The Pareto Principle

I’ve worked in the health food and fitness industry for 40+ years now and the contradiction, backstabbing and hypocrisy that rages on at the highest levels continues. If you could see what goes on behind closed doors in the health food and fitness industry you might lose faith. But don’t. The principles on which this industry is founded are as real as the earth beneath your feet.

In spite of denial, truth, in time, wills itself out. Nature isn't prejudice. She takes everyone down who disobeys her.

Science and education is the key to the future growth and prosperity of the health food and fitness industry, but sadly, no compulsory education exists for retailers who sell vitamins or advise customers on how to use and take them. The 80-20 rule certainly applies here. Only 20 percent of the individuals, who work in, manage or control the natural health industry, live by the principles prescribed by the industry.

The 80-20 rule was so named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Pareto developed the 80-20 principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.

The great health principles and laws that govern our health and wellness were discovered by many courageous individuals committed to philosophy, science, natural health, exercise physiology, functional medicine and holistic, compassionate, patient-centered treatment.

What are the laws and principles that dictate and determine human life and wellness?

For starters, consume a diet consisting of fresh, whole natural food, preferably organic, from both plants and animals. Eat nothing refined, chemically isolated, purified, processed or sterilized. Like it or not, it is a “do and don’t” philosophy. If you shake hands with the devil, you will get burnt. Select foods that are genomically compatible with your genes. Supply your biological demand.

Take dietary supplements (NHPs). Whole food alone versus combining whole food with supplements is similar to the difference between iron and steel. Iron (whole food) is strong, very strong, but steel (whole food + supplements) is stronger, more flexible and more resistant to oxidation. To create steel you have to add a tiny bit of carbon to iron. We all have a limited shelf life. The goal is to serve and protect. You choose iron. Good choice. I choose steel.

Move your body frequently and exercise routinely to achieve a high level of physical fitness. Take the survival of the fittest paradigm to heart. If you are fit and well-nourished you will last longer and experience less pathology and degenerative disease.

Focus on muscle strength, muscle endurance and flexibility. Optimize your oxygen consumption and sustain a high aerobic capacity. Maintain your balance, poise and coordination. Be the magnificent human animal you are designed by nature to be.

The single best way to determine how functional and well you are is to measure your ability to perform PHYSICALLY on a regular basis. The gym is the lab. Combine this with an objective analysis of your diet. Your kitchen is an extension of the lab. Merge the two, connect the dots, make whatever adjustments are necessary, and you will remain light years ahead of convention.

Convention: "an idea, concept or tradition established by history, custom or authority, the way in which something is usually done, the preferred or public opinion, the group think or the collective mediocrity."

Regarding politics. Take it for what it’s worth, but I always find substance in every banned health product and no substance whatsoever in the people and groups that try to ban them. Prohibition is irrational, a direct breach of our constitutional freedom and as toxic as the people who enforce it.

The more controversial the natural health product, and the more difficult to obtain, the more I believe in the potential value of the substance. Functional health products financially compete directly with BigPharma.

Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst

As always...Stay well and Live Free
Dr.C