Mind-Body-Spirit Integrated Healing Expert Dr Chris O'Banye's Institute Of Wellness & Integrated Healing

One of my blog readers recently sent me an email asking for my opinion about a weight watchers program she recently signed up for. Her request presented me with this opportunity to honestly address never reported truth about global obesity and obese related health problems.

Weight watchers industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. There is a new weight watch program almost every other month claiming to keep the body weight off for good. There is one or two fitness center on almost every street corner in most major cities around the world. Most restaurants, including major fast food restaurants have taken some reasonable but minimal measures in the right direction to cut fat and reduce unhealthy food elements from their menus. Yet, almost majority of the world population including children are increasingly overweight and clinically obese.

From wellness and healing principles perspectives, any individual engaging in weight-loss program must have a wellness evaluation and a basic education about nutrition and body physiology. Individuals engaging in weight-loss program should be able to answer the following questions—are you well; do you know what your body composition analysis reports; is your body physiology ideal for the body size and weight you wish to attain. Everybody is not built for, and cannot attain a size six without compromising healthy functions of major organs of the body such as the heart. Oprah Winfrey is a living example of the difficulties of forcing a size in a body frame nature does not design for such size.  One must be very concerned about weight-loss program that drops rapidly the body weight and size. Physiologically, nature did not design the body major organs especially, the heart to handle the physiological trauma of rapid weight loss. There are so many factors in play about your body weight gain that most weight-loss programs will not and do not address. I will delve into these issues later. Finally, is your mind, body, spirit in harmony and healthy? Will the program bring healing in your life?

Obesity and obese related health problems have been a major world health concerns for many years and wrecks the world health care budget every year. The Unites States alone have spent billions of dollars of health care budget on obese and obese related health problems alone. In my home state Oklahoma, obesity and obese related health problems cost the state approximately three billion dollars a year. Even as the state and federal government spend these astronomical beyond the eyes can see resources on obese and obese related health problems, the weight scales keep tipping over, obese and obese related death keep climbing, the states and national health care costs keep rising and there is minimal progress to show for money and resources devoted to combating obesity and obese related health problems.

What are the roots of this generation’s obesity and obese related health problems? Why are we getting so fat around the stomach, thighs and buttocks? Why does this generation have so much difficulties metabolizing sugar?  Are we, the society at large addressing the root causes of obesity or are we simply nibbling around the edges of the true causes of overweight problems? I will address critical issues of obesity and obese related problems other entities interested in the problems never touched on, including the White House and the First Lady’s team on obesity.

First, let us look at global climate transformation. I call it transformation because that’s exactly what it is. As far as I can remember, farmers from the part of the world I grew up in African agonized over what my aunt who was a farmer all her life characterized as “nature’s destruction of the soil.” Whether you call this climate transformation, global warming or nature’s destruction of the soil does not matter. For farmers all over the world and all who depends on the quality of the soil for a living, it feels every bit like nature’s destruction of the soil.  There are several theories about this climate transformation. Some refer this transformation as global warming. Global warming would be a very narrow way of looking at this problem. However, this piece is not intended to address global warming

Here is an example of short but true story of a case of this transformation. I was born in Onitsha, at the bank of one of the largest river in Africa, the River Niger and also one of the busiest commercial cities in West Africa. As a young boy growing up, commercial ships docked at the bank of this massive area of my city covered by the river Niger. Today, this massive area previously covered with water is now covered with both commercial and residential buildings.

One of the tragedies of this natural climate crisis is that the world community particularly, the United States paid enormous attention to the effects of these climate changes mostly on marine, marine lives and clean air. These areas without a doubt deserve our attention. However, one can make a valid argument that the attention on these two areas was driven by glamour and financial revenues generated from beach tourist industries as well as emerging powerful emission control industries. I cannot over emphasize the importance of governments taking appropriate measures to preserve clean water and air. Evidence shows however, that most governments around the world focused minimal attention on the impact of these changes in climate on one of life’s most important gift—the soil and soil conservation.

During this period of climatic crisis which now spans for almost fifty years, farmers and departments of agriculture around the world vastly reported serious agricultural crisis. These reports warned about serious deterioration of the quality of soils. These reports also warned that the soils have lost key elements that enrich our food with healthy and disease fighting qualities. For example, foods coming out of our soils today are no longer rich in chromium. Chromium happens to be the most essential element responsible for the metabolism, utilization, storage and regulation of sugar, fat and protein in the body. Chromium plays this vital role in the body by boosting the action of insulin. Insulin utilization is poor without adequate levels of chromium in the body. It is safe to say that most overweight and sugar related health problems are rooted in poor metabolism, utilization and storage of sugar, fat and protein by the body. A valid clinical case can safely be made that most overweight and sugar related health problems are rooted in low levels of bio available chromium in the body system.

Here are other examples of serious consequences of governments’ neglect of agriculture and soil conservation, and the impact on our overall health especially, on this life threatening excess bulges of fat we carry around our lower extremities.  Foods coming out our soil today contain minimal nutritional values and enzymes. These nutritional enzymes produce balanced stomach acid and trillions of species of friendly digestive bacteria. These friendly bacteria and adequate ph balanced stomach acid are so crucial for proper digestion and absorption of digested food through the villa of the small intestine. Because of the lack of necessary digestive enzymes in our food, the digestive system has a difficult job digesting our food and hence, inadequately. Just as water flows from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration, the body tends to deposit unwanted and excess bye products, especially fat in the weakest part of our body primarily, our lower extremities—the belly, waistline, buttocks and thighs areas.  With the advent of home computers and video games, this generation spends more time sitting for various reasons. As a result our lower extremities are further weakened explaining why our poor nutrition and lifestyles manifest in those areas of our bodies. As a result, we have become a generation grossly overweight and physically unfit in these areas of the body structure.

The father of modern medicine Hippocrates stated our medicine must come from the food we eat.  Many of the foods we eat are herbs. These herbal foods are packed with nutritional medicine nature designed to help keep us both emotionally and physically fit, as well as healthy. These medicinal foods play major roles in every function of our organs including our physical fitness. Nature blessed us with these herbal nutritional medicines to nurture, heal and rebuild every atom of the body. Our wellness depends on adequate supply of these medicinal foods.   With the neglect of agriculture and soil conservation, we have lost most of the nutritional medicine our foods suppose to supply. Another very important example is selenium. Those of us who study Nutritional Herbalogy have known for long about the amazing healing power of selenium. Research studies have shown that adequate level of selenium in the body prevents some types of cancers. Our soils have lost great amount of selenium. Foods we eat today virtually lack this very important cancer healing element.

Lets us look at Generically- Modified Foods (GMF). During this period of time farmers around the world were complaining and reporting on soil deterioration and poor qualities of crops, most Western governments including the United States offered minimal assistance to farmers.  These assistances came in the form of air-conditioned tractors and   other less meaningful agricultural equipments. Very minimal investments were made in soil conservation and soil enrichment programs; education, training and other technical supports for farmers of all class and creed.  Air conditioned tractors later became one of the weapons and jokes the camp gearing towards Generically Engineered Foods in the United States used in diverting attention on the needs for the United States Department of Agriculture opening up adequate support resources for farmers.  This camp held the view that science has all the answer. This camp held the view that all the governments had to do to solve the agriculture and food problems was by investing in genetically engineered food.

I am a strong proponent of science and application of science. However, this illusion that science has all the answer is both intellectually and academically a fallacy.  Nature is the father of science. Nature gave birth to science. Science is a creation of Nature’s mind and not the other way. Science does not have Nurture’s creative code hence, can never replicate accurately natures creation.   We have seen this simple but very powerful truth in science of mechanical body organs and also in the result of GMF. GMF was a waste of resources and still is. GMF is part of the problems of poor nutrition. GMF do not contain bio available nutrients the body can metabolize and easily convert to proper healthy use. The result of this poor metabolism manifests in giant cascade of health problems including shapeless body structure, obesity unexplained food allergies and other problems of poor nutrition especially, on developing body.

The third world and developing countries which historically have been the dumping grounds for all Western junk and dangerous science were also the testing grounds for GMF. These foods were shipped to these countries in the name of feeding the hungry and helping the poor. However, these countries are wising up and paying more attention to what comes to their people in the name of “assistance.”  It did not take long before health ministers in these countries recognized the health dangers of GEF and began to reject shipment of those foods to their citizens. I had a conversation with a third world country health minister at the time who told me his country would rather die of hunger than allowed further shipment of GEF to his country. This health minister stated the case this way “GEF are health hazard.”

The truth of the matter is, GMF are all over our grocery stores. Instead of investment in soil conservation and soil enrichment programs, organic agricultural programs, education and resource assistance to farmers, the world leaders invested in crops supersize chemicals (fertilize) and pesticides. We use hormones to supersize chickens and beef coming into our grocery stores and ultimately to our dinner tables. These chemicals create more health problems including obesity and obese related health issues. When we consume foods treated with these chemicals, we also consume these supersize chemicals and hormone.

These chemicals affect children more than adults. They manifest in unexplained food allergies, serious behavior problems, poor brain development and functions. It affects their performance in school. Many of these children suffer negative self image because of their body structure. A high number of them turn to drugs to manage feelings of negative self-worth induced by peers’ bulling aggression. A good number of them ultimately hate school and drop out because of negative experience. A high number of these children commit suicide to escape trauma from peers’ rejection of their persons.   We have to come to realization and the understanding that cow milk may no longer do little Johnny’s body good because it contains hormones and other chemicals little Johnny’s body is not capable of digesting. It may also make little Johnny fat and causes Johnny other health problems too.

There used to be a time when a child comes home from school and eat a home cooked nutritious meal. Those days are gone because both parents are working outside the home today. Moms’ kitchens are today outsourced to fast food chains and TV dinner manufacturers. These fast food and TV dinners contain loads of trans-fatty acids. These trans fatty acids quickly convert to low density lipids (LDL) in the body leading to varieties of health problems including obesity. These fast food and TV dinners also are processed and contain several food colorings and preservatives linked to cause numerous allergies, indigestion, behavior problem, fatigue and poor cognition in children. Some of these health issues in children especially the behavioral types cause the school authorities to muscle families into seeking psychiatric consultation for these school children, which usually result in medication intervention. Many of these psychiatric medications induce weight gain causing most of these children to be overweight. Most children who are not getting proper nutrition experience much difficulty maintain appropriate body weight, even when it seems these children are getting adequate physical exercise.

Mind-Body-Spirit Connection to obesity and obese related problems: There are other causes of obesity. When the body is in crisis of all types including emotional crisis, the body produces several different types of chemicals. The body produces and uses these chemical to protect itself.  However, many of these chemicals interfere in digestion, metabolism and utilization of nutrients by the body. Many people in emotional crisis such as depression, negative self-worth, search for true self identity and acceptance, anxiety and  trauma tend to struggle with maintaining ideal body weight  due to some the afore mentioned reasons. Some of these emotional crises come in the form of conscious and unconscious messages we send to our subconscious mind.  It is so crucial that weight management programs understand the root causes of her clients’ overweight problem before implementing a plan. There is no weight management program that can help anyone who holds a deep rooted negative self-worth including negative body image. A house divided has difficulty standing. Good health starts with a healthy mind and spirit. A healthy mind and spirit builds a healthy body. Harmony between the mind, body and spirit manifest in all around good health and wellness.

Solving this generation’s obesity and obese related health problems:

I have to come back to the words of Hippocrates which reminds us that our medicine must come from the food we eat. Our wellness depends on our food. Our food is our medicine. We are what we eat. Nature blessed us with the soil to grow our food and get our nourishment from it—our medicine. It is true that the soil is not as glamorous as the water and does not seem to present the attraction our rivers, lakes, seas and oceans present yet, the soil is one or the most powerful and precious gifts of nature. The soil stores life sustaining mineral and medicines supplied to the food from the soil.  This generation has taken this nature’s most precious gift for granted. We overlook the fact that the soil is the most important source of our wellness. We undermine tremendous and amazing blessings the soil brings to our lives. We also degrade the values and noble worth for farmers who work the soils.  The society’s attitude towards farmers must change if we have to become a healthy generation. We cannot be a healthy generation without top notch soil conservation programs and very strong support for farmers growing organic food coming from the soil.

In every generation, Nature cries out loud and challenges that generation to step up and make a mark. It seems Mother Nature has placed that special called and challenge on this generation to step up and take care of our natural resources particularly the soil, air, water and the resources they enrich our lives with. What is so powerful about the Mother Nature is that it rewards every generation that steps up to the challenges placed upon her by the Mother Nature.  We cannot improve our health and our wellness without investing in our soil and the farmers who work the soil. One of the ways we can improve our wellness is by bringing young people into agriculture and farming. We must encourage our young generation with incentives to take ownership of our soils and the blessings that comes from the soils.

Yes, adequate physical exercise is very important. However, a house without a foundation is worthless. Good nutrition is our health and wellness foundation. The source of that foundation is our soil just as the health of a new born baby largely depend on the health of his/her mother. The health of a new mother depends on her nutrition. Mom’s nutrition comes from the food she eats. That is the way we must perceive the values of our soil and farmers.  Governments around the world can no longer ignore the role of farmers and support for farmers in all phases of farming, from soil conservation to making sure the food that makes it to our dinner tables are packed with nutrition. Governments can no longer treat the departments of agriculture as red headed stepchild of other arms of government. Agriculture and farming should be taken just as important as the department of defense. The strength of a healthy and intelligent armed forces depend on the wellness and intelligence her citizens.  It all starts with proper nutrition from organically grown food.

One of the worst mistakes of this generation is abandoning farmers, farming and departments of agriculture. A good percentage of defense spending should and must go to department of agriculture to support farmer, organic farming and soil conservation. If that happens, the health and wellness of this generation, and generation to come will dramatically improve. Overweight and obese related health issues will go down. Health care cost will sharply drop.  We will have school age children with a better than average intelligence. The intelligence and productivity of our workforce will dramatically sky rocket. Poor nutrition plays a significant role in every area of our lives.

Days are gone when governments should be allowed to spend money desperately needed in many important areas of a society on defense and worthless defense equipments that end up rusted in military installations and deserts around the world. Let’s face the fact, the most beneficiaries of these defense equipments are the companies who build them. Many of the equipments become obsolete before any army uses them. These defense manufacturing companies are major arms of political establishments. These companies insanely over charge the paying countries. They know they can gets away with patriotic arm robbery because politicians and political parties are in their back pockets and will never have the patriotic courage to stand up for the citizens.

Citizens around the world must stand up against these types deception from their governments. If the Unites States can spend trillions of dollars in worthless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, why can she not spend a fraction of that in health and wellness of her citizens?  We cannot simply solve this problem of overweight and obesity by nibbling around the edges of this problem. We can no longer continue to window dress this problem and pretend we are doing something about it. We can only solve it by getting to the root of it. The future of this generation depends on solving this major health crisis. Now is the time to stop talking and grab this bull by the horn. We must get back to the Nature’s best gifts to us—nutritious food. We must support the farmers in working our soils and producing nutritious food. We must get our young ones off the couch, computers and cell phone. We must support the foundation of families and healthy life style. Now is the time.

Dr Chris O’Banye PhD, MA, NH.

http://internationalinstituteforwellnessandintegratedhealing.com

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