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The skinny on weight loss, part XIV

by Dr. Bruce J. Grandstaff
| June 9, 2010 9:00 PM

In his book "Vibrational Medicine", Richard Gerber, M.D., has an excellent diagram entitled "The Illness/Wellness Continuum" adapted from a diagram by J. Travis. There are two opposing arrows, one going to the left which ends in "early death" and one going to the right, which is labeled "high level wellness." In the middle is a line which separates the two arrows labeled "neutral point (no discernible illness or wellness)." This neutral point I adapted with the words "OK" and "Just not sick."

Beginning on the neutral point and moving left towards "early death" are three progress points of developing illness, signs, symptoms and disability ending in "early death." This half of the diagram also has a smaller arrow beginning just before "early death" and progressing towards the neutral point labeled "treatment model." Above it is another arrow beginning at the same place but goes all the way to "high level wellness" labeled "wellness model."

In my wellness classes, those of you whom have come to hear them know that I always ask these three questions:

1. Would you rather be wealthy or just not poor?

2. Would you rather be educated or just not dumb?

3. Would you rather be healthy or just not sick?

What I find is that too many of my new patients have accepted "just not sick" or were at the neutral point of the illness/ wellness continuum for a long time. They have abdicated their responsibility for their own health trusting in the safety net of insurance, to catch them as they free fall towards early death, passing through signs and then symptoms and possibly disability before seeking answers. They then get on the treatment model and call it good. Most will stay on the treatment model, taking medications for the remainder of their lives, unless by chance, they get on the wellness model that often allows them to be able to no longer need to be on their drugs and to enjoy a higher level of living .

Dr. Gerber writes "there is a great difference between OK and wellness. We would define wellness as a state in which a human being functions at an optimum level of integration between the elements of body, mind and spirit. The well individual is happy, healthy, and whole and perceives his or her life as one with meaning and purpose. Implicit within the definition of health and wellness is a shift in consciousness that assists learning of new ideas, aids in finding new meaning in understanding of self, and in general, supports continued physiological and spiritual growth of the individual."

Too often the perceived safety net of medicine and drugs becomes a spider web of treatment. Just as an example, back in the 1950s, only 1 percent of the population felt they were depressed, now over 10 percent feels they are depressed and psychotrophic drugs now make more income for the pharmaceutical companies than Levi Strauss does in sales. And how many people are being medicated not with just one drug for their condition, but with multiple drugs for that condition such as with depression, elevated blood pressure and elevated cholesterol?

It's your body, your health and your choice. This is it. Life is not a dress rehearsal. Live life to the fullest. Get that extra weight off. Reset the pancreas that is producing the excess insulin that is robbing you of your health and watch what your body is capable of doing. Let's lose weight and get healthy together.