"Do I need to take supplements
if I eat a healthy diet?"
00:00:16.81\00:00:20.82
"I have atrial fibrillation,
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are there any alternatives
rather than Coumadin?"
00:00:23.28\00:00:26.39
Today, we answer
frequently asked questions
00:00:26.42\00:00:29.62
from the "Heartwise Ministries"
website. Stay tuned...
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I'm Dr. James
Marcum, are you interested in
00:00:32.69\00:00:35.90
discovering the reason why?
00:00:35.93\00:00:38.00
Do you want solutions to
your health care problem?
00:00:38.03\00:00:40.90
Are you tired of
taking medications?
00:00:40.94\00:00:43.30
Well, you're about to be given
the "Ultimate Prescription."
00:00:43.34\00:00:49.14
We build these programs
based on your questions,
00:00:49.18\00:00:51.65
and that's why it's very
important to leave them there
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for us on the website
heartwiseministries.org
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We want to know
what you want to know,
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and these questions give us
a window, a door into your life
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and to the needs
you have as our viewers,
00:01:03.26\00:01:05.43
and we appreciate every
question you leave for us there.
00:01:05.46\00:01:07.73
Okay Dr. Marcum, let's get
right to this frequently asked
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questions on the
heartwiseministries.org website.
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Here's the first one,
we mentioned it earlier...
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"Do I need to take supplements
if I eat a healthy diet?"
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Now, I assume a healthy diet
means the fruits and vegetables,
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the nuts and grains and
the minimum of animal products,
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and maybe even
no animal products.
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Do we still need
to take supplements?
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Yeah and the answer to that
question - you have to really
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know what type of eater
you're dealing with. Yes
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And also, what kind of medical
conditions they might have.
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You know, you heard about
those sailors that didn't get
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much fruit to eat - they
needed to have some supplements
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if they were
available. Yes they did
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There are certain
diseases like pernicious anemia,
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well, you know, they
need some extra help.
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People that don't get outside,
they don't get vitamin D.
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So if you live in a
northern climate where you don't
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get outside,
they need vitamin D.
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But most people, if
they're healthy and eat a
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well-balanced diet, you
do not need a supplement.
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Now, if you're a pure
vegan and eat no animals at all,
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some of the experts are
maybe recommending a B vitamin
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okay maybe once a month.
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But the body doesn't
need a lot of B vitamin,
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a little bit
goes a long way. Yes
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But as far as all
these extra supplements,
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you really don't need
those, and if you think about
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a symphony
orchestra, an orchestra has many
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instruments; if I have 40 French
horns... I love French horns,
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they are a great instrument,
but 40 of them are too many,
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and they drown
out the other things.
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Well, our body's
nutrition is very complex,
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and if we eat what we should,
fresh fruits, vegetables,
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nuts and grains and
they're fairly fresh.
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The body chooses what it wants,
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and pulls it out at
the appropriate amount.
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Some of the supplements
that have been around,
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I think of beta
carotene, vitamin E;
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we found that those supplements
were actually dangerous,
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and increase things
because they saturated receptors
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and they made other
nutrients that they needed,
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they interfered with them.
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And if you think about the
nutrients that God gives us,
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Charles, these are all
things that are usually enzymes
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and have a lot of good
things, and they actually,
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if given in the
appropriate amount,
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you know, the correct
composition of all this,
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and as a body in its
infinite wisdom regulates,
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this gives the body a
chance of healing itself.
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Now if we think about
it, over the last 200 years,
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we don't eat like we should.
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We eat a lot of processed foods;
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people are eating more animals
than ever, more canned foods,
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we're missing out on a lot
of the things that our body
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needs to stimulate
the enzyme systems,
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the things that we
can make so our body
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can naturally heal itself. Yes
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We're now seeing that
people that eat more of a
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whole food plant-based
diet, they have less of these
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chronic diseases,
less inflammation;
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eating that diet
helps heart disease;
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helps lower the risk of cancer;
00:04:02.27\00:04:04.11
almost every organ
system in the body improves,
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and it's because we're
giving the body the substrate
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that the body needs to
help heal itself and prevent
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these other
things from happening.
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You know, you
mention the food that we eat,
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and I have a theory...
I don't know if there's a
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study that proves this or
not, but I really believe it
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to be true and I sort of asked
people about this as we go along
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Our body seems to not only
have the ability to take out
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what it needs from the
food we eat, it can also combine
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nutrients from the
various foods to make a brand
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new nutrient
that we need. Right.
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You're right, that's why
I say the interactions and
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receptors and how
things combine in our body
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are so complex... If
you're eating the right foods...
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Yeah, well even if
we're eating the wrong foods,
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you can have a complex
bad reaction. That's true
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But these reactions are so
complex, we can't understand it.
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And it doesn't make
sense to find one nutrient that
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in the food is good,
to isolate that nutrient,
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and then make a lot of it...
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Oh, but you can make
money off of that, Dr. Marcum!
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That's the whole thing and
they call that "reductionism."
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It's not holism and as
we have reduced it down
00:05:05.43\00:05:08.07
to single mechanisms, we
might be able to make money
00:05:08.10\00:05:10.84
and make everyone say,
"Oh, if I have this supplement,
00:05:10.87\00:05:13.11
everything can happen,"
and sometimes supplements
00:05:13.14\00:05:15.31
help you if you think
it's happening. That's true
00:05:15.34\00:05:18.11
That's called "a
healing belief." Yeah
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And most
supplements aren't harmful,
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but we don't know that for sure.
00:05:22.25\00:05:25.12
And so I tell people,
if you eat a balanced diet,
00:05:25.15\00:05:28.09
you might need to take a
B supplement once a month.
00:05:28.12\00:05:30.93
If you don't get outside, you
might need to take vitamin D,
00:05:30.96\00:05:33.40
but if you're
unsure, we can always
00:05:33.43\00:05:35.36
measure this in
the blood as well.
00:05:35.40\00:05:37.13
And I was doing an interview
with the Adventist Health Study
00:05:37.17\00:05:39.00
people and they said that
they did a study on this...
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"Are pure vegetarians getting
enough in the little supplements
00:05:41.60\00:05:46.17
that they take,"
and the answer is "yes."
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There doesn't seem to
be a problem if you are a
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whole food plant-based person;
00:05:51.11\00:05:52.75
if you take a few
supplements every now and then
00:05:52.78\00:05:54.85
to sort of help it
along, you are not deficient.
00:05:54.88\00:05:57.29
You do not have a problem.
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That was good news from the
Adventist Health Study recently.
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Yeah and that's good
news and, you know, I see...
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This is funny, the
other day a lady came
00:06:02.56\00:06:04.89
into my office, Charles,
she had a whole suitcase
00:06:04.93\00:06:07.36
full of supplements. Oh dear!
00:06:07.40\00:06:08.73
She had 52 different
supplements in there,
00:06:08.76\00:06:12.03
and she wanted me to go
through them and tell which ones
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she needed and
which ones she didn't,
00:06:15.64\00:06:16.97
and these were all sorts...
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And I told her, I said, "Listen,
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everything that we put
in our body has some type of
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chemical repercussion,"
and, you know, now
00:06:22.51\00:06:25.48
it was in her belief
system that they were helping.
00:06:25.51\00:06:27.98
So I had to be very
careful how I phrased things,
00:06:28.02\00:06:30.99
but I tried to talk to her along
the lines that we did today,
00:06:31.02\00:06:35.09
and I said, "If you eat a
healthy diet of fruits, nuts
00:06:35.12\00:06:37.83
and grains, maybe
you don't need to take
00:06:37.86\00:06:40.46
52 different extra things a day.
00:06:40.50\00:06:42.83
Now if you have a disease
state, some of these things
00:06:42.86\00:06:45.93
might be useful;
certain herbs and supplements
00:06:45.97\00:06:48.64
might be good
for a disease state,
00:06:48.67\00:06:50.57
but if you don't
have a disease state,
00:06:50.61\00:06:52.47
some of them could actually
be harmful for you. All right
00:06:52.51\00:06:54.84
And, at the very least, kind
of a monumental waste of money.
00:06:54.88\00:06:58.31
Okay, here's another question
on Heartwise Ministries,
00:06:58.35\00:07:00.92
our frequently
asked questions...
00:07:00.95\00:07:02.28
"I have atrial fibrillation,
are there any alternatives
00:07:02.32\00:07:04.85
rather than
Coumadin?" What is Coumadin?
00:07:04.89\00:07:06.79
Yeah, Coumadin is
blood thinner. Okay
00:07:06.82\00:07:08.96
Atrial fibrillation is
when the top part of the heart
00:07:08.99\00:07:11.66
goes faster than the bottom.
00:07:11.69\00:07:13.70
And unfortunately,
about 10% of older Americans
00:07:13.73\00:07:16.56
have this and worse yet, 1
in 3 strokes come from this
00:07:16.60\00:07:21.30
rhythm because when the
top part doesn't move well,
00:07:21.34\00:07:24.31
the blood doesn't circulate
through and when it doesn't
00:07:24.34\00:07:26.94
move well and
when the blood sits,
00:07:26.98\00:07:28.71
it has ability to clot. Yes
00:07:28.74\00:07:30.35
If it clots and
the heart pumps that up
00:07:30.38\00:07:32.31
and it goes to the brain,
it clogs up the small arteries,
00:07:32.35\00:07:34.98
and you don't think well.
00:07:35.02\00:07:36.48
So Coumadin is the
one that we have along,
00:07:36.52\00:07:40.49
and another name
for that is "warfarin."
00:07:40.52\00:07:42.19
There are other ones
that are now approved;
00:07:42.22\00:07:44.16
there are different types
of Coumadin called "Jantoven."
00:07:44.19\00:07:47.50
There's a new one
out called "Xarelto."
00:07:47.53\00:07:50.47
There are different
ones called "Pradaxa,"
00:07:50.50\00:07:52.23
that are now out that
have been shown scientifically
00:07:52.27\00:07:54.40
to help lower
the risk of stroke.
00:07:54.44\00:07:56.17
Unfortunately, the alternatives
have never been studied.
00:07:56.20\00:08:00.01
There's one out there
called, "Nattokinase."
00:08:00.04\00:08:02.94
There are all sorts of
different herbs that people use
00:08:02.98\00:08:05.18
that thin out the blood;
00:08:05.21\00:08:06.55
unfortunately, they
have not been studied.
00:08:06.58\00:08:09.28
We know things like
"fish oil," that's out there.
00:08:09.32\00:08:13.02
We know omega-3-6-9
fatty acids thin the blood.
00:08:13.05\00:08:16.52
We know that
water thins the blood.
00:08:16.56\00:08:18.83
We know that
stress thickens the blood.
00:08:18.86\00:08:21.06
But there's nothing that's
been studied in randomized
00:08:21.10\00:08:24.53
double-blinded trials
yet that have shown to lower
00:08:24.57\00:08:27.90
the risk of stroke in
atrial fibrillation other than
00:08:27.94\00:08:30.87
Coumadin and these
other ones we mentioned,
00:08:30.91\00:08:32.67
and I get this every day,
and I'll tell you, Charles,
00:08:32.71\00:08:35.58
it's so sad when you
see someone that could be on
00:08:35.61\00:08:38.21
the blood thinner and
they're scared to take it
00:08:38.25\00:08:40.62
for whatever reason and it does
raise the chance of bleeding.
00:08:40.65\00:08:43.89
It's not a medicine
without risk, but I would rather
00:08:43.92\00:08:46.96
deal with the side
effect of the medicines
00:08:46.99\00:08:48.89
than have a stroke
because a stroke is just
00:08:48.92\00:08:51.39
devastating, Charles...
00:08:51.43\00:08:55.10
Hey Charles, I want to
show you something here,
00:08:55.13\00:08:56.50
do you know what this is?
00:08:56.53\00:08:58.50
That is for
checking your reflexes.
00:08:58.53\00:08:59.93
That's for
checking your reflexes.
00:09:00.00\00:09:01.37
I'm going to do some reflex
checking on you right now,
00:09:01.40\00:09:03.51
before we answer some
more questions. All right
00:09:03.54\00:09:06.98
What we do is...
What's going to happen to me?
00:09:07.01\00:09:10.31
Well, I'm hitting this and
seeing if you have reflexes.
00:09:10.35\00:09:14.55
You know, your reflexes
are a little sluggish, Charles.
00:09:14.58\00:09:16.92
You know, I'll have to hit
you a little harder. Bang, bang!
00:09:16.95\00:09:20.99
But what a reflex does is
it puts pressure on a nerve.
00:09:21.02\00:09:23.96
Why don't I have
reflexes? You did, you do.
00:09:23.99\00:09:25.59
You look for a muscle
to tighten up. Okay, good.
00:09:25.63\00:09:28.33
You know, everyone
has reflexes to fear.
00:09:28.36\00:09:31.70
Our body is made to
have different reflexes,
00:09:31.73\00:09:34.04
and unfortunately,
in modern medicine,
00:09:34.07\00:09:38.17
we reflexively do things. Yes
00:09:38.21\00:09:40.18
And a lot of people I see that
are reflexively doing things
00:09:40.21\00:09:43.65
based on the media, or
based on cultural things.
00:09:43.68\00:09:46.82
They reflexively
act; if someone says,
00:09:46.85\00:09:49.78
some person, now he
says, "I have to have this,"
00:09:49.82\00:09:53.02
they run out to the store
and reflexively to get it.
00:09:53.05\00:09:55.06
Because they think it
going to get them better. Yeah
00:09:55.09\00:09:57.63
And that's not always
the case, so I advise people
00:09:57.66\00:10:01.10
when they have the questions
that come in, "investigate it."
00:10:01.13\00:10:03.97
And I'm not saying
that everything I have
00:10:04.00\00:10:05.60
works for everybody,
but look at the evidence,
00:10:05.63\00:10:07.87
does this make sense,
is it a balanced approach?
00:10:07.90\00:10:10.71
But don't
reflexively buy supplements
00:10:10.74\00:10:13.48
or buy new
treatments, think about it,
00:10:13.51\00:10:16.28
see if it makes
sense. All right, very good.
00:10:16.31\00:10:18.15
Another question from
heartwiseministries.org
00:10:18.18\00:10:21.92
Let's see what it says here...
"What is the healthiest diet,
00:10:21.95\00:10:24.89
I've heard the "Mediterranean
diet" is the best."
00:10:24.92\00:10:27.29
There's the
"Paleo diet," there's the
00:10:27.32\00:10:28.76
"caveman diet", there's
the "Mediterranean diet."
00:10:28.82\00:10:31.16
There's the "high carbohydrate",
"no carbohydrate."
00:10:31.19\00:10:33.50
There's the "Adkins,"
there are diets all over the
00:10:33.53\00:10:36.46
place here - what
is the healthiest?
00:10:36.50\00:10:37.83
Yeah, and that's a
very interesting question
00:10:37.87\00:10:41.40
because, for instance, if a
person lives in a geographic
00:10:41.44\00:10:44.64
part of the world, the
healthiest diet to them might be
00:10:44.67\00:10:47.28
different than the healthiest
diet for someone else. Yeah
00:10:47.31\00:10:49.61
But if a person has
access to fresh fruits,
00:10:49.64\00:10:52.35
vegetables, nuts and
grains in their whole form,
00:10:52.38\00:10:55.12
it's not in a
package, that is the
00:10:55.15\00:10:57.62
healthiest thing for them.
00:10:57.65\00:10:59.59
And I think you told
me, you have a new term
00:10:59.62\00:11:02.49
that you shared with
Colin Campbell not too long ago.
00:11:02.52\00:11:05.06
Yes, because he was
looking for an update
00:11:05.09\00:11:07.86
to the whole
food plant-based diet
00:11:07.90\00:11:10.30
because that sort of
sounds like you base it on these
00:11:10.33\00:11:12.83
foods, but it's
open-door for anything else.
00:11:12.90\00:11:15.60
I say, why don't we
just call it a whole food
00:11:15.64\00:11:18.27
plant exclusive diet,
and that has been shown
00:11:18.31\00:11:21.61
time and time again
to be the optimum diet,
00:11:21.64\00:11:23.95
the best there is out there.
00:11:23.98\00:11:25.38
Yeah, and I would agree
with you, I think that is
00:11:25.41\00:11:27.92
the optimal place as long as
the person that's getting there
00:11:27.95\00:11:31.42
doesn't have a lot of
mental anguish from doing that.
00:11:31.45\00:11:34.39
Yeah, they have to
believe in it, but I've had some
00:11:34.42\00:11:37.39
people that it's just something
that they have to have,
00:11:37.43\00:11:40.33
and otherwise they're not happy
and it's really about a balance.
00:11:40.36\00:11:44.43
You know, I'd rather have people
eating good 80% of the time,
00:11:44.47\00:11:47.60
than eating bad 80% of the time.
00:11:47.64\00:11:49.47
And you have to move people
in their diet one-step-at-a-time
00:11:49.50\00:11:52.17
looking at the
evidence, but most people,
00:11:52.21\00:11:54.21
as they make these
changes, they feel better,
00:11:54.24\00:11:56.91
and as they eat the bad
food, they feel bad, Charles,
00:11:56.95\00:12:00.25
but the Mediterranean diet
is better than the Adkins diet.
00:12:00.28\00:12:02.95
But I agree with you, if
we can be happy in eating that
00:12:02.98\00:12:06.09
whole food
plant-based exclusive diet,
00:12:06.12\00:12:09.22
that would solve
probably 80 to 90% of our
00:12:09.26\00:12:13.26
disease problem in America
and that's probably one of the
00:12:13.29\00:12:17.03
big solutions to
the healthcare dilemma,
00:12:17.07\00:12:19.43
and yet we spend lots
of money on developing
00:12:19.47\00:12:22.10
new techniques on genetics,
all the research is going on
00:12:22.14\00:12:25.74
this technology or
what the pill can we do,
00:12:25.77\00:12:28.31
and we don't spend the
money in educating people
00:12:28.34\00:12:30.85
and teaching them
techniques how to do this.
00:12:30.88\00:12:33.58
We reflexively do what we've
done our entire lives because
00:12:33.62\00:12:37.59
our system says,
"That's the way we do it."
00:12:37.62\00:12:39.72
But look at the evidence...
Is our world getting better;
00:12:39.75\00:12:42.42
is our healthcare going down? No
00:12:42.46\00:12:44.66
And that's why I'm all
for everyone having access
00:12:44.69\00:12:47.16
to healthcare, but
if they have access
00:12:47.20\00:12:49.00
to systems that are
broken and doesn't fix problems,
00:12:49.03\00:12:51.80
are we really going to not
perpetuate a system that is
00:12:51.83\00:12:55.34
already not doing well?
00:12:55.37\00:12:56.71
So, I think that's a great
question and I get that a lot.
00:12:56.74\00:12:59.71
We need to begin with a belief.
00:12:59.74\00:13:01.08
We have to say to ourselves,
"Okay, I want to be healthy,
00:13:01.11\00:13:06.48
I want to do whatever it takes."
00:13:06.51\00:13:08.45
Instead, we reflexively,
we say, "I want to do
00:13:08.48\00:13:12.89
all the things I'm
doing and I want to be healthy
00:13:12.92\00:13:15.82
while doing them."
00:13:15.86\00:13:17.19
"What can I do to
minimally remove from my life
00:13:17.23\00:13:21.53
the things that I'm doing
that I really like and still
00:13:21.56\00:13:24.60
be healthy?"
00:13:24.63\00:13:25.97
And I think that's the
wrong way for us to do that.
00:13:26.00\00:13:27.47
We should just say,
"Let's start with a blank slate
00:13:27.50\00:13:30.24
here I am, I want to
live a healthy, long life,
00:13:30.27\00:13:32.71
what do I need to do,
and let me look in the
00:13:32.74\00:13:34.54
Bible and whatever it says,
even though you may not like it,
00:13:34.58\00:13:38.41
even though it may not be
your favorite, whatever it says,
00:13:38.45\00:13:41.05
we do it because we
have made a decision,
00:13:41.08\00:13:43.95
and we believe that God
knows what He is talking about
00:13:43.99\00:13:47.09
and that the biblical
technology will take us
00:13:47.12\00:13:48.99
to where we want to
go and we believe that
00:13:49.02\00:13:51.13
"As a man thinketh
on his heart, so is he."
00:13:51.16\00:13:53.56
God wants us to
think it and then do it,
00:13:53.60\00:13:55.96
and have faith
that it is going to
00:13:56.00\00:13:57.33
work out and it usually does.
00:13:57.37\00:13:58.70
Stay tuned for more...
00:13:58.73\00:14:00.07