Something very scary and concerning has happened over the last several decades that we have never seen in human history. Chronic illness rates have skyrocketed. The CDC defines chronic illnesses as “long-lasting health conditions (lasting one year or more) that require ongoing medical attention, limit daily activities, or both.” A whopping 80% of Americans now struggle with at least one chronic illness, and 55% have two or more. While our mainstream (so-called) healthcare system focuses almost entirely on managing these conditions with medications and procedures, we will continue to see these illnesses rise, even in children, unless we address the cause of these conditions.
There are three things that we can blame, what we call the three T’s… trauma, toxins, and thoughts. The first is the most obvious, trauma, also known as physical stress. Slips, falls, car accidents, sports injuries, or any event that causes enough physical force to damage the tissues in your body. These macro-traumas occur to us beginning with the birth process itself, then get compounded by over 200 falls in the first two years of life. Micro-traumas are the injuries sustained through repetitive motions at work, prolonged sitting or standing, and the more subtle injuries that accumulate over time with various activities.
The second “T” is toxins, also known as biochemical stress. Our bodies are bombarded with foreign chemicals through the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the products we use. The body’s natural balance of chemicals, and ability to filter, purify, and neutralize is so taxed with exposure to foreign ingredients, such as artificial flavors, artificial coloring, additives, pollutants, dyes, plastics, alcohol, drugs, and other man-made, incongruent components, that the body just can’t keep up. These toxins are ingested, inhaled, and absorbed, leading to ill health over time.
The third “T” is the least known, most under-appreciated, and most underestimated… thoughts. Also known as emotional and mental stress, our thoughts are powerful and impactful. Modern day expectations are exceeding our ability to keep up. The pace we are expected to go, the workload we need to maintain, and our desire to keep up with everyone else has overwhelmed our nervous system and has disrupted our brain and body’s ability to function properly. The stress from work, relationships, and finances exceeds acceptable limits, leading to the fastest growing class of illness… mental illness.
It would be foolish to think that we could avoid the three T’s and live a completely balanced life, but that shouldn’t stop you from working at it. Once you understand that traumas, toxins, and thoughts are three major contributors to all illness, you can work to improve in those areas. Back at the turn of the 19th century, the leading causes of death were infectious diseases. Now, it is chronic illness. Chronic illnesses are also referred to as diseases of lifestyle because the cause is lifestyle. The good news is we can alter our lifestyle… work to avoid traumas, do our best to eliminate exposure to toxins, and better manage our thoughts… and in doing so, our risk of getting sick goes way down.
Like all stressors, the longer we are exposed to them, the greater the negative impact they have. It is critical that we identify the leading stressors in our lives and work to reduce them. Taking care of our bodies, improving the environment we live in, and managing how we think are the keys to rebuilding our health, maintaining optimal health, and living the life of our dreams. The three T’s have wreaked havoc on human health, destroyed our ability to maintain homeostasis, and led us to being sicker than ever before in history. Most doctors focus on and treat the end result… the illness, the condition, the disease. It’s up to you to recognize the impact traumas, toxins, and thoughts are having on your health and life. And when you work to reduce the traumas, minimize the toxins, and optimize your thoughts, the illnesses, conditions, and diseases start going away.
