We have a chronic illness pandemic. Humans are now the sickest species on the planet. We have the sickest children, the sickest teenagers, the sickest adults, and the sickest elderly in the history of our species; in the history of any species. Over half of our entire population has a chronic illness, over 80% of our workforce has chronic illness. Chronic illness is responsible for 9 days of absenteeism per employee per year and up to 91 days of lost productivity per employee per year. Chronic illness is the leading cause of death and suffering; 80% of our population is dying and will die from chronic illness. The black plague only killed 30% of the population.

Chronic illness is the leading cause of personal, corporate, and government debt and bankruptcy. By 2017 chronic illness will cost 4.3 trillion dollars per year in the U.S. alone. This represents 12 billion dollars per day, 500 million dollars per hour, and over 8 million dollars per minute – EVERY DAY.

Chronic illness is LIFESTYLE ILLNESS. Chronic illness rates have risen exponentially since 1900 as have prescription drug use and surgery. OUR GENES HAVE NOT CHANGED during this same period. IT CAN’T BE GENES. During this period of exponential increase in chronic illness our genes have remained unchanged but our LIFESTYLE HAS CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY! The changes in our lifestyle away from what we genetically require as a species mirror the increases in chronic illness EXACTLY.

We are NOT sick because we are living longer – this is a myth. The most rapid and significant increases in chronic illness are amongst children, teenagers, and middle aged adults.

We are NOT simply detecting more illness and thus skewing the data regarding chronic illness incidence. Obesity alone, which is a causal factor in virtually every other chronic illness, has increased exponentially in just the last decades. Detecting obesity is NOT technology dependent, it requires a scale and perhaps a tool to measure body fat percentage or body mass index. This is NOT new technology.

The single greatest determinant of whether you will get sick or get and stay well IS YOUR LIFESTYLE CHOICES. This is an INDISPUTABLE FACT.

Once it is realized that how we eat, move, and think is the cause of chronic illness the truth that changing these behaviors is the only viable option to prevent and recover from illness and maximize our genetic potential for health and vitality becomes self evident.

No drug or surgery will EVER be the wellness and prevention solution for illnesses caused by malnutrition or overeating or toxins in food. No drug or surgery will EVER be the wellness and prevention solution for problems caused by sedentary living, poor posture from chronic sitting or traumas, or from chronic repetitive micro-trauma. No drug or surgery will EVER be the wellness and prevention solution for problems caused by lack of self esteem, lack of social connectedness, or lack of positive attitudes, thoughts, emotions, and social relationships.

The ONLY solution to the pandemic of chronic illness and the pandemic of human suffering and financial burden that it causes is FEWER SICK PEOPLE (MORE HEALTHY PEOPLE).

The ONLY way to have fewer sick people and more healthy people is adopt lifestyle behaviors that are genetically congruent, that promote the expression of wellness and prevent the expression of illness.

This blog is about empowering people with the truth and empowering them with the knowledge and skill set to COMFORTABLY CHANGE LIFESTYLE HABITS.

The survival of our species, our way of life, our economy, our standard of living and of our planet depend on this change. This blog is dedicated to eliciting and empowering this change.

 

About Dr Chestnut

Dr. James L. Chestnut
B.Ed., M.Sc., D.C., C.C.W.P.

Dr. James L. Chestnut has been studying human wellness and prevention for over 25 years. He holds a Bachelor of Physical Education degree, a Master of Science degree in exercise physiology with a specialization in neurological adaptation, is a Doctor of Chiropractic, and holds a post-graduate Certification in Wellness Lifestyle. Dr. Chestnut is also the author of ‘The Wellness & Prevention Paradigm’, which is considered the gold standard evidence-based argument for lifestyle intervention. Dr. Chestnut lectures at venues worldwide including colleges and professional conferences regarding lifestyle as the evidence-based foundation of wellness and prevention and 21st Century healthcare reform.  Dr. Chestnut also holds an “O” visa from the United States which recognizes him as one of the world’s leading authorities on evidence-based lifestyle intervention for wellness and prevention. Dr. Chestnut’s efforts have touched many thousands within the natural healthcare community, and through this, millions of patients worldwide.

Dr. Chestnut holds the position of Honorary Consultant to the Australian Spinal Research Foundation, is on the Life University Board of Visitors Advisory Board, is chair of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) Council on Wellness Lifestyle Science and is a member of the ICA Committee on Chiropractic Postgraduate Education.  In addition, Dr. Chestnut is the developer, lead instructor, and author of the four textbooks for the ICA Wellness Lifestyle Certification Program, the first accredited post-graduate wellness lifestyle certification program in history. Dr. Chestnut is also the developer of the Innate Lifestyle Program which is a comprehensive lifestyle program being delivered by licensed centers around the world.  In addition Dr. Chestnut is the founder of Innate Choice Wellness Nutrition Inc. and the Innate Choice ‘Essential Nutrient System’.  Dr. Chestnut also operates a blog and posts articles at www.wellnessandprevention.com.

Dr. Chestnut’s work to scientifically validate the paradigm of wellness and prevention and the role of lifestyle is revolutionary. He has published several peer-reviewed scientific articles and has also published five books. His first book, The 14 Foundational Premises for the Scientific and Philosophical Validation of the Chiropractic Wellness Paradigm was recognized with an award of distinction from the International Chiropractic Association (ICA) as a significant contribution to the scientific literature validating chiropractic and is now being used as a textbook in chiropractic colleges. Another of his books, Innate Physical Fitness and Spinal Hygiene, won Dr. Chestnut the honor of being named the Researcher of the Year for the International Chiropractors Association in 2006.

Dr. Chestnut wrote the texts for the Wellness Lifestyle Certification Program he developed. The Innate Diet, Innate Physical Fitness, and The Innate State of Mind have set the standard for evidence-based lifestyle intervention based on the human genetic requirements regarding nutrition, exercise and energy expenditure, belief systems, thoughts and emotions, and social interaction. Dr. Chestnut bases all his work on the scientific evidence regarding the human lifestyle requirements for the genetic expression of health and the prevention of chronic illness. His revolutionary but brilliantly simple concept of Eat Well - Move Well - Think Well® as the lifestyle foundations of health and wellness have not only defined what evidence-based wellness and prevention lifestyle practice is, they have made it practical for both patients and clinicians.

Dr. Chestnut received numerous academic scholarships and awards during his undergraduate and postgraduate programs and has the distinction of being the only graduate student to ever be granted the use of the magnetic resonance imagery lab at the hospital in Victoria, British Columbia. He has taught, and guest lectured at universities, chiropractic colleges, and medical schools, presented research at physiology, education, chiropractic, health insurance, and lifestyle conferences, conducted corporate and community lifestyle workshops, read and critiqued thousands of articles, and published in basic science and chiropractic journals. In 2009, Dr. Chestnut was awarded the Parker Seminars Chiropractor of the Year award.  In 2007, Dr. Chestnut won the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) Chiropractic Educator of the Year Award.

Dr. Chestnut is internationally known and recognized for his achievements as a founding pioneer in the area of lifestyle as the foundation of wellness and prevention and as one of the most prominent practitioners and lecturers in that field. As such, he is regularly asked to lecture around the world as a keynote speaker and leading expert in this field which he has helped to define and create. Dr. Chestnut has greatly contributed to, and positively impacted, both the chiropractic profession and healthcare in general through his series of books and numerous published articles, as well as through his excellence as a lecturer and clinician.