Dr. Magryta: Seven years

Published 12:00 am Sunday, December 17, 2017

Seven years have passed since I wrote the first Salisbury Pediatrics Health and Wellness Newsletter. Including this one, that means that in 726 articles and other tidbits, we have been hoping to change lives, perspectives and generally lead to a more meaningful existence for all.

It has been a rewarding experience as I have learned much during the process of trying to keep the information relevant and modern. It’s like having a fitbit for learning as every week I task myself with completing two articles that are worthy of your time. In the end, I think that I read and search more than I otherwise may have, because of you, the reader.

What have I learned so far, in random order:

1) Science is evolving at a breakneck speed allowing us to make better and more informed decisions every day with fewer leaps of faith. Computing speed based on Moore’s law has improved to such a degree that researchers are able to produce huge amounts of data the likes of which we have never seen in human history.

2) Much of what we have been taught is being rewritten monthly. Do not believe that what you know today is truth. The environment is evolving so fast that change is a given and we MUST adapt with it or suffer. Food, exercise, stress reduction and love are the answers to most problems.

3) After spending time with government and insurance-based leaders, it is clear that they are mostly the problem and not the solution. Too much money (18 percent of GDP) is involved in this game for them to be honest brokers for our health. Thus, I will continue to push for self-derived goals to get people to not NEED the system for chronic lifestyle diseases that can cost enough to make them poor. We want a system that is there for acute surgical-based issues that are hard to predict and prevent, not our poor choice-based diseases.

4) I am a firm believer that we will technologically advance ourselves out of this health mess that we find America in. After participating in some future health conferences, it is clear that we have some really smart people inventing things that will change the playing field of medicine. Doctor visits as we know them will cease to exist and we will have a new system that is hybrid of what we have now and Star Trek’s Dr. McCoy.

5) Wearables will be the next front line advantage for healthcare practitioners to track risk and disease before bad events occur. Heart rate variability tracked by a watch may detect an impending heart attack or arrhythmia. Crib liners will have embedded monitors to measure heart and breathing rates to alert a parent via a smart phone that their child has had a sleep apnea event. Better devices for hearing- and vision-disabled Americans.

6) I am convinced that most Americans are really good people. My hope is that we as a culture will shy away from the constant beat of the negative media drum of fear and make our own reality in our local and distant environments. We must lead by example. Most importantly, we need to teach our kids to explore and be the next group of inventors and leaders.

7) I am convinced that the route to collective tolerance is to focus on the individual and the quality of self. We can and will eventually see each other as individuals first, and only later noticing color, creed or gender. That is a recipe for happiness as a culture. In the words of Marcus Aurelius: “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”

8) Much of what happens to us as children affects us tremendously as adults, both good and bad. It is neither necessary nor expected for you to suffer because of history. As you raise your kids, expect them to achieve, expect them to fail, expect them to need you when you are down, expect them to need you when they are down, expect everything and you will never be surprised or let down. Remember that they are children and that they are learning creatures with the ultimate need of unconditional love. With love, a failure is a stepping stone! Avoid placing your baggage onto their lap. They are not here to care for us.

9) Ingesting micro- and macro-nutrients in optimal supply is the key to longevity. There is nothing in the world more important that I have learned over the last seven years. Based on this principle, I am going to rerun the micro-nutrients articles in year 8 hoping that multiple views will help it become part of your ethos.

10) Tim Ferriss, Jocko Willink, Chris Sommers, Rhonda Patrick, Derek Sivers, Peter Diamindis, Gerry Mullin, Jeffrey Bland, Patrick Hanaway, Dale Bredensen, Andrew Weil, Tierona Low Dog, Michelle Chalfant, Rea Wright, Russ Greenfield, Chris Nagy, Nicole Magryta and John Wear are people that I follow and are making a difference locally and nationally. They all share a unique theme. They all search for the new truth and are completely unsatisfied with the status quo. Anyone of them is worth your time to learn from.

The future will bring much change and I am excited about it. Let us prepare to adapt as the brilliant scientists, theologians and thinkers of our time impart their teachings to us. We only have one shot at this life. Let us plan to make it special.

Dr. M

Dr. Chris Magryta is a physician at Salisbury Pediatric Associates. Contact him at newsletter@salisburypediatrics.com