Myths of Modern Health
Probably the greatest myth around the wellness industry is the flippant comment made by many conservative members of the medical profession that all supplements do is give you expensive urine. If you actually examine the wide body of data objectively, it is also clear that supplements give you expensive blood. Dr Ross Walker debunks the myths and hypes of modern health.
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To take the example of multivitamins, the largest epidemiologic study in the world is the combined Nurses health study and Male physician’s trial from Harvard. The consumption of a Multivitamin on a daily basis for more than 10 years has been shown to afford significant health benefits. When the data from the male component of the trial was analysed at ten years, there was an 8 % reduction in common cancers and cataracts. When the data from the Nurses health study was analysed at 15 years, there was a 75% reduction in bowel cancer, a 25% reduction in breast cancer and a 23% reduction in cardiovascular disease. Recently the 20 year data from the male physician’s trial has been analysed and this has shown a 44% reduction in cardiovascular disease. This is purely one example of one supplement. There is abundant data on many other supplements which justify their long term use.
Another common myth is that meditation is only for deep relaxation. There have now been a number of evidence based studies clearly demonstrating the enormous health benefits of having a daily practice of meditation. A large analysis of the data that was published in the journal Circulation from the Maharishi University in Iowa has shown a 50% reduction in cardiac events in people who practice transcendental meditation on a daily basis.
That Yoga and Pilates are only for the spiritual and the health nuts is yet another myth that is surprisingly prevalent. Over the past decade there have been numerous studies demonstrating a variety of health effects from the regular practice of yoga and Pilates. These benefits are as varied as reduction in premenstrual pain to asthma.
The above 3 examples are purely representative of many of the myths around the wellness industry.
Supplements to fight inflammation
I would recommend fish oil capsules in a dose of somewhere between 4-6 g daily
Curcumin products are broad-spectrum anti-inflammatories
Ubiquinol in a dose of 150-300 mg daily along with magnesium orotate increases energy production in the mitochondria and thus helps the immune system fight inflammation.
The 5 keys to ultimate health
1. Have no addictions: You cannot be healthy and smoke, drink too much alcohol or use illegal drugs
2. Good quality sleep: 7-8 hours of good quality sleep every night is as good for the body as not smoking.
3. High quality nutrition and supplementation: The best studied diet is the Mediterranean diet. Populations who consume this diet have anywhere between a 30-50% reduction in cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Exercise: 3-5 hours of testing exercise on a weekly basis has been shown to reduce common degenerative diseases by anywhere between 30-50%.
5. Happiness, peace and contentment: There is a large body of scientific evidence demonstrating the enormous benefits of these 3 key components. When a person is unhappy and under stress, there is less attention to important lifestyle factors and also significant release of stress hormones.
As mentioned previously, taking a multivitamin and on a daily basis for more than 10 years can have a significant benefit in cancer prevention. Specific vegetables such as broccoli and tomato have strong Polyphenols and other plant chemicals that have been shown to directly affect cancer.
