Tis the season of colds and flu, and my urgent care clinics in Texas and Arkansas have the patients to prove it. In fact, for the past few months they have been inundated with people who have everything from respiratory viruses and sinus infections to flu symptoms and colds. The scene is nothing new. This is the “busy season” in the urgent care business, but you don’t have to fall victim to cold and flu season.

I discovered a few little secrets long before I became a medical doctor that have helped me avoid getting sick, and I’m going to share them with you. You must develop a Super Human Immune System because people are counting on you. When I served as a Green Beret, being sick was not an option. The mission I was assigned to had to be accomplished, and it would not wait for me to get well. As a doctor at HealthCARE Express, the same holds true. My patients are counting on me being healthy so I can take care of them.

Over the years I have developed some “tricks” to staying healthy. They are easy to follow, and I highly recommend them if you want your own Super Human Immune System. Developing this is one of the most important things you can do for your body. It simply means you build up your body’s ability to fight off disease so when you do get sick (it is part of our human existence) you can get better much faster.

There are some things you can start doing today to develop your own Super Human Immune System. They include:

Step 1: Retrain Your Mind

Retrain your mind to not believe in getting sick. It is easy to think our environment makes us sick. The reality, however, is we are all surrounded by the same bacteria and viruses day in and day out. Yet some people are always sick, while others stay healthy.

Understand that disease could also be spelled dis-ease. When your immune system is in a state of dis-ease from stress or fatigue, the same virus that was benign and helpless in your body yesterday suddenly has an opportunity to make you sick today. You have to train your mind to fight off disease. Develop an “I don’t get sick” attitude. Your attitude about health is the most important thing you can do to develop your own Super Human Immune System.

Step 2: Practice Imaging

Imaging is the ability to imagine something so vividly that it becomes reality. While this may sound a little far out there, it is actually a very common technique used by athletes. An Olympic athlete will often imagine their event over and over until they know it so perfectly that when they perform it, they feel they have done it 1,000 times.

You can apply this to your health too. Imagine your healing hormones cruising through your veins healing you and preventing disease. If you do get sick, imagine your white blood cells killing off any wayward bacteria.

Step 3: Exercise

Exercise is a critical part of remaining healthy. It provides an opportunity for your blood to really flow. This in turn brings healing nutrients to the cells that need them most. Exercise also activates your lymph system to carry the toxins out of your cells and tissues and dispose of them. Exercise allows your body to become stronger, which aides you in fighting off infection and disease. Remember the difference between self confidence and self doubt is physical fitness. If you are fit, you feel better about yourself and your life. Exercise gives your mind a chance to get out the stress of the day and focus just on the body.

Step 4: Stop Smoking

If you smoke, it’s time to stop! This isn’t news; you already know it. Just put cigarettes away and develop a different habit. I know it’s not easy, but all you have to do is make a decision. I have helped hundreds of people quit, all because they made the decision to do so. Once you decide to quit, you will find a way to make it happen.

Cigarettes make you sick. They make you more susceptible to infection. They prevent your body from healing, and they drain your bank account. Use any of these as reasons, or pick a thousand other reasons, for your reason to quit. Having a reason will help you stay focused on your decision.

Step 5: Have an Hour of Power

Everyone needs “me” time. Take one hour a day, and use it for you. During that hour you might exercise, journal, plan, goal set, read inspiring books or meditate. Just make sure you are doing things that you enjoy.

Do not use the hour to answer e-mails, do chores or daily tasks, make phone calls, or participate in other “urgent” things that can create stress. Simply take one hour a day and make it about you. You will be amazed what this does for your inner peace.

Step 6: Forgive Others

Forgiving others may sound like a crazy way to stay healthy, but carrying the burden of anger about past events increases your stress. This in-turn decreases your body’s ability to fight off disease. So you don’t have to forgive people because they deserve it. Instead, forgive people because you need it.

Ironically, most of the people you hold a grudge against don’t even know it, and they don’t care. Still, we treat forgiveness as though it is a gift for only those we choose. In reality, it’s a gift you can give away at anytime, and it will make your life happier in the process.

There are other steps you can take to build your Super Human Immune System, but this is a start. Become healthier this season by implementing the steps above. Have a great, healthy, happy life.

[Ed. Note: For other health tips, check out Dr. Tim’s new book, The Green Beret Doctors Boot Camp: Health Plan for Life.]

On the road this week, Dr. Tim shares his message via a video blog filmed live on the slopes Big Sky Montana.

“The same beliefs that make you think you’re safe are also the same beliefs that can limit you and keep you from living life to its fullest,” is the motto of this week’s message.

This past Thursday afternoon we had a rare treat in Texas … SNOW!! I inspired my entire staff to join me in making snow angels behind our clinic!! Sometimes the little things are what make a day a great memory…

My business partner recently told me a story about his dad. His dad works at a waste treatment facility, where once a year they have to close the facility so they can sweep the undigested vitamins off of the floor. How gross is that? But it brings up a really good point.

Everyone needs a multivitamin, but is yours doing you any good?

A daily multivitamin is inexpensive, easy to take and can make a big difference in your health. It’s one of those no brainer things. So I get frustrated when I hear traditional docs tell me they don’t recommend a multivitamin to their patients because in their words, “You pee out 99 percent of vitamins.” I am not sure where that statistic comes from, but let’s assume for a minute it is true.

Our cells do millions of functions every minute of every day. To do what they do, your cells need nutrients and oxygen, which they get from your blood. But the nutrients in your blood come from what you eat or from supplements taken throughout the day.

Is your diet giving your body everything it needs to maintain perfect health?

Most of us do not get the nutrition we need from our foods. We eat way too few fresh fruits and vegetables. We drink too much soda and coffee. And even if we eat really good food all the time (which almost nobody does) the actual soil that our food is grown in has been over-farmed and lacks essential nutrients. Check this out:

Our government did a study and found that only four percent of Americans are getting their recommended daily allowance (RDA) of essential vitamins. Considering most experts in the field of nutrition recommend much higher doses than these, that means

96% of Americans aren’t getting enough nutrients from their food.

65% of us are deficient in zinc.
You need enough zinc to have a healthy immune system, proper wound healing, and proper cell division. Your sense of taste and smell also require zinc. It’s easy not to have enough Zinc because your body can’t really store it, and so you need to get it every day.

Dr. Tim Health Hint: Men, Zinc is really important for you to take. If you’re over 35, you need extra zinc to help protect and safeguard your prostate.

70% of us don’t get enough fruits rich in vitamin C.
Vitamin C doesn’t just prevent scurvy. It protects all the blood vessels in your body from damage, from the little capillaries in your eyes, to the big vessels of your heart. Everyone needs enough Vitamin C.

Dr. Tim Health Hint: If you bruise easily, you don’t have enough Vitamin C in your diet.

80 % of us don’t get enough carotene-containing vegetables.
Bata-Carotene is essential for good eye health, especially as you age. And even more importantly, your body uses carotene to make sure that your cells are reproducing exactly as they should be.

Dr. Tim Health Hint: If you have dry eyes or hair loss, you might not be getting enough carotene.

And don’t even get me going about magnesium.
The latest government study shows a staggering 68% of Americans do not consume the recommended daily intake of magnesium. Even scarier, this study showed that 19% of Americans don’t even get half of the government’s recommended daily intake of magnesium.

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. You need it for muscle and nerve function, to keep your heart rhythm steady, for a healthy immune system, and to keep your bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate your blood sugar and helps keep your blood pressure in check.

Magnesium is so powerful and so necessary for your health, people have suggested we put it in the water so everyone gets enough.

“But Dr. Tim,” you say, “I eat really well. Are you sure I need a multivitamins?”

Even if your diet is perfect, modern farming has sapped the life out of our food. Can you believe that it would take 60 servings of spinach to get the same amount of iron you could get from just one serving in 1948?

First, our soil has been over-farmed. There are very little nutrients left. How bad is it? In 1992, the Earth Summit did a Soil Mineral Depletion Analysis, and found that the United States has the worst soil in the world – 85% mineral depleted.

Then, the foods grown in nutrient poor soil are picked before they are ripe and allowed to ripen in transit, so we lose more nutrients again there.

Now consider the additives, preservatives and known cancer causing pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers used to “care” for the food….and you have a “perfect recipe” for nutrient deficiency.

The bottom line: You can’t eat enough good food to give your body what it needs. And if your cells don’t have what they need, they can’t keep you healthy.

I could go on and on about the really bad things that can happen to you when you don’t give your body what it needs, but you already know. We’ve all seen sickness and none of us wants to be sick.

So what do you do?

Most of the focus of traditional medicine has been in the management of “sickness.” What we have not done a good job at is the prevention of these illnesses. There are no illness prevention experts out there. That is where every person must become their own expert. But in my opinion, good nutrition, exercise, good mental health, and some basic preventative measures is the key.

We live in a society that is overfed and undernourished. We eat too much and yet we are deprived of the very nutrients we need for good health. We eat our meals out of a sack where the food has been deep fried and pre-packaged. Our genes however are still of the opinion that we need wholesome natural foods much like our caveman ancestors ate. This includes fresh fruits and vegetables and quality meat.

So if the enemy to our health is the environment in which we live and the things we eat, one of the most crucial things we can do is to take a daily multivitamins to combat those very stresses. Sure you can try and eat healthier and I highly recommend it. But in addition, to be on the safe side, take a good supplement to go with your food.

A word of caution about choosing your multivitamins:
1) Don’t believe a vitamin company that says you only need to take one pill a day. There is no possible way you can put all the nutritional value you need in one pill.

2) A supplement that is outrageously expensive does not mean it’s better. Supplements are not expensive to make so don’t be fooled by expense. Higher cost doesn’t always make for a better product.

Make the commitment to yourself to be your illness prevention expert and find a good multivitamins to safeguard your and your families’ health.

[Ed. Note: To learn more about the vitamins Dr. Tim uses and recommends to his patients, check out Active Life Vitamins .]

By: Win Reynolds

Growing up one of six kids in rural Utah, I never gave a lot of thought to why I enjoyed hunting so much. Some of the reasons were obvious. Hunting always meant spending at least one week each year in the mountains with my family. It has never been about killing animals. Instead, it has always provided a yearly opportunity to participate in family bonding. Hunting has also taught me some great lessons about life.

You Need a Plan
For starters, in order to achieve anything while hunting, you have to have a plan. If you show up in the woods dressed in your best camouflage gear but you lack a plan, you will probably not succeed. In order to be successful on a hunt, you have to understand how to navigate the mountains or woods. You have to know what gear you need. You have to know what time of day the animal you are hunting is most likely to be moving. You have to know the laws. Basically, you have to know a whole lot about a lot of things. Without a plan, you are asking for trouble.

The same can be said for life. For years I worked for someone else. I always thought the owner of the company I worked for had it made. In my mind the owner was someone sitting high up on a hill. I wanted to be on top of my own hill. I was tired of working hard and always staying at the bottom. So one day I decided to start my own demolition company, but I didn’t create a business plan. I didn’t plan out marketing strategies. I didn’t count on a number of other factors that affect small business owners. For a while, I thought I was sitting high on my hill. My lack of planning, however, quickly toppled me back down to the bottom.

My brother, Dr. Tim, often quotes one of his mentors. Michael Masterson teaches the “Ready, Fire, Aim” philosophy for starting a business. His philosophy basically says, when you’re ready to start a business, start it. Then you can later aim the business in the best direction. The philosophy is a great one, and it has made Masterson a multi-millionaire. But part of the philosophy includes having a plan. And since my business lacked a plan, it was impossible to aim it in any direction once I’d started firing in too many wrong directions.

I now have a plan in place, and my business is growing and successful.

You Need Your Health
Unless you’re someone who solely hunts from a stand located just yards from where you park your vehicle, physical fitness is a requirement for hunting. I love hunting in the mountains. Part of what I love the most is the hike. Sometimes I will go hunting with friends who are overweight and out of shape. There have been times I have left friends behind to sit on rocks, as they made up excuses on why they just couldn’t finish the hike.

You only get one shot at life, and I encourage you to spend your time on this earth as healthy as possible. No one really enjoys being overweight. If you fall into that category, remember only you have the power to change your situation. Most people opt to take the “easy way out”, and just do nothing about their situation. My brother encouraged me to create a health plan for my family years ago. Part of our health plan includes staying physically fit and eating right. I have to admit, this pays off when I go hunting. But it also pays off daily in all areas of my life.

You Should Never Stop Learning
Recently I went on a pheasant hunt with a group of my friends. Growing up with Dr. Tim as my big brother, I learned it is important to never stop developing my character and my mind. One of the things he recommended I do was listen to CDs that motivated me to do and become more than I already am. On this pheasant hunt I brought along a copy of Jim Rohn’s CDs to share with the guys. Most of my friends were less than impressed when I mentioned listening to CDs. Several even laughed at me and mumbled, “We don’t want to fall asleep Win.”

I fear for people who do not want knowledge. When you’re on a hunt with people of that mentality, it makes you stop and wonder how much they really know about the firearms they are carrying with them. Did they even read the owner’s manual or handling care instructions?

While I may use my hunting time to get away from the office, I do not waste the time completely. During the moments that I am alone, I contemplate on how my company is doing and how I can improve relations with my employees. I think about how I can build better relationships with my friends and family members, and I listen to CDs that help me improve. I do all of this even if those hunting with me are less than impressed.

I understand not everyone will always agree with me. You may not like the fact that I hunt because you think it is barbaric. I respect your beliefs too, but I hope you will still take away some of the lessons hunting has taught me about life.

[Ed. Note: Win Reynolds is the owner of Breaker Contracting. He currently lives in Herriman, Utah and is one of Dr. Tim’s six siblings. You can reach him by leaving a comment on this blog.]

By: Dr. Tim

Last week I shared with you a little bit about the role Jim Rohn has played in my life. Jim passed away two months ago. In tribute to him I have since dedicated myself to re-reading and listening to his CDs and lectures. His teachings influenced my life, and in many ways, continue to influence those around me through the lessons I pass on to others.

One of the best lessons I learned from Jim was to take responsibility for my life. He taught me to stop blaming others for where I am in my life. Only I have the power to control where my life is headed. He taught me to see things through a new set of eyes. I often quote his famous words, “The same wind blows on us all. It is not the wind that determines our destination, but the set of the sail.”

For some reason those words sunk in deep with me. Until that moment I had never realized I was the problem. I had always thought it was my boss, or my stupid job, or something else out of my control. When I heard him say those words on a CD one sunny afternoon as I was driving down the highway, I decided it was time to change the one thing I had control over: ME!

I put Jim’s advice to work in my life immediately. I quit worrying about things I lacked control over. I started working on me. I wanted to make myself more valuable. Since then my entire life has changed. I no longer worry about what others are doing or how their lives are affecting mine.

You can do the same thing if you adhere to my personal motto.

There are two things you should not worry about:
1) Things you can’t do anything about.
Don’t waste time worrying if you cannot change them.
2) Things you can do something about.
Don’t waste time worrying and just get busy changing them.

Once I accepted this motto, my life began to change. My finances got better. My relationships improved drastically. My health sky rocketed, and my character development has never stopped improving. All of this changed because Jim encouraged me to make a decision to do something different.

My tribute to Jim is from my heart. His wisdom is for the ages. He was a great business and personal development role model. The best CD set of his is definitely Challenge to Succeed. Literally every sentence in the set is an “Aha!” moment, something that needs to be remembered.

Jim’s ant philosophy teaches about never giving up and getting through roadblocks. His philosophy on the seasons of change has the power to change your life if you let it. They don’t teach you these lessons in school, but the lessons I learned listening to Challenge to Succeed may be more important than many of the classes offered in colleges across the country.

Jim was a farm boy from Idaho. He had no college education. He did not consider himself intelligent. Yet he lived an amazing life because he learned and applied a few simple lessons. If a farm boy from Idaho can accomplish his dreams, anyone can. And Jim was always more than willing to share his knowledge with others.

I related to his message, as I feel the same. I was the first Reynolds in the history of my family to graduate from high school. I assure you that 30 years ago no one dreamed that the son of a truck driver would have already been to six continents. No one expected me to become a medical doctor, or to have an established multi-million dollar business before I turned 50.

I owe my success to the simple messages I learned from mentors like Jim. Mentors who inspired me to pull myself up and become more. I am paying it forward by passing on my inspirations to others, like you. I thank Jim for his life and for his lessons. I hope they will help you as they have helped me.

If you want to be truly inspired by someone, I encourage you to order a copy of Jim’s CD set, Challenge to Succeed. Because of a tribute to Jim Rohn, his website is currently offering the CD for only $49. That is less than going out to a nice dinner for two. As my beautiful wife would say, skip dinner, but do not skip the opportunity to change your life forever. I promise that if you listen and apply the teachings in Jim’s CD set, your life will be changed forever.

If you do order your own copy of Challenge to Succeed, I would love to hear how it impacts your life. Please share your thoughts on our blog.

[Ed. Note: You can purchase your own copy of Challenge to Succeed by clicking here. You will be redirected to Jim Rohn’s website.]

Please read these frequently asked questions to learn more about Active Life Vitamins.

Q: Dr. Tim, what benefits can I expect from taking your Active Life Vitamins?
You will be giving your body key nutrients needed to help ensure your body’s energy level and mental clarity are at their peak throughout the day.

Additionally, the nutrients in Active Life Vitamins aide in:
1) Providing you protection against nutrient deficiencies.
2) Preventing cellular damage through improved antioxidant protection.
3) Increasing bone health with calcium.
4) Protecting vision with ample quantities of Vitamins A, C and E.

Q: Dr. Tim, who should take Active Life Vitamins?
Everyone can benefit from a good multi-vitamin. But it’s extra important if you:
1) Desire a health life style.
2) Have low energy.
3) Have poor cardiovascular health.
4) Have blood sugar problems.
5) Struggle with your weight.

Active Life Vitamins are also perfect for helping your body recover from an illness or deal with stress. During these periods in your life, your body may need more support to help you recover and get back to normal.

Q: Dr. Tim, how are Active Life Vitamins different from regular multivitamins?
Active Life Vitamins are more complete than ordinary multivitamins. On top of 30 essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they also include extra vitamin C, E, and B‐complex, plus calcium and magnesium.

More importantly, Active Life Vitamins contain all‐natural forms of vitamins E and beta‐carotene, whereas most common brands contain synthetic forms. Natural forms of vitamin E allows your body to breakdown 100 percent of the vitamin, whereas your body is only able to process out about 50 percent of synthetic forms. Most, but not all, beta-carotene in supplements is synthetic, consisting of only one molecule called all trans-beta-carotene. Natural beta-carotene is made of two molecules.

Q: Dr. Tim, your vitamin contains higher amounts than the USDA recommends. Why?
In order for something to work, you have to get enough of it. And there is a lot of evidence that antioxidants like vitamins C and E work the best when taken in much higher amounts than what you’d find in a regular multivitamin.

Additionally, the percentage daily values found in Active Life Vitamins encompass taking six supplement tablets a day. The tablets are taken at intervals throughout the day, including at breakfast, lunch and dinner. This helps ensure your body has the nutrients it needs throughout the day, not just in the morning.

And best of all, the amount of each nutrient found in Active Life Vitamins is well below the upper safe levels of intake recommended by the USDA and nutrition experts.

Q: Dr. Tim, why do I need to take six tablets?
It is impossible to deliver the amount of nutrients your body needs throughout the day in only one or two tablets. Your body needs enough B-vitamins, like Folate and Vitamins B6 & B12, to help it reduce toxic build-up of homocysteine. Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood, and too much homocysteine can correlate with a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease (fatty deposits in peripheral arteries).

Active Life Vitamins also provide almost five times more calcium than one a regular multi-vitamin and extra quantities of several other nutrients. Calcium takes up quite a bit of space in a vitamin. Consider that by the time you take a regular multivitamin and then add extra calcium, extra vitamin E, and extra vitamin C, you would be taking between 4 and 6 tablets per day from different bottles. With Active Life Vitamins, you get all these nutrients plus more, and are buying only one bottle.

Q: Dr. Tim, I can buy less expensive vitamins elsewhere. Why should I pay more for Active Life Vitamins?
While regular multivitamins may seem cheaper, they don’t even come close to providing as much nutritional benefit as Active Life Vitamins. So, while it may seem like a good idea to save on a cheaper vitamin, the cost to your health could be very expensive.

Many vitamins on the market are hard for your system to digest. Active Life Vitamins are tested according to official USP protocols to be sure the tablets break down in 45 minutes or less after ingestion. The water-soluble tablet coating dissolves quickly in water or stomach acid, thus releasing active ingredients. Difficult to absorb trace elements like zinc are attached to amino acid carriers that assist their absorption and prevent interference by other nutrients, food components or medications.

Active Life Vitamins are designed better than ordinary multivitamins to provide the best health protection you can get.

Q: Dr. Tim, when is the best time to take Active Life Vitamins?
Active Life Vitamins are best taken in divided doses throughout the day with meals. Taking two tablets with breakfast, two tablets with lunch and two with dinner is the best way to take this supplement.

Q: Where can I purchase Active Life Vitamins?
Active Life Vitamins can be purchased on-line by clicking here.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

By: Dr. Tim

Most people know February is American Heart Month, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and almost every other month of the year has been assigned a health theme in hopes of inspiring people to create month-long educational campaigns. Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month?
What a wonderful and deserving topic to educate the public on. Mentors are the heart of personal growth because they provide important guidance, encouragement, and most importantly, a knowledge bank to make endless withdrawals from when needed.

There are several different ways a person can be a mentor. Sometimes people think of a mentor as a “Big Brother” or a “Big Sister” who volunteers to help young kids with an unstable family life. Others may view a mentor as someone they have worked for and gained valuable business advice from. Still others may have mentors whom they have never even met but only read about and learned from.

The important thing is that you find a mentor to help you grow. I have several mentors in my life. I was fortunate enough to meet Famous Dave this past fall, and he is serving as my mentor as I work on developing my business into a franchise. His expertise and knowledge have become an invaluable asset to me. He is a mentor and a friend.

Last week I wrote about one of my other mentors, Jim Rohn. Jim was a great philosopher and a great teacher, and although he impacted my life in many ways, I never met him. Still, I consider him a mentor. Several years ago I learned about his program, Challenge to Succeed, and I purchased the program set of four CDs for about $70.00. They became part of my Titan University Collection (a.k.a. things I listen to while driving in my Nissan Titan).

The CD program focuses on five inspirational topics that cause you to stop and evaluate your life’s commitments to personal development, success, attitude and more. I truly enjoyed listening to the CDs the first time, and I have enjoyed listening to them again over the past few weeks. Jim is both funny, yet serious, in his teaching.

It dawned on me some of you might be looking for a mentor, but you just aren’t sure yet who to ask. If you fall into that category, I encourage you to consider purchasing your own copy of Challenge to Succeed. As luck would have it, Rohn’s website currently has the CD program on-sale for only $50.

If you need help finding a mentor in another area of your life, then you might want to read an article I wrote last fall entitled Learn How to Save Time and Make Friends.

No matter what you do, don’t let the last few days of National Mentoring Month slip by without securing a good mentor to help you achieve your goals for 2010.

[Ed. Note: Take the first step to make Jim Rohn your mentor, and purchase your own copy of Challenge to Succeed, click here.]