare system, things need to change with how the AMA recognizes these other healthcare systems.

Allopathic medicine is the most common healthcare model in the United States. Other names for allopathic medicine are:

Western medicine
biomedicine
mainstream medicine
conventional medicine
orthodox medicine

Typical treatments consist of:

medications
surgery
radiation
chemotherapy
other therapies and procedures

Other approaches to health care are sometimes called complementary alternative medicine (CAM), integrative medicine or alternate medicine. Western and alternative approaches often disregard any integration with one another. However, some more open-minded practitioners of Western allopathic medicine are beginning to integrate alternative and complementary methods along with their treatment protocols. These include:

homeopathy
naturopathy
chiropractic care
Chinese medicine
ayurveda

Many people have grown weary of the amount of time, money and effort they spend at their allopathic doctors with little or no improvement of their chronic or occasional conditions. However, the US system of biomedicine does seem quite miraculous when it comes to treating trauma such as re-attaching a severed limb, re-setting of broken bones, reconstructive surgery, diagnostics and other immediate types of injuries. However, chronic issues like lower back pain and sciatica, allergies and headaches being treated entirely with pharmaceuticals have lost some recent market share to CAM options such as exercise, herbs and lifestyle changes.

¹https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/chiropractics-fight-survival/2011-06

²https://chiro.org/Wilk/

Be well!

Learn how this works and relates to your health and well being.

.Jim Moltzan

407-234-0119

http://www.MindAndBodyExercises.com

https://www.facebook.com/MindAndBodyExercises

https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises

https://umareg.com/masters-council/

Some Covid-19 Measures Might Actually Make You More At Risk

There is a Vicious Cycle of Covid-19 and Lifestyle Consequences

Some of the measures being taken, are actually increasing the risks of becoming ill.

In response to the Covid-19 virus,
many individuals are putting themselves more at risk of illness by restraining from exercising, socializing, relieving stress, etc.

Isolating from others

Emotional mood swings of depression, anger & anxiety activate stress response producing excess cortisol, affecting organ function.

Staying indoors

Lack of fresh air and sunlight affect overall metabolism. Lack of vitamin D3 (from sunlight & foods) affects bone mass and chemical balance, affecting organ function.

Less physical activity

Less physical activity affects muscle tone and strength, consequently lowering bone mass while leading to osteopenia, osteoporosis. Increase in weight stresses organ functions, joint strength as well as self-esteem.

Lowered immune system

Immune system becomes compromised from stress, chemical imbalances and sedentary lifestyle leading individuals to have comorbidities and consequently increasing their risk of acquiring disease and illness.

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Get out of the house, call family/friends, eat healthier foods, stay active and avoid stress. Don’t wait to get sick or rely on a vaccine to keep you healthy – get proactive now.

Be well, be wise and stay healthy!

Jim Moltzan407-234-0119

http://www.MindAndBodyExercises.com https://www.facebook.com/MindAndBodyExercises/https://www.youtube.com/c/MindandBodyExercises https://mindandbodyexercises.wordpress.com/https://umareg.com/masters-council/