Here I am – a periodontist and a primal-nutrition enthusiast. I know that I can improve the gum health of my periodontal patients using (1) patient-friendly, cutting-edge treatment to correct gum disease along with (2) primal nutrition concepts that help prevent the return of gum disease. I know that incorporating primal nutrition and a healthy lifestyle also will help prevent many, if not all, of the chronic diseases that plague our modern world.
 
I’m going to share my personal thoughts. When it comes to my life, I believe in quality. I don’t want a pill to just make me feel better or just make my blood chemistries register a better number. For me, it wouldn’t matter what the disease was called, or if my cholesterol was plus or minus a certain number. If what was going on with me affected the quality of my life, I would want to prevent or eliminate whatever was creating that problem. I would want to get to the root cause and repair the damage. I don’t want something to mask the symptoms.
 
I am discovering from my extensive research into the science of primal nutrition that the manifestations of chronic disease in our society today are frequently the results of what we put into our bodies and what we are unable or unwilling to remove from our bodies. It’s not the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis that concerns me, or cardiovascular disease, or type 2 diabetes, or Alzheimer’s, or any of the named degenerative diseases. What motivates me is the maintenance of individual cell health because that is where chronic disease begins, and that is where chronic disease can be prevented.
 
There are so many prescription medicines out there to treat the manifestations of cellular damage – to treat the symptoms of disease. There are so many over-the-counter supplements being promoted to treat these same conditions. I believe the most important things to do are to give our cells whatever they require to survive and thrive as well as to remove whatever is unhealthy for them. Cells will repair. It all starts with proper nourishment and the removal of whatever is damaging the cells. Toxins in any form compromise our cells and their ability to function optimally. Unrelenting stress, harmful chemicals, poor sleep habits, lack of efficient exercise, damaging foods – all of these contribute to the bad things that we need to eliminate in order for our cells to do what they were designed to do.
 
I see health as a four-legged stool. If any of the legs of the stool were broken, then the chair would not support the person who tried to sit on it. Your healthy, productive body needs stability too. And, your mouth is just an extension of your functioning body. Your mouth is not an island unto itself; it is intricately and intimately connected to everything that happens to each cell in your body.
 
To support your health, the quality of your life, and the health of your mouth, the following four cornerstones (just like the four legs of a chair) must be in place:
 

• Nutrient-dense whole foods

• Restorative sleep

• Efficient exercise

• Reduction of all unhealthy stressors