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On January 3, 2022, I had the privilege to provide my expertise to a national audience on the One America News Network (OAN). Much of the information shared during that segment with anchor Stella Escobedo (one of the few journalists willing to have this conversation) can be read below, and you can watch the segment in its entirety by clicking the video above. (Click here to see the segment directly from the OAN website)

Over the past two decades of being a healthcare provider, I have done my best to avoid controversy. Our nation is polarized enough and more divisive rhetoric does not serve us well. In that vein, I ask you to please read this post to the end if you begin to get angry when you read my perspective on this. As for those who may take issue with me partaking in an interview with a conservative broadcast station, I am unapologetic for that. I was asked to do the segment and talk about something that most other stations are not covering. I am happy to do segments on all television stations, as long as I can share the truth. I was not invited to be on OAN because of any political ideology; it was purely to share a message based on my expertise and information covered in my book, DREAM Wellness: The 5 Keys to Raising Kids for a Lifetime of Physical and Mental Health.

The purpose of this news segment and post was not to say there is no place for masks, distancing and other defensive measures. The purpose was to bring to light that the conversation has not been about being on offense and building health. Until that becomes the primary message for a long-term solution, we may find ourselves a nation bankrupt of true health.

 SUMMARY OF THE CONVERSATION, with extra tidbits that we didn’t have time to cover:

Children aren’t in serious danger from Covid 19:

  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is not tracking the amount of healthy children who have died from Covid-19 (most likely because it’s too small to count, if there even are any).
  • According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, among states reporting childhood Covid-19 deaths, children were 0.00%-0.27% of all COVID-19 deaths, and 5 states reported zero child deaths. ​In states reporting, 0.00%-0.02% of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in death.

Children are in serious danger from mask mandates and remote schooling:

  • An August 11th study from Brown University stated, “We find that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance compared to children born pre-pandemic. Moreover, we find that males and children in lower socioeconomic families have been most affected. Results highlight that even in the absence of direct SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 illness, the environmental changes associated COVID-19 pandemic is significantly and negatively affecting infant and child development”.
  • Children lose the ability to read facial cues and smiling for very small children impacting their development.
  • Inability to connect with other children and adults
  • Potential dangers of not breathing fresh air for continuous amounts of time
  • Dangers of touching contaminated and dirty masks and then touching other surfaces including their own faces and orifices (hands in mouth, nose, eyes, ears)
  • Remote learning has led to loneliness, depression, social anxiety, fear, anger, laziness; and tons of missed opportunities including academic advancement and sports (including potential scholarships and entrance to colleges), social engagement, maintaining and building new relationships.
  • According to a December 2021 study, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also showed that mental health-related visits in 2020, when pandemic restrictions were first imposed, increased by 24 percent in 5- to 11-year-olds and 31 percent in 12- to 17-year-olds, compared to 2019 data.
  • Teenagers don’t want to socialize in person anymore; they prefer to be on their phones, play video games and vegetate on social media; which leads to a litany of other issues.

My biggest issue with all of this…

Aside from the detrimental impact this is having on children’s physical and mental health, what concerns me most is the fact that lawmakers, scientists and even the US President are saying, “The way to stay healthy is to wear a mask and get your shots.” That’s not true. Masks and vaccines may prevent the transmission and infection from pathogens (virus, bacteria… germs), but they don’t make you healthy. Salutogenesis is the creation of health, and that is through lifestyle, not pharmaceuticals and layers of cotton covering your nose and mouth.

“If health came in a pill bottle, the world would have a plastic shortage!”

Brian Stenzler, MS, DC

I’m not a pundit; I am a healthcare provider, a concerned citizen and most importantly, a dad.

  • 60% of Americans suffer from at least one chronic illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure and/or obesity. A CDC study found that people with patients with underlying conditions were six times more likely to be hospitalized and twelve times more likely to die from Covid than otherwise healthy people.
  • World Obesity Federation found that countries where at least half the adults are overweight, Covid death rates were 10 times higher. As of Feb 2022, 88% of Covid deaths worldwide occurred in countries where more than half the population is overweight. (68% of U.S. population is overweight). Even Bill Maher talks about this, and he refers to this stuff as a third rail topic because anyone that talks about the need for people to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle is accused of shaming people. I know plenty of people who do not live healthy lifestyles and did not change a single thing over the past 2 years. They just waited for the vaccine to bail them out.
  • The truth is, you can’t outrun pathogens forever. Today it’s Covid… who knows what is coming next? Why not prepare ourselves and our children and set everyone up for success to give the best chances possible to survive and thrive when things like this happen? Let’s think twice about closing the gyms, natural healthcare providers, health food stores; let’s encourage a healthy lifestyle.
  • I have acquired a ton of unique perspectives on healthcare from my profession. Many chiropractic doctors enter the profession because they want to help people live to their potential without prescribing drugs and surgery. In fact, the developer of chiropractic, BJ Palmer said,

“While other professions are concerned with changing the environment to suit the weakened body, chiropractic is concerned with strengthening the body to suit the environment.”

The X’s and O’s of Immunology

  • All doctors should know that the true way to stay healthy is to keep the immune system strong. Think of your immune system as an organization containing the most powerful army on the planet. The warriors are tasked to protect you from foreign adversaries, such as viruses. If you want your warriors to be strong, agile and alert, I assume you’re going to feed them well, make sure they get plenty of rest, keep them exercising, promote a great winning sprit and attitude and of course, ensure optimal communication between the soldiers and headquarters. I doubt you’ll want your army to be lazy, be on social media all day, try to stay awake with caffeine; and you certainly don’t want to weaken them with alcohol and drugs. The immune system is a microcosm of a human. People need to eat right, get plenty of relaxation, exercise, practice mental wellness and of course keep their nervous system free from interference. This is the concept of D.R.E.A.M.
  • With the recent passing of the great John Madden, I was reminded of how he taught millions of people the X’s and O’s of football; the X’s were defense and the O’s were offense. In overall health, just like it is in sports, defense certainly has its place, but if the offense does not score more points than the defense gives up, it is very unlikely you will win. We must have a comprehensive strategy towards creating health and not just doing things to prevent disease.

Here’s to you and your family living your D.R.E.A.M., every day!

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