The SHN #35: Emotional Roots of Pain/Illness, Wealth, and Walking

Welcome back to The Synergetic Health Newsletter! 

In this edition, we’ll explore the emotional roots of pain and disease.

After that, a look into the definition of wealth.

Then we revisit the raw carrot salad.

Finally, I’ll include some links to things I’ve found particularly interesting recently.

Joe Burt

⚕️ Emotional Processes Affect Physical Health

While the connection between emotional well-being and physical health is well-recognized in holistic and alternative health circles, a significant portion of the population still underestimates the impact of emotional factors on physical pain and disease.

Freud was looking into the link between repressed emotions and physical symptoms a century ago, setting the groundwork for the understanding that emotional and physical health are intricately connected.

Since then, “research evidence has been accumulating to support the notion that emotional and physical health is directly and reciprocally related to one another.”

This article talks about that research, which has found that over 80% of doctor visits involved a social-emotional problem. Furthermore, only 16% of these visits “could be considered solely organic in nature.”

In my experience, most people who experience chronic pain or illness of some kind believe it is something purely physical.

Low back pain? “I have a herniated disk.”

Hypertension? “I eat too much salt.”

Knee pain? “I have a torn meniscus.”

Allergies? “It’s the season.”

Psoriasis? “It’s the cold weather.”

Shoulder pain? “I have a torn rotator cuff.”

Arthritis? “It’s what happens when you get old.”

Diabetes? “It runs in my family.”

Hip Pain? “It’s bone on bone.”

In some cases, 16% according to the research linked above, the reasons given are in fact likely the main driver of the pain or illness.

But what about the other 84%?

This is where it’s not so cut-and-dried as we may have been taught to believe in this current scientific paradigm, specifically the allopathic medical model.

“Allopathic medicine (aka mainstream medicine, conventional medicine, Western medicine) refers to a system in which medical doctors treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery.”

That definition, straight from Columbia University, highlights that practitioners of allopathic (conventional) medicine are taught how to treat symptoms and diseases using blunt tools like drugs and surgery.

While sometimes effective, these treatments are rarely the only possible course of action for a patient.

For example, diabetes can be treated with a drug. It could also be reversed by diet. But since, based on a 2021 survey, doctors “receive an average of 11 hours of nutrition training throughout an entire medical program”, they often resort instead to prescribing drugs and maybe a blanket statement on improving the diet.

On the pain side, things are equally as tricky.

For now, consider Dr. Sean Mackey’s words, “physicians get terrible education around pain and we don’t know how to treat it in general coming out of medical school… we get around seven hours of education on pain.”

Eleven TOTAL hours of nutrition training and seven TOTAL hours on pain education.

Dr. Mackey is a pain medicine specialist and Professor at Stanford University who recently was interviewed on the Huberman Lab Podcast. I highly recommend checking it out if you want a wide angle view on all the best methods available to reduce and manage pain.

In it, he emphasizes the importance of recognizing emotional pain as valid and the need to address both the sensory and emotional components of pain when treating patients.

Since we’ve discovered that allopathic medical professionals do not have the tools to handle the emotional components, it is up to the individual to seek out modalities that can help in this process.

Just to rattle off a few here for your own investigation: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Tension Stress and Trauma Release (TRE), Somatic Experiencing, Gestalt Therapy, Journalling (my post), Biological Decoding (my post), The Emotion Code (my post), and Internal Family Systems (my post).

These approaches emphasize the importance of acknowledging emotional pain and treating both the sensory and emotional dimensions of pain.

As allopathic medicine falls short in handling the emotional components of health, the responsibility lies with individuals to seek out comprehensive modalities that address the connection between emotional well-being and physical health.

The journey towards healing encompasses not only physical symptoms but also the often-overlooked emotional roots that contribute to overall well-being.

Further Reading

-The Emotional and Energetic Roots of Pain and Illness (Link)

-The Psychic Roots of Disease (Link)

-Pain and Emotion: A Biopsychosocial Review of Recent Research (Link)

-The Emotion Code and The Body Code (Books)

-Dr. Sean Mackey’s Published Studies (Link)

-Case Study: The Tale of the Nail (Story)

Alright, I'm Not Done Yet

Initially, I felt compelled to end this post with a disclaimer, stating, “Doctors are well-meaning professionals who are intelligent, caring, and doing the best they can.”

However, I must confess, I cannot sincerely endorse this sentiment.

If you see a doctor for physical pain, and their evaluation fails to extend beyond your physical body, I consider that a form of malpractice.

Similarly, if you consult a doctor regarding an illness, and the conversation neglects your emotional well-being, dietary habits, and physical activity levels, it’s malpractice.

Our bodies are not isolated islands; they exist within the context of our emotions, lifestyle, and overall well-being.

It's important to recognize that doctors function within a business framework.

The time constraints and systemic pressures they face limits the depth of exploration into these interconnected aspects.

They are not obligated to expand their scope of practice to include holistic strategies for patient care, despite the growing body of evidence for its efficacy.

This is why I believe the era of blindly trusting doctors just because they went to medical school is over.

Educating yourself on the options you have available in treating pain and illness is, whether you like it or not, the best choice you have to live a vibrant, healthy life.

You may still end up deciding to go under the knife, to take the medication, or take the MRI. That’s fine! These tools have saved countless lives and helped countless others.

Yet, embracing an active role in your healthcare journey, seeking providers who consider the holistic nature of your well-being and investigating methods like mentioned above, can empower you to make informed decisions aligned with your long-term health goals.

So while medical professionals do play a role, your path to optimal health involves your choices, knowledge, and commitment to holistic wellness.

🩺 German New Medicine

Back in November, I wrote a long post about German New Medicine.

Ever since, I’ve continued to read more about it and talk to others who also have took the time to learn it and make use of it in their own lives.

I can’t tell you for sure that everything that Dr. Hamer found is correct, but if it is, almost everything we have been taught about disease is wrong.

For what it’s worth, whenever I’m reading, thinking, or talking about it my whole body lights up. I trust that signal.

To hear about the origins and the primary principles of GNM, check out this podcast interview with Dr. Melissa Sell.

💰 What Is Wealth?

According to the Oxford dictionary, wealth is both "an abundance of valuable possessions or money" and "a plentiful supply of a particular desirable thing."

While many associate wealth with material possessions and financial abundance, the interplay between these definitions prompts a crucial question.

What if the pursuit of "valuable possessions or money" inadvertently diminishes "a plentiful supply of a particular desirable thing"?

What if, in our quest for financial prosperity, we compromise the very elements that bring true fulfillment—peace, happiness, vibrant health, and connection?

Many of us are happy to trade the real desirable things for the false prophet of money. More and more money.

Of course money is necessary to live, there’s no argument for that.

But to what ends do you go to achieve it? At what point do these ends meaningfully detract from your “plentiful supply” of other desirable things in your life?

I’m seeking for a more real and broad definition of wealth, one which comes from the soul and not from the ego and its materialistic proclivities and fearful nature.

I believe we all will come to slightly different definitions of wealth.

For me, freedom to follow what makes me excited, every moment of every day, is wealth.

It also means having the ability and freedom to maintain a high level of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

How would you define wealth in your own life?

🚶 Walking Reduces All-Cause Mortality and CV Mortality

According to this meta-analysis, the sweet spot target for steps per day to reduce all-cause and CV mortality is at least 7,500.

🥕 The Ray Peat Carrot Salad, revisited

One of the most recommended foods by Ray Peat is the raw carrot salad, an easy-to-prepare dish that comes with a laundry list of health benefits:

-Cleans the intestines to prevent overloading the liver with toxins

-The fibers of raw carrots bind toxins like estrogen and endotoxins and carries them out through the digestive system

-When combines with coconut or olive oil, plus the acetic acid of vinegar, there is a germicidal effect of the carrot fibers

-Promotes bowel regularity

-Supports thyroid function by eliminating excess estrogen and endotoxins

“My basic approach is to lower estrogen and the stress hormones by diet including a daily carrot salad, supported by thyroid supplements as needed.” -Ray Peat

For a full list of Peat’s quotes on the benefits of eating raw carrot, head over here.

𝕏 Thread of the Week

🪴 Are Your Houseplants Dangerous? Noah Whiteman is an evolutionary biologist who wrote the book “Most Delicious Poison” discussing this topic. In this article, Whiteman describes that plants are doing what they do best: survive. "None of these things evolved for our sake," Whiteman said. "We can think of them as tools that were not invented for us so we had better be very careful in thinking about what we're using them for."

🤬 Swearing Improves Physical Performance: The results from two experiments looking at how swearing might make people physically stronger consistently showed that it increased grip strength and the time people could hold a chair push-up. These experiments suggest that swearing can be helpful for tasks that need a burst of physical effort.

🔥 Sauna Use Reduces Risk of Dying: This investigation into sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events showed that 4-7 sauna sessions per week is associated with a 50% lower risk of death from heart disease and a 40% lower risk of all-cause mortality. Around 20 minutes seems to be a sweet spot. If I was to get one for an apartment, I would buy this Relax Far Infrared Sauna, and if I had a larger house, I would buy one from Clearlight.

🐟 Sardines Are a Superfood: Dietary sardine protein lowers insulin resistance, sardine intake can improve blood lipids, promote weight loss in postpartum women, and they are an excellent source of collagen/glycine. Despite all this, I’ve never been consistent in eating them 😕 When I do, this is the kind I buy.

† The Superpower We Share With Jesus (Article)

😮‍💨 Try This Simple Breathwork Drill (Video)

📚 25 Books To Read Before You Die- Ben Greenfield (Article)

👨🏻‍⚕️ Your Dermatologist is Wrong About UV (Tweet)

⏸️ Fall in love with the pauses in your life. (Tweet)

▶️ Dr. Bradley Nelson on discovering The Emotion Code (Video)

💧 “Drinking lots of liquids before and after eating is ruining your digestion by diluting your stomach acid.” (Tweet)

🧠 “It takes a great intelligence to live a simple life.” (Tweet)

🐄 “Engaging in medical diagnostic screening is like a calf visiting the slaughterhouse just to say hi” -Dr. Hamer

📅 My Scheduling Page: Go here to book a 15-minute free call to chat about my awareness coaching and energy healing services.

✔️ That will do it for this time! Hopefully you got some value out of it. If you have any questions/comments/things you’d like to learn more about please don’t hesitate to reach out.

🔗 If you know anyone who loves learning about these types of topics, send them this link!

📰 To read all past newsletters, go here.