SUPERHEALTH WITH KYLE DREW
Doug's Seminar — An Evening With Our Michigan Friends
by Kyle Drew

It’s November, and we’re heading to Michigan!

In 2005, I was honored to begin working with Doug Kaufmann, and since that time, I’ve traveled with him to Michigan each time he has made the trek. You are so welcoming and so ready to learn new things that it’s something I look forward to each year.

If you’ve been to Doug’s seminars before, you know how much fun they can be. Before working with Doug, I had been to dozens upon dozens of medical and nutritional conferences, and the only thing they ended up curing was my insomnia! But traveling with Doug is an absolute delight. Believe it or not, most of our conversations on the road are exactly what you hear us talking about on Know the Cause. It’s just part of our lives. We love it. We think through different challenges, joke about ridiculous health theories, talk about questions people seem to be asking a lot lately, and generally cover the whole range of health topics - from drugs to vitamins to homeopathy to chiropractic, and beyond.

So, what you’ll find when you come to the seminar is that you just become part of our ongoing conversations on health, and we, in turn, become part of yours. It’s as if we’re all part of the same family, talking about what’s ailing us, and what we can do about it.

That is one of the great keys to living out this lifestyle, by the way. That is, making it a normal part of your life. Reading about it, watching the right shows, talking about it, debating different theories, trying things out for yourself…It’s all a matter of making it “normal.”

The thing about health is that the healthcare community doesn’t seem to want you to do this. It seems like they want to hide behind vocabulary that you wouldn’t normally use, and recommend therapies that, were you to understand them, you would probably reject. But if you can’t decipher what they’re talking about or why something that seems counter-intuitive would be recommended, you’re no longer in control; they are.

I’m not a control freak most of the time. But in the case of science and health, I’ve discovered that it’s a bit easier than the folks in the “Halls of Science” would have us believe. You gotta eat well, supplement well, and exercise. What else is there? Those of us in nutrition are fond of saying things like, “You don’t have arthritis because of an ibuprofen deficiency,” or “The reason for your asthma is not because you have a Primatine Mist deficiency.” In other words, we believe that proper nutrition and exercise habits tend to prevent and even alleviate most ills in a more profound way than medicine ever could. So, since it’s pretty straight forward most of the time, I’d just as soon be in control of my own decisions on my own health. Wouldn’t you?

Now, once you’ve determined your own health philosophy, you simply feed it. You’re already doing this if you watch Know the Cause and read books like Doug’s. Truth be told, you’re feeding it every time you step foot into a health food store and pick up one of those freebie magazines they have at the checkout stand. Yep, they’re loaded with ads and many of the articles are written to point you to the products featured in those ads. But it’s amazing what kind of valuable information you find there. Just last week, Doug and I were talking about how a new physician acquaintance of ours is only just now discovering the power of simple antioxidants, and they’re SO excited about it; yet, every single freebie magazine has already covered this simple subject thoroughly, and has done so for decades! A lot of health stories that you see on Nightly News or in the local paper just aren’t new to those of us who make health a normal part of our lives.

Another great way to keep the fire kindled is by being around those who feel the same way you do about health and fitness. Yeah, I love talking with Doug about this, but Doug talks to all his friends about this, and so do I. Last week I was with Stuart Tomc of Nordic Naturals, and our entire five-hour visit in his hotel room centered on health and supplements. That’s it! He called me just today to ask what I thought about an old book on fasting for health. Just out of the blue, he called. It’s great! That’s what friends do. By doing this, the weird words and varied applications of supplements just become normal, and it keeps you excited about commitments you’ve made.

Friends are also critical when it comes to keeping your diet commitments and your exercise regimen up. It’s so funny how, when we go to a restaurant with Doug, bread always arrives at the table, but nobody touches it. If there’s a new person joining us, they’ll often grab a piece; but then, when they see nobody else is joining them, they’ll often take a bite or two and put it down. Wouldn’t you like it if you had that level of reinforcement? I’m telling you, associating with people who adopt the same habits as yours can be a powerful health strategy.

I’ve thought about different topics I’d love to share with you at the seminar. I’m still weighing some ideas, but I don’t want to leave the building without sharing some of the simplest strategies I’ve found to adopting and sticking with the lifestyle. We’ve all tried and failed to keep our commitments time and time again. But what if there were things we could begin doing that immediately impact our health, and yet, without much feeling of sacrifice? These habits become stepping-stones, and each one that is firmly adopted gives you the “footing” to keep going higher and higher. There are definitely some fungus topics that I want to touch on as well, but I really want people going home that night knowing that they’re equipped to turn the corner toward their best health ever.

My favorite part of these seminars is the Question and Answer session. Make sure and come ready to ask your toughest questions, and we’ll do our best to help. No, we’re not going to diagnose, prognose or prescribe anything for any ailment - only your family physician can do that. But what we will do is talk through your situation, and think through it the same way Doug would with me if I were calling him with that same question. We’re just friends talking and encouraging each other and sharing what our experiences have been over the years. Nothing we say is going to require a prescription pad or a trip to the pharmacy. We mostly stick with food, supplements made from food and regularly getting up and moving the body on a regular basis. Shockingly to some, those simple things tend to work wonders.

I’m so excited about being in Michigan, once again! It’s my great honor to be asked to join Doug for an evening with friends. Please come if you possibly can.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Kyle

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