179: 5 Science-Backed Ways To Take Control Of Your Health And Prevent Chronic Disease with Ted Ryce

In my 17 years as a health & fitness expert and personal trainer in Miami Beach, I’ve known and trained some great doctors…interventional radiologists, plastic surgeons, emergency medicine doctors and more.But I’ve also had my share of frustration and disappointment with some doctors as well.
When I went to a cardiologist after a panic attack landed me in the emergency room, he gave me an echo stress test and said everything was fine. There was no evidence of a cardiac infarction and my echo stress test showed that my heart was normal and healthy—even though everything was NOT fine.

It took me months researching stress on my own and finding ways to manage stress because doctors I saw didn’t have any solutions for me. If you want hear some science-backed ways to manage stress then listen to my episode on 11 Ways To Relieve Stress that You Can Start Today.

I had another frustrating experience with modern medicine when I started having what I thought might be a bladder or prostate issue. I saw two doctors.

The first one was an Ivy League trained Urologist who performed an ultrasound on my bladder to see if there were any issues with it. Then he performed a digital exam to check my prostate. He said everything seemed fine and said we may need to run more tests but in the meantime to take a prescription for Flomax—a drug to help with frequent urination and trouble starting.

I never tried the drug because I thought it was such a cop out to prescribe a young, healthy guy like myself a drug for older men instead of exploring the causes. I didn’t know the answer but I did know that I wasn’t suffering from a Flomax deficiency!

The other urologist I saw wasn’t much help either. He prescribed me a course of antibiotics because he speculated (because he didn’t perform any tests) that it might be a low-grade bacterial infection in my prostate that was causing my problems.

I took the antibiotics (which probably messed up my gut bacteria) because I was desperate. Nothing happened. The symptoms I was experiencing stayed the same.
As I started to speak with more people and ask them about their experiences with doctors and health issues, I realized that I was not the only one with these frustrating experiences with the lack of results from the modern medical paradigm.

My father has kidney damage because a doctor told him it was OK to take a bunch of NSAIDs like Aleve for his arthritis. The doctor told him, “Just take more if your arthritis acts up.”
It wasn’t until a nurse practitioner discovered the kidney damage and had him change what he was doing.

Gisele, who is my partner in crime with Legendary Life, has had her share of negative experiences too with her gastritis. She went through a full endoscopy and her gastroenterologist said she was fine—even though she still has bouts of burning stomach pain. She obviously wasn’t fine but it was also obvious that her doctor wasn’t going to think outside the box to figure out the cause of her problem. “Just take another pill when you feel the burning,” was his answer. More drugs. No thinking.

Have you had a negative experience with a doctor as well?

It seems like they’re trained to deal with bacterial infections, blood diseases, and broken bones. And they’re great for those medical issues.

But when it comes to chronic health issues, traditional doctors don’t have ANY helpful answers. When a person shows up with a condition they didn’t learn how to treat in medical school, it goes down something like this hilarious and depressingly true skit from Louis CK’s show.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to have doctors who can perform life-saving surgery and prescribe drugs when it’s called for.

But the reality is that YOU need to be your own health advocate like Gary Collins suggested in his episode on Legendary Life: Former FDA Agent Exposes Big Pharma And Medical Corruption. Medical doctors will not save you.

It’s your responsibility to take control of your health and save yourself from financial ruin by learning to take care of your body.

Let’s take a look at the cost of chronic disease in the United States.
Chronic diseases—such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes—are some of the most common and expensive health problems in the United States.

Approximately half of all adults in the United States had at least one chronic health condition in 2012, while 1 in 4 adults had two or more chronic health conditions.

Another important fact is that in 2010, more than 83 percent of healthcare spending in the United States was for people with at least one chronic (and preventable!) health condition, with heart disease and stroke costing $315.4 billion alone!

So where do you start if you want to look great, feel great AND save money?
5 Key Health Habits That Can Reduce The Risk Of Chronic Diseases.

According to the CDC, there are five key health behaviors that can reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

The 5 Key Health Habits are:

• Not smoking
• Exercising regularly
• Avoiding alcohol consumption or only drinking in moderation
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Getting a sufficient amount of sleep

I’m sure these habits come as no surprise…especially if you listen to (or read) Legendary Life.
You know vastly more about sleep, exercise and nutrition than the average person!
But are you taking action on what you know? That’s the critical question you have to ask yourself.

Taking Action!

Although many people KNOW what to do, taking action is a different story!

The CDC analyzed data from their 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and found that only 6.3% of adults engaged in all five key health Habits!
The good news is that only 1.4% failed to engage in any of the health habits—so the majority of Americans are doing something.

But I want you to be better than the average American (whether you live in the U.S. or one of the 160 countries that regularly listen to Legendary Life every week.

If you’re not getting enough exercise, then try our FREE Workout.

If you want to learn the basics of diet and nutrition, check my epic post on what to eat to build muscle, burn fat and improve your health here.

If you want to learn how to get better sleep then check out my interviews with Shawn Stevenson on how to Sleep Smarter: How To Sleep Your Way To Better Health And Bigger Success and Dr. Kirk Parsley on The Power of Sleep.

And if you want me as your personal coach, consider signing up for my CEO Strength Group online fitness coaching for busy people and get into the best shape of your life!