57 | Don’t trust, verify! A critical thinker’s guide to validate HEALTH advice

In a world full of disagreements and constantly changing trends in human health, how do I find the signal in all the noise? Despite the frequent replacement of popular ideas with newer, shinier ones, I've discovered a method to discern which information supports my healing. I'm here to share this with you, outlining how to distinguish what is true from what is merely trendy. This method helps identify which habits and choices heal and which cause more harm.

Amidst the overwhelming flood of information, much of it useless, distracting, and potentially damaging, it's crucial to sift through to find the best information possible. This effort can catapult our progress forward significantly. We must stand on the shoulders of giants, leveraging one of the greatest benefits of being human. But how do we determine which information to use and which to discard?

Imagine yourself drowning in a waterfall of information and possibility. The challenge is to filter out harmful information and retain only what aids your recovery.

Find Good, Relevant Information (Trendy > Trustworthy)

Step One: Reliable Results

To trust and apply any information, we must first maximize our confidence in its effectiveness. We seek not just to believe but to know. But how? The answer lies in the scientific method, a revered approach to validating information. We should only partially trust information backed by solid evidence from prior experiments. Before we experiment on ourselves, we must be as confident as possible in the reproducibility of the results. Thus, our information filter should exclude data with little to no evidence of efficacy.

Yet, we must acknowledge that strong evidence from others' experiments doesn't guarantee our unique bodies and minds will respond identically. While using others' experiences as a starting point is valuable, we must not overlook our individuality.

Step Two: Relevant Results

Our information filter's second function is to prioritize information more relevant to our situation over less pertinent data. Strong evidence is invaluable, but its relevance diminishes the further removed it is from our specific circumstances. The most valuable information relates closely to our unique situation and has proven results. A key question is whether there are others facing the same challenges in similar circumstances. This intersection of reliable and relevant information helps us construct a map for our personal experiment, seeking data that is both reliable and relevant, ideally suited to our situation.

However, sometimes we find information that passes only one of these tests, or it's challenging to identify relevant factors. Our goal is to find the most trustworthy information available, understanding that we may need to reassess and try again. Identifying the right "giant" to stand on is a crucial part of the journey.

Finding McGill’s Method

Early in my clinical career, I sought information to guide back pain patients towards recovery, necessitating evidence-based results due to the delicate nature of their conditions. I needed information specifically designed for the early stages of severe back pain recovery. Through diligent search, I discovered Professor Stuart McGill's method, the only rigorously tested approach with numerous successful cases of aiding severe back pain recovery beyond normal expectations. McGill's work, meeting both criteria of effectiveness and relevance, has been invaluable.

Validate Information’s Usefulness for Us Individually - (Trustworthy > Our Truth)

Adhering to the philosophy of "Don’t trust, verify," it's crucial to apply and personally assess the impact of information. Our uniqueness demands that we observe and analyze feedback continuously, customizing our approach to our individual needs. We must critically evaluate how we respond to new information, relying on self-reflection to validate the actual impact of our actions on our health. This self-observation moves us from trust to truth, grounding our decisions in our direct experiences.

The Pain Teacher

Professor McGill's protocol centers on close observation of pain, learning from it to adjust our behaviors for better recovery. Back pain, often labeled 'idiopathic' due to its unclear origins, presents a significant challenge. McGill's method, built on direct feedback from our bodies, offers a reliable guide out of this complex condition.

From Intelligence to Intuition

Learning to interpret our body's signals transforms our relationship with it, guiding us towards balance and harmony. Viewing injuries as lessons and pain as a teacher, we begin to understand our body's intelligence, guiding us intuitively towards health.

In conclusion, neglecting self-awareness and the impact of our actions on our health is a grave oversight. No external remedy can substitute for the transformative power of our choices, guided by the truth of their impact on us. It's a journey from relying on trendy information to finding trustworthy sources and, ultimately, our truth. This path underscores the intelligence of our bodies, urging us to listen and respond to their signals, a journey I hope to share with you. Thank you for listening.

Wrapping Up: From Trendy to Truthful Healing

What I aim to convey through my experiences—and those of the healthiest individuals I've encountered—is that mere intelligence and information are not sufficient. To truly understand the impact of our lifestyle choices, we must cultivate an intuition that connects deeply with our bodies. The path to discerning whether our actions benefit our well-being lies in meticulous observation of their effects on us. It's about seeking the highest quality information available and then scrutinizing its real-world application in our lives. Relying solely on blind trust or belief in what we're told about health and healing is a gamble that seldom pays off. Instead, a vigilant, self-verified approach enables us to navigate from fleeting trends to dependable truths, ultimately uncovering the practices that genuinely nourish and heal us.

In reflecting on this journey, it strikes me as profoundly misguided how we've drifted away from tuning into our own bodies and health. Even more bewildering is our collective amnesia regarding the fundamental truth that our actions—what we consume, how we move, and our thought patterns—hold the ultimate sway over our health. No external intervention, be it a drug, therapy, or surgery, can dictate our health trajectory as powerfully as our own choices. Recognizing and responding to the direct consequences of our actions is the only sure path to wellness.

My deepest lament lies in the pervasive belief that our bodies are somehow flawed or inept, prone to malfunction without cause. This couldn't be further from the truth. The bodies we inhabit are marvels of natural intelligence, capable of incredible feats and profound healing, provided we don't mistreat or neglect them. Their signals and symptoms are not random complaints but meaningful messages that demand our attention and respect.

This personal journey of paying close attention to, and heeding, the signals my body sends has been nothing short of revelatory. It has instilled in me a deep sense of awe for the intricate wisdom of the human body and mind. I hope to share this sense of wonder and insight with you, encouraging a shift from passive acceptance of health trends to an engaged, intuitive understanding of what truly fosters well-being.

Thank you for embarking on this exploration with me, as we journey towards a more attuned, informed, and intuitive approach to our health.

"To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” - Lau Tzu