CHAPTER 2
Firemen and Carpenters
My wife went to many practitioners over the years before I met her. She saw obstetricians, gastrointestinal specialists, neurologists, chiropractors, a naturopath and so many others in her search for help. They each had their own answers for her. The medical doctors prescribed drugs and suggested scraping out her uterus. She knew that wasn’t her answer. Christy looked at the side effects and she knew she wanted a family one day. The natural doctors had her on a ton of supplements that cost her a lot of money. She was taking all of those supplements when I met her! She was trying to do everything right, but she still felt worse. She couldn’t eat a salad because her digestion was so messed up, and I found her crying in the fetal position on the first day of her period. How do you think she would have felt five years later? Or ten years later? She would have been very sick, because up until now we have only had one mindset. I’m going to let you in on what is different about our mindset.
That is one of the worst feelings a person can have. To feel trapped by illness with the only answers from the “experts” leaving you further trapped.
How many of you have sat in a doctor’s office and been told that there is nothing they can do for you. Or what they can do for you is a drug with a bunch of side effects. You might have also been told that there is nothing wrong with you. Even though you have a laundry list of symptoms, they might not be able to find a diagnosis—so there is nothing they can do for you. That is one of the worst feelings a person can have. To feel trapped by illness with the only answers from the “experts” leaving you further trapped.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to create analogies and use them frequently. Why? We’ve all sat with doctors, looked at them, they’ve looked at us, and we made sure that we were listening. We even told them we understood what they were saying! Then when we left the appointment and thought, “what in the world did they just say?” The doctor sounded very smart but didn’t connect with you. You had no clue what you were doing, and you were taking him or her on faith. I find analogies are much easier to remember than “doctor speak”!
Let me give you an example. Before I sit down with a woman, I go through the list of medications she is taking. If a woman is taking something like Premarin, I ask her if she has an affinity for carrots. Why do I ask her that? Most people don’t know that Premarin comes from pregnant mare urine. It’s a funny question, but I’m trying to get her to think differently. When they look at me confused, I say “Well, you are putting horse urine into your body and they like carrots and sugar cane, so I was just wondering.” Women are stunned when they learn what has really been prescribed to them. They should know though. Would you agree that if a woman has been given a horse hormone and doesn’t know it, she should be upset? Absolutely. I don’t have a problem with someone taking something as long as they know what they are taking, what it is doing, why they are taking it, for how long they will be taking it, and all the effects that go along with that plan.
Let me share the analogy that has set the foundation for everything since I started. It sets the basis for every patient that we work with. I believe if you understand this simple analogy, you will understand which doctor to use. Some of you are reading this book because you are frustrated with your doctor. Especially now that you have started to change your thinking. This is something I want to make sure you read closely. I’m not saying you shouldn’t go back, I’m saying you should know why and when to go back. By the time we are done here, I want you to be able to have a clearer understanding of health, and be confident in your choices. I want you to know when to say, “I disagree,” and when to let them save your life.
Firemen and Carpenters
Let’s say you’ve been out for a nice dinner with your family and you get home to find your house on fire. Who is the best professional to handle this situation? A fireman. Why wouldn’t you call your dentist? Doesn’t he have a hose? That question probably made you grin. You’re thinking, Doc, that’s a silly question! Well, it’s a silly question because you know that if he showed up with his tools, and his hose, he could get himself killed. The fireman is the best trained professional to handle the situation.
Even though they caused massive destruction you are not mad.
So, let’s walk through the scenario. The fire truck pulls up and the firemen basically have two tools to work with; hoses and axes. With the ax, the firefighter runs up to your house where he crashes your door in and then smashes the windows. The guy with the hose then runs in and starts spraying the inside of your house. Simple question, when the water he sprays hits the pictures of your kids, what does it do to them? The wall? What does it do to the carpet? The fire department has been there about fifteen minutes and what have they done to your house so far? You are standing there, grateful for all the different ways they have destroyed your home. All you’ll have left is a burned-out shell of your home, and you are still grateful. Even though they caused massive destruction you are not mad. Why? This is their job. But, can you live in that house? Is it toxic? Could it kill you? Let’s remember, the fire department has done a good job and has done everything they were supposed to do with the knowledge and tools they have to work with. That doesn’t mean your house is fit to live in.
A time will come when you’ve got to get back into your house. Who is the best professional to call now? The carpenter. Imagine the carpenter shows up while the fire department is still there. The carpenter sees a mess! He has to rip out walls and carpet and bring in the materials he needs to rebuild the house. Which person is right? Both; based on the specific need of the house at the specific time. If the carpenter shows up to the house while it’s on fire, he looks like what? Now you might laugh at this question, because it’s so obvious, but it illustrates my point! If he shows up with his tools of a hammer, nails, and lumber he looks really funny. Vice versa, if the fire department shows up and tries to rebuild the house with an ax and a hose, you would laugh again. Would you agree? Based on the need, you have to know which professional to call.
If you understand that example, you understand how healthcare should be run today. If you are having a stroke or heart attack, with the education you know that I have, should I run into your kitchen and grab a knife and see if I can help you? No! We need to call someone who is the best professional to save your life. Who are we going to call? We’re going to call 9-1-1. For the purposes of the analogy, let’s call traditional medicine the fire department. They’re going to take you to the hospital and use their axes and hoses on you. Here’s where some confusion comes in. When they put the hose into your arm and start pumping the medicine into your body, is it good for your body? Some say yes, and some say no. Let’s go back to the example. When the fire department sprays water on the walls, is it good for the walls? You have to answer the question that was asked. I didn’t ask if it saved your life. I didn’t ask if it put out the fire. I asked if it was good for your body. If you look at the back of the medication bottle and the inserts, there are numerous warnings and negative side effects, and they are definitely not good for your body. The manufacturer presents this information. I’m not saying the medication is not needed, I’m just asking if it’s good for you.
Now, let’s say the medication didn’t work. They only have one other tool; the ax. Could you possibly die from that surgery? Okay, can we come to an agreement? Could we agree that if you are having a heart attack, you may need drugs or surgery to stay alive? Even if they aren’t necessarily good for your body, they are what is needed at the time to save the body from dying.
Let’s go back to my wife. Did they give her medications when she presented her symptoms? If they are the fire department, they start with medication because it’s how they can help her. The challenges my wife was dealing with would eventually develop into cancer. Then it would be time for the ax. They would tell her to have her uterus removed via hysterectomy. She went to some top specialists; but their way of thinking was the fire depa
rtment. Do you follow me?
Can you rebuild a house with an ax and a hose? No, you can only put out a fire.
Let’s look at the difference. Can you guess the number one reason why people have gone to the doctors in recent years? High blood pressure. Everybody knows someone with high blood pressure. Can someone die from high blood pressure? Yes! Do I have any problem with the fire department’s approach using ACE inhibitors, channel blockers or Lasix? No, they save people’s lives. But after the life has been saved, after all the warm thank-you’s to the doctors and nurses, do they ever sit down with you and discuss why you’ve had the heart attack or stroke? Do they help you get your body back to healthy? They may suggest a bland diet and an occasional walk, but are they helping you to rebuild for a long and vibrant life? Can you rebuild a house with an ax and a hose? No, you can only put out a fire. Can you get your body back to normal with drugs or surgery? No, you can’t. Today, we have fire department doctors. We need fire department doctors! But we also need carpenters. The Wellness Way Approach is the carpenter approach. I want to know what triggered your fire. We help our patients to repair the weak spots where fires can start, rebuild where fires have been, and best of all prevent any possible fires so that you can live that long and vibrant life!
When Christy presented me with these problems, I figured out what triggered her fires and how to rebuild her house. That’s how we have four daughters today.
The key comes back to finding the trigger.
Let’s take a look from another example in my office. What’s the number one medication given for high blood pressure today? Many people take the medication Atenolol. Atenolol can save a life. I’m not saying it can’t. But let’s not forget a negative side effect is extreme fatigue. I had a woman come in with female hormone problems as well as extreme fatigue and thought I could help her. I looked at her medication list and told her I couldn’t help her unless I found what was causing her to have high blood pressure. If I didn’t find the cause, she could never remove this medication-which was causing the fatigue! Do you see the difference in thought process? The firefighter approach would have put her on something to change her energy level, correct? Could that have worked? Yes, but now you’ve added another medication. If you watch TV or read ads in magazines, you will see medications competing over who can put out the fire faster. But they missed the point. I just ask a different question which is what caused the fire in the first place? The key comes back to finding the trigger.
I met my wife when I was almost done with chiropractic school but some of this story started even before that. You are probably assuming based on my success that I come from a wealthy family and was loved by all my teachers. That’s not the case. Shortly after I married Christy, we ran into one of my old teachers at the grocery store. She didn’t tell my beautiful bride that I was her favorite student. As I stood with my new bride by the frozen meats, my former teacher looked her dead in the eye and said, “I never thought he would become a doctor. I thought he’d end up in prison.” My new wife looked at me with eyes that said, “What did I get myself into?”
I came from a hardworking family that worked to make the best for their children with what they had. My mom worked in a bank and had a second job as a waitress. My dad was a truck driver. I know that I was a hard child to raise and give them credit for doing all they could do. I was hypersensitive, my skin was always crawling, and I could never sit still. When the teacher said to work on a writing project, I was drawing a picture of myself hunting on the back. It was a very elaborate drawing, but I got a zero on that homework. I loved hunting, and I couldn’t focus on the project my teacher wanted me to do. As the years went on it got worse. My mind was going a mile a minute. I could not sit still. Today they would have diagnosed me with ADHD and had me on a bunch of different drugs.
I see that today in my practice; they want to put children on drugs. I learned to think differently early on and now I can help kids who are going through what I went through. I know now that the body doesn’t always need drugs, especially if we remove the trigger that is causing the problem. I now know I have an egg allergy that was triggering my system. If someone had looked at what was happening to my body and understood the approach I use now with my patients, it would have been a lot easier on my family. It would have been a lot easier on me. But I wouldn’t be who I am today, which is someone who thinks differently.
A lot of people think because we think differently than the traditional medical approach that we are the natural approach. They get so excited when they see me. “Hey Doc, I totally get it. I don’t take any medications and want to do things all natural.” I reply, “Hold the phone. You’re taking twenty supplements! What happens if you don’t take those supplements?” They say, “Well, I can’t poop.” If you need to take a bunch of supplements to poop or feel normal, then you’re still sick. You’re still sick because the thinking of the popular natural movement and traditional medicine are the same. We have to change that thinking.
The natural movement will apply the same medical thinking to your symptoms but with natural remedies. The system of medicine leans toward acute care or treating the immediate problem or symptom. We call them firemen because they put out your immediate fire without addressing the rebuilding of the body. The natural approach has taken on that same thinking. Instead of giving you an ACE inhibitor for your high blood pressure, they treat your symptoms with fish oils, B12 shots, CoQ10, magnesium, potassium and other natural remedies. They are treating the symptoms instead of finding out why the body is displaying the symptom. One patient can have high blood pressure for a totally different reason than another.
The body doesn’t make mistakes.
The body doesn’t make mistakes. If there is a symptom, there is a reason why the body is trying to adapt. It’s not the symptom that you need to fix. You need to test and find out how to get your body to function. We aren’t all the same. If you think of your neighbors, family members, or your spouse, everybody is different. Why would applying the same medication, or natural treatment to everybody work for everyone? It wouldn’t. That’s why it’s important to test to find out what is happening with the body. It doesn’t make any sense to assume everybody needs the same thing and that just because it works for one person that it will work for everyone with those symptoms.
Who is the king of the natural movement? Dr. Oz! He is famous for this. Dr. Oz could put a one-armed man on his show and give him turmeric so that his arm grows back. When his arm grows back what happens with three million one-armed men the next day? They go out and buy turmeric. Boy, are they disappointed when their arms don’t grow back. This is called the Dr. Oz Effect. I didn’t make it up. Google it.
The Dr. Oz Effect is what happens when a product or treatment is featured on his show and tons of people rush out to try that product. Even though all these people are different and have diverse reasons for their symptoms. The Neti Pot was featured on the Dr. Oz Show and sales went up 12,000%! People searching for info on the Neti Pot went up 42,000%. Nobody ever searched raspberry ketones and green tea extract, but after mentions on the Dr. Oz show they are trending. The “King of Natural Remedies” always has something new to offer, and people rush to try it.
“But there are no side effects!” That’s what I heard from a very upset natural practitioner after one of my talks. “At least with the natural movement you don’t get the side effects of the medical system.” She stumped me there for a bit, she was right. After a lot of thinking, I thought of one side effect—a smaller pocket book. You’ll spend all that money on supplements but what will you get for it?
Which will fail first the medicine or natural remedy? The thing about treating symptoms with natural remedies is the natural remedy will fail first. A medical drug can force your body to do something. If you give a guy Viagra, his body will respond whether he wants it to or not. That doesn’t happen with natural methods. You guys have heard this about natural remedies or had it happen to you. You took s
omething, it helped for a little while, but then it stopped working. It didn’t continue to work like it did in the beginning. It gave you false hope and then you’re back on the medication you were on in the first place.
CHRISTY’S THOUGHTS
Before I met Patrick, I had tried just about everything. When I started to take some homeopathic tinctures and herbs, I felt a little better, but months and even years later I was still struggling with the same things; and if I didn’t take my supplements–man, was I in excruciating pain! I’m sure there are many women who can relate to what I am saying. Anyone can push a certain product on you to try. At the end of the day, you need to ask how is this really making me healthier? It didn’t make a difference what I took because I was asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking what can I take to make me healthy, I should have been asking what is not functioning? Where is my body deficient? How toxic am I?
That’s why the natural movement and the Dr. Oz Effect are failing people. They take the same approach as the medical system, but it doesn’t heal the body. It may (or may not) mask the symptoms for a while, but it doesn’t get to addressing the body as a whole. That’s why The Wellness Way Approach is different. We aren’t the medical approach and we aren’t the natural approach. We think differently.
I didn’t just balance my wife’s hormones to get her pregnant four times, I got her body healthy.
I tested my wife from a different mindset. I looked at what triggered her fire and asked how do I rebuild her body? I didn’t just balance my wife’s hormones to get her pregnant four times, I got her body healthy. It’s perfectly normal for a healthy woman to have a baby. That’s a positive side effect! We don’t test for fires, we test for what could trigger a fire and how to rebuild the house in such a way as to prevent that fire from ever occurring again. I know you didn’t pick up this book to read about hormone issues. You really didn’t. You were looking for something else, something that seems elusive. It’s not. Stay with me. Let’s talk about health and how we got here.
I Disagree Page 3
