Pathways to Optimal Health
Thomas E. Baldwin,
Master of Science in Nutrition
44640 Shallow Ford Ct.
Tall Timbers, MD 20690
410-326-6690
February, 2008
Since February is National
Heart Month, what better way to do our Newsletter than to talk about the
affairs of the heart! And by this I don’t mean to be too romantic! ;>)
We might get the idea from
Valentine’s Day and from the major media that the heart is a tender organ.
Don’t you believe it!! The heart is one tough muscle. It beats on average 72
times a minute, 4320 times an hour, or 103,680 times a day. When you figure
that the average lifespan is now around 75 years—you figure it out!
However, as with all organs,
the heart must be treated at least as well as we treat our cars in order for
the heart to keep functioning at a high level for so many years. Think
prevention before you think treatment. I am constantly amazed that most
people don’t seek knowledge about health until prevention is not an option.
They wait until something goes terribly wrong and then they panic. They are not
in a position to help themselves, or so they think.
They end up relying on the medical profession—right or wrong. I saw this
through many years of dentistry in the case of periodontal disease. No matter
what I said to many patients, they did nothing until
it was almost too late. No wonder we have a sick care system rather than a
health care system. So, again prevention is the answer!
Heart disease is a host oriented disease rather than a
specific organ disease. It is just part of a much larger systemic disease process. Instead of treating the symptom, which
might be a heart attack or blood tests ordered by the doctor, we must find and
treat the cause of the problem
before it occurs. Instead of just focusing on the heart, we should focus on the
entire body.
First of all, every one of us
should go through a Personalized
Metabolic Typing (PMT). Check out our Web Site at www.wholebodyhealth.us for more
information on the PMT on our Home Page. Basically, a PMT shows the Client how
to eat—what foods are metabolized by the individual’s body in the most efficient
and effective manner. And, once the PMT is done, eat only for your Type!
The next step is to clean up
the environment in and around the body. For example, get rid of all the
processed liquid vegetable oils and partially hydrogenated oils in your
pantries. These contain too many trans-fats and free radicals. Everyone
should cut back on refined carbohydrates. Get rid of all foods which contain
preservatives, colorings, insecticides, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and
on animal foods which are not cage-free, and free range. Remember the Four Rules of Nutrition: Eat
whole foods, not very much, mostly plants, and all organic and free range. And
always eat according to your Metabolic Type!
For a healthy heart we must
exercise in moderation. This means walking at least 8,000 steps per day at
least 4-5 days a week. Buy a pedometer, and go for it! Other beneficial
exercises are Pilates and Yoga. Also, perhaps Bonnie Pruden and Jack Lalane
were right—calisthenics are great! Recently, a piece of very good research was
published in Europe which showed that a person’s grip strength was
highly indicative of overall decreased morbidity and mortality. In other words,
the stronger the grip strength, the healthier you were now and your health
would maintain for a longer time. Also, another piece of research showed that
patients with “intractable” (or untreatable) high blood pressure (in other
words, no matter what drugs, exercise, weight loss, etc. that were
accomplished, the blood pressure stayed elevated) were helped significantly
by increasing their grip strength. Squeezing rubber balls every day for about ½
hour per day decreased the blood pressure! What a great way to prevent or treat
hypertension!
Manage the stress in your
life. You can do this with prayer, meditation, quiet time, and spending time
with those you love. “Don’t sweat the small stuff” is still a terrific saying.
I like what Mark Twain said: “I have spent a great deal of my life worrying
about many things—a very few of them actually happened!”
Don’t ever put anything
plastic in your microwave. If you absolutely must us a microwave (we’ve thrown
all of ours away), then do only glass and ceramics in it. And don’t allow
plastic bottles of any liquid including water to sit in the sun or to be heated
up. They release heavy amounts of estrogenic substances. And, while you’re at
it, drink only pure water—never from the tap of municipal facilities,
especially those that put fluoride in the water.
Get detoxified! We offer
21-day detoxification classes. Our next class starts April 26, and I can assure
you that it is the best, the safest, and the least troublesome to the body of
any detox you will ever do.
The number one enzymatic need
of the heart is for Coenzyme Q10. The body produces its own CoQ10, but it needs
a balanced amount of vitamins for the production. The production is naturally
compromised by age, oxidative load, autoimmune diseases, and lack of absorption
of vitamins. So, if you are healthy, take 100 mg of CoQ10 per day. If you have
a heart condition, take 300 mg per day. If you are taking a statin (and I have
to ask why you are doing this after all the research lately), take 300 mg per
day. (High cholesterol is not a problem. It has only been made out to be a
problem by pharmaceutical companies who need to sell a product. High
cholesterol is an indicator of
damage being done somewhere in the body by some cause. Addressing the cause of
that damage will take care of the cholesterol “problem” by itself.
Unfortunately, many of our doctors are not trained to attack the cause of
“high” cholesterol, only to attack the cholesterol level with drugs which
themselves cause more problems than they help.)
I think one of my mentors,
Robert Crayhon, had it right when he said, “Heart disease is a preventable
disease. Once present it is easily and naturally treated. In other words, heart
disease is there by choice of the Client.”
I also would like to offer
recipes for healthy foods in this Newsletter. If you have any to offer, please
send them to me! The first one comes from Sue Monaghan who just completed our
Detoxification Class in Towson. I have several from members of that group that I
will be offering over the next several months:
Chocolate Moose
3 medium avocados
¼ TBL + 1Cup PURE maple syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup (or 4 TBL) raw organic cocoa (or more to
taste)
Blend all ingredients in the blender
till xmooth and creamy
Add more maple syrup to taste
Place in glass bowl and refrigerate.
This is incredibly good. It is a wonderful treat for
children who are finicky eaters!!
Thanks so much, Sue!!
Please tell your family,
friends, co-workers, and everyone you know to please sign up for the Newsletter
Pathways to Optimal Health at www.wholebodyhealth.us
and tell them it’s free! We also have several new links for you to check out!
As always, your questions,
comments, and suggestions are welcomed!
All of Dr. Baldwin’s recommendations are
based on solid scientific research.
However, no one Nutritional Plan will work for ever person, nor will any
one Nutritional Plan work for every disease or degenerative condition. Pathways is
not a substitute for proper medical diagnosis of conditions which may require
medical or surgical intervention. Our
Diagnostic System allows us to treat the person with the condition and not the
condition that has the person. Our
program is not simply a weight loss program.
It is a program intended to help the client learn how he or she
can attain optimal health and wellness with a healthy immune
system. We maintain that everyone should
be able to live life to the fullest and enjoy each day of life. To get in touch
with us, dial 410-326-6690 and we will be only too happy to help you!