Addiction

Addiction is the hoary chestnut obscuring the path to what I referred to in the previous post as "the rather narrow and relatively simple set of conditions responsible for the creation of health".

People commonly refer to addiction as anything we are drawn to repeatedly. That however is an inaccurate definition: are we addicted to good healthy choices like water? Lack of clarity obstructs understanding. A clear definition of addiction is simply a self destructive behavior repeated compulsively. So let's be clear, in a physiologic sense addiction is one thing only: a metabolic/psychologic dependence on a toxic substance or behavior.

The fact many or most addictions are both metabolic and psychologic goes a long way to explaining why addiction is a complex problem. It is like being gripped by two strong forces instead of just one, it makes it much more difficult to break free.

Addiction obscures the path to "the rather narrow and relatively simple set of conditions responsible for the creation of health" due to the addiction response: a near term gain masking long term loss.

Another confounding factor is the "healing crisis", a near term response induced by nutrition and/or discontinuation of toxic input.

I recommend again a careful read of this brilliant book:

The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force that Undermines Health & Happiness

Mother

She died of CPO, cardiopulmonary obstruction, induced no doubt by a lifetime of smoking. But upon death she also had stage three scleroderma and a prolapsed colon.

The last 20 years of her life were an abject misery.

Ironically, she was a very bright and talented woman. One might wonder how it came to be in this “enlightened” day and age a smart and talented person can be so completely ignorant of the rather narrow and relatively simple set of conditions responsible for the creation of health.

Let me be clear - it wasn’t that she was in possession of this knowledge and simply chose not to act on it. That was not the case. She was ignorant of it.

It rather makes one wonder when it strikes so close to home.

I have not been blogging lately, instead I have been observing my own health, the various quality of "inputs" on a 65 year old body, and consolidating what I have learned and observed about the creation of health over the past several years. Perhaps I have gradually been organizing my thoughts and observations and will begin blogging again, I don’t know.

Meanwhile, if I can be of assistance, I am happy to oblige. Let's take this as a start for now: do 90% of your food shopping in the produce section, and prepare these things as simply as possible before consuming them.