EP293: Better Health is a Choice, What It Was Like Escaping the Viet Cong and Body, Soul, and Spirit - Treating More than Cancer

Sue millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7.

If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be this@uhcmedicarehealthplans.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives.

Hello, this is a do choose. This is an ad, but not for your ears for your feet are they listening good hey do choose other squishy estate areas latest go to shoes you'll ever have the pleasure of introducing autos to so light a butterfly could steal them so soft couldn't see with jealousy so cushy your hands will crush your feet for all the love and attention to those you've hit the jackpot of comfy hey dude, good to go to see her in the garage working on your car and you need the valves you bought last week. You look in the cabinets and on the shelves, but the parts are never in the right place eBay motor says the car parts you need over 122 million of them all in one place and all at the right prices find parts for everything from your classic coupe to your brand-new truck@ebay.com. Let's ride this is Lee Habib and this is our American stories. The show were Americans the store and the American people. Next story by Tim Hennessey is an IT professional from Texas, like so many families in America grappled with his own health issues primarily pain here is Tim Hennessey on the story of his own health journey the late 90s is in my late 30s and I am kinda health problems in the outside physically. I look pretty darn good night worked out couple hours a day. I played racquetball for two or three hours and lifted weights sunny outside. He looked pretty good by the inside he felt like I was dying because I had chronic pains while they might elbow my knees. My back had hard time sleeping and migraines literally a couple times a month and a migraines where he got it shut the light out from your eyes.

Ice to put ice on my neck laid down the same, almost like you are drawn boom boom boom and higher blood pressure. I had skin issues how to play racquetball.

In the next day I could barely walk down the stairs and I'm in my late 30s, thinking what's up and be like if I make the 50 so I was was recommended to visit a doctor in Calabasas, California where I lived and he was a pretty famous Dr. on how would people go see him and he took a look at me and basically diagnosed with a form of autoimmune disease. When I looked at him. I said to him, Dr. could be what I need and drinking my diet because I am a secret that he didn't know I knew my diet was horrible. He kinda gave me an out. He says no terms nothing you're doing because this is more like the hereditary, so Michael good I'm relieved and he says these things can happen to people but the good news is we can control it and some people get heart disease. Some people get cancer.

You're lucky, it is in cancer as a Gatsby on the shoulder with his gentle bedside manner that he had no and I want to believe him because I want to continue drinking my diet Dr Pepper for breakfast before milk chocolate macadamia nut Pepperidge Farm cookies. That was my typical breakfast and I will alternate the next day. I have donuts and send the cookies with my diet Dr Pepper. I want to be able to go to McDonald's or other fast food places at lunch time.

I didn't want to think about what I was eating so I didn't tell him that was my diet but I thought well good control.

This I contingent continue eating crappy food, great this is awesome. Then he he hand me a prescription. I said 10 want to take a look at some new drug and I asked him how long do I have to take this drug. And he said, most likely for the rest your life. There is no cure for what you have said the best we can do is help control what you have and simply confident we can help you so I drove home from the doctor's office with this prescription and them I didn't know quite what to do at first so I talked to my wife and I said, she said how to go. I said well the doctor gave me a prescription for this drug and he told me to look it up and I decide to look at up to the Internet in the late 90s isn't what is today, but each company had a website I went to this company's website and I looked up this particular drug.

The funny thing is, the first thing I noticed when I looked at drug it said for the symptom of this for the symptom of that and what I was looking for and maybe naïvely positive for the workshare but I didn't see the workshare.

I then saw the side effects and the first thing I noticed was it said lower your immune system. The second was potentially increased risk of heart disease, and the third one was potentially increased risk of cancer. So I turned my my wife dab I go wow look at possibly go wrong. I take this drug to the rest of my life and I know immune system, greater risk of heart disease and greater risk of cancer but I got rid of my migraines and my pain. Needless to say I didn't want to take this drug.

I wanted to see if I could find another way. Then there's a woman came into my life to another friend of my wife's and she handed me this book is called you're not sick, you are thirsty by Dr. bad Mellinger Helen Savitz along the name icon Dr. Batman. I think that's his nickname. So I decided I would increase my water thinking with my soul. I haven't had one since and that that was a August 2004 and have to tell you have had a migraine and had a headache and mild headache once in a while that I don't sleep enough, my blood pressure was acting normally continues me back to normal. On my pains went away so I thought I'd do if I change my diet here I am in the my 60s now.

I still have normal blood pressure.

I have no more pains in my knees, back, and the like.

I did the written originally I had a migraine and 20 years. I don't my – not perfect by any means, but I know if I get a bit off track. I gotta get back to the green juices and in making sure exercise make sure I get vitamin D and sunshine so the proof is in the planning, I could've been 25 years ago I medication rest my life as I mentioned, and who knows my new system are then who knows I still be alive today. Been on medication for 25 years with a increased risk of cancer increased risk of heart disease and a letter immune system. For me personally.

I have an open mind hear both sides but let me decide is an American I should have the personal freedom to choose my doctor to ignore my doctor if I don't agree with them to choose alternative practitioner to ignore the alternative healthcare practitioners advised if I choose to let me decide what my health is and I believe that's all Americans really want. Let us choose. Special thanks to Greg Hanger on the production of the story.

Special thanks Tim Henderson Sharon and so many Americans grapple with these choices. Righteous work on my diet and health go see a doctor and it's not an either/or, you need doctors, restorative fantasies help story of Solomon on our Americans. We have been here the host about American stories every day on the show were bringing inspiring stories from across this great country stores for big cities and small tunes that we truly can't do the show without our stories are free to listen to what they're not free to me if you love what you hear go to L American stories.com and click the donate button give a little give a lot go to L American stories.com and you this is Tori, and Jenny went to one OMG podcast we have such a special episode brought to you by near attack ODT we recorded at iHeartRadio type event windows hang out.

Did you know that near attack ODT were magic pant 75 mg can help migraine sufferers still such an exciting event. Windows hang out.

It's true. I had one night I took minor attack ODT and I was present and had an amazing time. A little glimpse of our conversation with some of our closest friends & was brought to you by near attack ODT were magic pant 75 mg life with migraine attacks can mean missing out on big moments with friends and family, but thankfully near attack ODT were magic pant 75 mg is the only medication that is proven to treat a migraine attack and prevent episodic migraines and adults sound lively events like windows, hang out down have to be next to millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7.

If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be this UHC Medicare health plan's.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives. I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance.

I need my State Farm agent make sure my business days piping hot and I think will and confident business owners to help you best. State Farm is in your corner and on my neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today and back without American stories and up next story from one long today want is a surgeon's journey to getting there was far from ordinary is here to share the story of his family fleeing Vietnam and arriving in America with nothing calling itself was really young at the time the things that we remember all the time so we were Catholic. So we mass all the time. Every morning we would go to church. Our village was along the seashore. It was a fishing village and so my dad was a commercial fisherman later in morning, never night and so will run out to the dock to save the day's running water. So we had electricity was limited, so we had light in the house in my grandparents. My dad's parents. They had the only TV in the village so we all this would swarm to this house and watch TV. We did have a nice machine ice box so my mother if she needed ice, she would send it to ice factory. She always ordered bigger block of ice because walking on the beach in the hot sand when I picked up a big block of ice and start walking home prices: so the ice would fall on the sand that was so that I would pick it up more and would fall again. So by the time I made it home. That block of ice was a lot smaller than some of the simple nonmembers at that time the North Vietnamese communists which they were supported by China by the Soviet Union were trying to sound non-Communist so we were the Democratic side is going on so ultimately South Vietnam fell to the north is that I remember things such as troops and scrambling under military fire.

I remember as a six-year-old hiding underneath the mattress underneath the bed and the North Vietnamese troops would run through our house ransacking the house. Gunfire in the village and is this this is not well I remember hearing them yelling because my dad was part of the South military. He had served all about but at that point in a grown man was considered a fault to them so they were looking man so the North Vietnamese as they came down renewed democracy was going because Christianity was not going to be allowed there was going to be a lot of care and as far as religion as far as economy is for finances and my parents knew that was coming in so when something fell to the north and 30 1975 when it happened. It happened in a hurry. The streets came in rapidly and my parents decided to sell as the troops were storming around push completeness to the ocean. We knew that the US presence in the ocean and so we thought okay well you would, but maybe we head out to the sea. Maybe there would be somebody to receive us to set fully to say my immediate family and cousins and aunts and uncles. We all jumped on my back spoke three simple ones. One of them was a newborn and as we lead land and headed out we saw a large vessel here somebody that can help us and as we approached the ship. Come to find out that was a communist ship and so they started firing and my grandmother was hit.

She was hurting and she told her husband, my grandfather listen we need to get back to when we went back on shore. My grandfather took my son. There's no want for you here. Take your family with you.

Take the kids lived a good long line and you go make a new life for yourself. I think back now that now with two kids and I can imagine my parents tell me that I had to choose between staying with my parents take whatever that opportunity will know that was going to be better, which is new state. It was good. Grandparents stayed and I can imagine my four kids wife, my mother, of course back to see and eventually we came upon a US ship that received this we really had no idea what a US ship was going to look like versus a communist ship and so when we came in approached one and it turned out to be friendly.

My dad boarded first and then my mother and me to my mind, youngest brother who was a newborn at the time my dad got on the ship first and then cut off anymore. People ship because the ship was full so than my mother and two siblings were still on my dad and so they separated because they were now part of another. And who knows when we would see each other literally. That was hard on my dad because my youngest brother was still breast-feeding time and so here he is with a newborn baby being breast-fed and I learned pretty quickly where to find milk in the ship and so we just stumbled through but eventually got my remember the first good memory of being on the US ship was when we were looking for something to eat and the first US that I put in my mouth was Hershey's chocolate bar was the best tasting thing is so fearful and not knowing what we were getting ourselves into, but several weeks later, we were we all met together back on was US own time.

Basically we just stumbled across on that island.

Then we were all brought to Florida and An air different families were sponsored by American US families to different locations with so there was a warming couple Kentucky Campbell, Kentucky through the US Catholic charities Association sponsored my parents and before kids and so we packed up onto Greyhound bus to Campbellsville Kentucky from Florida. There were in the ocean. His whole life was now transplanted into a farming community, spoke English.

The only English we knew was yes and no. So I started kindergarten in Kentucky and somehow along the way we were supposed to bring a blanket to take a nap with not understanding English my parents so I when I showed up for first day of school and all the other kids are napping and they all had their blankets and standing around looking at taking so we quickly learned and adapted. Remember things that make sample 2+2 always before regardless of whatever and whether you attend a Catholic mass, or you attend one Campbell, Kentucky hey we all worship the same all have the same Savior trying to get to the same location. The rest of the it comes quickly have to speak the material that you accumulate over time helping you find a new line so your listing to walk long tell the story what happened to so many families when Saigon fell when South Vietnam was captured by the Communists. There were consequences when we left Vietnam. My goodness Americans did step up Catholic charities place in so much of this and all kinds of Protestant charities as well and stepping up and taking care of the least of these.

When we come back more of this remarkable story.

What long story here on our American story. Tory went to 10 MG podcasts we have such a special episode brought to you by near attack ODT we recorded at iHeartRadio and Windows came down near attack ODT were not apparent 75 mg can help migraine sufferers still such an exciting event like Wingo tango I had when I took minor attack ODT and I was present amazing time of our conversation with some of our closest friends & was brought to you by near attack ODT were magic pants 75 mg life with migraine attacks can mean missing out on big moments with friends and family only near attack ODT were magic pants 75 mg is the only medication that is proven to treat a migraine attack and prevent episodic migraines and adults sell like Wingo tango down have to be next to millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be UHC Medicare health plan's.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives. I know everything about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent and company business owners to help you. State Farm is in your corner and on neighbor call your local State Farm agent for quote today and we returned to our American stories to the story of what long to flee Vietnam we heard about how he and his family had begun to assimilate into American life. Here's what to tell us about more of his adventures here in America and in hindsight you see the things that your parents do appreciate your efforts.

My parents made a lot of sacrifices along the way and not hear stories like for example going up some rice and in Kentucky it was all potatoes and so that would come back and come home from work and couple that sponsored us, they would have a little bit of license and we would cook it up and there really wasn't enough to go around that is saved for us so there's no telling how many Sacrifices that I don't know that made steel on us that are so trying to teach that to our kids as well. South Vietnam Catholicism was necessary, but for us, my parents had their preferences.

I would be a priest right now, but may that's a funny story. My younger brother was asleep and my cousin on were playing while he was taking a nap.

We had something like that on top of my brother who is this is quarter landed in his mouth. He woke up and inhale swallow so that got us so much trouble. So we went to the emergency department. Dr. came to see him took him to surgery.

Say today came back out. My mother still mad at us son to say and he said it was just by chance something silly, something that should interest you never know what's in front of us and the experiences that we go through at the time that we go through. Sometimes you don't really appreciate it much after the fact when we were growing up in the US or my parents were not as Johnson, one of the jobs that my mother did was crap. We need crabs and so was middle school, high school grad and this is all my friends were house watching TV you know that we were paid by productions of more meat.

What I'm getting at is the motor dexterity that's required to crack a call precisely out so that the shelves and meet it help improve my speed, my manual stared so my left hand is my right and yes, my mother woke us up at 4 o'clock in the morning everyday factory and smelled horribly and I hated but here I am as a surgeon.

30 years later with finger and hand dexterity that could not have been polished because of that manual work so another something that – why am I doing this and later appreciate so in college at my freshman year as I was walking around campus thinking about what I was going to force on the job I saw a flyer about the southwestern publishing company with the southwestern publishing company will hundred dollars a week summer job $400. We ask money for college student in 1987 and so I went to one of their seminars, not knowing what I was getting myself into. So, find out it was the sales line cold calls knocking on the door see mom or dad might want to buy education for their kids and there's no try.

And so we learn how to coach someone complete strangers trying to determine what their needs were, and maybe provide a product or service.

Children do better for themselves so fast forward 20 years later, I'm sitting with the patient never met before this person walk of life, and they have a problem in unmet need and so you try identify with that person. See what their needs are and how can I make their life better and so that experience as a 19-year-old college student knocking on hundred and 80 doors per week. Cold calling, shake, communicate, to this very day trying to identify whether through this experience in life. Most of the time is therefore reason the moment but dreams about the troops storming the village and nightmares with that. That lasted a long time. The US we say we are US now wearing welcoming society. Everyone is culturing the background is so US was welcoming and the US Catholic charities Association. Great job with bringing in finding families is I just remember the kindness of our sponsor family.

They had kids and grandkids that were about our ages and so my symptoms and I played with him ran around the farm and silly things, but I just remember there kindness was an all they did for us where we are. I can imagine what my parents everything is falling apart around you. Your leaving parents see which was the cold facts where you not everyone came to the US on the services and where they decided so that came to the US. You never know what happens in life and how that might impact appreciate what it is going.

Great work by Madison on the production and a special thanks to what long sharing his story with us and what a quintessentially American story was.

His parents wanted to be a priest be disappointed them, became a doctor. His work at the crib factory that helped him with his hand dexterity also is discipline to get up at 4 AM this door-to-door book sales gig to listen taught him empathy that helped him with his bedside manner, bad dreams. He said all that happened in South Vietnam diminished US. He said well it's a welcoming society, culture, interwoven my Sicilian grandparents, my Lebanese grandparents agree to special thanks to Catholic charities. All the great work they do. Story of what long story of America in the end, here on our American story. Tory went to 10 MG podcast we have such a special percent brought to you by near attack ODT we recorded at radiused windows came down near attack ODT were magic pant 75 mg can help migraine sufferers still such an exciting event like window tango. I had when I took minor tech DT and I was present amazing time of our conversation with some of our closest friends & was brought to you by near attack ODT were magic pant 75 mg life with migraine attacks can mean missing out on big moments with friends and family, but thankfully near attack ODT were magic 75 mg is the only medication that is proven to treat a migraine attack and prevent episodic migraines else sound lively events like window tango down have to be next to millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be UHC Medicare health plans.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives.

I know everything about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent and company business owners to help State Farm is in your corner and on neighbor call your local State Farm agent for quote today. No story now story brought to us by the coalition for better health, lower cost, Loma Linda University not see patients as customers. People may seek to treat the whole person through lifestyle disciplines inspired by blue zone principles can find out more about blue zones and Gartner's book blue zones enter large primary work is with Loma Linda's proton cancer patients is Andrew. I tried to Healthcare couple different times and I just kept getting getting pulled back into I got experience in the whole nursing home industry and you're doing nursing ministration for a company that used on about 50 nursing homes in California and I didn't like being part of that experience because one just like a trap. People commonly stay have to be there want to be there like to be there complete opposite from the way Loma Linda is now with our patients now because you know people are here by choice now and they want to be here and they love this experience is just completely flipped on its back here because nursing homes are no quality of life here. That's all that were doing is teaching the quality of life and showing people what quality of life can be like patient services department, Linda.

Very unique departments down here is actually only two of us, but we are very connected with the patients and providing them with housing resources in the community so that they can come and be because coming in being here is like a nine week investment. So really, cleanse you from your life to come down here so we get to come to be there with them, assisting them in that process. In the dreary weather down here and we use these blue zones topics have educational speakers patients once a week during our special support group will bring a speaker.

We talk about nutrition now and what it means to healthy away from foods that are processed and get into the less processed, less refined, just more natural foods, natural existence, they talk about that sort of thing. They talk about the community and how really connecting with people having to belong to can add University for 14 years to your life. Life expectancy we talk about all that stuff with our patients and their here for this this this journey for nine weeks weather down here now they get to be a part of all this weather here so so much fun to be involved with just see the transformation that happened when it clicks you can tell what it clicks because then all the there interested in asking questions, and they want to know more, and there really like connected with God something that I want to let it go, but the commodity experience here is is not unlike an experience like going to war these guys you know to go to war in their sleeping in tents together behind Roxie no there there.

Day in and day out there there at war in the front lines will these people here in the front lines of fighting cancer and so it's a similar experience they're going through this with their body next to have to rely on their body next, you know, because they got questions they got experiences they got difficult things that they're going through weather down here to and lots of times just having somebody to talk to about those sorts of difficult things is really really helpful for them.

This kind of thing.

These two people three people you know we have 2025 people coming to our group. They just get together and they share with each other with each other and encourage each other, and these people are bringing. It's incredible what what they end up doing as a result, there there here being treated for cancer, but there going around the hospital and praying for other people in the hospital because they want to be part of the human experience. They're building wooden toys giant recently was built a bunch of wooden toys and brought them into the Children's Hospital around Christmas time but give the kids something to do their here and there in the middle of the healing of others. So that's just like mind-boggling proton patients are well known for being just incredible patience.

The restaurants we go to celebrating this evening birthday people are here being treated for cancer you know your waitressing weight what laughing and joking around this whole time we just incredible.

Like what what can happen with and it's just it's just the fact that people here. They care so much about getting the most out of life just being a life to its fullest. Whatever that means, physically, mentally or spiritually just being alive excited about it so I'm I'm in a unique position to get to Mary Lou's own community and meant mentality of this this area. This community I get to marry that with the treatment that were doing here with proton considered a new lease on life. There's that there's a publication research publication of our patients about how men who were treated for prostate cancer.

Lots of times. No taken new perspective on life after treatment. Once they've taken care of this cancer behind you know that they've recovered and healed there for and it's actually like to research factors statistical numbers on it's pretty impressive so that sort of thing happens, we start to kind of think that our our lifespan may be coming to an end like it really doesn't really does. People don't know what to do with that they get scared. I don't know what to do, that I can die then what can happen in my family will come down here and start experiencing this sort of just lifting wholesome environment, the body becomes like a more healing anti-inflammatory state because it's like you all this positivity are surrounding yourself with in this exercise that they're doing this or things of not only did they get a better edge on cancer you know a better chance to cancer. They learn about about God and so that helps with the mind is tomorrow doesn't have to be the end forever interesting perspectives of these people are thinking about this know we talk about this sort of thing in our groups that really helps with the healing to know because were not meant to be stressed out and fearful times and says you have no fear have not given you a spirit of fear in the Bible and that's not something that people experience while they're here, the experience love, really unique love for the first week that I was here I was taking pictures in the bathroom.

This could sound weird but I was taking pictures in the bathrooms of the Bible versus the people put on the walls here the bathrooms in this Bible verses and stalls and stuff for me. It was like what kind uplifting places besides that I take these pictures and send it to my wife and she kind of light is really cool. It's amazing to see the transformation graduation ceremony for Tuesday nights we get together with his potluck graduation programs so people that are getting up and leaving us.

They tell about their journey in their experiencing what happened to them will just last week we had Jersey who graduated and he started a journal. I came down here so the first two entries in his journal. He told us where and read his journal that he told us about his journal. The first entries where things like we went to go get treatment today.

I had a sandwich at the cafeteria and then you know about 6 o'clock tonight and catch the game that is just basic stuff like that but the end of his journal after after his nine weeks. Things that he was exploring about his beliefs and his spirituality is his growth, just the debt that he got into his journal was just nine days from the beginning because because of this whole experience. He's writing about what's next for him and his family, his dreams and his visions of the future you high hopes and dreams of effecting change in his community.

Going home and it's not right about sandwich leeway for lunch that's for sure. The transformation that he had was huge and he he's one of the guys that left you and Sandra this place is incredible. I we consider this our radiation vacation, you know, we came here for treatment of cancer treatment for everything so it was a very heartfelt we had a full-blown church service that night because everybody was just like we will feel like we got here by accident or by accident. I love you it's it's something to give credit where credit is responsible for this place, that it's not a coincidence that this small institution in Southern California became the very first hospital-based proton treatment center. That's amazing.

You should been some huge organization to do that but Linda was the first.

It's just so happens to be one of the blue zones now like it is working so I love you and you been listening to Andrew Lord's words. My goodness only something really adjudication. Let some kind of story our Americans.

Millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65.

You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment.

Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be UHC Medicare health plan's.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives. Carpentry is my house, but for small business insurance. I need my State Farm is there small business owners to so they know how to help invest like a good neighbor, call your local State Farm agent for quote today here about 9% of new breast cancer cases are found in women under the age of 45 you know you are the first steps you can take toward understanding your learning or full family history of cancer questions using the management breast cancer/bring your brain CDC/bring your brain