Goal for 2025: seek common sense solutions
By Joan Janzen
If you've set goals for 2025, you're not alone. A man told his friend he decided to quit smoking but then asked his buddy for a cigarette. "I thought you made a resolution not to smoke," his buddy said.
"I'm in phase one of quitting," his friend responded. "I've quit buying cigarettes."
Another woman decided to start knitting. "It's a lot like meditating, but I end up with a sweater afterwards," she said.
If you listen to the news you may notice many Canadians have a goal to see an election as soon as possible in 2025, while the Prime Minister appears to have a goal to do everything possible to prevent it from happening. While rising costs seem beyond our control, doing all we can to maintain our physical and mental health is a goal worth pursuing.
In his New Year's video, Dr. Suneel Dhand expressed optimism for 2025 because social media platforms are enabling doctors to discuss things that were previously ignored.
As he listens to his patients, those in their 80s recall a time when doctors spent time with their patients and gave them common-sense advice. He said since then, there's been a deliberate attempt to move away from anything natural and replace it with a "pill for every ill." He didn't negate the need for medications but suggested there are often alternate common-sense solutions.
He showed a video clip of two Canadian surgeons accusing Dr. Dhand of being an extremist simply because he encourages the use of natural supplements and believes in their benefits. "Natural supplements are based on ingredients that people have been consuming for thousands of years without causing any harm," he added. "Why is the medical establishment so scared of natural ways to combat illness?"
Simple recommendations such as taking regular walks, exercise, spending time outdoors or connecting with community can do so much to improve one's mental and physical health.
In a recent publication, Dr. Dhand referred to an article published by CNN that said a new generation of climate doctors is being trained. Dr. Dhand said medical journals are full of articles on climate and healthcare, and medical schools are rushing to include climate change in their curricula while basic courses on nutrition and metabolic health remain glaringly absent.
"Ultimately, it's the patients who pay the price for these misplaced priorities," he noted. He observed the system is failing because "those at the top prioritize ideological campaigns over fixing what's broken."
There are plenty of examples of attempts to fix what's not broken. Journalist Brian Lilley recently interviewed Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, who spoke about a methane-reducing feed additive which can be given to cows to reduce methane emissions (burps and farts). He said research for this additive was funded because of the pressure placed on the livestock industry to reduce methane emissions. Meanwhile, Dr. Charlebois said they have no idea if it impacts the quality of beef or milk or if farmers are using it since the livestock industry is self-regulated.
John Campbell is another popular medical professional who interviewed Dr. David Grimes, a medical researcher, teacher, author and physician. Dr. Grimes conducted a personal study where he found 85 to 95 percent of a group of 5000 patients had vitamin D deficiency.
"So many of their illnesses revolved around vitamin D deficiency," he said. "People suffer from illnesses that are so readily correctable."
Vitamin D also plays a vital role in vaccinations. He said a vaccination produces an immune response that gobbles up and utilizes vitamin D. "Vaccinations knock down vitamin D levels, and then with each subsequent vaccination, the levels decrease," he said. When giving vaccinations, you basically need vitamin D to produce the immune response; without it, the vaccine won't be effective.
Throughout his research, Dr. Grimes also observed that treatment for cancer won't work properly unless someone's vitamin D levels are adequate. Those that had a positive response had adequate Vitamin D, he observed.
Dr. Dhand stated the obvious: vitamin D is crucial, but we live in a cold climate where it's difficult to get adequate amounts from the sun. "Yet the medical establishment looks on it with distrust," he said.
Vitamin D is essential for immunity. "And without good immunity, you don't have good health," Dr. Campbell added.
Meanwhile Canadians are eagerly listening to the advice given by medical experts like Dr. Dhand and John Campbell. This is evident by numerous comments posted by Canadians after their videos. Here are a just a few.
"I am a retired researcher and investigator. I find Dr. Dhand extremely credible."
"I've been a nurse for 45 years. You speak the truth. Keep it up."
"You are excellent at telling us the facts without a strong opinion or telling us how to think."
As the new year begins, we can be like the fellow who had a goal to stop smoking. Phase one is to stop buying into information that promotes a pill for every ill instead of common sense solutions.