Welcome to my podcast, Healing with Dr Helena, where I challenge the limiting way we currently view disease, and offer a new paradigm for vibrant health and true healing. If modern medicine isn’t providing you with enough answers, and you want to come alive and thrive, rather than merely survive, this podcast is for you.
It’s also for people who want to boost their brain to perform at their peak, avoid Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and live longer, stronger, healthier and happier.
Each episode comprises four parts:
- A Brain Booster
- A Health Headline
- An Exploration of What’s Missing from Modern Medicine
- A Whether Report where I answer your whether questions eg ‘I’d like to know whether you can explain how …’
So here’s a glimpse of episode 3.
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Today’s Brain Booster is to get a Can Do Jar instead of a candy jar.
Get a large glass or ceramic jar and label it ‘Can Do Jar’. From now on, whenever you, or anyone in your household, says the word ‘can’t’, they need to put a gold coin in the jar. When the jar becomes full of money — which hopefully it won’t — donate the money to your favourite charity. Your Can Do Jar will be your visual reminder of the power of language and labelling.
Can the way we speak to ourselves boost the functioning of our brain? Absolutely!
The words and grammar we use to describe ourselves and our world modify how our brain works, how we see our own possibilities, and how we act in the world.
Negative self-talk:
- decreases brain connections related to confidence and reward
- reduces motivation
- and harms mental health.
Negative self-talk also triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which damages cells in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. And since the hippocampus is our learning and memory warehouse, cortisol erodes our ability to think clearly and retrieve memories, so it turns the negative self talk into a self fulfilling prophecy. Language is more than a neutral medium for describing ourselves and our experiences; it shapes them.
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Today’s Health Headline is: the language of medicine is making us sick!
Have you ever noticed that the language of medicine is actually the language of war? Modern medicine wants to:
Fight the infection!
Kill the virus!
Eradicate the invaders – meaning bacteria and viruses
Irradiate the tumour
Cut out the cancer
Defeat the disease, and wage war on obesity!
In medical speak, drugs and various therapies are referred to as armamentarium and you must follow doctor’s orders! It’s extraordinary isn’t it? But wait — there’s more!
We also talk about battling an illness, combating side effects and struggling with weight loss. Even outside medical settings, people are flogging themselves at the gym, whipping themselves into shape, and having a gruelling workout with their trainer. And we’re forever looking for that silver bullet.
This is major warfare we’re talking. What’s wrong with this approach? Everything. Tune in to find out why.
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What’s missing from modern medicine is an understanding of what constitutes TRUE MEDICINES.
And what are TRUE MEDICINES?
TRUE MEDICINES is an acronym for the foundations and fundamental principles of great health and healing.
The letters T-R-U and E give you the foundations.
The letters M-E-D-I-C-I-N-E-S give you the fundamental principles of great health and healing. In other words, each letter in MEDICINES reveals an essential ingredient for boosting your brain, enhancing your immune system, and living longer, stronger and happier. Today I’ll run through what each letter stands for and give you a brief explanation. Going forward with this podcast, we’ll explore each principle in greater depth.
The most important point about TRUE MEDICINES is to open your mind to the fact that medicines don’t just come in the form of pills, powders, potions or lotions. Sleep is truly medicinal. So are food, exercise, nature and positive social interactions. When people hear that, many of them roll their eyes and say ‘Oh yes, of course.’ But deep down they don’t truly believe that what they can do for themselves is as powerful as prescription medications. People don’t believe that the way they choose to live, love, work, play, and speak are far more powerful than surgery or radiation …
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And today’s Whether Report addresses the question: ‘I recently learned that dementia was the leading cause of death in Australia. I’d like to know whether you can explain how someone dies from dementia. I thought dementia was largely about memory loss and thinking ability.’
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Click here to watch the episode on my YouTube channel, or listen to Healing with Dr Helena on your preferred podcast platform. I’ll publish a new episode every Monday, and you’ll receive an email notification that morning. Please subscribe to my podcast or YouTube channel so that you don’t miss an episode, and email your whether questions to: podcast@drhelenapopovic.com
If you’re happy for me to play your voice on my podcast, you can provide an audio file. Otherwise, you can type your question for me to read out.
I very much look forward to answering your questions and exploring how we can all build a smarter brain, stronger body and deeply fulfilling life.
Please forward this Health-e-Byte to anyone who might find my podcast useful or interesting.
