Full Potential Health and Wellness

09/21/2021

I saw this today and thought it's appropriate in our present time:

When our attitude toward difficulty is rooted in hope, each trial allows us to grow stronger. We can treasure what we have accomplished and better appreciate the view after climbing our way out. Ernest Hemingway observed that “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places.”

09/07/2021

I fully believe people should do what they need to that makes themselves feel safe. However, many signals we receive each day skew the reality about the risk in our present pandemic. This article does a good job of comparing apples to apples, I believe.

The COVID-19 risk for vaccinated people is roughly equal to 'riding in a vehicle,' recent data suggest

08/23/2021

Two great articles that, in my opinion, get to the heart of some important issues we are facing during this pandemic. Right now, the country needs empathy more than a vaccine.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/why-aren-t-people-getting-vaxxed-because-of-your-hypocrisy-opinion/ar-AANDdSe?ocid=msedgntp

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/let-s-stop-pretending-about-the-covid-19-vaccines/ar-AANDygE?ocid=msedgntp

To fix this, leaders might just have to return to some very old and simple standards: Make consistent rules based on actual empirical facts, and then apply them fairly to all.

05/16/2021

With the term Health Coaching starting to seep into cultural language, here are a few things to describe what these professionals do:

* Apply effective communication skills, including but not limited to open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summarizing, and to assist in a client's growth, change, and autonomy in making a change

* Assist clients in developing achievable and measurable goals, monitor success, and support and encourage ongoing behavioral change

* Assist clients in developing and building on their inherent strengths for successful growth and change

04/30/2021

I haven't told many people, but I have been working towards my nation board certification for health and wellness coaching since last October. This year long program is accredited by the National Board of Medical Examiners, the same organization that accredits board certification for doctors (for example, a "board certified orthopedic surgeon", or "board certified family practice"). This is the recognition and standards the industry has needed and lacked until recently. I hope to sit for my national boards in this fall or early 2022.

To understand better how a health coach works with clients, here is a quick explanation from the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches website (https://nbhwc.org/)

"Health & wellness coaches partner with clients seeking to enhance their well-being through self-directed, lasting changes, aligned with their values. In the course of their work, health & wellness coaches display an unconditional positive regard for their clients and a belief in their capacity for change, honoring the fact that each client is an expert on their own life, while ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental."

In effect, health coaches work to help a person change behaviors in a personalized manner to better aid them to live their life in a happier, healthier state aligning with their values. I should add this is a profession service, and all information is kept confidential.

A major component of the course is learning to work in a clinical setting with clients. For this reason, students are required to recruit individuals that wish to improve their lives through health coaching. Most health coaches are offering this service for free while in this phase of their training.

If you or any of your friends feel compelled to explore this opportunity, please message me or reply to this post with questions.

I appreciate that you read this far and hope everyone a happier and healthier rest of the year.

The NBHWC is leading the advancement of health & wellness coaching by establishing professional standards and collaborative partnerships.

12/05/2020

I was raised to be a generous person and to love others. But I'm also human. What I've come to fully endorse is that we get what we give. And this passage is so good for all of us to remember...

11/22/2020

Food for thought: We cannot change people. We create the conditions under which they are most likely to consider change.

11/18/2020

There are some little known health benefits from giving blood, besides the feel-good helping your fellow man makes you feel:

* During the check in, you'll find out if you have low red blood cells, high blood pressure, or fever

* 1-200 have a condition called hemochromatosis, where the body stores excessive iron that damages the tissues. By giving blood, the body will lower these iron stores in the production of new cells

* In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, giving blood once a year can lower heart attack risk 88%, again by lowering iron stores, even in people without excessive stores

* In a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, people that gave blood and were prone to higher iron stores decreased their risk of cancer

* If you are prone to having higher blood iron levels, giving blood can also help prevent liver damage and other hepatic conditions like Hepatitus C and NAFLD.

And don't forget the happiness of justifiably being able to eat cookies when you're done!

10/20/2020

I thought this quote from German philosopher Johann Wolfgang Van Goethe is a good thing to keep in mind during these trying times:

"In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a person humanized or de-humanized."

How we react to things has a lot to do with the impact it has on our thoughts and behaviors.

07/09/2020

In this day and age of the COVID19 crisis, many are looking for the discovery of a vaccine or specific drug intervention to help "win" the battle against this virus. However, many front line doctors are recognizing that, in lieu of a specific recommendation, Vitamin D is a significant part of a treatment plan due to its positive effects on our immune system. This is drawn from the little discussed recognition that, for the most part, countries with more sun exposure (both seasonal and located nearer the equator) have significantly fewer deaths, even when they are deemed economically poor and with a less capably healthcare infrastructure. Why is sunlight important? Because that's how most humans produce Vit. D, through their skin. The darker the skin color, the more exposure we need. This has barely been researched as it applies to the latest pandemic, but this small study was statistically significant and paints the picture.

What this graph summarizes is that for those in the study that tested positive for COVID19, the higher the Vit. D marker level in their bloodstream, the less severe their symptoms. Also of interest is that the two groupings of Vit. D levels to the left (

11/20/2019

It's that time of year! Time for a little giving. But, in this case, it's more the gift of life! It's also beneficial to you the donor. Unless you are prone to anemia, spurring the system to produce more red blood cells is a healthy process. Plus, you reduce iron stores in the blood and this also has longevity benefits. This is also the time of year were there'll be minimal impact on your training, as most athletes are in their off season and just thinking about ramping up for next year. So, give a little.

11/19/2019

A great explanation of how the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes has seemingly caused long term harm to patients.

Treating type 2 diabetes with insulin leads to weight gain and worsens risk factors for heart disease. Should we still be doing it? Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of a critical moment in modern medicine. In 1920, the Canadian surgeon Frederick Banting lay down in bed to read a research a