Participants: Ron Giannoni (Host), Lori Merritt
Series Code: NSN
Program Code: NSN000068
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00:23 Hi Friends, and welcome to
00:25 another addition of NEWSTART Now. 00:27 In our Studio with us today is Lori Merritt from Arkansas. 00:32 Lori is a nurse and she came to the NEWSTART program 00:37 with several issues. 00:39 Let's look at the clip of when she first arrived. 00:44 The reason I came to NEWSTART is 00:46 because I had let myself get on too many medications. 00:52 I was on several antidepressants. 00:55 I was on uppers, downers, 00:57 and pain pills. Altogether I took about 21 pills a day, 01:02 of prescription medication. 01:04 It was 16 different prescriptions. 01:07 that I was taking 01:10 I want to accomplish getting off of 01:13 the medication and feeling good again. 01:17 I have felt bad for a really long time, I'm a nurse 01:21 RN, and I haven't been able to work for 10 months due to this. 01:25 It has been a roller-coaster ride. 01:30 I hope to get off of the 01:32 medication and get my family back. 01:33 and get me back. 01:39 Welcome back friends, and here is Lori 01:41 How are you Lori -good how are you 01:43 Good to see you. You look so much 01:45 better than when we first saw you, 01:48 as you just noticed. 01:50 I have a question. How did you get on these medications? 01:56 You said you were taking 01:57 21 different medications. 01:59 or 16, 21 different times of the day? 02:06 Actually it started about 16 02:10 years ago when I started my first one. 02:14 I stayed along with that for quite some 02:16 time and I would have breakthrough depression. 02:20 Each time I would have breakthrough depression, 02:23 they would add another pill. 02:31 About 5 years ago I started 02:34 having some problems with my back 02:37 and so I started taking the 02:40 pain pills and the muscle relaxers 02:46 and mentally I started going downhill 02:51 It was tearing my family apart because of the medication. 02:56 December of 08, I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy 03:01 So that is when they added the uppers and the downers. 03:05 You wake up in the morning and take 03:06 something and take something to go to bed. 03:13 It just built up over time -yeah yeah 03:17 So now 16 years has passed, 03:22 and you decide to come to the NEWSTART program here at Weimar. 03:27 Tell us a little bit about your 03:29 experience since you have been here. 03:31 Have you noticed any changes? 03:35 I have noticed changes with me. 03:38 I am feeling a lot better. 03:42 It is easier to get up in the mornings. 03:45 I feel so much better without the 03:47 side effects of the medications. 03:50 Also my head if clearer. -really? 03:54 Now what do you attribute this to? 03:56 Were you still taking the medications 03:58 when you got here. 04:01 -I was taking them all when I got here 04:03 Are you still taking all of them? 04:05 -No sir. 04:06 Oh you're not. 04:08 Well how many of them have you eliminated? 04:09 I am taking only 3 prescriptions now. 04:13 -Oh my goodness! 04:15 Well that's fabulous. 04:19 -Yes 04:20 That's wonderful. 04:21 and your head has cleared. 04:24 That is fantastic. 04:28 So from 16 to 3 I think that's pretty good. 04:31 It's excellent! 04:32 -So what's the prognosis? Where from here? 04:36 Well I get to go home and see my girls and my husband. 04:40 They have a new mom, a new wife. Definitely. 04:45 -Wow 04:50 God is back in my life now. 04:52 I have connected with Him while I've been here. 04:55 It just makes a big difference 04:58 -Praise God 04:59 I'm so happy for you. 05:01 I know during the first interview you said to us that 05:04 you would like to get off of all of the medications. 05:08 We had one guy who came here to NEWTSTART 05:12 on 26 different medications. 05:16 When he left he ended up taking 4 or 5. 05:20 A lot of those medications were not working anyway. 05:23 They were counteracting one another. 05:26 You know, Uppers, downers, sideways. 05:29 I know you will progress as you keep this new lifestyle. 05:34 Lets talk about this lifestyle for a moment. 05:38 What is it that you've learned that 05:41 has been a tremendous benefit to you. 05:43 Now you have already expressed the Lord. 05:46 What else? 05:48 The diet makes a big difference! 05:51 I had a horrible diet before coming 05:53 Now I eat regularly and eat good foods. 05:57 and now I drink water. 05:59 -Drink water, That's a novelty. 06:02 What were you drinking before you got here? 06:04 Diet Cokes. 06:06 Good 'ol Coca-Cola, nothing like a good 'ol coke 06:10 Yeah that is terrible stuff. Lots of sugar. 06:13 So are you drinking a lot of water? 06:17 -I'm drinking as much as I can. 06:19 I'm about waterlogged but I'm going to 06:22 continue because it has made me feel better. 06:25 -Now I've watched you walk outside, 06:28 because you have walked right past me. 06:30 Where did you get that stride? 06:32 How is it that you walk so strong? 06:35 If you have been under these medications for 16 years? 06:41 Well when I've worked, 06:44 I'm a nurse and I worked in hemodialysis 06:48 and it's a busy busy area. 06:52 -So you've got to be huffing it. 06:53 -Yes 06:55 I knew there was something involved 06:58 in your work because you were just too strong. 07:01 You were walking with Rich Smith, 07:03 who is our exercise director 07:09 He was having a hard time keeping up with you. 07:13 So that's good. I would encourage you to keep walking. 07:16 Of course continue the water, and the food. 07:22 and most of all, prayer, that time with the Lord. 07:27 The Lord's hand is truly on this place. 07:30 -Yes 07:31 I've seen people come come here and the Lord 07:35 really does help people through their problems. 07:41 -He's definitely here. 07:43 Yeah 07:45 I'm so happy for you. 07:47 Now what about the hydrotherapy and the massage therapy 07:50 Did that help? 07:52 -Oh yes! 07:54 When I first got here I stayed in bed 07:56 pretty much the first 4 or 5 days. 07:59 I wouldn't participate or anything. 08:01 I wouldn't come out of my room except for hydro. 08:03 -Oh really? Yeah 08:05 You found that to be necessary. 08:08 The massages were nice. 08:10 -They were good. 08:11 Now why did you stay in your room? 08:15 I didn't want to participate at first. 08:19 Was there somewhat of depression or something like that? 08:22 -Yes sir. 08:23 Just kind of a, I'm not going to do this type of an attitude? 08:27 -Yes sir. 08:28 Well, I think you're participating very well now. 08:31 I know the Lord will continue to bless you. 08:35 So is there something that you might say 08:38 to the viewing audience 08:40 that would encourage others who are heavily medicated? 08:46 What would you advice them? 08:53 There is a different life, being off of the medications. 08:58 You feel so much better. 09:00 You don't wake up and reach for a pill 09:05 and keeping having to take more and more 09:08 You really feel so much better. 09:13 Being of the medicine. 09:15 So is there a way for someone to get off of these medications 09:18 that you would advise, being a nurse? 09:21 Work with your doctor on it but find one 09:25 who believes on getting off of the medications. 09:29 -Do you know of such a doctor? 09:32 Here, Doctor DeRose, he's wonderful 09:37 -Yeah he's a wonderful doctor. 09:39 We are going to be interviewing him 09:42 in just a moment here. We have a few seconds left. 09:46 I just want to congratulate you 09:47 It is just profound to see the changes. 09:53 I notice the changes in you. 09:57 Dr. DeRose has shared with us 09:59 that you are doing extremely well 10:01 I just praise God that He has brought you here. 10:05 and that you are back in touch with Him. 10:09 -God through Weimar has saved my life. Amen 10:12 Thank you Lori so much for taking a part 10:15 and being on our program. -Thank You 10:18 God bless you. 10:19 Thank you friends and don't go away 10:22 because in a moment we'll be talking with Dr. David DeRose. 10:28 Well, you've done very well. 10:36 Do you have diabetes, 10:37 heart disease, high blood pressure, 10:39 or do you weigh too much? 10:42 Hi, my name is Dr. Ing, and I'd like to tell you 10:44 about our 18-day NEWSTART lifestyle program. 10:48 It includes a comprehensive medical 10:50 evaluation with laboratories and an 10:53 exercise stress test, 10:55 physician consultations, 10:57 culinary school, 10:59 and an opportunity to walk on beautiful 11:01 trails in the foothills of the Sierras. 11:06 Your health is one of the most 11:07 important things that you have. Don't wait. 11:10 Give us a call. 11:15 Or visit our website. 11:33 Welcome back friends, and as I've promised 11:35 Dr. David DeRose. How are you doctor? 11:38 -Good. Good to see you Ron. 11:40 It's always good to see you. 11:41 -It's great to be on the show. 11:43 You know doc, I'm going to talk about something 11:46 that is near and dear to my heart. 11:48 Having seen people such as Lori 11:52 and her predicament, It really pains me 11:56 It hurts when I see someone who is struggling 12:00 with there life because maybe 12:03 they took too much of this or too much of that 12:05 How is she really doing from a medical professional 12:09 Well I think her assessment was actually quite accurate 12:13 She has made tremendous progress. 12:15 and anytime you deal with a variety 12:17 of things that you are being medicated for 12:19 and you heard her share her diagnosis. 12:22 Things like depression and a diagnosis of narcolepsy. 12:25 which is a condition where people 12:27 can fall asleep at inappropriate times. 12:31 also the chronic pain situation 12:34 You get this combination of things 12:37 and it's not something that people just 12:39 bounce back from in a few days. 12:41 She has made incredible progress. 12:43 Coming off medications, feeling better, 12:46 and functioning better are things 12:48 that are always gratifying for us to see that. 12:49 -Yes, absolutely. 12:51 Is this common would you think in the world 12:55 of dealing with medications as a lot of nurses do. 13:01 Well I mean it's not just nurses. 13:03 It's a huge problem that we have 13:04 in our society today, Ron 13:06 because we've moved to a model of medicine 13:08 where in most places people have 13:10 very little time with the physician. 13:12 So you go to the physician and the pressure 13:14 of the doctors to make a quick diagnosis 13:16 and right out a prescription. 13:17 -Right 13:19 What happens is, 13:20 we've fragmented medical care today. 13:22 We don't have the 'ol family doctor 13:23 who takes care of the whole family 13:25 for every problem. You are seeing 13:26 all of these different specialists. 13:28 So if you have a pain problem, 13:30 you are seeing one doctor. 13:31 Maybe a orthopedic surgeon, 13:32 maybe a pain specialist. 13:34 If you've got depression, 13:35 you're probably seeing a psychiatrist. 13:37 If you've got some blood sugar problems, 13:39 maybe you're seeing an internal medicine specialist 13:42 or a cardiologist. 13:43 The challenge is that most of these doctors are unwilling 13:47 to change a prescription that someone else wrote. 13:49 -Right So when you come 13:50 for a short visit to a doctor, 13:52 you may be on 8 medicines 13:54 and your complaining about some kind of problem, 13:56 That doctor is not likely to say, 13:58 well maybe you're on too many medicines, 13:59 let's go back to square one, 14:01 let's see if we can work with you and simplify things." 14:04 They are going to say, no, you have this problem, 14:07 let me give you another prescription" 14:08 It is very easy the way american medicine has evolved. 14:12 for people to get on more and more medications. 14:15 Nobody really looks at the big picture 14:17 and says look, we've got to get a handle on this, 14:21 regardless if the top specialist in the community 14:23 wrote a prescription for this, 14:25 If we can get by without it, 14:26 than this is going to be in your interest. 14:28 -Well would it be fair to say than, 14:30 If someone is depressed and they are suffering from pains, 14:34 and maybe a little bit of this that and the other, 14:37 that they have 4 different doctors 14:39 and they are all giving different medications that 14:42 are counteracting the medications 14:44 that the previous doctor game them? 14:45 -Well I don't know if I would use the word counteracting 14:48 but I would say that these things 14:49 have an accumulative effect. 14:50 In fact, what I sometimes tell patients, 14:53 Once you start seeing multiple doctors 14:55 and you get on, like Lori said, 16 different medications, 14:58 There is no one in the world 15:00 that knows what that combination of 15:02 16 drugs is going to do. 15:04 Drugs are studied as single agents. 15:07 -Yes So what does that combination 15:09 of 16 drugs do especially when it is 15:11 superimposed on Lori's physiology 15:14 or Bob's or Sam's 15:16 We just don't always know 15:18 We like to say, Well we know how these drugs work 15:21 but when you get what we call Polypharmacy, 15:23 the risk of drug interactions just magnifies incredibly. 15:27 The risk of toxicity and side effects etc. 15:31 Here at NEWSTART, one of the beautiful things that we can do, 15:34 is say look, we have a comprehensive program. 15:37 The program is designed for the physicians 15:39 to be able to spend time with you. 15:40 If it doesn't happen in the office, 15:42 than we can come to your room 15:44 over at the NEWSTART lodge 15:45 if you are struggling with something. 15:47 -Wow Whatever it is, we are going to 15:48 take the time with you to evaluate 15:50 your problem and get 15:52 you on the path to recovery. 15:54 Often Ron, on these cases with multiple drugs, 15:57 part of the solution is simplifying the regiment. 16:00 So we've seen this over and over 16:02 through the years, where people 16:04 get on multiple drugs as you put it, 16:07 I know that there are viewers watching this program right now 16:12 and they are saying "Wow that sounds like me, 16:14 I'm taking 45 different medications. 16:16 Well not that many but we have seen 27 here. 16:19 -Yeah Some taking 15 or 20 16:22 What do they do? Some of them have just given up. 16:26 Well the first point that I would like to make, 16:28 Someone might think that I am 16:29 condemning my peers in medicine. 16:31 I sympathize with these guys. 16:33 I don't think I could do what they do. 16:36 Many of them do quite a good job 16:39 within the constraints here. 16:40 I had a friend who was in one of these 16:42 busy specialty groups and he was given 16:46 only like 5-10 minutes to see a new patient. 16:49 He had to diagnose the patient 16:50 and give him a prescription. 16:52 It just like a treadmill. 16:53 Some of these doctors don't see any other option. 16:57 So Ron, it's a problem, but here is the situation. 17:02 If you can find someone in your community, 17:07 maybe a new practice because sometimes 17:09 doctors that have a new practice or maybe 17:11 an internal medicine specialist or family doctor, 17:13 They might be able to have the time 17:15 to say, let's go back to square one and evaluate things. 17:18 If you can't find that in your own locality, 17:21 look into some of the lifestyle centers. 17:23 We would love to have people come here of course 17:25 to Weimar, but there are other centers 17:27 that do something similar. 17:28 The reason that these places have popped up, 17:30 is because of this very reason. 17:32 People often can't get that comprehensive care 17:34 in the setting that they are in. 17:36 -Now we have centers all over the United States 17:39 We have them in Tennessee and George, 17:41 You've worked at a couple of them haven't you? 17:44 -Yeah I've worked in a number of different centers. 17:47 This is the fourth intensive lifestyle center 17:51 that I've worked at. We do a similar approach 17:55 I'd like to think that we have some unique advantages 17:58 here at Weimar but there are some other very good programs. 18:01 -Well we have you here at Weimar. 18:03 Not to put you on the spot. 18:08 But you are an internist. 18:11 -Yeah I have dual specialties 18:13 I have boards in internal medicine 18:14 and in preventive medicine 18:16 -Well isn't that an advantage to a guy like me 18:18 that had diabetes and heart a conditions 18:21 and all kinds of difficulties in my life? 18:24 Well, sure I have specialty training in that area 18:27 but I'm not a subspecialist so I'm not 18:28 a diabetes specialist, I'm not a Endocrinologist 18:31 or a Diabetologist. So this is kinda the trade-off. 18:34 A lot of people say, well I already see an Endocrinologist, 18:38 I'm seeing a pain specialist. Why should I see 18:41 a general internist? Or some of my colleagues 18:43 here who board in preventive medicine, 18:46 and family practice? Dr. Ing of course with a 18:48 dual board and he is also an Opthamologist. 18:50 They say why should we go there, 18:52 because we are already seeing this top specialist 18:54 in this big city? Well the problem is, 18:57 that top specialist, although they are very good 18:59 at what they do, they are very narrow 19:02 in their focus. They are not looking at you 19:04 as a whole person, they are just focused on your pain, 19:06 or they are just focused on your knee problem, 19:08 or they are just focused on your diabetes. 19:10 We are saying look, we are whole people. 19:14 We have a team here at Weimar, 19:16 where we can deal with you as a whole person. 19:19 That is the vision that we have here. 19:20 It is just like Jesus. 19:22 He didn't just say, I'm here to 19:23 help people spiritually, He ministered 19:25 to them as whole people. -Yeah 19:27 If they had physical problems, He healed them. 19:29 Is it fair to say, I've heard from a laymen's point of view, 19:34 Doctors only have a curtain amount of education 19:37 when it comes to nutrition and lifestyle etc. 19:40 Is it fair to say that? Is it true or not? 19:44 Well the baseline that we start with is not really great. 19:48 We don't get a huge amount of nutritional training 19:50 in medical school. We did get some at Loma Linda 19:53 where I trained. It has become I think, 19:56 pretty common for most medical schools to have 19:58 some nutritional training but that is really not 20:00 the corner stone. Many of us who end up 20:02 practicing what we call lifestyle medicine and 20:05 preventive medicine have gotten extra training 20:07 like many of the staff here. A number of us 20:10 have masters in public health degrees, 20:13 a number of us have done extra work 20:16 in nutrition, whether it is at the graduate level 20:19 in formal studies or just reading more about it 20:22 and becoming more expert in it. 20:24 Dr. Lukens has been here for 20 years. 20:27 He doesn't have a huge number of degrees 20:30 but he has an incredible amount of 20:32 practical experience from the mission field, 20:35 from here at Weimar, -Yeah 20:37 and working with people over the years. 20:38 So it's not even just the degrees 20:40 that one has and the formal training, 20:42 it is really just a commitment. 20:43 to help people with the lifestyle approach. 20:46 -So the lifestyle approach is not 20:48 common knowledge amongst doctors. 20:52 -Well I wouldn't say that doctors don't know about it, 20:55 but the problem is that the lifestyle approach 20:57 is time intensive. I can remember years ago. 21:01 I was at a conference. A medical conference 21:03 A leading diabetes expert was speaking. 21:05 He talked about how powerful exercise 21:09 and diet were in helping diabetes. 21:11 He spent about 5 minutes on that 21:13 but than he said, don't waste your time 21:15 telling patients about this because they won't change. 21:18 The rest of the talk was on insulin. 21:20 This is the common experience of doctors. 21:24 They don't have much time, they say lose 21:27 20 pounds and come see me back in 3 months. 21:29 The average person doesn't know how to do that. 21:31 on their own. It takes a team. 21:32 We have the exercise component here. 21:36 We have the hydrotherapy so we can deal with 21:38 the orthopedic problems that are keeping 21:40 people from exercising. We have the chaplain, 21:42 the counselor, we have the nutritionist. 21:45 So we have it all under one roof. 21:47 People can make incredible progress 21:48 like Lori did in a short amount of time. 21:50 Her back problems, the problems she was 21:53 taking pain relievers for, the hydrotherapy 21:56 with the lifestyle was able to address that. 21:59 -Well doctor, we've run out of time right now, 22:01 I want to thank you so much for coming 22:03 on the program with us. 22:04 It's great to be with you. 22:06 Friends thank you, but don't go away, 22:07 We have a tip for you right now. 22:23 Hello, and welcome to NEWSTART Now. 22:24 I'm Don Mackintosh, we're glad you're with us, 22:27 and we are glad that Dr. Michael Orlich is with us. 22:29 Thank you for being with us doctor. 22:30 Glad to be with you. 22:32 -Your a doctor that has experience 22:34 in family practice and also your boarding now 22:36 in preventive medicine and you've worked 22:38 for a number of years here at Weimar 22:40 with the NEWSTART program. 22:42 -That's correct. 22:43 One of the things they recommend here 22:46 is that people go on a largely a plant based diet. 22:50 if not fully and one of the concerns that we get 22:52 a lot so you're going to help clear this up, 22:55 is what about vitamin B12. I heard that this could 22:58 be a real big problem. Is that a problem? 23:00 What should we do about it if it is? 23:03 Vitamin B12 deficiency can be a very real problem 23:06 It can cause serious diseases. 23:11 It can cause problems with your blood, 23:13 a special type of anemia. 23:15 More critically still, is that it can cause damage 23:18 to your nerves and this can lead to 23:21 psychiatric and neurologic problems 23:24 that could be quite serious and if not caught 23:28 soon enough, could actually be irreversible. 23:31 So it is a very important thing to know about. 23:33 Do many people get this? Do many people 23:37 have these problems? Have you ever seen a case? 23:39 Yes I have seen a case unfortunately. 23:42 Vitamin B12 deficiency is not common 23:48 but it is somewhat prevalent. 23:51 In most cases it relates too 23:54 disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, 23:57 where the vitamin B12 for one reason 24:00 or another is not able to be absorbed well. 24:02 The other population that is particularly at risk, 24:05 for vitamin B12 risk is the elderly. 24:09 Often the elderly get on sort of a tea and toast diet, 24:13 and so they are not getting in much vitamin B12 24:15 and they don't absorb it as well. 24:18 As you get older, the requirements 24:20 for dietary B12 go up. 24:22 Now I don't want to put you on the spot, 24:24 This is kind of a true and false question for me. 24:26 I've heard that most vitamin B12 deficiencies 24:30 occur in people that are meat eaters. 24:31 Is that true or false? 24:33 That is true because of the reasons I just mentioned. 24:36 Most of the vitamin B12 deficiency is not due 24:39 to not getting enough in the diet. 24:41 rather it is due to gastrointestinal problems 24:45 interfering with the absorption. 24:46 However, vegetarians; particularly vegans 24:51 or total vegetarians that don't eat any 24:54 animal based foods, no milk, etc. 24:57 are at higher risk of developing vitamin B12 deficiency. 25:02 As you know, here at NEWSTART, we do teach 25:04 a plant based diet as a therapeutic diet 25:07 and as a preventive diet that can 25:09 increase your longevity as well as 25:11 reduce your risk for a variety of diseases. 25:14 We want to be smart about it 25:16 and we don't want to stumble into another problem 25:18 while we are solving others. 25:19 -So what can we do to avoid a deficiency in this? 25:23 It is really very simple, you just need to have 25:26 a known quantity of vitamin B12 in your diet. 25:30 Either in pill form, or in fortified foods. 25:33 Plant foods do not have naturally accuring 25:37 vitamin B12 in any level that you can rely upon. 25:41 Now you may see things in health food stores. 25:45 and that sort of thing that claim that curtain seaweeds 25:48 and things have vitamin B12 25:49 but this is not really true vitamin B12 25:52 You can still have deficiencies. 25:54 So we would recommend, either a multivitamin 25:56 that you take everyday that has a very small 25:58 amount of vitamin B12, or you could take 26:01 a vitamin B12 tablet once a week or 26:05 even once every two weeks and that would be plenty. 26:08 Or you can eat foods that are fortified with vitamin B12. 26:12 This could be a lot of box breakfast cereals, 26:16 many of your soy milks, and other products 26:18 have vitamin B12, so you don't need much. 26:21 It is very easy to get it 26:22 but you want to be conscious of that 26:24 so that you don't become deficient 26:26 and suffer needless problems. 26:28 Thanks a lot for being with us Dr. Michael 26:30 and thank you for being with us, 26:32 we hope that the information that you've gained today 26:33 will give you a newstart right now. 26:44 Modern views of evolution stem all the way back 26:46 to theories developed in the mid-1800s. 26:49 Out of the same time period came ideas that shape 26:53 our educational system today. 26:56 The Common School Movement, for example, 26:58 saw schools more like a factory, 27:00 with students blindly memorizing instruction 27:03 rather than thinking for themselves. 27:06 Their curriculum was rigid and theoretical. 27:08 Instead of being flexible and practical, 27:11 it was designed to conform the individual 27:14 into a specific ideological mold 27:16 that fit the needs of an old industrial era 27:19 long since passed. 27:22 Just like our view of creation in six literal days, 27:25 we believe the Bible contains an educational blueprint 27:29 radically different from the one we see now. 27:45 Well Friends, That's it for today. 27:47 Now I know you know someone, 27:50 just like Lori, pickup the phone and give u a call 27:53 so that we can help them. 27:55 Dial 27:59 Pickup the phone right now and call 28:06 God Bless you! |
Revised 2013-06-17