The Elusive Answers to Good Health and Success
by Vin Miller
With the advancement of science and the ease of sharing information through the internet, it’s become easier than ever to find answers to our questions and problems. However, because of this ease of access, it’s easy to assume that there’s always only one correct answer and that it’s easy to find. Whether it be in regard to health or life in general, people who fall victim to this common trap are failing to recognize one of the most important aspects of achieving success.
Some people simply expect others to provide them with the answers to all of their concerns, and when this doesn’t happen, they fail to consider themselves as part of the problem. Although this type of mentality may not do much harm when applied to small tasks, it can have disastrous effects on your health, your happiness, and even your family life. As such, whenever faced with a problem or challenge, it’s essential that you recognize yourself as a significant part of the solution and take full responsibility for the outcome. An important but sometimes uncomfortable part of this is enabling yourself to draw your own conclusions and make informed decisions based on them.
The Confusion and Frustration of Conflicting Information
Many of life’s challenges are surrounded by numerous solutions that are often ineffective and contradictory. A common reason for this is the complexity of the many challenges that we face and that possibility that a proven solution may simply not exist. In other cases, the most sensible and reliable information is buried by the marketing and popularity of inferior ideas. In addition, the resolution of one problem often leads to new questions and concerns that will need to be addressed. This is simply a fact of life and it’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever have all of the answers. As such, you can’t always expect that the answers you’re searching for will be readily available and clearly defined.
Despite their urgency, health problems are often surrounded by more uncertainty and conflicting opinion than most other aspects of life, and this can obviously be quite unsettling. Human function is extremely complex and science is likely a far way off from having discovered everything that there is to understand. As a result, a lot of health advice is based on educated opinions, and because everyone thinks a little differently, it’s common for such opinions to conflict. The people who are most successful at resolving the problems they encounter are those who are willing to work with this uncertainty, develop their own opinions, and hold themselves accountable for their decisions. In contrast, those who don’t succeed are often the people who blame others for giving them the wrong answers.
Government Isn’t Always Trustworthy
Although general skepticism of government is becoming more common, many people still believe that any information published by a government agency is undisputed truth. However, government officials aren’t any more or less human than the rest of us and are just as likely to make mistakes or be dishonest. Anyone who follows politics closely knows that such problems are a common reality within most governments.
When it comes to health, it can be very upsetting to realize that government often creates more cause for concern than safety. In America, the poor integrity of the FDA is perhaps the most prominent example of this. With the considerable amount of funding that they receive from drug companies, they’re more interested in quickly approving new drugs then their primary responsibility of protecting public health. This was clearly the case with the questionable approval of the painkiller Vioxx that killed more Americans than the Vietnam War.
Heart disease is another alarming example. The government has been telling us for decades that saturated fat and cholesterol are bad for us and cause heart disease. However, a closer look at the research has led many experts to regard this as a myth. In fact, many well respected nutrition experts have been saying for a while that saturated fat is essential to our health as is cholesterol. Despite this, the USDA still promotes a diet that is low in fat and cholesterol and high in unnatural foods.
This creates quite a problem. Do you believe your well established government, or the conflicting opinion of someone you’ve never heard of? Unfortunately, there’s no correct answer, and both opinions may be equally wrong. This is precisely why you have to be willing to dig for the truth and develop your own opinions.
Doctors and Other Experts Aren’t Always Right
It wasn’t until my twenties that I had the shocking realization that doctors don’t know everything there is to know about maintaining good health. Through my experience with chronic fatigue syndrome, it was even more shocking to realize how much they sometimes don’t know. Many people still have the misconception that doctors always know best and are unaware of how heavily doctors are influenced by the drug industry and how likely they are to prescribe treatments that do nothing more than mask symptoms. Even doctors who practice holistic and natural medicine are sometimes guilty of chasing symptoms. Although they use natural substances instead of drugs, they’re not getting any closer to resolving the underlying causes of compromised health.
Registered dietitians are another group of health care professionals that many people trust blindly. Unfortunately, many of them are trained according to the flawed dietary principles that are promoted by the USDA and the American Dietetic Association, both of which are influenced by the very same companies that produce the unhealthy processed foods that we should be avoiding. In addition, some dietitians are still embracing the flawed idea that good health and weight loss are as simple as balancing calorie intake with calorie expenditure. I’ve even been told by a registered dietitian that health problems and weight gain can’t be attributed to a single ingredient, not even sugar.
Fitness professionals aren’t any better. Many of them are pushing their clients beyond their capacity and are recommending exercise programs that sacrifice health for appearance. This is evident with extreme programs like the P90X which push many people well beyond their limits and and are unlikely to be effective long term.
Once again, this creates an uncomfortable scenario. Do you trust the recommendations of a doctor, dietitian, or any other health professional simply because of their credentials? This is a choice that only you can make, but at the least, you should take a closer look at what the credentials really represent.
Scientific Research Isn’t Always Reliable
Even if they’re aware of the concerns related to the integrity of government and health care professionals, many people think that scientific research is the equivalent of indisputable truth. However, research faces the same challenges as government and the health care profession.
In his book The Cholesterol Myths, Dr. Uffe Ravnskov points out how a number of heart disease studies provide conclusions that completely contradict the research data in order to support popular thinking. The research done by drug companies to prove the safety and effectiveness of their drugs is even worse because the “supporting” data is rarely even published.
These issues are compounded by the pressure that’s put on scientists to find funding. In order to make a living and avoid being defamed and ruining their careers, they often have to restrict themselves to research that supports modern dogma. In his book The Body Electric, Dr. Robert Becker has clearly articulated this unfortunate challenge with his research on the health effects of electromagnetic radiation. Dr. Candace Pert also discusses her encounters with the politics and corruption of modern research in her book Molecules of Emotion.
There is certainly tremendous value in scientific research, but the simple fact that a study is published in a prestigious journal by a host of people with impressive credentials doesn’t automatically mean that the information presented is accurate and reliable. In fact, the names listed on the study may not have had any part in the research, and even if they did, they may have financial ties to the subject of the study which makes the research biased. Once again, this leaves you with the uncomfortable but necessary responsibility of critically evaluating your sources of information.
The One Person You Can Always Trust
Although I may seem to have a negative bias against the people and agencies mentioned above, I don’t automatically discount all information from these sources, and I don’t blame them for any of my problems. I could have easily blamed the medical professionals that I worked with throughout my experience with chronic fatigue syndrome, but if I did that, I’d probably still be struggling to get through each day. Besides, most of these people had good intentions and were genuinely interested in helping me. It was ultimately my perseverance to find answers and my willingness to make my own decisions that allowed me to get better.
The resource I’ve trusted most is my own ability to evaluate different resources and draw my own conclusions which is what enabled me to decide that taking 60 pills per day wasn’t the best way for me to recover from chronic fatigue syndrome. If you want to maximize your chances of achieving excellent health and living a successful and rewarding life, you too have to trust your ability to develop your own opinions and make informed decisions. It may require some work to obtain the necessary information, but you don’t have to become an expert, and neglecting to make this effort can result in a lot of regret and a severely compromised quality of life.
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“Many people still have the misconception that doctors always know best and are unaware of … how likely they are to prescribe treatments that do nothing more than mask symptoms.”
Very true. I can’t count the times that doctors have refused to believe me when I’ve told them of severe side-effects caused by their prescription medications. They are so locked into a rigid drugs-are-the-only-answer mindset that they can’t consider the possibility that BigPharma’s marketing could be wrong.
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment!
It’s an unfortunate situation, but doctors like this will be forced to reevaluate their thinking if enough of their patients become more informed and start looking for alternatives. We may not have much influence over politics and government, but we certainly can choose where we spend our money (or in this case, our insurance money).
Vin, this is such a smart article!
When you were discussing the part about personal trainers, it brought up the memory of what a friend of mine told me at the gym. He was watching a trainer push a client very hard. The client was middle aged, out of shape and desperately out of breath. Well, the client just keeled over right in front of my friend! Yup, he died right there! My friend told me it was the second death he had witnessed at that particular gym.
I am at the point where I trust no one (except you, Vin..lol). I always consider the agenda and the money trail. Alot of people watch the TV show “The Doctors” or “Dr. Oz”. Yeah, yeah, they are rock stars now, and make medicine look all cool and everything. But, watch the rolling credits at the end of these shows. They are all funded by drug companies, medical equipment companies, etc. Follow that money trail and you will know the truth.
Just look, for example, at this recent Mammogram scam. Now you will see everyone singing a different tune except the “experts” that stand to make money from a younger generation of women (under 50). I’m over 50 and I took 12 years of mammograms starting at 37 because I listened to the “talking heads”. I won’t be taking anymore, I can tell you that. Maybe I’m wrong and I will suffer for it, but I did the research and my personal decision is not to push more radiation into my breasts. Let those stupid machines collect dust. They spent zillions of dollars buying them, marketing the technology and now they will be stuck with them.
It seems like everyone is selling something today and they use fear to get the marketing out there. The natural companies are no better. I listen to numerous local radio shows here in Phoenix and it’s all based on selling that magic bullet, that “all natural” product that will make your life better. They are becoming as bad as the annoying commercials by Big Pharma! So, Vin, you are right once again. We must take responsibility and do as much research as we can before making decisions.
Thanks, Sharona!
That’s a sad story and it reminds me of the mentality that is promoted on The Biggest Loser, and many of the winners from this show end up gaining all of their weight back.
I’m honored to have earned your trust and would be equally honored to earn the trust of anyone else, but I don’t want anyone to rely on my opinions without thinking for themselves (not that you do, Sharona. I mean this in general). This is what has gotten many of us into problems in the first place. I wanted to mention this in the article, but I was worried that it would be perceived the wrong way.
There’s a well known proverb that I really like: “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Fishing is a lot of work and so is healthy living, but the rewards of independence, sustenance, and empowerment are tremendous and can’t be experienced at their full potential any other way. I’m very passionate about helping motivated people obtain such rewards, but I have little interest in handing out fish or accommodating those who want nothing more than the delusional quick fix.
I think it’s wise of you to be weary of mammograms. The reading I’ve done on electromagnetic radiation has made me realize that the use of modern medical imaging equipment is not without risk, and this includes common technologies such as MRI, CAT scans, and ultrasound in addition to mammograms and the well known risks of x-rays. As Robert Becker says, who is the author of two great books on electromagnetic radiation, it’s necessary to evaluate the necessity of such technologies before using them, and many medical professionals are unfortunately prescribing them with little discretion.
Now that thermography is available as an alternative, there’s even more reason to reconsider having mammograms. In addition, I’m sure I’d be greatly disappointed by the percentage of women who have regular mammograms but do very little to prevent cancer through healthy habits. True prevention is about avoiding disease through excellent health, not just detecting it early.
I would love to have thermography, but my insurance will not cover it and when asked they say it’s an unproven science. The doctors say the same thing. Out of pocket, I believe thermography winds up being about $600, which I cannot afford these days.
In all this mammogram talk in the media..not once did I hear them speaking about the risks of radiation or even heard them utter the word ‘thermogram”. They would all lose their jobs if they did. Some world, huh?
The fact that many of us are at the mercy of insurance companies can certainly be a challenge. Hopefully more of them will start covering thermography in the near future.
With the exponential rate that cell phone usage is increasing, maybe it will be soon that the risks of electromagnetic radiation become more widely recognized and raise more concerns in other related areas like medical imaging.
It really is a confusing world out there. The more I learn and investigate, the more I become aware of conflicting professional opinions, the unreliability of entities such as the FDA and other adjudicating bodies, how many experts are actually selling snake oil, and the sheer variety of options when it comes to exercise and nutrition.
I’m trying to put together a weekly exercise routine right now, and am starting to flounder as I try to balance the amount of cardio, HIIT, resistance training and yoga I want to do. How much is too much? Should I take one day off a week, or two? What’s the right combination for my body, for my energy levels, that will help me accomplish my goals? Everywhere I look there are different answers, different authorities stating firmly that they’re correct. Depending on whom I listen to, I should be in the gym lifting weights six days a week or conversely doing HIIT for two months straight, every day, or any conceivable variation thereof.
How to find the right path? You’re exactly right in your post. I’m going to educate myself, listen to my body, and gradually ease myself into whatever routine I decide on so as to prevent injury, burn out, or exhaustion.
And reading your blog is definitely of great help in all this, so thanks, Vin!
Hi Phil, thanks for your comment!
Exercise can be an especially tricky subject because there are so many variables and unknowns. A trap I have fallen into many times is paralysis by analysis. Always wanting to design the perfect routine, I would either try to include too much or would end up with too many unanswered questions. Unless you’re a professional athlete, exercising doesn’t have to be this complicated! I think the two most important things are to not overwork yourself and not do anything that has a high risk of injury. Beyond that, you can simply try new things and evaluate how they work as you continue learning and filling in the blanks.
I regard to rest, I prefer to not follow a rigid schedule. I know my body is not going to recover any faster just because another workout day is approaching, so I only workout when I feel ready for it. This sometimes results in me working out less than I’d like to, but I firmly believe that it’s important to not force myself to exercise, and when I feel that I’d have to, I take it as a sign that something else is off and needs to be addressed. Perhaps I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress, or maybe my body is fighting germs. The list can go on and on. Whatever the cause may be, and however long it may take to resolve, I work on identifying it and addressing it and adjust my activity level accordingly.
This approach is a necessity for me because of my history with chronic fatigue syndrome and the resulting susceptibility to fatigue that I still have, but I think anyone can benefit from this perspective even if not applied as strictly.
Your article makes a very good point. I know from personal experience that doctors and drug companies cannot always be trusted to help us – although doctors DO care about their patients and feel they are giving them the best advice; I personally know dedicated researchers in the pharmaceutical industry that truly keep searching for answers because they care for people and want to help them. I’ve been thinking over the last couple of days that perhaps with all our resources for exploring the best answers for our health, with all the drugs and conflicting advice, we miss the answer because it might be too simple: eat natural whole foods – an apple, a banana, broccoli, lots of greens, meats from animal raised simply on a natural & correct diet for them, foods grown and raised simply. The same applies to exercise – take a walk in the fresh air every day, move around. And most of all, we are not going to live forever, it is natural to age and change. No one can look like they are 25 when they are 75, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be as healthy as we can, be as happy and it doesn’t mean one cannot be beautiful at 75. I think I am guilty of this myself – making things TOO complicated when really, it is very simple – go back to the basics.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for your comment!
You made some excellent points yourself! Despite the flaws in our medical system and it’s treatment philosophies, I agree that many of today’s medical professionals really do want to help us. I also agree that there are numerous researchers who are dedicated to real science and finding the truth, even in the pharmaceutical industry. Unfortunately, the voices of the people with less honorable intentions or less knowledge seem to be much louder, larger in number, and in turn, more influential.
As you can probably tell, I’m a huge fan of keeping things simple and I definitely think that it’s important to never lose sight of the basics. A common problem for many people is that the basics can require dedication and they’d rather find a solution that’s easier and perhaps more exciting.
Hey Vin, what a great article. I think you actually went a little easy on the governments, FDA, AMA, and the giant pharmaceuticals. The crimes against humanity perpetrated by these groups will probably never be fully exposed. This amplifies the need for individuals to take personal responsibility for their own health, which means getting the facts so they can make intelligent decisions. I commend you for your role in this area.
Oh, one more thing. I know you are down on P90X, and I respect your right to your opinion. I agree that it’s extreme, and certainly not for everyone. But I gotta tell you, I’ve been into fitness all my life and I absolutely love this program. It’s exactly wake up call my body needed and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Keep up the excellent work my friend,
Jonathan
Thanks, Jonathan!
I agree on both counts. I probably am being too lenient, and I’m sure there’s many frightening facts that we’ll never know. However, I’m not trying to make anyone hate the government, doctors, the drug industry, or anyone else. I just want people to realize that they have to think for themselves and can’t blindly trust these groups.
I’m glad you’re enjoying P90X. If you’re accomplishing your goals and it’s not sucking you dry of energy, there’s certainly nothing wrong with doing it. My biggest concern is for the people who think they need a program this intense to lose weight, be in good shape, or support their health with exercise. Heck, you don’t even need that much intensity to have the “ripped abs” that are the focal point of the program. I’ll stop there.
Thanks for stopping by!
I guess with the issue regarding finding your own answers and sifting through contradictory information, the benefit is in the process. If someone had told me 5 years ago that the government doesn’t act in your best interests or that saturated fat was good for you I would have laughed at them. But uncovering truth piece by piece for myself is better in some ways. And seeing things that way means I’m less likely to get frustrated with people who toe the party line, because I can see that they aren’t necessarily being dumb or ignorant, they just haven’t gone through the process.
More good points, Thomas. Uncovering the truth, as you say, piece by piece, is very valuable. We do need to find answers, judge their truth and proceed. Like you, I never would have believed saturated fats were good for me – but for the reading I did. Again, though, simple, real food – of course it is better for us. Most people have been brainwashed and they can’t get around it. I have a friend who is a vegetarian, yet she eats so much process vegetarian substitution food, she has health issues. Will she read any of the info I have passed on? No. She’s an RN by the way.
We all have to come to the answers in our own way, at the right time and then be able to implement. I write this as a bone broth brews on the stove nearby.
Great point, Thomas!
Some of us are more open minded than others, but I think that we all generally need to go through the process you describe.
While most people accept mainstream opinions too easily, others do the same with alternative opinions and neither is good. In either case, I think it’s a problem that some people would rather take the easy way out by relying too much on others than to go through this learning process.
@Elizabeth – What’s an RN? I haven’t come across that abbreviation before, probably because I don’t know much about vegetarianism.
Hi Thomas, RN usually stands for Registered Nurse.
Registered nurse- nothing to do with vegetarianism. I was just mentioning that she is a medical practitioner, and a darn good one – very compassionate, knowledgeable. But the point was that she thinks she is doing something good for her health when she eats all this processed meat-substitution stuff. I recommended Nourishing Traditions to her, among others, but she will likely remain a vegetarian.
Hi Elizabeth,
Another great book to recommend to her is The Vegetarian Myth. It’s written by a former die hard vegan who was provoked by poor health and common sense to change her perspective. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve heard a lot of great things about it.
There’s also a good article called The Naive Vegetarian.