We really don’t want to blame doctors, and in fact we are not blaming doctors. We are very sympathetic to the challenges that doctors face today. Many of them are as upset with the status quo as we are. We recognize that doctors are trapped in a financial system that punishes them for preventing disease and disability, and rewards them for treating disease and disability. So, yes, we do understand the constraints, and we’re deeply sympathetic.
But I do want to be critical—for this reason: We simply must do a better job of helping our patients and clients be healthy, vital, and strong, and remain so throughout their lives. We should be lengthening lifespans, and lengthening healthspans. We believe that doctors must—somehow—do more to drive the changes needed. For the sake of their patients, doctors must have a way to address the lifestyle factors that are causing the present healthcare crisis. This means either undertaking a serious course of study, or partnering with those who know how to successfully intervene in patients’ lifestyles, and lead them back to health and vitality.
Ninety-plus percent of doctors cannot do this job. Even if a doctor is well-intentioned and provides sound lifestyle advice, the fact is that a brief one-on-one conversation—or set of conversations—will not result in successful lifestyle changes adequate to address patients’ health challenges.
At Cruxpoint, we are looking for those conscientious physicians who will partner with us to help their patients restore their health and vitality, and improve the quality of their lives.
Every day in our Cruxpoint Health Breakthrough Programs, we deal with people who have been failed by our healthcare system. These are not, for the most part, dramatic failures—they’re common and ordinary failures. These are failures that are considered normal, and somehow acceptable. The complacency about this is a serious indictment of our healthcare system.
The sorry truth is that, while under the care of doctors, people are getting sicker…and sicker…and sicker. While we’re spending roughly $4 trillion per year on healthcare—$12,000 per year for every man, woman, and child in America—our population is sicker than ever, and we’re on a very bad trajectory. Per family of four, we’re spending approximately $50,000 per year. The median household income in 2019 was $63,000! In addition, by any reasonable estimate, involvement with the healthcare system and doctors is the third leading cause of death in America. All of this is taking place while people are under the care of physicians. Where is the value for all that spending? The whole thing is beyond disturbing. What to do?
In addition, the issue for doctors is personal. Many (most?) of them are themselves living lifestyles that are significantly harmful to their health and well-being. This is similar to the dilemma of the doctor who smokes advising patients to quit smoking. On average, doctors are not that much more knowledgeable than the educated lay person about how to prevent or reverse chronic disease. Also on average, the typical doctor does not live a better vitality-producing lifestyle than his or her patients. For the doctor, steering patients towards a better lifestyle may mean confronting his or her own lifestyle choices.
Last, and I hate having to say this, but many doctors really and truly give bad advice to their patients. This is the oncologist saying, “It doesn’t matter what you eat. The cancer doesn’t care. You need calories, so just eat.” Or the cardiologist advising patients to eat a “low-fat diet.” Or the gastroenterologist warning a patient, “Diet will not cure Crohn’s or colitis.” Here we have people in authority advising poorly in areas in which they lack the information and experience to provide good guidance.
Our clients in Cruxpoint’s Health Breakthrough Programs give us a window into the problem. The following are representative cases. All of these clients have been under the care of good-to-excellent physicians.
Client #1:
Crohn’s disease, eczema, migraines, bloat, chronic diarrhea, severe seasonal allergies, joint pain, stiffness, fatigue.
Under the care of five different physicians, each one addressing a separate set of symptoms. In less than nine months of being in a Cruxpoint program, all of these conditions resolved, and the Crohn’s disease is in complete remission. No migraines, no eczema, no seasonal allergies, no stiffness and joint pain, no diarrhea. Health and vitality restored, and on zero medications.
Client #2:
Obese, insulin resistant, general metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, heart disease (as measured by EBCT scan), and Type II diabetic.
All of these conditions and diseases developed and progressed while under the care of a physician. Resolution of all of these are under way through a customized Cruxpoint program.
Client #3:
Advanced heart disease, emergency surgery (four stents), chronic joint pain and stiffness, elevated blood pressure, somewhat overweight, and general hardening (inelasticity) in vascular system as measured on AtCor Sphygmacor.
All of these conditions developed and progressed while under the care of a physician. Through a Cruxpoint protocol, we stopped the advance of heart disease, as measured by EBCT scan, and resolution of other conditions is under way.
Client #4:
Dangerously unbalanced biochemistry, high blood pressure, on track to Type II diabetes (elevated insulin, glucose, and A1c), elevated markers for systemic inflammation, heart disease as measured through EBCT scan, and general hardening (inelasticity) in vascular system.
Stopping and reversing all these conditions through a Cruxpoint program.
Client #5:
Colitis, with 7-year history of steroid treatment, skin “rupture” as side effect of steroids, emotional vulnerability, several sources of chronic pain, joint deterioration (two knee replacements), weak musculature due to pain interfering with ability to exercise, overweight (particularly visceral fat).
Through Cruxpoint program, colitis in full remission, chronic pain resolved or in process of being resolved, emotional vulnerabilities resolved, five inches off of waist, and resumption of strength-building is under way.
Client #6:
Very advanced heart disease, and very high risk, as measured by EBCT scan, with a Calcification Score of over 1300. Vascular stiffness. Over-weight and soft. Fatigue and joint pain. Some signs of compromised brain functioning.
Stopped the advance of heart disease in one year, improved energy, improved alertness (reduced brain fog), took off 40# of weight and inches around waist. Continuing to improve and continuing resolution of existing conditions.
Client #7:
Severe chronic pain (Peak of 10 on 10-scale; chronic level of 7), over-weight, weak musculature, depressed from pain, high-stress from family issues that aggravated all the other conditions.
Through Cruxpoint program, pain resolved to peak of 7 and chronic of 4. Family stress resolved. Took off 40# and inches around waist.
Client #8:
Severe Crohn’s disease. Large intestine detached from small intestine. Wearing a colostomy bag. Surgeons emphatic that large intestine must be removed.
In seven months of Cruxpoint protocol, Crohn’s in complete remission, and large intestine surgically re-attached. Eighteen months later, all is well. Three-year follow-up and all is still well.
Client #9:
Severe onset of rheumatoid arthritis.
Cruxpoint protocol produced 100% resolution within 45 days. No continuing problem.
Client #10:
Became obese, and developed metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure, while under the care of a physician.
While in Cruxpoint program has shed nearly half of their 120 pounds of excess weight, is normalizing sugar metabolism, and is steadily lowering blood pressure—all within roughly five months.
Off the top of my head, I could list another 25 of our clients from the past four years who are representative of the problem—and the solution. Stated in simple terms, here’s the problem:
- The health crisis today is primarily one of chronic diseases.
- Chronic diseases are caused by lifestyle factors.
- Almost all the money that is spent in healthcare goes to “repair” work—trying to fix people after they’re sick or broken.
- Doctors get paid for diagnosing and treating sickness and brokenness.
- Very few doctors know how to prevent, stop, or reverse chronic diseases; they do know how to treat the manifestations (symptoms) of chronic diseases.
- The treatment of symptoms comes with serious risks and side effects.
- The causes of the chronic diseases and disabilities are left in place, continuing to produce disease and disability.
- Lifestyle interventions are the only sound way to stop and reverse chronic disease.
Part of the Cruxpoint Health Breakthrough mission is to successfully address the problem through lifestyle interventions.
Each and every day, doctors, clinics, and hospitals see steady streams of patients suffering from chronic disease, chronic disability, and risk of premature death. Many of those patients are good candidates for lifestyle-change programs such as Cruxpoint offers. Every day at Cruxpoint we search for those practitioners who will partner with us to bring about improvements in the healthcare delivery system and dramatic breakthroughs in their patients’ health and well-being.
