If you’ve already picked up on the fact that the Pareto I mentioned in the title was an economist, you’re on the right track. Truth be told, I find his 80/20 principle to be a very profound concept, and it’s one I’ve incorporated into my life philosophy as well as the healing programs I’ve designed for my Candida patients. Here’s why.
Your Health and Your Lifestyle
Your lifestyle has a huge impact on your health. Those who treat themselves well, relax, and take time to enjoy life are generally healthier than those who are stressed, run-down, and unhappy with their current situations. Dr. William Crook, back in the 80’s, placed a huge emphasis on the relationship between lifestyle and the development of Candida yeast infections. Those who stuck to a strict Candida diet but never altered their lifestyles didn’t have nearly as much success as those who alter their habits. This is because lifestyle habits can sometimes be the primary cause, and are definitely the maintaining causes, of not only yeast infections but other chronic diseases as well.
Understanding the Pareto 80/20 Principle
Pareto was an economist living in Italy back in the early 1900’s. His theory simply stated that a mere 20% of the people owned 80% of the wealth the country had at that time. This concept has been scrutinized in economics classes around the world, but it can be applied to your health as well.
Applying Pareto 80/20 to Your Health
You only have so many hours in a day. To achieve optimal health and balance, your main focus should be to shift 80 percent of your time focused on your lifestyle and habits and the other 20 percent on your health and issues.
The 80 percent you focus on your lifestyle will allow you to make huge improvements in your life. Take a look at your current lifestyle habits – both good and bad. Are you a smoker or drinker? Are you always stressed or tense? Ask your family members to help you out as you work to identify your habits and personality traits. Then work to change them. Try to quit smoking. Drink less or cut it out altogether. Start exercising more often, whether that means working out alone, going to a gym, or trying a sport. Spend less time in front of electronic devices and more time outdoors. While your diet isn’t necessarily your main focus during this time, your habits pertaining to your diet should be considered (such as making bad food choices).
The other 20 percent of your time can be spent focusing on your health concerns, including your Candida yeast infection. While health conditions are often incredibly frustrating, it’s important to maintain a positive outlook even while trying to identify the cause of your problem. You’ll need to review your diet and lifestyle together. This portion of your time can be spent focusing on your dietary choices, supplement intake, and treatment plan – but you shouldn’t spend your time lamenting or feeling sorry for yourself.
You can, of course, apply the 80/20 rule to your diet alone. Make sure that 80 percent of your diet is focused on the intake of healthy vegetables – leafy greens and multiple colors. The other 20 percent can combine your animal proteins, grains, nuts, seeds, and the occasional starchy vegetable. You can make sure you’re eating 80 percent alkaline and only 20 percent acidic foods. You can make sure you are only 80 percent full when you stop eating, rather than stuffing yourself.
There are other things that you can do that take low effort and can yield results, like taking probacto probiotics, cfort10 for antifungal, and the denzpro for digestion. They take very little work, and for some people show tremendous effects.
Accepting Responsibility for Your Wellness
When you think of the 80/20 concept, whether it’s to cure Candida or some other chronic condition, I want you to think about “working smarter, not harder.” Splitting your efforts based on the 80/20 rule will give you the tools you need to gain and maintain control of your health and wellness. I could give every patient I see a strict outline to follow – Dr. Weeks can do the same thing with her patients – but if our patients don’t accept responsibility for their actions and follow through, they’ll never see the results they truly desire.
The 80/20 plan keeps things manageable. You don’t have to change every aspect of your life, or every habit, at the same time. Break things down, applying the 80/20 concept to each area of your life (while maintaining a major focus on the 80 percent that is your lifestyle). Over time, you’ll be amazed at how much simpler – and healthier – your life becomes.
