I think I’d like to retire some day….
Maybe.
But to do that, we’ve got some work to do.
I need you to help…
And put me out of business.
I talk to so many people every day and they almost all say the same thing. “I hate taking medicine”. And my response is always the same, “Me too.”
What if we focused on improving your health and eliminating the vicious cycle of prescription drug dependence once and for all?
But look, if you want to make some big changes, then it’s going to take a lot of work.
I have a patient that’s been exercising and dieting consistently for 18 months and he’s down over 100 pounds. He continues to make progress!
He’s almost off all his meds and do you want to know his secret? Consistency and momentum.
If you’ve been wanting to make some positive changes to your health but not sure how to start, then this article is for you.
Most medications should not be taken forever. God made us with the amazing ability to adapt, to recover, to grow.
The most important treatment for all illness is to align yourself with your own natural healing!
Many illnesses can be managed with lifestyle, diet modifications, natural supplements, musculoskeletal adjustments, lymphatic movement, and occasional surgery.
One of my favorite things to do is to help people stop medications.
So I made a list of 10 Things You Need to Do In Order to Stop Taking Your Medications…
#1 Cut Out Toxins
Drink clean water. Don’t eat pesticides or seed oils. Watch out for micro plastics. Limit the sugar.
Stop smoking. Stop drinking. Stop using meth.
Cancel your social media. Don’t watch the news. Don’t hold grudges.
#2 Pretend You’re Living on an Island in Greece
Close your eyes and imagine yourself living 3000 years ago in the Mediterranean.
Times would be tough. But what if you had all the advantages? Good crops, good livestock, plenty of water. Now make a plan based on this.
In other words…
If God made it, eat it. If not, leave it alone.
Focus on fruit, eggs, meat/fish, veggies, and maybe a little dairy. (Whole grains are okay if you’re not allergic to gluten and you bake the bread yourself otherwise stay away.). A little rice won’t hurt you but keep the starches to a minimum.
Try to have simple ingredient meals. (You don’t have to “eat the rainbow”) This will make a huge difference in your eating habits!. Cook with olive oil or butter. Use pink salt.
If you don’t know where to start, try my Straight Nine Diet plan that I’ve written about before.
I guarantee that if you only eat from the foods listed, you’ll be healthier, happier, and have more energy.
#3 Take Your Vitamins
I loved wrestling when I was a kid. Hulk Hogan was my favorite.
He used say “To all my Hulkamaniacs, say your prayers and take your vitamins”
I’m not sure if you could get better advice than that.
Megavitamins and other supplements can be very useful in helping your body heal in a more natural way and reduce your need for prescriptions.
I use them all the time for myself and my patients.
There’s too many to list but some of the things I take: Vitamin C, Creatine, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Whey protein, Niacin, Fish Oil, Magnesium, Vitamin E, Ashwagandha, NAC, Red Yeast Rice, Ginger, Curcumin, Garlic, Nutritional Lithium, Glycine.
Don’t let the list overwhelm you.
We’re just getting started.
#4 You Can Scroll Through Your Phone When You’re Dead
Get better sleep. I know that sounds boring, but it’s important.
Stop laying in bed and scrolling through your phone. Go to bed and go to sleep. You can scroll through your phone when you’re dead. But since you’re alive…
Get some rest.
#5 Start Walking
Did you know that 30 minutes of daily walking can completely change your life?
This is the most simple step and the one almost always ignored. Walking is the most underrated exercise of all time. You can do this first thing in the morning, or at the end of the day, or you can break it up into 10 minutes after each meal. Either way is fine.
Don’t worry about distance, just focus on being consistent and walking every day.
(If you’re in a wheelchair or have another reason you can’t walk, don’t worry, we can modify the plan to meet your needs)
#6 Get Stronger
Strength training increases your metabolic rate, burns body fat, makes you less susceptible to fractures, and makes you less insulin resistant.
You can get stronger by strength training two to three times a week. I think the best way to do this is to have a goal and then try to get better at something. This could be getting more push ups this week than last or it could be squatting your bodyweight. The goal varies.
For some of my patients, the goal is to be strong enough to get up from a chair without assistance.
Whatever your goal is in life, strength is never a weakness.
#7 Elimination Diet
Okay, so this next step is a little more controversial but I still think important.
The first 6 will do wonders for your health but if you still struggle with certain auto-immune or inflammatory conditions, you might want to consider an elimination diet.
I used to encourage my daughter to drink a glass of milk a day to help strengthen her muscles and bones. She would smile and say she couldn’t, “she was lactose intolerant”. All the while making up a bowl of ice cream. Ha!
But the truth is food can be toxic to us and we don’t even realize it because the toxins have accumulated over years.
An elimination diet is simple but extremely difficult. Basically, you just stop eating everything except beef, salt, and water. You do this for about 4 weeks because it will take that long for you to get used to it. Then you slowly add certain foods over a couple of weeks at a time and see how your body responds.
#8 Embrace the Osteopathic Way
You need good alignment for good health.
Dr Andrew Taylor Still was a genius. And if you don’t know who he was, that’s okay. Just know this: The body is not a series of parts. It’s: Mind, Body, Spirit.
God created us with the ability to heal.
#9 Get those Zen Vibes
You need your brain to be a human prozac machine.
So…
Stop stressing. Start meditating.
Find a comfortable and quiet spot. Carve out 5 to 10 minutes. Sit and and close your eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out. If a thought comes in, push it aside. Try and focus only on your breathing.
This will take practice. You don’t have to do this for hours at a time. Try and aim for 5 minutes.
After you’re done. Open your eyes and stay still. Now think about what your goals are. Visualize yourself achieving your goals.
Think about what actions you will need to take in order to make your goals a reality.
#10 Hang with Friends
Good friends are hard to find.
We have an innate need to be around others. To have friendships. To laugh. To cry. To help move furniture.
I’ve been hanging out with some of the same friends I had in elementary school. And I know for a fact, my mental health is directly proportional to my relationships.
BONUS:
Increase your VO2 Max
This is a little more advanced.
But it’s important, especially if we’re talking about cardio respiratory fitness. VO2 Max just means how much oxygen your body consumes when you exercise.
You can increase it by increasing the intensity of workouts. There are many methods but to explain them all would be beyond the scope of this article.
I would also like to say that you’re never too old to start some of these practices. You might be limited in what you can do but you’re not dead yet.
So…
Get after it!
Talk to your doctor and put together a plan for you.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
p.s.
WARNING! READ BELOW:
I had almost forgotten we were talking about how to stop medications.
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR! Never stop or start a medication without doctor supervision. Many medications need to be slowly lowered before stopping completely.
p.p.s.
You don’t have to take my word for it…
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