Happy New Year! 2018, who would have thought! Well, it is here like it or not, and I am trying to be grateful for another year, even if it is 9 degrees outside.
Since it is a new year, I figured I would start out with a new blog series. For those of you who have been getting our newsletter for awhile, this is old news, and I hope it will help you as you continue to live a healthy and full life.
For those of you who have not received our newsletter before, welcome! I would like to say it comes like clockwork, but it usually comes in bursts and series followed by lulls (not to be confused with Laugh Out Louds). You will never receive any offers or solicitations from us or from anybody else using our name. Everything you find here is for you and at no cost. You can find our previous posts and a wealth of information on my blog, Doug Williams, DC. Also, you can unsubscribe at anytime by clicking the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Far be it from me to add to any additional stress or strain in your life with one more item in your inbox that you don't want! No offense ever taken if you decide you don't want this stuff!
This current series is going to focus on what is called the "Paleo" movement in health and wellness. I think you will get a lot out of it, I know I have really enjoyed doing the research for it.
Paleo in a Nutshell
The word "Paleo" has a lot of different connotations today. Commonly, it refers to eating the way our prehistoric (Paleolithic era) ancestors did in order to diminish or avoid many of the common physical maladies of our modern world. Much of the Paleo Movement is accredited to Loren Cordain Ph.D - you can search his site here.
I have followed the Paleo movement, both as a health practitioner and in terms of integrating some of its principles in my life, and found it to be really pretty sound and beneficial. Recently, I picked up a special edition of the Paleo Magazine with the title: "Go Paleo: The Step-By-Step Guide". I hadn't read an edition of the magazine for awhile and I was surprised that they really have started covering a lot more than just what to eat in the last few years - it has expanded to become a whole lifestyle approach. In fact, it is the lifestyle approach that I am going to primarily focus on in this series; only a portion of this series will be attending to nutritional principles.
The topics we are going to be covering are as follows:
- Eating
- Sleep
- Unplugging
- Connecting with Others
- Sunlight
- Movement and Play
Doc, Do You Believe in Evolution?
Since the bulk of Dr. Cordain's work is based around the theory that mankind has been around for tens of thousands of years and the study of how pre-recorded historic man (and woman) lived, this is a legitimate question. That can also be a very politically charged question! When it comes to science, I try really hard to avoid politics and, in the immortal words of Dr. Teeth from the Muppets: "Hey man, just play the gig, never get involved in politics!"
Interestingly enough, however, how long mankind has been around may not actually be relevant to the whole Paleo movement. One only has to go back 100, 500, 2000, 4000 years (all of which have volumes of written historical evidence) to find we eat and live VERRRRRY differently than we did even in the recent past. In fact, the approach that Cordain attributes to paleolithic man can just as easily apply to those other time periods.
Whether one believes in evolution or not, the truths that Dr. Cordain has brought to light work in today's approach to health. As for me, personally, I believe Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
How is This Going to Play Out?
So here we go! Over the next few months, we are going to flesh out the topics above in each email/blog post. Each topic will take three or four sessions. At the end of a topic, I will be putting together a quick and easy application sheet for you to print off and start working on some of those principles in your life. Most of the material I will be drawing from, and the general outline, is found in the Paleo Magazine I noted above, specifically the "Go Paleo Step-By-Step-Guide." You can get this at Barnes and Noble. They do have a "display until stamp" on the cover until March 26th, 2018. If you want your own copy I recommend you pick one up. While it is kind of technical and involved, it is definitely written for the layman. I see my job as to distill this material down into understandable and usable chunks. I am really looking forward to bringing you this information, I think really going to be helpful at impacting your health! The newsletter format is going to be great for this, since it is way to much in depth to cover in an office visit.
I hope you enjoy this series! Please feel free to leave any comments at dougwilliamsdc.com!
God bless you in 2018!
Dr. Doug