How Virtually All Diseases Occur

Simply put, virtually all the diseases that we know, all the high blood pressure, all the high cholesterol, diabetes, gallstones, cancers of the colon-prostate-breast, all the body malfunctions have direct causes. There are many disorders for which the causes are not yet known, but we do know the causes, treatments, and even prevention for polio, TB, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, many cancers, etc.

Each person is especially susceptible to certain diseases when compared to other people, but each person is also more resistant to certain diseases when compared to others. In this sense, each person has particular genetic weaknesses and strengths.

When people do certain things they should not (ERRORS), these behaviors plus one's genetic weaknesses result in abnormalities or diseases. If they never "did" certain things, these weaknesses would never generate the diseases listed above and many more.

I believe this is how virtually all diseases occur - because of the 5 Basic Errors of behavior interacting with each person's genetic traits or weaknesses:

Breathing - Being in smoke/dust/fumes: smoking more than two cigarettes every other day, working in a hard coal mine or being around fireplaces and diesel engines. Our air should be clean.
Drinking - Drinking other than water or weak herbal teas. Our water should be clean.
Eating - Our dietary goals should be very high fiber and whole foods/low fat with minimally refined or processed foods consisting mostly of whole grains/cooked fresh vegetables/beans and a little bit of anything else. This is a "Liv-it," not a die-t. A little fun always!
Exercise - Walk at least three miles a day, 5 days per week, 50 weeks a year. Do so in 100 foot sections or all at once, or do the 5-5's program with Ever Young 1-5 pound hand weights. Use a Nordic Track or HealthRider if you wish, or whatever activity, but "Just do it."
Unrealistic - Refusing to accept the difficulties of reality - even gratefully. We must deal with expectations and problems as best possible, accepting failure, but remaining independent, determined and optimistic.

Virtually all diseases occur because of errors 1-4 above, but everybody blames their diseases on "stress," - a disorder of unrealistic expectations. Stress is the worry or anxiety we feel inside us concerning a situation that seems difficult or impossible. Stress is the tension we feel when we hope and wish for things to be different from what they are. We should accept the world the way it is without wishing for it to be different. Accepting this does result in a minimum of problems to work on, but our stress will be minimized. "Perseverance is Everything."

H. Robert Silverstein, MD
Hartford, CT