Why my new practice is devoted to reversing chronic disease

Chronic diseases are a recent part of human history. In the past people only when to healers, physicians or hospitals when they became sick. Generally these were due to infections, injuries or other maladies. Even cancer was very rare in the past as described by Mukherjee (“The Emperor of All Maladies,” 2010). The concept of chronic diseases emerged in the 1970s with high blood pressure (hypertension) being the first. Type 1 diabetes (a complete lack of insulin) became understood in the early 20th century, but the far more common Type 2 diabetes (due to excess carbohydrates and insulin resistance) emerged with the epidemic of overweight and obesity. High cholesterol became recognized as a disease in the 1980s. Auto-immune diseases were known in the past but exploded in frequency in the 1970s and a new medical specialty developed — rheumatology.

Chronic diseases are often referred to as Western diseases due to being more affluent and industrialized. But affluence and industry do not lead to disease, the lifestyle that commonly goes along with them does. We have learned that all these diseases are reversible through lifestyle change. That is what Restore Health is all about. By guiding people through the necessary lifestyle changes, people are able to get off most medications and erase chronic diseases from their active medical history.There are six elements to a healthy lifestyle:

• Nutrition is the most important and is estimated as an 80% factor in causing most chronic diseases,
• Physical activity, both movement and strength,
• Stress management,
• Healthy restorative Sleep,
• Social connections (important and usually not a problem for most in the Coachella Valley), and
• Having meaning and purpose to life (the spiritual dimension). The Restore Health approach will be to explore and seek to optimize each of these elements for a healthy lifestyle.

Chronic diseases number in the hundreds and can be grouped into categories.

1 Bones, joints, strength and balance

Our modern lifestyles may give us greater longevity but our healthy years (health span) is in decline. Our muscles and our skeleton ages and causes many reversible problems. At Restore Health we use the BioDensity and Power Plate technologies to naturally restore strong bones reversing osteopenia and osteoporosis. The result is healthy normal bone. Drugs do not do that. After getting a body composition and balance test, our expert training will add muscle strength and restore balance, turning back your physical clock many years.

2 Diseases of carbohydrate overload

Our modern American diet and culture is loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates that have made the majority of Americans overweight with an elevated blood sugar leading to dementia and many other problems. Forty percent of Americans are obese with excess body fat as stored energy. Restore Health uses a healthy human diet of Superfoods that has healthy fats, protein and low carbohydrate resulting in the reversal of overweight, obesity, prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, fatty liver and metabolic syndrome. Exercise and stress reduction help this process.

3 Diseases of inflammation and an unhealthy gut microbiome

Inflammatory proteins and fats in common foods cause us to have systemic inflammation and an unhealthy gut microbiome (dysbiosis). Common gastrointestinal problems result from this including acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Our stomach acid is good for us and the drugs to reduce stomach acid harm us in the long run. The entire spectrum of auto-immune diseases originate in the gut as a result of dysbiosis and small intestinal bacteria overgrowth. The RH diet and lifestyle reverses all these problems.

4 Diseases of stress

Life today is stressful for most everyone. Achieving a life controlling stress is an important skill that can be learned. This leads to equanimity during the day and natural restorative sleep at night. Hypertension (high blood pressure) can be reversed along with many common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. At RH we use mind and body solutions for stress reduction and optimal mental health.

5 Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia

These common health problems respond to optimizing nutrition and lifestyle. With chronic fatigue improving immune function is vital when a chronic virus in at the core of the problem.

6 Cognitive decline

Dale Bredesen (“The End of Alzheimer’s”) and Daniel Amen (“Memory Rescue”) have shown that cognitive decline can not only be avoided but even reversed!The three most common factors are blood sugar levels, inflammation and toxins. At RH we use the Bredesen protocol to preserve cognitive function and reverse cognitive decline if caught in stage 1 or 2 dementia.

7 Cancer remission

While cancer occurs for many different reasons once it exists it is a metabolic disease. It must be fed and nurtured to cause disease and death. Much has been learned about maximizing your changes for cancer remission. At RH we will guide you in a cancer remission diet and lifestyle to improve your changes for remission and a full recovery.

8 Anti-aging

Much has been learned about the biology of aging. We are designed to age and die. The modern diet and lifestyle often accelerates aging and death. At RH we will guide you to have the longest healthspan possible. We will also provide the latest knowledge about how to extend your biologic life through medications and supplements that delay the processes leading to aging and death.

Restore Health is an office devoted exclusively to promoting health rather than treating diseases with drugs and procedures. The goal is for you to discontinue as many of your medications as possible and to erase chronic diseases from your medical problem list. All practices are based on the latest science information. Whenever possible real foods are used over supplements. All six elements of a healthy lifestyle are addressed in every person. Health Insurance is about covering you for disease treatment so it will not be used for coverage of these services.

Joseph E. Scherger, M.D., M.P.H., is a family physician at Eisenhower Health in La Quinta, California, and is a member of the Medical Economics® editorial advisory board. He is also a core faculty member with the Eisenhower Health Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Scherger is clinical professor of family medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), and is a leader in transforming office practice.

Arnel Sator, MS, BS, PTA has an extensive background focused in physical health, kinesiology and exercise physiology and is a formerU.S.Olympic athlete.