“Surprised” by Disease?

Perhaps nothing is more predictable in my career, as both a research scientist and a speaker, than running into one person after another in my audience who asks me the same – and by now – the most predictable question, “…But, how did a heart attack/diabetes/kidney stones/fill in the blank happen to me?  You see, I was always so well, always so strong, always so bulletproof, always so.….AND, I even tried really hard to be well.”

It is ironic, isn’t it?  We all desire long-term, lasting health.  Why do so few of us achieve it?  Look around you – I don’t have to tell you that most people are a lot less healthy and fit than they have the potential to be.  And this in spite of the ubiquitous availability of fitness and nutrition “gurus.”

After many years of being a dedicated student of medical/nutritional research, combined with several years of interacting with those “surprised” by disease, I have come to a couple of conclusions that may be of benefit to you on your own path to securing health and well-being:

1.  Everyone wants “wellness” and “long-term” health, but very few have a coherent, solid strategy to achieve it.  Sure, there is a small percentage of genetically blessed individuals (emphasis on “small”) who seem to be able to break all the rules, and yet live long, healthy lives.  But, they are the exception.  For most of us, achieving truly sound long-term health and well-being requires both effort AND knowledge.

2.  But, many make effort – a LOT of effort – and still fail.  Why?  Here is the answer to that:  Effort, commitment, and even discipline toward achieving any goal are worthless without reference to proper technique.   World-class athletes know that; Professional swimmers are “professional” only because they have mastered the correct technique(s), and Weight- lifting champions swear by the same principle.  What makes us think that the rules change when it comes to creating our ideal health? 

All around me, I see individuals chasing after the latest and greatest diet, consuming the fanciest or most expensive supplements, eating the newest “techno-” protein bar for lunch, and downing all this with the most exotic water money can buy in a bottle.  Indeed, keeping up with the efforts of those health-obsessed in our current times is often enough to make one breathless.   

But, there is only one problem.  You guessed it.  It’s one of the proper technique.

It is said that the power of the rear wheel is wasted if the front wheel is not directed toward the proper destination.  Achieving lasting health requires of us neither complacency (“I had always been well, so I will always be well), nor a fierce and dogged determination to follow the hottest foods/health trend(s) on the market.  As a matter of fact, each of those options is nearly guaranteed to fail.  Because each of those options is analogous to having “the front wheel” directed toward the wrong destination.

The proper technique – so to speak – to improve our chances of preventing disease and maximizing our chances for health, is neither elusive, nor is it a mystery.   It lies simply in the adoption of sound dietary and living habits that have been established to be trustworthy by a body of solid, corroborative research, and have been further ratified by the weight of time-tested observational evidence.   Beware of anyone who tells you otherwise, or seeks to re-invent the laws that govern a state of health or disease.

Is it possible to follow “the proper technique” and still fail, sometimes?  Yes, it is – because some factors may always be out of our control to modify.  But, if research and real-life evidence tell us anything, it is this – Eating and living sensibly guarantees that you will be a LOT less  likely to be “surprised” by disease, and a lot more likely to be blessed with the lasting health you desire.

Stay tuned for more on “The proper technique.”