Dr Khalsa Interview Nov 10

Dr. Soram Khalsa

SS How are we doing? What is the state of our health as you see it?
DK The state of American health is at a low point rather than a high point and I am talking about all classes-the poor people don’t have any health care and they’re really suffering, but the successful people are under so much stress now because of the economy and because of pressures of bad diet because of our obesity epidemic—I am not giving you optimistic news here, but people’s health is really suffering and I see that in my office every day. People go around with chronic symptoms without even having a diagnosis.
SS What are the chronic symptoms?
DK Fatigue, back pain, digestive problems bloating headaches aches and pains in their muscles and bones without having a diagnosis.
SS: What is the single most important thing facing women’s health?
DK (repeats question, ) Then: Probably breast cancer – every woman once she’s in her 30’s starts worrying about breast cancer—in my opinion-there’s an epidemic of breast cancer going on, but according to statistics it’s no more than it was x yrs ago, so I think that that’s really urgent on women’s health – I think weight is another huge issue for women’s health, fatigue, exhaustion, another huge issue - those would be three answers-breast cancer, fatigue and exhaustion.
SS But in this city-it’s…weight?
DK – Almost 2/3 of America is overweight or obese—that’s why there are so many diet books, that’s why there are so many advertisements for it—weight is a huge issue-
SS Why is breast cancer on the rise?
DK In my observation, in my opinion, breast cancer is on the rise in large part due to environmental toxicity and environmental estrogens in the air-they’re called Xeno estrogens—I think that’s a big part of it-I think stress is a part of it – I think iodine deficiency is a part of i.t I think other environmental pollutants including mercury is a part of it – I think emotional issues that women don’t necessarily resolve when they break up with a male partner or male relationship are underpinnings of breast cancer.
SS why breast-why not cancer somewhere else?
DK Yes-other organs get cancer—like lung cancer is related to cigarette smoking-that’s an understood cancer-although there’s a small percentage of people that get lung cancer that never smoked, but breast cancer is an emotional subject because women love their breasts and men love their breasts—it’s really out there.
SS What are xeno estrogens?
D: Xeno estrogens are chemicals in smog which are foreign – which have a similar composition to estrogen and when we breathe them in they stimulate the breasts to grow tissues and of course one of the big, giant factors in breast cancer risk is vitamin D deficiency which is universal-my favorite subject right now. 90% of my new patients are deficient in vitamin D and the studies on breast cancer in vitamin D are absolutely overwhelming in the sense that **studies have shown if every woman’s blood level was above 52 for vitamin the rate of breast cancer could be cut in half. Half- Now if there was a drug that could do that don’t you think women would be talking about—and that’d it be on the news every day—that’s why I did my book on vitamin D - to get the word out—and every radio show I do I talk about the breast cancer relationship.
SS But we can’t avoid the xeno estrogen.
DK: no- but with naturopathic principals we can clean them out-we can detoxify-which includes things like saunas, keilation therapies, colonic irrigations and hydrotherapies – it removes solvents and pesticides from our bodies—we out source it-we have places that we send people –
SS: Can we reverse Xeno toxicity?
DK: It’s hard to measure xeno toxicity-we presume it’s in there – I wrote an article on Xeno toxicity a number of years ago and took training 7 yrs ago in environmental medicine and it’s role in human health-to find out if u have Xeno toxicity-you have to do a fat biopsy of your body.
SS: Who wants to do a fat biopsy?
DK: Presume we all have it-we think it’s related to the prostate cancer too – and basically with regard to toxicity now-the environmental working group did a study in 2003 in which new mothers permission they took American umbilical cord blood at the time of birth in conjunction with the American Red Cross and they funded a study-they only did 10 babies at 10,000 dollars per baby to analyze the blood for environmental chemicals and in all they found 287 chemicals are going into the fetus throughout pregnancy and that the average child-there were 287 – there might have been 257-we can check altogether the had 200 chemicals in their body—which included mercury –
SS: Does this vary city to city?
DK: No. Children were taken all over America – representative of whole country-do you see? A mother has it in her body-do you see? It’s being transmitted to the fetus.
SS: But you are saying with some therapies we can detoxify?
DK Women who are very conscious – I have women who will come to me a yr before they want to get pregnant – they just got married and their friends send them to me and we spend a year detoxing them and getting stuff out of their bodies so that they can have a healthier baby.
SS So sushi never again?
DK (laughs) Sushi is a fish that is relatively high in mercury especially the Mahi which is tuna so mercury is the thing that was found in every one of the ten children, so it’s very rampant-mercury is being linked to the autism epidemic-not as an exclusive cause and effect one of the many factors – it’s like a perfect storm that comes together in my opinion to create autism and other doctors who practice like I do and mercury is one of those factors and the reason I say that is I have some doctor callings-I don’t do this work who treat autism and they detox the kids from mercury and some of them get better – some of them get much improved just from detoxing the kids.
SS But it’s not just the fish?
DK It’s the primary place we get it—it’s also in the air-we have these big smoke stacks often belching out mercury but fish is the primary way to get it-let’s just put it this way- I have patients that come in and they have a high mercury level in their blood and I tell them to stop fish 100%-three months later their blood mercury is down to zero – so the little bit from the environment isn’t enough to show up in the blood.
SS What’s the number one concern for men’s health?
DK (repeat question, then) Orthopedic issues and obesity – overweight-
SS Orthopedic…
DK: Orthopedic - back issues-knee, shoulder, joints because of athletics and everything.
SS: So women get cancer and men get back pain?
DK yes-(laughs)
SS: So I guess that answers my next question-who’s more stressed-men or women?
DK It’s really hard to measure – women and men are stressed about different issues – in my observation-men are stressed about their business women if they have a stress are stressed about the business somewhat, but are more stressed but what’s going on at home and their relationship and their relationship with their children whereas men are, you know, aware of that but in my talking to them that isn’t a primary stress for most men
SS Who makes better patients? Women or men?
D: Women –
SS: Because--
DK Because they are more attentive and more caring about their body-I have done a lot of thinking about this actually, Stacy, I used to be very complimented that approx 75% of my schedule in any one day is women and I thought “Oh it’s because I’m debonair and I’m so unusual and women just love me,” and then I was I was reading an article that I think was in the JAMA—the Journal of American Medicine Association and it said “Office visits in America,” and it turns out that 75% of all office visits to all specialists are by women and I was fitting in with the national demographic – and the reason I think that women are more self motivated is number one, their menstrual cycle constantly reminds them of their physical health every month number two: Appearance – women are obviously very concerned with how they look how pretty they are – and women are aware that what goes on inside is reflected outside – and so especially in the realm of integrative medicine women know that if they’re taking vitamins and herbs and they are getting acupuncture and massage that their inner glow increases and that they are more attractive to the men in their lives.
So I think that’s why women are more in tune with their health because it has to do with their appearance –
If they have a rash they are more attentive – I see a man who has had a rash for six months and they ignore it – a woman gets a rash she’s into the doctor within a day or two –so women are more attentive plus they are taking the children to the pediatrician so they are more aware-it’s very recognized in medical circles that men come to the doctor often when it’s too late.
SS Speaking of pediatrician…the swine flue—shot-
WE IGNORE THIS
SS: more people are seeking alternative health—there was an article about it today in the L.A. Times-so that’s somewhat optimistic, even though we are somewhat more stressed out – u were giving a pessimistic overview, people want to feel better.
DK yes-people are motivated to feel better and they are realizing that complementary modalities is how they can help themselves feel better because drugs are good to treat disease but if you’ve got no disease and u feel tired all the time there aren’t that many drugs that can be helpful to that where as people recognize that their bodies are stressed or as we say “out of balance” by taking integrative nutrients and the nutrients of integrative medicine. Their health and well being can improve whether it’s digestive problems, headaches, back aches – the kind of little symptoms that everybody gets that so many of the over the counter medicines you know address-u know Advil for migraines-u know some women-some people after taking Advil for a year don’t want to take Advil anymore they want to know if there is a natural alternative so I don’t have to take a drug for the rest of my life – so um – I think that there is an increasing movement very much so which I’m happy to see towards self care and I personally think that’s where the future of medicine is going to be I think that is one-third of medical care-I have a graph that I use that shows the patient in the middle-one treatment modality is conventional medicine one treatment is alt medicine and one - the third treatment modal is self care and people are getting more involved in self care-they go to the health food store and they ask is there something I can take for my x,y,z problem and that’s why it’s the whatever $27 billion or something I think it’s more than that-it was in the paper today
SS – so I know u r very big on meditation…
DK Yes—
SS How often do u meditate daily?
DK Twice a day
SS For how long
DK Probably a half-hour in the morning, half-hour at night.
SS you on the floor sitting with no music
DK no with chanting and mudras which is yoga positions
SS what’s the longest period of time you’ve sat meditating
DK consecutively or including bathroom breaks
SS both
DK okay-the longest I’ve meditated straight is probably an hr but the longest I’ve meditated allowing for bathroom breaks is probably 10 hrs and I do that three-four times a yr-the 10 hr meditation days.
SS: for how many days consecutively?
DK? Consecutively in the summer three and then a couple of times during the year
SS what do u get out of that
DK I get peace of mind, self-awareness and a contented heart.
SS and do u every go crazy doing that?
DK no-not at all, I go into a beautiful space
SS But u built up
DK—umm hmm
SS okay so no coffee, no alcohol, no fish, no meat, no… the list goes on
DK well I wouldn’t say all those foods (laughs)
SS For you?
DK oh, for me personally – yes I’m a vegetarian, mostly vegan but not 100% I have coffee once in a while I have sugar once in a while-I have dairy once in a while. I have no alcohol I think alcohol interferes with my consciousness and my ability to mediate so I wouldn’t do that but I’m vegetarian but u know I’m not a fanatic, like I said I’ll have sugar. I’ll have coke at the movies
SS popcorn at the movies
DK: popcorn at the movies, yes absolutely
SS: So—
DK In my opinion, it’s really you become what u do every day whether it’s thoughts or food and this is a good message for your newsletter so if u do something once in a while you’re not going to be that but if u eat u know cookies and a glass of wine and two espressos every day u become that-
SS what advice would u give to someone who wanted to become vegetarian but had never been in terms of how to ease into that kind of thing
DK I would have them meet with our nutritionist – but basically the whole protein thing for vegetarians is overblown in my opinion. I have many vegetarians in my practice and they rarely-you know every chemistry panel has a protein level we rarely find protein insufficiencies in vegetarians because vegetable proteins are usually quite absorbable. Yogis feel that protein is hard to absorb – now the meat industry wouldn’t agree with that but I’m a yogi-so I see protein deficiency in meat eaters and it seems to fit in with what the yogis have said anyhow that it’s hard to absorb-so my recommendation for people regarding protein requirements which is the main issue that one brings up with vegetarian. Is that we need what the World Health Organization has advised in protein not what our gov. advises. The WHO says that a half milligram of protein per kilogram of body weight so if u have a 70 kilogram man which is about 150-155 1lbs that would be 35 grams of protein per day which is very easy to do with a veg diet – if u put that artificially at 70 grams of protein per day then u almost for sure in terms of gram have to eat some meat but the WHO recommendations I find to be very helpful for people…
SS You mentioned being a yogi
DK Very much so
SS What does that mean?
DK a yogi is a person that practices yoga on a daily basis and develops a consciousness that a yogi has which is one of being able to remain in one’s center and not being swayed off of one’s center
SS But anyone can call themselves a yogi,,,but u r a Sikh…does that go hand in hand with being a yogi?
DK for me it does but there are Sikhs who don’t do yoga anymore just like there millions of yoga practitioners who are not Sikhs but my primary focus in this lifestyle is yoga and mediation that’s my focus
SS have u always been a yogi as long as u have been a doctor
DK: I became a yogi my second yr in medical school so yes I was a yogi before I graduated medical school
SS Was it a surprise to people who knew you?
DK Total. I’m known to be full of surprises.
SS but this one has stuck.
DK This is who I am…there is that expression when the student is ready the teacher will appear and that was the experience I had…my teacher is right there…and um so u can’t intellectually decide that, okay-that’s the best thing-it’s analogous to falling in love with your mate-it’s like how do u describe that-it’s how u find your spiritual teacher it’s an analogous to that –
SS If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you(he laughs) what would that be?
DK that’s so cute…um---probably an I phone and the reason for it is – the main thing that I would want the main thing other than an I phone would be a timer because I time my meditations because I go through different chants at one time because I have an I phone touch I don’t have have an I phone and I have a timer on there so if I could only have one thing, I have a timer and I have some games to play and even if I couldn’t make a phone call or get the internet it still has all these little Apps that I could have fun with but it has a timer other-there’s yoga apps and so on—if it’s a thing other than a timer it would be a thing to do my meditation.

ADDITIONAL ANSWERS PROVIDED VIA EMAIL:
Things that people can do to help with stress is:
1. Spend more time with family and loved ones.
2. Place more value in your interpersonal relationships.
3. Give to others in order to get.
4. Exercise more to release tension and stress.
5. Find a self centering activity whether it be yoga, tai chi or meditation that allows you to find a calm space within yourself.

How can we live forever?
It is the nature of this planet that there are seasons. Similarly there are seasons to one's life. I do not expect there ever to be a way for us to live in our physical bodies forever. However, we can live forever b leaving a legacy for others to follow.