This was me before I started on my journey of health. I was sick, fat, and getting closer to a heart attack.
"Progress in science depends mainly or entirely on disagreement, but if new ideas that go contrary to established ‘knowledge' are considered as a sign of ignorance or stupidity, nothing happens" (Ravnskov, 2011).
This speaks volumes of what I am learning regarding our health. There is a small but critically important segment of the healthcare community that looks past the obvious, goes beyond the barriers of government recommendations, and makes discoveries that are remarkable and valid. Yet, institutional healthcare dismisses the evidence and scoots these practitioners to the sidelines of 'real medicine'. This is where my nursing lives.
I am a psychiatric registered nurse pursuing an advanced degree, MSN/Ed currently in progress. I believe achieving or maintaining health is is the preeminent driver of effective healthcare. My preferred method of seeking wellness is with nutrition and hormesis. These two mechanisms can improve the body's ability to communicate between organ systems, enhance immunity, and reduce risk from a number of health complications.
After losing a significant amount of weight and improving my own physical and cognitive health, my critical thinking skills were reawakened and I rediscovered journals, research papers, blogs, and a variety of books about health and science. The results are extremely rewarding and provide challenging subjects yet to be understood. It is satisfying to know I am not alone in my discoveries and frustration with current healthcare standards of practice that include significant iatrogenic consequences.
What reaffirms this belief and sheds light on the subject is the fact that research journals not only contain enlightening findings, they also propagate misleading and exaggerated articles filled with conflicts of interest. According to John Ioannidis, a meta-researcher and renowned expert on the legitimacy of medical research, 41% of the most highly regarded research findings in the last 13 years were either shown to be wrong or significantly exaggerated:
This speaks to the larger problem of our healthcare system, treatment modalities, and cascading responses. Many of my posts will be geared toward measures that can help reverse our current epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, or just improve our health.
Since I am currently in college, contend with family, work, and other important activities, I will try to have a few drafts on deck that can be developed and posted in my spare time. Hopefully a method will be actualized that will enhance this process.
References
1. Freedman, D. (2010). Lies, Damn Lies, and Medical Science. Retrieved December, 2010 from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/8269/
Uffe, Ravnskov, (2011). The Real Cause of Heart Disease? Retrieved November 28, 2011 from www.westernherbalmedicine.com/content/view/352/1/
"Progress in science depends mainly or entirely on disagreement, but if new ideas that go contrary to established ‘knowledge' are considered as a sign of ignorance or stupidity, nothing happens" (Ravnskov, 2011).
This speaks volumes of what I am learning regarding our health. There is a small but critically important segment of the healthcare community that looks past the obvious, goes beyond the barriers of government recommendations, and makes discoveries that are remarkable and valid. Yet, institutional healthcare dismisses the evidence and scoots these practitioners to the sidelines of 'real medicine'. This is where my nursing lives.
I am a psychiatric registered nurse pursuing an advanced degree, MSN/Ed currently in progress. I believe achieving or maintaining health is is the preeminent driver of effective healthcare. My preferred method of seeking wellness is with nutrition and hormesis. These two mechanisms can improve the body's ability to communicate between organ systems, enhance immunity, and reduce risk from a number of health complications.
After losing a significant amount of weight and improving my own physical and cognitive health, my critical thinking skills were reawakened and I rediscovered journals, research papers, blogs, and a variety of books about health and science. The results are extremely rewarding and provide challenging subjects yet to be understood. It is satisfying to know I am not alone in my discoveries and frustration with current healthcare standards of practice that include significant iatrogenic consequences.
What reaffirms this belief and sheds light on the subject is the fact that research journals not only contain enlightening findings, they also propagate misleading and exaggerated articles filled with conflicts of interest. According to John Ioannidis, a meta-researcher and renowned expert on the legitimacy of medical research, 41% of the most highly regarded research findings in the last 13 years were either shown to be wrong or significantly exaggerated:
80% of non-randomized studies (by far the most common type) turn out to be wrong, as do 25% of gold-standard randomized trials, and upwards to 10% of platinum-standard large randomized trials. [1]He has shown that as much as 90% of public medical information used by MDs, NPs, PAs, and other healthcare providers is based on this flawed information.
This speaks to the larger problem of our healthcare system, treatment modalities, and cascading responses. Many of my posts will be geared toward measures that can help reverse our current epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, or just improve our health.
Since I am currently in college, contend with family, work, and other important activities, I will try to have a few drafts on deck that can be developed and posted in my spare time. Hopefully a method will be actualized that will enhance this process.
References
1. Freedman, D. (2010). Lies, Damn Lies, and Medical Science. Retrieved December, 2010 from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/8269/
Uffe, Ravnskov, (2011). The Real Cause of Heart Disease? Retrieved November 28, 2011 from www.westernherbalmedicine.com/content/view/352/1/
October 2015 Update
I have since graduated with a Masters in Nursing Education and hope to use it in the future. My job, children are more than sufficient to take up my time. Perhaps upon a career change or retirement.
Anyhow, my life has changed a great deal and my focus is on God more than anything else. To love Him with all of my being and to love my neighbor as my self is not the clarion call of my life.
Everything else is extra including my nursing career. If it does not line up with glorifying God, it is gone.
That being said, many of my posts will be about God and experiences that are deemed important in light of present circumstances.
