We live in an amazing time in human history. Anybody with access to the Internet now has access to more knowledge than all the privileged individual, kings, emperors, scholars, etc., in the entire history of the world! You can spend several hours or more and become a subject matter expert (very narrow area, of course) on just about anything, if you know how to avoid the junk and focus on the good stuff. This is especially useful to educate yourself about medical information, so that you can assist your health care practitioner with your treatment.
Many choose to passively leave the situation to their doctor to diagnose and treat. In my own case, because of this information, I have avoided shoulder surgery (and achieved full recovery and mobility), and discovered an unpublished side effect of a medication that sent me to the ER via ambulance, vomiting blood and in excruciating pain.
This valuable Internet knowledge is mixed and buried within the giant dung heap of the vastness of Internet content that is absolutely useless to the advancement of human kind. The trick to finding the useful, is to avoid the so called "click bait' and curious attractive distractions (political, religious, and the other that the media relies on to draw your attention).
I have also discovered numerous bloggers and creators of health related sites that have done much of this work for us, whom I will share with you. But one still has to sort through their information, to find what is timely, science based, etc. Much of the newer information is considered controversial because it contradicts popular wisdom, or hasn't had the time to be tested scientifically, or has been ignored from a peer review standpoint because it is "out there."
Proponents of some of these "contradictory" treatments, some of whom are prominent medical doctors, have faced law suits, and damage to their reputations. And, as human nature would have it, if industry is somehow threatened, some of the negative forces of capitalism have influenced, suppressed, or promoted research that may or may not be justified. These influences have lead to politicization of research findings, instead of allowing science to follow its course. The problem isn't so much the science, but control of the message of the science.
So how does one know they are getting all the science, aka, the truth, and what is available relating this information? The answer is difficult. But, from a starting point, you must be open minded to those ideas that may contradict what you WANT to hear. If not, you fall deeply into the confirming your own biases, with your biased research. That being said, if you keep your mind open, you will discover some unfreakingbelievable stuff going on. Some things, so simple, you will wonder why you didn't think of them yourself. Other things, well, just unimaginable, but super cool and helpful.
A number of individuals are doing replicable research on themselves, where funding or other sources aren't yet venturing. These self-described bio-hackers are an interesting lot, to say the least. Mostly highly educated and very intelligent, and running against the societal grain in one way or another. I will introduce you to some of these characters, their recent findings, and without judgement, attempt to synthesize their discoveries into "bite sized" information that you can personally consider putting to use to maximize your own health.
I have tried remedies from my grandparents, from the Internet, and some I have created myself. Some of these worked, some did not. I suspect some of these work nearly universally as "cures," but most probably only work in conjunction with other variables (which are so difficult to control), such as our individual genetic makeup, environmental factors (ingested nutrients, sleep quantity/quality, stress, perceptions, etc.), as well as our newly discovered individual "biomes," the beneficial bacterial flora that inhabit our intestinal tracts, mucosal linings and skin!
I am not a medical doctor. I have no formal medical training beyond basic First Aid and CPR. Nothing in this blog or on this website should be construed as medical or legal advice. I am merely presenting information that doesn't seem to be easily available through most doctors to their patients, mainstream media or other regular, normal resources.
Stay tuned!
-Coach Glenn