Welcome to "Healthy Living."
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I'm your host Margo Marshall.
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There was a time when
heart disease was the #1 killer
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in Western
countries, but not anymore.
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According to the
"World Health Organization,"
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heart disease is now the leading
cause of death worldwide.
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Why is that?
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Stay tuned as we get to
the heart of the matter.
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In the studio with me
today, I have Dr. John Clark
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and health
psychologist, Jeni Skues.
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Welcome Jeni and
welcome John! Thank you.
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This is a very, very
important subject and it's just
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one that affects so many people.
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So, John, would you like
to start off by telling us
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your amazing story of
someone who was able to turn
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their health
around from heart disease.
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The gentleman I'm
going to tell you about today
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was a trucker - he would
drive across the United States
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in a big truck; he was
many miles from home down in
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Tennessee when he had
a massive heart attack.
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They took him to a University
Hospital, checked him out,
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did everything they could
and said, "There isn't anything
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more we can do; we
can't do a bypass surgery,
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you're not a candidate and we
can't do any stents or anything.
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We're just going to
send you home on oxygen."
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Well they sent him home back
up to West Virginia on oxygen.
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Now this gentleman
also had been smoking,
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so he had emphysema which
can contribute to heart disease.
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That's a bad combination.
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And he also had diabetes
which also increases the risk
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of plaque or
atherosclerosis in the heart.
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And then he had the
atherosclerosis that led
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to the heart attack.
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So these type of people
are in very difficult shape,
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and he was no exception.
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They say a large
portion of his heart had died
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in the heart attack and
the result was something
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called,
"congestive heart failure."
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His heart just
wasn't pumping enough blood
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or much blood and
so he's home on oxygen;
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he's on diabetic pills
and he's in tough shape. And?
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Lots of complications.
Yeah, lots of complications.
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So you think about some
of the things that might lead
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to a heart attack
in somebody like this.
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Well you've given us
a few good ones with the
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diabetes and
everything else he had.
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I think John is talking
about some lifestyle things.
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You've already
talked about him smoking?
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Produced stress. Yeah.
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That's a major factor,
the first organ affected by
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stress is the heart, then the
lungs and then the lower organs,
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so his heart was
being impacted totally.
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And sitting in the
truck day in and day out
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not getting physical activity.
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That's correct!
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Sedentary lifestyle -
well, he was at this place
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in West Virginia and his
wife was a church attender,
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and I came there to do a series
of meetings on health topics.
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Well the church said,
"Well will you see our "church
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invalid," they
called him. Oh goodness.
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Labeled! What a label to have!
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Yes and why was
he called an invalid?
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Well when I got to see him,
he sat in his chair with his
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eyes half open, on oxygen;
he would slowly puff away
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and he had this oxygen tank
that made a click every time
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he took a breath in, and
I'm listening to this and I'm
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thinking, "Well I'm happy
to see your church invalid,
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but "I'm thinking this
is not a promising case!"
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He can't walk across the
room without feeling winded;
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his heart is totally
messed up with a heart attack;
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his diabetes is contributing
and he hasn't done anything
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to fix that and I'm
just feeling like, "Wow, you
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know, there's more promising
cases, is this going to be a
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winner or not and
will he even do what...?"
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You know, if the church sends
him to me, it isn't like he
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said, "I want to go see
Dr. Clark," like somebody
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Yeah, not his own idea.
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He wasn't a willing volunteer.
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Well at least that would
be my question, you know,
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"Did you come here
because you wanted to
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or because they said,
you know, you're going..."
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And that's a big
factor isn't it? Motivation!
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Oh absolutely!
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If you don't want to do it,
you can teach them anything,
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and the person won't contribute,
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won't do anything,
they've given up. Yeah!
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It's like he'd
probably already given up,
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and that means he's
telling his body he's given up,
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the brain and the body are
communicating which is huge.
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And it makes a difference,
it's people who give up
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or don't have anything they
can do, especially men will die.
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We actually have a survival
brain - part of the brain is
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geared to survive and
it's an unconscious part
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that reacts, but you
can actually consciously
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shut it down like he
would have gotten off of that
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survival mode started
to go, "Oh well, there's no
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hope for me, my life is over,"
so he's allowing the brain
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to shut everything down.
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And so he and his wife
came, his wife - I didn't really
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go into her health
issues, but she definitely
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carried extra pounds
and so I said, "Okay,
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let's do our best here."
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And so I took their health
history and their lifestyle
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history - I usually go through
and ask them what they eat
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for breakfast, lunch and
tea... laughter... you might
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call it the "evening meal," as
it doesn't conflict with that.
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We all know. Yes.
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And how much exercise he
got, how much water he drank,
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and what some of
his other habits were
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that were good or bad and
then I sat down and laid him out
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a program - what time
to get up in the morning;
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what to do as soon as he got up;
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how much water to
drink; different exercises
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for his lungs; foods
for his lungs for breakfast;
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different times for when to
drink water in the mid-morning;
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and what to eat for lunch;
and when to do his exercise
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after lunch and after breakfast.
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You're talking
exercise to a man who can't walk
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across the room. That's right.
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So that would
have been a challenge.
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What exercise did you give him?
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I'm glad you mentioned
that because what I basically
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told him is this...
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Every two hours, I want
you to walk half the distance
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you can walk without stopping
and turn around and come back,
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and then each time, try
to push it a little farther
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so if you can only walk a
block, walk half a block out
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and half a block back and
see where you turned around
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and next time, take
a few steps further.
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And so every two hours he
was supposed to take a walk
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and practice some
breathing exercises.
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Well it was very interesting,
I sort of dismissed him
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and thought, "Oh well,
you know, I gave him this
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huge program - a lot
of lifestyle changes..."
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Yes, very structured
because he was a very sick man.
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Very structured.
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He had to really stick to it.
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He needed to stick to
it and within two months,
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he was walking 3
kilometers a day. Wow!
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He was starting his garden;
his eyes were wide opened;
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the oxygen was going down in
the amount of volume he needed
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per day or per hour.
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How long was that
before that... Two months!
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Two months - that's amazing
for someone who was so sick
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and literally on death's door.
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And the emphysema, I
mean the lung capacity
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is being compromised.
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So it wasn't just the
heart that wasn't pumping enough
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blood and the lungs
couldn't breathe properly,
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so he had both of those
major things. That's wonderful.
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And so he also put in
a chicken house and he
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would come to
meetings at the church...
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What was this
chicken house about?
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Was that just something
he could do physically?
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Something he could
do physically. Okay!
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He got some chickens and
they were laying eggs and,
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you know, something
to do, and his garden was
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(flourishing)...
Yeah, starting to share
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stuff from his garden over time.
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Gardening is actually
quite more strenuous than
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just walking because even
just getting down to ground
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level is quite a
challenge, but it's a great
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exercise, isn't it? Oh yes.
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He's a good example of
that principle of motivation
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because he wouldn't
have had any motivation
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when he started - which is
what you questioned him on,
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you know, are you're willing to
do this, but when you gave him
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a formula and he followed
it, he took action and it
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increased his motivation,
so that's a very good
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example of that and
then he would have taken more
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action which is like when
you go those few steps further,
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and we can all do that,
and we don't have to feel
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like it, we just have to know
"this is what I have to do,"
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and that's what he did.
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You grow your motivation.
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Yes, you do!
It's like your garden!
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It makes me think of a little
saying, I have to tell you this.
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I read it, it's
a very good quote.
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"A dream becomes a
reality when you takes steps
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to make it so."
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I have to laugh about that
because it's a little joke...
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I have with my
daughter, she had a bit of a
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dream and I said
something like that to her,
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and she was crushed!
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Do you know what?
She did it, she did it.
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We'll talk about it another day.
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Yes, so he did
this, you put before him
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what could happen and
even you were a little
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bit unsure whether
someone so sick could actually
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become well, but you put
before him what could happen,
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and how it could
happen, and he took the steps
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and we haven't heard
the end of the story yet.
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So you've got more
to this story, I think?
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Yes and so he
went to see his doctor;
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they started cutting back
on his diabetic medications.
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And the congestive
heart failure improving,
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that's why he could walk so far.
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And then the last time I
saw him, I didn't actually
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see him, I saw a picture
of him... in West Virginia
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they had something
called, "Health Camp," meaning
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people could come there
for two weeks and enjoy the
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outdoors and get
instruction and eat good food.
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And his picture was on
the front of the brochure
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walking big steps and
looking just very vibrant,
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and as an advertisement
for coming to "Health Camp."
00:11:07.90\00:11:10.90
Ohhh, what do you know!
00:11:10.93\00:11:12.87
What do you know! A
very good advertisement.
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How long would that
have been? Do you know?
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That was about a year later.
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About a year later and
he was an advertisement
00:11:18.47\00:11:20.71
for a "Health Camp."
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That's astonishing,
actually isn't it - when you
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think about it - with
someone who couldn't walk
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across the room and so
on and had all of those
00:11:28.25\00:11:30.72
health ailments.
Oh, that's beautiful!
00:11:30.75\00:11:33.76
He actually applied his
will because in the brain
00:11:33.79\00:11:36.32
there's a physical part of
the brain that is connected
00:11:36.36\00:11:38.46
with the will and the conscience
and the will starts at the
00:11:38.49\00:11:41.36
front of the lobe
through to the back of the brain
00:11:41.40\00:11:44.00
in the center there and it's
now scientifically found that
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the will is an active
part; it's not just, you know,
00:11:48.27\00:11:51.81
something that we
don't see - it's really
00:11:51.84\00:11:54.34
a physical part of the brain.
00:11:54.38\00:11:55.71
So when he was so sick,
his will would have been
00:11:55.74\00:11:57.55
eroding, alright, but
certainly as he improved,
00:11:57.58\00:12:01.38
then he put his will in action.
00:12:01.42\00:12:02.88
It's like a muscle - it grows.
00:12:02.92\00:12:04.65
So if we action the
will, it will grow and it will
00:12:04.69\00:12:07.22
strengthen - so
it's an important point.
00:12:07.26\00:12:09.39
Jeni, just while we're
chatting to you, does the heart
00:12:09.42\00:12:13.40
have intelligence?
00:12:13.43\00:12:14.86
The heart is an
amazingly intelligent organ.
00:12:14.90\00:12:18.13
I kind of think that's
going to be news to some people.
00:12:18.17\00:12:22.64
So just to make this
very clear, tell us about it.
00:12:22.67\00:12:25.57
The scientific community
is finding that the heart has
00:12:25.61\00:12:28.44
an amazing
intelligence all of its own.
00:12:28.48\00:12:30.68
It's not like our thinking
brain, it has an intelligence
00:12:30.71\00:12:33.98
as to how it works
and it's actually the
00:12:34.02\00:12:35.85
focus of the whole
system because if the
00:12:35.88\00:12:37.62
heart fails, everything
fails, the brain fails.
00:12:37.65\00:12:39.89
And it has circuitry, electrical
circuitry, it isn't just a pump.
00:12:39.95\00:12:45.09
It actually has a lot of
nerves and a very complex system
00:12:45.13\00:12:48.80
that now with new
technology, they're finding out
00:12:48.83\00:12:51.17
there's a lot more to the
heart than we really believed.
00:12:51.20\00:12:53.44
Isn't that interesting? Yeah.
00:12:53.47\00:12:54.87
We can actually
shut the heart down.
00:12:54.90\00:12:56.81
There's a syndrome called,
"the broken heart syndrome."
00:12:56.84\00:12:59.34
We hear about broken hearts and
00:12:59.37\00:13:01.18
I thought it was
just an expression.
00:13:01.21\00:13:03.18
No, die of a
broken heart literally.
00:13:03.21\00:13:05.15
Yeah and a client I had a
long time ago, she was at the
00:13:05.18\00:13:09.92
doctor's and she said she
was having what seemed like
00:13:09.95\00:13:14.19
a heart attack but
it was a panic attack
00:13:14.22\00:13:15.82
because she was prone to
them and the doctor kept saying,
00:13:15.86\00:13:17.69
"You're having a panic attack."
00:13:17.73\00:13:19.06
She was saying, "No,
it's my heart, I'm having
00:13:19.09\00:13:21.70
a heart attack - I
know it's my heart."
00:13:21.73\00:13:23.93
And she finally convinced
him because he was trying
00:13:23.97\00:13:26.03
to get her to stop the panic
and he sent her to the hospital,
00:13:26.07\00:13:29.50
and they did help the
heart, it was the heart,
00:13:29.54\00:13:32.94
but the person who
diagnosed her and the heart
00:13:32.97\00:13:36.28
practitioner, he said that
it was actually "the broken
00:13:36.31\00:13:39.31
heart syndrome," and
that was because she'd had
00:13:39.35\00:13:42.05
immense grief in her life
- she had never dealt with.
00:13:42.08\00:13:44.12
And that was partly why I
was helping her and she had all
00:13:44.15\00:13:47.52
these losses and deaths
and people around her and that
00:13:47.56\00:13:51.56
had caused such grief
was what overloaded the heart
00:13:51.59\00:13:55.16
it was overwhelming.
00:13:55.20\00:13:56.53
You can die of a broken heart.
00:13:57.63\00:13:59.20
The circuitry, it interrupts
that electrical circuitry
00:13:59.93\00:14:03.57
of the heart and the
heart can actually flood itself.
00:14:03.61\00:14:05.67
Ohh, that's just incredible.
00:14:05.71\00:14:07.04
And it's not a heart
attack, it's actually, you know,
00:14:07.08\00:14:09.18
the heart is breaking.
00:14:09.21\00:14:10.55
So we've got to
look after the heart!
00:14:11.08\00:14:13.18
But how would we do
that, you might tell us
00:14:13.21\00:14:15.38
that in a moment, but
John, you've given this man a
00:14:15.42\00:14:20.09
very strict
program, did you tell us
00:14:20.12\00:14:22.96
what sorts of
things he was to eat?
00:14:22.99\00:14:24.66
I don't know if
you've covered that.
00:14:24.69\00:14:26.03
No, I didn't quite cover
that yet and so I'm focusing
00:14:26.06\00:14:29.80
on three different
things; congestive heart failure
00:14:29.83\00:14:33.37
and coronary artery disease,
emphysema and lung oxygenation
00:14:33.40\00:14:39.34
and diabetes.
00:14:39.37\00:14:41.11
So we're looking at three things
we have to straighten out,
00:14:41.14\00:14:44.25
and you might think - "Well
that's terribly complex if he's
00:14:44.28\00:14:46.28
on medications, he'd be on
medications for all three."
00:14:46.31\00:14:49.72
Well what's sort of neat about
the original diet and original
00:14:49.75\00:14:52.62
lifestyle is it
treats everything!
00:14:52.65\00:14:54.99
Yes, one size fits all!
00:14:55.02\00:14:57.36
One size fits all!
Well tell us what it is.
00:14:57.39\00:14:58.93
What is this "original diet,"
as you call it, but it goes
00:14:58.96\00:15:01.70
back to the beginning
of creation - what is that?
00:15:01.73\00:15:04.73
This would be like fresh fruits
and vegetables, nuts and seeds.
00:15:04.77\00:15:08.70
And of course, we did
pick on certain ones as being
00:15:08.74\00:15:12.07
the things he
should focus on. Yes.
00:15:12.11\00:15:14.38
And so the things that we
focused on for him were like
00:15:14.41\00:15:17.11
foods for the lungs - apples!
00:15:17.15\00:15:19.41
A person that eats an
apple a day - you know the old
00:15:19.45\00:15:21.98
"An apple a day." It
will put you out of business.
00:15:22.02\00:15:24.42
"Keeps the doctor away." Yes.
00:15:24.92\00:15:26.25
Keeps the doctor away - an
apple a day will increase the
00:15:26.29\00:15:28.49
amount of air a person
breathes by 150 milliliters
00:15:28.52\00:15:34.03
in every breath. Wow!
00:15:34.06\00:15:36.93
Through your
breath, every breath.
00:15:36.97\00:15:38.30
How do these 150 milliliters,
I'm trying to picture it,
00:15:38.33\00:15:40.47
what would that be like?
00:15:40.50\00:15:41.87
A half a cup - no, 250 is a cup
so it's a bit over half a cup.
00:15:41.90\00:15:47.64
Isn't it? You don't know
because you don't do metrics.
00:15:47.68\00:15:51.88
No, that would be
125 is half a cup,
00:15:53.11\00:15:56.05
so 150 is a bit over half a cup.
00:15:56.08\00:15:58.22
That's a lot of volume!
00:15:58.25\00:15:59.59
Yeah for your lungs.
That's a lot of extra volume.
00:15:59.62\00:16:01.82
And that's by eating an
apple a day. An apple a day!
00:16:01.86\00:16:04.23
Why don't we take a
short break? Laughter.
00:16:04.26\00:16:07.23
Yeah, have you
got an apple there?
00:16:07.26\00:16:08.60
Where's the
apple for the teacher?
00:16:08.63\00:16:09.96
Isn't it funny that - I don't
know if that's in all cultures,
00:16:10.00\00:16:12.27
but there's this is saying,
An apple a day, keeps the
00:16:12.30\00:16:14.87
doctor away," and
I'm surprised that
00:16:14.90\00:16:16.24
you were going to undercut
your profession! Laughter.
00:16:16.27\00:16:19.17
Onions, you know how
when you eat an onion,
00:16:21.24\00:16:23.21
it's almost
instantly on your breath?
00:16:23.24\00:16:24.91
Oh yes! Oh yes!
00:16:24.95\00:16:27.15
Especially if it's
someone else's breath. Yes!
00:16:27.18\00:16:29.02
And onions have a phytochemical
called "quercetin,"
00:16:29.05\00:16:32.62
which is also very
beneficial for the lungs.
00:16:32.65\00:16:35.89
So we had him doing
apples, onions, garlic;
00:16:35.92\00:16:39.16
grapes are good for the lungs.
00:16:39.19\00:16:40.83
They have resveratrol which
helps lungs fight infections
00:16:40.86\00:16:44.40
and be more healthy and so
lung foods were a big part of it
00:16:44.43\00:16:48.97
and then for his
diabetes, we improved his intake
00:16:49.00\00:16:52.44
of whole grains especially
things like oat bran - which
00:16:52.47\00:16:56.41
oat bran helps to
control blood sugars.
00:16:56.44\00:16:59.68
And then for his heart disease,
we're looking to totally cut
00:16:59.71\00:17:03.08
any kind of fats and eat
lots of green leafy vegetables
00:17:03.12\00:17:07.56
which help plaque
to disappear. Okay.
00:17:07.59\00:17:11.26
Additionally, things that
help plaque disappear are good
00:17:11.29\00:17:13.80
sunlight, fresh
air and exercise.
00:17:13.83\00:17:16.53
Basic principles.
00:17:18.60\00:17:20.34
So you're saying that these
things actually reverse the
00:17:20.37\00:17:23.07
build up of
plaque in the arteries.
00:17:23.10\00:17:26.07
That's correct, "Dr.
Caldwell Esselstyne of the
00:17:26.11\00:17:29.04
Cleveland Clinic" has
shown in angiography that plaque
00:17:29.08\00:17:32.38
can be totally reversed
simply by changes in diet.
00:17:32.41\00:17:36.99
And his recommended diet
is a low fat diet, beans,
00:17:37.02\00:17:41.06
fresh fruits and vegetables.
It was a no-added fat diet,
00:17:41.12\00:17:43.79
if I recall correctly - he was
very strict, very, very strict.
00:17:43.83\00:17:48.20
I remember him as saying
to the people in his study,
00:17:48.23\00:17:50.77
"You play by the rules
or you get out of my study."
00:17:50.80\00:17:54.10
Because he had to be
able to show whether this
00:17:54.14\00:17:56.94
worked or not and if people
aren't going to follow it.
00:17:56.97\00:18:00.98
I met him, he's a lovely man.
00:18:01.01\00:18:03.48
Yes, so that was like a
whole food plant-based diet,
00:18:05.55\00:18:09.78
and the water and particular
foods that were helping him,
00:18:09.82\00:18:12.62
so that's really good.
00:18:12.65\00:18:14.86
Well before we go on, I
think you were going to ask me
00:18:14.89\00:18:17.23
about the heart
again. That's alright, yes.
00:18:17.26\00:18:18.59
One of the things I
learned very early when I was
00:18:18.63\00:18:21.10
learning more about
psychology, was someone
00:18:21.13\00:18:23.57
who was a heart specialist
and did a talk for us.
00:18:23.60\00:18:25.40
And he was saying that
stress is a huge factor in
00:18:25.43\00:18:28.40
causing blockages about
the arteries and that because
00:18:28.44\00:18:31.37
it's like having
racing cars in your veins
00:18:31.41\00:18:33.84
because the adrenalin speeds up
00:18:33.88\00:18:36.91
the flow of
blood and what it does,
00:18:36.95\00:18:38.88
it knocks cells off the
wall and now you get a build up
00:18:38.91\00:18:42.48
that causes blockages,
so I suspect he was probably
00:18:42.52\00:18:45.49
a very stressed man, not just
physical stress but probably
00:18:45.52\00:18:49.59
emotional stress or
mental stress that would have
00:18:49.62\00:18:52.59
contributed because he
was such a chronic case.
00:18:52.63\00:18:56.73
So it's amazing what can
happen when we're stressed.
00:18:56.77\00:18:59.90
And so what you're
saying, you're talking about the
00:18:59.93\00:19:02.00
mind-body connection now
and in this program, we like to
00:19:02.04\00:19:05.01
look at the four aspects of
what makes up a human being;
00:19:05.04\00:19:08.34
mental, physical,
spiritual, social - all of those
00:19:08.38\00:19:11.11
things play a role in making us
well or, if they're neglected,
00:19:11.15\00:19:14.88
or abused, then it
contributes to not being well.
00:19:14.92\00:19:18.15
Well a prime example is
the heart-brain connection
00:19:18.19\00:19:20.42
because the heart talks to
the brain more than the brain
00:19:20.46\00:19:22.42
talks to the heart. Oh really?
00:19:22.46\00:19:23.99
Yes, which is interesting
and what happens is that
00:19:24.03\00:19:26.56
every movement, every flutter
of the heart gives the brain
00:19:26.59\00:19:29.36
a message and this is why when
the brain receives messages,
00:19:29.40\00:19:33.67
and it thinks the heart
is being compromised at all,
00:19:33.70\00:19:36.34
what it will do is
flood more adrenalin,
00:19:36.37\00:19:38.87
it kicks in the adrenals.
00:19:38.91\00:19:40.24
Your survival brain, the
part of the brain that says
00:19:40.28\00:19:42.24
"We've got to survive,"
and it actually works against
00:19:42.28\00:19:45.08
itself at that point because
adrenalin is going to get
00:19:45.11\00:19:47.35
the heart up - race the
heart and it spikes and it is
00:19:47.38\00:19:51.09
uneven - the beating
becomes uneven, you're getting
00:19:51.12\00:19:53.15
this sort of effect
and we want this effect.
00:19:53.19\00:19:55.59
We want it to be really
even, particularly the beats
00:19:55.62\00:19:58.33
between the
heart need to be even.
00:19:58.36\00:20:00.36
So you use that connection
and they find that if you calm
00:20:00.40\00:20:04.67
the heart rate, you
actually help the survival brain
00:20:04.70\00:20:07.97
to shut the adrenals off and
to then allow the whole system
00:20:08.00\00:20:11.94
to coordinate again - that's
what we call "homeostasis." Yes.
00:20:11.97\00:20:15.38
So we have been given
an amazingly wonderful
00:20:15.41\00:20:20.62
ability to
balance the whole system
00:20:20.65\00:20:22.35
purely by calming the heart.
00:20:22.38\00:20:23.82
Now you're going to
show us how to do that. Yes!
00:20:23.85\00:20:26.15
Alright, I'm very,
very interested in this.
00:20:26.19\00:20:28.26
Okay, one of the things
they found with the heart
00:20:28.29\00:20:30.49
that when you put
your hand on your heart,
00:20:30.53\00:20:32.13
(this is now in research), when
you cover the heart with the
00:20:32.16\00:20:34.80
hand, it actually
calms the heart. Okay.
00:20:34.83\00:20:37.00
So putting your hand here,
helps and then what I get people
00:20:37.03\00:20:40.90
to do is to breathe into the
hand space and into the lungs.
00:20:40.94\00:20:44.07
Yeah, most people either shallow
breathe or start from the
00:20:44.11\00:20:46.64
bottom, you know,
work from the diaphragm up.
00:20:46.68\00:20:49.14
This is the reverse - it's
like feeling the heart there
00:20:49.18\00:20:52.01
and then you just
breathing in and...
00:20:52.05\00:20:54.32
Into the lungs?
00:20:54.35\00:20:55.68
You have the people
tuning in to join us in this.
00:20:55.72\00:20:58.32
It actually feels lovely.
00:20:58.35\00:20:59.75
It actually just feels
lovely from that moment.
00:20:59.79\00:21:03.49
Well what happens
when you have someone...
00:21:03.53\00:21:05.93
yeah, you have a shock
or distress - often people
00:21:05.96\00:21:08.76
will... like that - they
grab the heart. That's right!
00:21:08.80\00:21:10.57
So the whole system is
geared to automatically
00:21:10.60\00:21:13.60
do things like that.
00:21:13.64\00:21:15.07
Isn't that interesting,
we just do it instinctively,
00:21:15.10\00:21:18.07
not even understanding.
00:21:18.11\00:21:19.51
So if you do a slow breath
in, just breathing in slowly,
00:21:19.54\00:21:22.98
I try and get people
through the nose if their nose
00:21:23.01\00:21:25.18
isn't blocked and then
slowly out through the mouth
00:21:25.21\00:21:27.55
just like breathing
through a straw and do that
00:21:27.58\00:21:30.89
to about the count of
5 in and count of 5 out.
00:21:30.92\00:21:33.39
What happens, the
heart rate stops spiking and
00:21:33.42\00:21:36.42
jagged and what it does
is it starts to do this...
00:21:36.46\00:21:38.99
Just like that -
that wouldn't take long.
00:21:39.03\00:21:41.70
Just 1, 2, 3 of
those breaths will do it.
00:21:41.73\00:21:44.83
And then this is where they had
scientifically hooked people up
00:21:44.87\00:21:47.80
to equipment and EEG
machines and things to
00:21:47.84\00:21:51.07
monitor and have a look
at what happens when you
00:21:51.11\00:21:53.48
change the way you
breathe. Isn't that incredible!
00:21:53.51\00:21:55.88
And it's become a very
important point that I found
00:21:55.91\00:21:59.25
in helping people,
particularly with trauma because
00:21:59.28\00:22:01.95
most people with stress
and trauma, their heart rate
00:22:01.98\00:22:04.22
is doing 100 miles an hour and
it's all over the place. Yes.
00:22:04.25\00:22:06.82
And the brain cannot
focus and settle when the heart
00:22:06.86\00:22:10.13
is like that.
00:22:10.16\00:22:11.76
So shall we do this a
couple of times? We can do this.
00:22:11.79\00:22:14.43
Let's just try it, I
mean I'm very...? actually.
00:22:14.46\00:22:17.40
so I've got to be careful I
don't touch my microphone again.
00:22:17.43\00:22:20.60
That's okay. My
hand here on the heart,
00:22:20.64\00:22:22.50
and then we're just
going to breathe in for 5.
00:22:22.54\00:22:24.47
Yes, just slowly breathe in.
00:22:24.51\00:22:25.97
lung and heart.
00:22:26.01\00:22:27.34
and watch your microphone.
00:22:27.38\00:22:28.81
Get your stethoscope out and
see if it's working. Laughter.
00:22:28.84\00:22:32.18
Okay, you're going to count
this in and count this out?
00:22:32.21\00:22:34.62
Okay, so I'm breathing
in through the nose slowly.
00:22:34.65\00:22:38.25
Feeling it here and going
into... And going that way.
00:22:38.29\00:22:40.66
So you feel it here
first. Just do the one.
00:22:40.69\00:22:42.12
Let's do the one alright? Okay.
00:22:42.16\00:22:43.69
So off you go... 1, 2, 3, 4,
5 and then just purse your lips
00:22:43.73\00:22:51.07
like through a straw... 1,
2, 3, 4, 5. I feel fantastic!
00:22:51.10\00:22:57.87
Yeah, and then if you
do that a couple of times,
00:22:57.91\00:23:00.24
you'll find your whole
system will calm and you
00:23:00.28\00:23:02.68
actually align - we
have a three-brain system
00:23:02.71\00:23:05.05
including the survival
mechanism that will settle
00:23:05.08\00:23:07.58
and focus back in the present
00:23:07.62\00:23:09.25
and you'll be back in balance.
00:23:09.28\00:23:10.62
The emotions will settle;
if you're an anxious person,
00:23:10.65\00:23:13.19
the fear will dissipate.
00:23:13.22\00:23:14.56
Yes, beautiful!
Thank you for that.
00:23:14.59\00:23:16.62
And for those tuning
in, I hope you've tried it,
00:23:16.66\00:23:20.20
and I hope you will.
00:23:20.23\00:23:21.56
And at any time when you're
feeling stress or even not,
00:23:21.60\00:23:24.43
perhaps sometimes
we feel stressed...
00:23:24.47\00:23:26.47
Put your hand over your
heart and just do a few breaths,
00:23:26.50\00:23:28.94
and be kind to you and
think of pleasant things
00:23:28.97\00:23:31.41
because the brain
will like that. Yes.
00:23:31.44\00:23:34.08
That's been very, very,
very helpful and inspiring.
00:23:34.11\00:23:37.25
I've got to say that,
John, absolutely inspiring
00:23:37.28\00:23:40.82
to think that a person
with all of those ailments,
00:23:40.85\00:23:43.95
not just one -
emphysema would be bad enough,
00:23:43.99\00:23:48.59
and never mind congestive heart
failure and diabetes and so on.
00:23:48.62\00:23:55.46
So those altogether and
for him to be not able to
00:23:55.50\00:23:59.50
walk across the room and
then become so well - is just
00:23:59.53\00:24:04.17
an amazing thing and
just with such simple things.
00:24:04.21\00:24:07.94
I mean, I say simple and
they are simple but challenging
00:24:07.98\00:24:11.38
to change because that's our
biggest thing - habits can be
00:24:11.41\00:24:17.89
something that
really gets a hold of us.
00:24:17.92\00:24:19.85
But it sounds like he
had support like he went
00:24:19.89\00:24:24.23
to a church, so I
guess he had friends and a
00:24:24.26\00:24:26.80
support network there
that would have played a role.
00:24:26.83\00:24:29.36
Yeah the friends at church
were very supportive. His wife?
00:24:29.40\00:24:32.97
His wife was definitely
there to make the foods he
00:24:33.00\00:24:36.30
was supposed to eat but
I don't think... she really
00:24:36.34\00:24:39.27
did it for herself -
it wasn't like she lost
00:24:39.31\00:24:42.21
a lot of weight or anything.
00:24:42.24\00:24:43.58
Alright, but she did it for
him and that's huge isn't it
00:24:43.61\00:24:46.38
because that's another
thing that impacts on our health
00:24:46.41\00:24:49.55
is the social
aspect of our lives.
00:24:49.58\00:24:52.09
And people who are
the most socially isolated
00:24:52.12\00:24:54.92
have between 2 and 5
times the death rate of those
00:24:54.96\00:24:58.76
with close social ties.
00:24:58.79\00:25:00.53
So we're very complex
beings and all of these things
00:25:00.56\00:25:04.00
have an effect - even
the spiritual part which
00:25:04.03\00:25:06.60
would have been playing a role.
00:25:06.63\00:25:07.97
Perhaps he didn't even
realize that but it does because
00:25:08.00\00:25:11.34
there's been about
something like 1,200 studies
00:25:11.37\00:25:15.34
on the relationship
between spirituality
00:25:15.38\00:25:17.65
and health in the
last number of years.
00:25:17.68\00:25:20.48
And they all
showed positive results.
00:25:20.52\00:25:22.05
Absolutely amazing but yes.
00:25:22.08\00:25:24.52
I went to a conference on
"spirituality and health,"
00:25:24.55\00:25:27.72
and it was an
absolute eye-opener!
00:25:27.76\00:25:29.42
And spirituality just
seems like it helps the immune
00:25:29.46\00:25:33.63
system and brings more
blood flow to the frontal
00:25:33.66\00:25:38.50
part of the
brain, the executive part
00:25:38.53\00:25:40.67
where we make
decisions, where the will is
00:25:40.70\00:25:42.97
and spirituality.
More motivation. Yes.
00:25:43.00\00:25:45.27
Yeah, better
outcomes from surgery.
00:25:45.31\00:25:48.18
And when you've got
all four going together,
00:25:48.21\00:25:51.38
there's a synergy. It is.
00:25:51.41\00:25:53.65
Yeah, it's greater than some
other part... so when you've
00:25:53.68\00:25:57.22
got them going
together, you get some amazing
00:25:57.25\00:25:59.15
absolutely amazing outcomes.
00:25:59.19\00:26:01.29
It is, I'm very impressed
with this man and his outcome
00:26:01.32\00:26:04.43
because it took a lot
for him to reverse it,
00:26:04.46\00:26:06.56
to start that
journey out, particularly in
00:26:08.03\00:26:09.66
the condition he was in.
00:26:09.70\00:26:11.03
His brain would not have been
very coherent or working well.
00:26:11.07\00:26:14.40
Oh no, and after he went on the
program and we would see him,
00:26:14.44\00:26:19.81
his eyes were wide open;
he started studying the Bible
00:26:19.84\00:26:22.38
a lot more and
really, he got back his brain!
00:26:22.41\00:26:27.12
Yes. Yes. You see,
with those conditions,
00:26:27.15\00:26:30.79
he would have lacked oxygen in
the brain; therefore, the brain
00:26:30.82\00:26:33.22
couldn't
function well and focus.
00:26:33.25\00:26:35.66
No, and that's right, you
get sick and then you don't
00:26:35.69\00:26:39.09
have so much ability to
do the things you need to do
00:26:39.13\00:26:41.40
to be well, so
fortunately his wife, at least
00:26:41.43\00:26:43.83
was supportive of
what he needed to do
00:26:43.87\00:26:46.30
even if she wasn't
following the program.
00:26:46.33\00:26:48.60
And that's a shame that we
have to have something like that
00:26:48.64\00:26:53.07
happen to be
sufficiently motivated to
00:26:53.11\00:26:54.64
to do something
about our health.
00:26:54.68\00:26:56.14
And wouldn't it be good
if we could do it sooner.
00:26:56.18\00:26:59.25
And Jeni, I think you talk
sometimes about baby steps.
00:26:59.28\00:27:02.05
Yes, we really need to
just focus on that initial goal
00:27:02.08\00:27:05.95
and do what we can do because
that will give us momentum
00:27:05.99\00:27:09.32
to do the next
step, and the next. Yes!
00:27:09.36\00:27:10.96
The brain can cope with
little chunks, but can't cope
00:27:11.46\00:27:13.70
with looking at the
whole lot, and that's probably
00:27:13.73\00:27:15.36
what he did - he just saw
his health and it's horrible
00:27:15.40\00:27:17.57
and there was nothing
he can do about it. Yes.
00:27:17.60\00:27:19.93
But you gave him a purpose,
and you gave him steps to do
00:27:19.97\00:27:22.94
and once he focused on
doing that little bit more,
00:27:22.97\00:27:24.97
that little bit more -
makes a huge difference. Yes.
00:27:25.01\00:27:27.28
So I would definitely
encourage people tuning in to,
00:27:27.31\00:27:31.18
even if you're not
sick, even if you haven't got
00:27:31.21\00:27:33.18
anything really bad
going on, why not get in
00:27:33.21\00:27:36.05
before that happens and
just prevent that because
00:27:36.08\00:27:41.02
it's just not a nice place
to be, is it - when you're that
00:27:41.06\00:27:45.89
sick and you might
even lose hope and so on.
00:27:46.13\00:27:49.90
But if you do have
some health concerns
00:27:49.93\00:27:51.67
and it may not be the diseases
that we've talked about,
00:27:51.70\00:27:54.40
but if you do have some
health concerns, then definitely
00:27:54.44\00:27:58.71
just do something!
00:27:58.74\00:28:00.58
You know, do something
that's going to make you better.
00:28:00.61\00:28:03.04
Well, I don't know
that we would have answered
00:28:03.08\00:28:05.38
all your
questions today, but if not,
00:28:05.41\00:28:08.02
you can contact Dr. John Clark
or Jenifer Skues by emailing:
00:28:08.05\00:28:12.79
healthyliving@3abnaustralia.org
.au
00:28:12.82\00:28:17.96
And to watch our programs
on demand or download our
00:28:17.99\00:28:21.23
fact sheets visit:
3abnaustralia.org.au
00:28:21.26\00:28:25.30
and click on the watch
button so you can view this
00:28:25.33\00:28:27.27
program again or other programs.
00:28:27.30\00:28:29.67
And remember, today is the first
day of the rest of your life!
00:28:29.70\00:28:34.28
God bless you all.
00:28:34.31\00:28:35.94