Finding Your Breakthrough

The Creation Health Breakthrough: 8 Essentials to Revolutionize Your Health Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually
by Monica Reed, M.D., Donna K. Wallace, MTS

Despite scores of new medical treatments and explosive technology gains, millions of us are suffering from chronic diseases linked to lifestyle choices. Today, 61percent of all deaths in America are tied to the top three lifestyle-related diseases: cardiovascular disease, strokes, and cancer. But 40 percent of these deaths are entirely preventable by making daily positive choices.

Dr. Monica Reed, senior medical officer of America's largest admitting hospital, prescribes eight fundamentally powerful and scientifically proven essentials to reverse the negative effects of lifestyle, prevent disease in at-risk people, and ultimately achieve total health and wellness:

• Choice
• Rest
• Environment
• Activity
• Trust
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Outlook
• Nutrition

In addition to proven principles for achieving whole-person health, Dr. Reed's unique Three-Day Total Body Rejuvenation Therapy and her Eight-Week Lifestyle Transformation Plan combine the best of science and lifestyle for maximum impact. Change your life today with The Creation Health Breakthrough!

Chapter 1

The Problem, the Promise,
the Principle, the Plan

We live in a fast-paced, rapidly changing society where unhealthy habits easily become the norm. Lifestyle has become the number one "disease" threatening Americans today - and there are no drugs or surgeries to cure it.

In This Chapter You Will:

• Discover eight timeless, scientifically proven principles that will revolutionize your life.
• Learn what you need to know about the new number one killer in America today.
• Find out how to add ten more good years to your life.

Finding Your Breakthrough

As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself.

Adelle Davis

How many times have you read the "ideal" book about health and healing, only to discover its program is so far beyond the reach of your daily demands that you can never attain it? You love the exercise routine advertised on television that makes you buff and trim, but $500 later you realize that the new routine won't fit into your already packed schedule.

I've bought more than my fair share of those TV fitness products. In fact, at one time or another I feel like I've owned them all: ab-rollers, steppers, jump ropes, weights, bikes, books, and videos. One time I even bought something called a Gazelle, which is a modified rowing machine. My girlfriend and I went in on it together. It stayed in the box for over a month before we finally assembled it. After that we never used it. The only thing that became trimmer in that deal was my checkbook. The Gazelle became a standing joke because we knew neither of us would ever look like one.

We've all heard about fad diets, extreme makeovers, and get-slim-quick schemes. We've tried crash diets, liquid diets, low-calorie diets, high-protein diets, and everything in between. But in order to succeed we must know what it is we're searching for. Good health is more than simply dropping a few pounds. To offset the effects of how we live we can no longer entertain short-term fixes; we need a comprehensive and lasting breakthrough to health. That's why this book is about more than an exercise program or diet plan. It's about how to get the most out of life.

In this book I want to help you celebrate life fully, to discover your own tremendous power to make life-changing choices. I want to guide you through a powerful program to help increase your vitality, lengthen your life, and supercharge your health. I want to help you move from a health breakdown to a health breakthrough.

But before we talk solutions, let's understand the problem.

All too often we find ourselves anxious, stretched, and prone to neglect our most important asset - our health. We may think our current condition is only temporary and that things will change eventually, but for too many of us that time never comes. In some cases, neglecting a healthy lifestyle for years can lead to serious consequences.

That's exactly where Greg found himself.

After owning two businesses for more than twenty years, Greg rarely felt at rest or at peace. No matter the time of day or the day of the week, it seemed like there was always something that needed to be done. So he did it. Greg lived life under constant pressure. He was a hard worker, his employees gave him that. But his long hours and constant worries often left him irritable and short-tempered with his staff.

Due to the sustained level of stress in his life, Greg frequently had trouble sleeping. And even when he could sleep it was only for four to six hours at a time. Coffee and caffeinated soft drinks kept him going the rest of the day. Greg tried to get away from work from time to time to unwind, but while away he spent most of his time worrying about all the things he needed to do.

His family life suffered as well. After going through two divorces Greg started to think he wasn't cut out for relationships. He began holding people at a distance. His own children found him growing increasingly aloof. They couldn't even convince him to attend church with them at Christmas or Easter. Because he spent so much time at work, he had few friends, and, truth be told, he didn't worry much about it.

Greg never really got the hang of cooking. Most meals con- sisted of fast food or what came out of vending machines at work. His days were so long he never even considered exercise. In fact, he liked to joke that the most exercise he got was taking the trash to the curb twice a week. When extra pounds started gathering around his middle it bugged him. But he took solace in the fact that the same was true for many of his buddies. "A sign of maturity," he said. The extra weight made him feel sluggish during the day, especially in the afternoon. But the worst part of his weariness was how it affected his immune system. Greg started to pick up any sickness or virus that blew through town.

As a result of his lifestyle choices Greg was in poor health and was headed for a breakdown. It wasn't that he didn't want to make some changes in his life, it just seemed like he never had the time to consider them.

With his fiftieth birthday approaching, Greg convinced himself to start the year on the right foot. He scheduled an appointment with a physician at Florida Hospital for his "annual" physical exam (something he hadn't done in years), vowing that this year things were going to be different. After a series of tests the doctor came back with shocking news.

Before I tell you the rest of Greg's story I want to pause for just a moment. Do you know anyone like Greg? I don't mean exactly like Greg, but do you know people whose lives seems so busy or stressed that they have no time to care for their health? Maybe someone whose consistently poor lifestyle choices are contributing to low energy, an irritable attitude, and poor health? Are there some elements of Greg's story you can identify with yourself? Maybe you've wanted to make some lifestyle changes, but they just don't "stick," and before long you found yourself back in the same old unhealthy habits again. If so, you're not alone.

Copyright © 2007 by Monica Reed, M.D.

About the Author

Monica Reed, M.D., is the senior medical officer of the largest admitting hospital in America, directing the daily operations of two thousand physicians at Florida Hospital in Orlando.

Donna K. Wallace, president and founder of Mere Images, Inc., has coauthored and collaborated on fifteen inspirational and health-related books.