In this lesson, we consider key issues that underlie most disease and healing principles that are consistently and verifiably effective.
Objective
Differentiate the naming of disease vs. resolving it and be familiar with key issues that underlie most disease including chronic stress and inflammation, plus verifiable principles of healing, including specific ways to restore the body’s natural healing forces.
Description
Define diagnosis and discuss the scope and limitations of diagnosis Describe the ICD-10CM and the significance of their being 97,296 possible diagnoses. Discuss various perspectives which can help to identify and resolve causal factors of disease. Discuss cellular health as the foundation of health and disease; include key vocabulary. Name four vital inputs to the body-mind that are foundational to health and wellness. Name five underlying conditions that typically underlie chronic disease. Discuss lifestyle factors that directly relate to chronic illness. Cite four evidence-based principles of healing.
A medical diagnosis is a name that describes the symptoms a person is experiencing. [dictionary]
For healing to happen, logic demands that the cause of disease be resolved. But in most cases, a diagnosis is simply a name for a constellation of symptoms with no concern for the cause.
Identifying the cause of chronic illness is vastly different from that of an acute injury. While an acute issue will typically impact a structure such as a bone or tendon, chronic conditions (including chronic pain) involve the body’s physiology. Physiology involves complex interactions between multiples systems of the body such as the nervous system and immune system.
Using the current World Health Organization (WHO) system, diagnosis does little to support identifying the causes of chronic disease, and is a distraction from the true need: addressing the cause. Here are specific examples that make this clear:
*Some may claim that the purpose of getting a diagnosis is to “rule out something more serious.” This may be a valid argument in a few cases involving high-risk symptoms of the heart, for example. But in many cases, it’s reasonable to consider different courses of action that you would choose based on different diagnoses, and begin to test the body’s response to some of them now. If experiencing symptoms of sciatica, what is the effect from gentle, progressive strengthening of the low back? And what is the effect of stretching the piriformis? If sciatic symptoms disappear, no diagnosis was necessary to determine and resolve the cause, and less time, energy, money, and attention was diverted from healing. If the symptoms do not resolve, more information has been gained in the search for resolution.
As demonstrated above, a diagnosis of chronic disease is not an understanding of the foundational cause and resolution. In fact, medical literature is rife with diagnoses for which the cause is “unknown” and there is “no cure.”
You can verify this for yourself by examining establishment medicine’s definitions of diagnoses for ADHD, depression, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, OPLL, and so on.
The World Health Organization has developed a classification system for diagnoses called the ICD-10-CM (with “10” referring to the 10th edition). [source] This is a list of diagnosis codes, broken into 22 chapters and 288 sections, each section containing multiple diagnoses. [source]
At the time of this writing, the total number of possible diagnoses is 97,296.* [source]
The U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services takes another 115 pages to document “a set of rules” to “accompany and complement”… the ICD-10-CM.
How much time, money and attention has been required by people in the medical establishment to understand 97,296 possible diagnoses and 115 pages of related rules, and to track and report on them with every single person in their care?
How has this diagnostic process impacted the amount and quality of attention individuals have received from doctors? How specifically has this system affected the intention, motivation and capability of doctors in their role of determining the cause and course of action best suited to healing?
This system of diagnosis is arguably only beneficial to a system corrupted by industry, focused on having as many diagnoses as possible to match to as many profitable drugs as possible.
To be aware that a diagnosis is typically just an exercise in describing symptoms — disconnected from the underlying causal conditions — may inspire one to direct more of their limited energy toward resolving the underlying issues and restoring health.
For example, with a misguided understanding of the value of diagnosis, it’s easier to identify with the label rather than focusing on investigation of the underlying causal issues. To focus on a statement such as, “I have diabetes” (or high blood pressure or osteoporosis or depression or Crohn’s disease) can lead to believing the propaganda of pharmaceutical companies that benefit from customers who accept such conditions as lifelong burdens, instead of seeing the symptoms as a prompt to identify and resolve causal factors.
From here:
Total: 97,296 diagnoses
Practitioners of holistic health modalities such as naturopathic medicine, functional medicine, Ayurveda and TCM among others, seek to identify and resolve the root causes of illness. They typically have many tools to relieve symptoms as well, but not to mask them in the name of disease management, which does nothing to stop the continuation and escalation of disease.
With chronic disease, when we look deeper than the names (diagnoses), it becomes clear that there are a few common underlying conditions that produce an extravagant number of possible symptom combinations.
In other words, one way to look at symptoms is to parse apart combinations until you can separate them into 90,000 names; another way is to find what unites them by identifying what causes them.
As it turns out, there are five underlying conditions that lend tremendous insight into resolving symptoms at a causal level for an untold number of diseases. Those are listed below.
But before getting to those, it may be helpful to consider that there are various perspectives one can take when identifying causal factors. For example, disease can be viewed as the result of:
To seek healing at the root level: remove obstacles, stimulate healing, strengthen weakened systems, and correct structural integrity.
As a naturopathic doctor, we have something called the Therapeutic Order of Health and Healing, which is broken down into a few parts. One is removing obstacles to health. The natural state of the body is health and what is leading to disease is these obstacles such as stress, poor diet, digestive disturbances, and so forth. The second is stimulating self-healing mechanisms. This is done through modalities such as homeopathy, and natural nontoxic therapies. The third is strengthening weakened systems. Is your weakened system the immune system? Is it the digestive? Is it the emotional thoughts and conflicts and traumas in life? What are they? Let’s strengthen that weakened system. The fourth one is correcting structural integrity, which can be done with things like acupuncture, chiropractic, and structural adjustment… [for] aligning the body so the flow of the energy is not [blocked]. And then we use natural substances to restore and regenerate the body. I say all this to [explain] the difference between conventional and integrative oncology. [In conventional medicine] we’re not attending to the body’s needs when we focus strictly on chemotherapy, radiation surgery, or even the more recent targeted gene therapies and targeted therapies… [and] we’re not addressing the reasons for the development of that tumor. – Dr. Antonio Jimenez, Cancer Epidemic: The Alarming Rise in Post Vaxx Turbo Cancers – And How to Reverse Them link
A cell is the smallest physical component in the body that has all the characteristics of life, as defined by scientists. The human body is made up of more than 30 trillion cells.
Observation and logic point to the fact that health and disease, at its root, is cellular health and cellular dis-ease. Chemist and MIT graduate Raymond Francis argues exactly that — that there is only one disease: cellular malfunction. And cellular malfunction happens due to toxicity or deficiency. [Never Be Sick Again: Health is a Choice, Learn How to Choose It]
A few specific aspects of cellular health are programmed cell death (apoptosis) and regeneration, mitochondrial health, and metabolic health.
The Correlation Between Metabolic Syndrome and Many, Many Diseases
While most can easily understand the correlation between metabolic syndrome and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, more research is demonstrating the link between metabolic syndrome and other rapidly increasing prevalence of diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and even arthritis. – Jennifer Galardi, The Epoch Times, Many Chronic Diseases May Be ‘Rooted’ in Metabolic Dysfunction: Doctor link
Even the Most Mainstream, Authoritative Sources Agree
Metabolic syndrome is common in the United States, occurring in about one in three adults…. People suffering from persistent and progressive metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions like high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, and abnormal cholesterol, are at higher risk of developing certain cancers. The findings were published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society… The NIH states that developing metabolic syndrome is preventable. The key to preventing the condition is knowing the risk factors and developing a healthy lifestyle… Some medications can increase an individual’s risk of developing metabolic syndrome, such as those used to treat allergies, bipolar disorder, depression, HIV, and schizophrenia. Preventative measures for metabolic syndrome typically include creating a lifestyle that promotes heart-healthy decisions. Such lifestyle decisions include eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, not abusing alcohol, and abstaining from smoking. – Amie Dahnke link
Learning More About Healthy Cellular Physiology
The human body is conventionally regarded as being either alive or dead, when in reality it exists in a continual state of both. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a normal and controlled part of growth and development… Though it may sound counterintuitive, by committing “cellular suicide,” apoptosis maintains homeostasis in your body, helping to eliminate cells with DNA damage, for instance, or remove cells that were only needed for a temporary task. One of the clearest examples of the benefits of apoptosis is in relation to cancer. Cells with DNA damage are dysfunctional and can be harmful to the body. Apoptosis exists to eliminate these dysfunctional cells, but a hallmark of cancer is that the malignant cells are able to evade apoptosis. Without this crucial balance, cancerous cells continue to grow out of control and can ultimately bring down the whole organism. Senescent cells, which have stopped dividing and tend to accumulate with age, are another example. Cellular senescence is believed to occur in stressed cells as a tumor-suppressor mechanism, stopping cellular reproduction in order to protect against cancer. (4) But these cells, even if they’re non-cancerous, can become harmful as they accumulate, as they crowd out healthy, regenerating cell lines. As such, elimination of senescent cells is believed to promote longevity and antiaging. There are at least 703 natural substances, such as curcumin, the active component in the spice turmeric, and resveratrol, found in grape skins, that have apoptotic properties and serve as a balance to cellular regeneration. You see, this process of cell death comes with a life-giving counterpart. While your cells are capable of self-destructing, they’re also capable of regenerating, which means your body can create new cells to replace those that are damaged, and in so doing turn over new cells to regenerate the tissues and organs made of them. – GreenMedInfo, 15 Natural Strategies to Regenerate Your Body and Mind link
From this physiological perspective, optimizing cellular (and mitochondrial) health is the foundational task for optimizing health and disease.
Thus, any technique one uses to improve health ought to be evaluated based on its impact on cellular health.
Water, Food, Toxins, and Electromagnetic Fields
If the practice of medicine were conceived properly in the Western world, doctors would begin by ascertaining four basic factors: the quality of the water their patients drink; the quality of the food they eat; the level and type of toxins, including mental and emotional toxins, to which they are exposed; and finally the level and type of electromagnetic fields to which they are subjected. The vast majority of medical problems can be understood by gathering patient information on these four areas, and the vast majority of health problems can be helped or even solved, by “remediating” these four core issues. – Dr. Thomas S. Cowan MD, The Truth About Contagion: Exploring Theories of How Disease Spreads link
Here are some resources that can help in your exploration of the vital importance of these key inputs to human health.
Has your Doctor Talked to You About the Quality of Your Water?Water
Since human beings are made up of 70 percent water by volume and over 99.99 percent of the molecules in a human being are water molecules, we need to pay attention to the quality of the water we drink.
Health professionals’ foremost concern should be the type of water and other liquids their patients are consuming. Water consumed by healthy nonindustrialized peoples had four characteristics:
First, the water was free of toxins. This is in complete contrast with the municipal water that most people drink. Today’s water contains chlorine and chloramine, which are toxic to our microbiome, as well as to the rest of our body. Today’s water contains fluoride, an industrial waste that is toxic to the enzymes in our tissues, enzymes needed for every chemical transformation that happens in our bodies. Water also contains microplastics, which can line and congest the intestinal wall, and aluminum, which predisposes us to electrical sensitivity as well as a laundry list of diseases. Municipal water contains residues of many pharmaceutical drugs, including birth control pills, statins, and antidepressants.
Second, traditionally consumed water was abundant in vital minerals such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, and iodine.
Third, all traditionally consumed water was at least partially structured and organized into EZs because in nature, water moves in vortex patterns. Water bubbles up from the ground in springs, swirls in pools, flows over rocks, and forms eddies and vortices. Water flowing in vortex patterns becomes more “coherent,” becoming increasingly structured. The structure actually persists for some time, and does not revert to incoherent bulk water just because it stops flowing…
Finally, traditionally consumed water was exposed to the sounds and wavelengths of the natural world. Water flowing in mountain streams is exposed not just to the minerals, microbes, and other constituents of the forest, but also the sounds and energies of the life of the forest and of the entire natural universe, including the stars, sun, and moon. It’s clear that most water is sick and toxic and a major contributor to illness. If we are ever to change the course of the disease patterns in our world, it must start with clean, healthy water.
– Dr. Thomas S. Cowan MD link
Chronic disease typically involves one or more of the following underlying conditions.
Another consideration is the role of addiction / distraction / disconnection (from body, emotions, inner wisdom).
Dr. Ahvie Herskowitz, a former UCSF professor, treats complex health issues by addressing root causes. He believes microbiome problems and leaky gut are fundamental to many diseases, including cancer and autoimmune disorders. Chronic diseases often result from accumulated toxicities and nutritional deficiencies. Herskowitz estimates 80%-90% of Americans have metabolic syndrome, largely due to processed foods and environmental toxins. “Nuisance symptoms” like toenail fungus or indigestion may indicate underlying health issues. Herskowitz found Alzheimer’s patients had 2.5 times more such symptoms compared to healthy individuals. To measure biological age, Herskowitz uses tests for oxidative stress, chronic immune function, mitochondrial function, and senescent cells. – Dr. Joseph Mercola, Longevity Expert Shares Clues About Drivers of Chronic Disease link
The key subjects listed above encompass vast bodies of knowledge that explain how and why disease manifests and resolves. We encourage you to select the links above and explore these vital topics. Each lesson features evidence-based findings and links to primary research, and there are many accessible techniques for consideration.
To know you have a microbiome imbalance or chronic inflammation is a practical way to resolve illness, as it directs attention to addressing causal factors e.g. with detoxification, nutrient balancing, stress reduction, identifying and eliminating the ingestion of inflammatory foods and so on.
To be clear, an underlying condition is not in itself the primary cause, as there is still a cause of that condition. See the root causes of more than 60 conditions here: Root Cause Index
The impact of such efforts is invaluable compared to simply getting a diagnosis and consuming drugs to mask symptoms. Most people will know quickly when they are on the right track, experiencing more balanced emotions, better stress management, improved sleep, more energy, and so on. However, this is not to imply that the resolution at a causal level will be quick and easy, and while symptoms may lessen, they may linger due to a need for further healing, as this comment points to:
If you’ve been sick for a year, you probably have 5 to 6 different factors that are giving you all the same symptoms, and they may be multiple infections and multiple deficiencies or multiple toxins or a little bit of all of it. And your body’s inflammatory response to all of those different irritants is the same response. So even if you fix one of them, you’ve got 4 to 5 more that are pushing that inflammation button and you’re having the same inflammatory response over and over and over again, even though you’re actively doing things to fix it. – Dr. Daniel Nuzum, Harnessing Nature’s Remedies
Chronic illness is not the result of a pharmaceutical drug deficiency.
While there are capable and principled allopathic doctors, their ability to be of true service is greatly hindered by establishment medicine, which has been provably corrupted at all levels, from medical education to diagnostic tools to treatment protocols. Medical research is also rife with corruption, requiring a discerning look at the primary research before accepting purported outcomes that benefit corporations.
In other words, corruption of allopathic medicine has led to a system now designed to produce lifelong customers. One aspect of this model is to dishonestly portray chronic disease as mysterious and incurable.
While the resolution of chronic illness can be the most significant and challenging undertaking of a person’s life, the underlying factors are not mysterious.
Chronic Illness is Not a “Mysterious Aberration” but a Consequence of How We Live
Chronic illness — mental or physical — is to a large extent a function or feature of the way things are and not a glitch; a consequence of how we live, not a mysterious aberration. — Dr. Gabor Mate MD, Science and Nonduality email Oct 25, 2023
Lifestyle factors that are fundamental to human health are:
Metabolic Health is the Result of Lifestyle Habits Over Time
Improving your metabolic health is ultimately just a matter of building new habits, one by one, until they are a regular part of your life. Most of us know the core pillars of health — diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management — but the challenge is in building sustainable habits around them to improve your health over the long term. — Dr. Mark Hyman MD, email Aug 27, 2024 link
The normalization of a lifestyle that skews our experience of those factors, disconnected from nature’s inherent health and wholeness, has caused widespread suffering. The escalation of unnatural lifestyle factors has escalated with increasing speed and impact, such that people born in the 1950s, 60s and 70s have observed in only one lifetime, the explosion of chronic illness and mental health issues that were rare or nonexistent in their youth.
Modern societies disconnect people from natural cycles and ways of living that are aligned with biological and energetic truths. When we sit for hours a day instead of move our glorious body, stare at screens instead of the sky and the horizon, eat from plastic containers instead of a garden, breathe in toxins instead of fresh air, the consequence is suffering. Such misalignment creates imbalances emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually, including disease and chronic illness.
Small Changes for Better Health
All too often, it’s not a pill or prescription my patients need, it’s a change in lifestyle. Small changes that lead to better health – both physically and mentally. To be clear, this is not about blaming people for their health. Many people do not realize how influential their day-to-day behaviours are for a variety of different health conditions. Much more detailed info on this in my five books. – Dr. Rangan Chaterjee, January 2024 link
“Incurable” Diseases Are Cured All the Time
I’ve healed from many diagnoses which the medical industry and the psychiatry industry calls “incurable.” By the time I was 18, I was nearly bedridden with an autoimmune disease, and consuming a pharmacy-worth of medications everyday. Top doctors across the country had told me, “This disease is incurable. Your only option is to take pharmaceutical drugs for the rest of your life, and likely face extreme surgical procedures in the future.” Yet, at age 19, I learned how to heal this disease using nutrition and holistic approaches… Further, I’ve healed from the kind of trauma and abuse many people consider “impossible to fully heal.” – Lauren Geertsen, 25 Lessons I’ve Learned About Healing From Anything link
Learning factual, verifiable information about the following subjects can bring powerful inspiration to the healing process.
Where people get their information has a tremendous effect on their belief systems, and therefore the quality of their lives. How different would our world be if most people had been taught life-supporting information such as that of the power of the nervous system; microbiome vs genetic determinism; and the terrain vs germ theory? Simply through empowering students with yoga techniques, you can serve as a model and bridge to support others in freeing their mind (and life) from the hopeless, helpless victimhood stemming from false paradigms, awakening their interest, perhaps, in discovering such truths for themselves.
If you’d like to have notes that you can review and keep for life, we offer a PDF of each lesson, plus Q&As.