I'm getting this annual post out a bit later than I had planned, but here it is!
A friend of mine, Dr. Robert Yoho, once paid me the high compliment of calling me "A superior student of reality." I do my best to humbly live up to that, but the quip, "the more you learn the more you realize how much you don't know," would also be a good theme for 2024.
Last year, I dove into exploring the world of health outside the bio-chemical model of health. I've grown bored with the "Identify symptoms. Swallow pills" paradigm. But, I also have an aversion to fluff and "woo woo" so I wanted some more intellectual pegs to hang ideas on as I evaluate all the shiny objects and therapies in the "alternative" world.
DIVINE APPOINTMENT
One of the biggest highlights of the entire year was the honor of meeting and hosting Catherine Austin Fitts. She is one of the most genuine people I've ever met (e.g. she quickly memorized the names of all six of my kids and conversed with them as if she had no better place to be). She is equal parts brilliant, yet so caring and down to earth. If you ever get a chance to meet her, don't miss it!
I am zero percent envious of the trials Catherine lived through that gave her the intuition and insights she has (see the link above where I got her to tell her backstory), but she was at the top of my list of dream interviews and several of the books/documentaries below are the result of her influence.
Thank you, Catherine!
Looking back on all I read last year, true to form, it was another year of continuing my quest as a student of reality, which includes the human condition. Being someone who values reading widely and "outside my lane," I also found time to squeeze in educational material on faith and economics.
Without further ado, here are books and videos that pushed my thinking, expanded my paradigm, and helped me develop stronger intellectual muscle in 2024.
BOOKS
The first two books on the list below were recommended to me by Catherine Austin Fitts. She and I were talking about health and detoxification and I made the comment that much of what I see in the health world (in my opinion) makes one of two fatal flaws when it comes to the unseen realm.
Flaw #1 confuses the created with the Creator--Energy is God vs. Energy is created by God. The idea that energy IS God leads to all sorts of logical dead ends, but that's a discussion for a different day.
Flaw #2 assumes everything in the "energy fields/realm" is benevolent. The thinking goes that because we can observe it, and sometimes measure it, therefore it must be neutral or life-giving energy leading to flourishing rather than the opposite.
Anyway, that comment led to a fascinating discussion where she gave me a list of material to review. I've been doing my homework Catherine! :)
BOOKS THAT SHARPENED MY MAP OF REALITY
The Field - The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe - Lynne McTaggart
The book was recommended by Catherine. You can see a more thorough review of this book on her website, but here are some brief thoughts to potentially whet your appetite.
This book (and the next) is a great aggregation of previously-siloed research where scientists have stretched our concepts of reality using instruments designed to measure the invisible...and predictably repeat what they observe.
A major concept of the book is "zero point energy" which is said to be infinite and everywhere. This "field" helps explain phenomenon such as instantaneous communication across incredibly vast distances, how people in different regions can see the same visions, and how schools of fish all know to change direction simultaneously. The book convincingly demonstrates how human thought can influence outcomes in machines and disease conditions in people you've has never met.
In short: There are measurable aspects of the invisible realm that boggle the mind.
The implications for 1) health and bio-electrical medicine--rife, homeopathy, structured water, etc and, 2) the potential for clean, limitless, abundance energy, and 3) the power of prayer human thought/intention, are vast.
Could there really be such a thing as free energy? You'll have a harder time dismissing the idea after you read this book.
In summary, there is definitely more to our existence than what we can see. Our thoughts really do influence reality. If you're interested in what (so far) seems to be the best collection of scientific data on the topic of invisible energy, give this book a read. If you're like me, you'll understand a fraction of it, but enough to give you some solid datapoints you can build on.
A New Science of Heaven - Robert Temple
I read this after The Field (above) and I'm glad I read these in that order. A New Science of Heaven is another book I'd put in the mind-boggling category. It explores the concept of "plasma" which you can loosely (pun intended) think of like gaseous jello that moves in and throughout all matter and the entire cosmos.
The basic premise of the book is that reality 99.99 percent invisible plasma. Lightning (he has a section on "ball lightning") is an example of when plasma activity/briefly becomes visible. In Temple's view, matter is the exception, most of the world/reality is just plasma energy.
The two most fascinating aspects of the book were when he discussed
The flash of visible light at the moment of conception, and the moment of death.
The amount of evidence he found for how various government agencies worked diligently to cover up all studies into the world of plasma, and ruined careers of anyone who dared make public their findings.
Such things do make one ponder the question of what do "they" not want us to know.
Anyway, I don't share the author's worldview which tends toward the "energy IS God" fallacy, but he does engage in fascinating discussions that add new wrinkles to the question "what is real?"
The Healing Code - 6 Minutes to Heal the Source of Your Health, Success, and Relationship Issue - Alexander Loyd Ph.D. and Ben Johnson MD, DO, NMD
This is another one of those that stretched my thinking. Bias admission, if the author had not come from a Christian perspective, I don't know that I would have read it. The concept is so simple that is seems, well, too simple...woo woo even.
One of the main themes of the book is that of "cellular trauma." In a nutshell the basic idea is that our cells have "memory" and that our fears, anxieties, and ways of coping (or not coping) with the stress of life can be (and are) subconsciously imprinted on our cells. Logic flows then that if we can heal cellular memories, we can heal traumas and the mental/emotional/physical symptoms that come with them.
The book "brings the receipts." They have a large body of testimonies and seminars. The author's story of dramatic healing of his wife's condition, or more compellingly, his co-author's healing from, wait for it, Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), got my attention and offered enough intrigue to keep reading. "The Healing Code" which he believes to be divinely inspired, is a simple set of mantra's/affirmations that use particular hand positions where you point your fingertips back toward the body and use the body's own energy to facilitate healing--think of the fingers-to-head gap as a spark plug and the thoughts as the arc of invisible electricity that crosses the gap from the hands to the body and facilitates healing.
Most of the books builds the case for the intellectual underpinnings they then use to argue for a profoundly simple process. Check it out if you're so inclined. I see no harm in trying it! There is something powerful about spoken words, intentions, and even body positions. You've got nothing to lose, especially if you're haunted by anxious thoughts.
BOOKS THAT MADE ME A BETTER COACH
Bad Therapy - Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up - Abigail Shrier
This was one of my favorite books of the year! Before I read it I tended to think of the world of therapy on the spectrum from useless, to life-changing. Now my map of reality has expanded the spectrum to the left and now views therapy on a scale from a weaponized tool for egregiously harm, on one end, to life-changing on the other end.
Given that my kids are homeschooled, I had not realized the degree to which the public school system has further devolved into busily creating an (even more helpless) generation of kids. From disgusting questionnaires from nurses and therapists that routinely ask kids (without their parents present) how often kids think about killing themselves, to her critique on "Social Emotional Learning" and SO MUCH MORE, Shrier exposes a disgusting system that traumatizes kids instead teaching them or fostering resilience.
Shrier is a masterful writer and extremely insightful. She also isn't afraid to question big names in the therapy world--names like Bessel Vander Kolk, Nicole LaPerla, and Gabor Mate. While I think she, at times, overcorrects their work, I think her course correction is a much needed expose on the so-called "therapy" world--much of it is actually just traumatizing and re-traumatizing people.
I'd quibble with Shrier on her narrative framing of the covid era, but that's easy to get past for the masterful job she does of exposing how we've created a snowflake culture where everything is about "trauma" and how comfort is to be sought, and struggle is to be avoided, at all cost. I greatly appreciated her reframing of the value of trials as a way to build resilience...which she brilliantly argues from her grandmother's experience living through the Holocaust.
If you have kids in any public school setting, you can't afford to miss this book!
Quantum Coaching Questions - The NOT so Little Book of BIG Questions for Wellness Coaches and Anyone Mastering the Art of Asking - Marilena Minucci, MS, PCC, NBC-HWC
I'm not sure what the word "Quantum" adds to the title/book, other than it probably sounds more intriguing than "Coaching Questions." Nonetheless, the book is an easy read and, if nothing else, it's fun to scan the questions and ponder them. If you're a coach or anyone who (like me) asks questions for a living, this book can help you find angles to explore where you (or those you lead) might find fresh, game-changing insights.
I love the thought that at any moment we are a question away from a new paradigm that might lead to healing, hope, and flourishing. Here's to better questions.
The Hundred Year Lie - How Food and Medicine are Destroying Our Health - Randall Fitzgerald
I owe a debt of gratitude to Randall Fitzgerald. I first read this book in 2006. That was when a lot of blinders fell off. His work spared me what could have been so many painful wrong turns for myself and my family. Fitzgerald had the courage (and thereby imbued me with that same courage) to question topics like vaccines, fluoride, antidepressants, truth in food labeling, and basically anything that Big Pharma and Big Food touches. Most importantly, he gave me to guts to not vaccinate my kids. They are the control group.
Fitzgerald had a brilliant way of challenging long-standing "myths we cherish" about food and medicine. I wish I could say that society had heard and heeded the many warnings about the unavoidable (and growing) problem of toxicity. This book is, in my opinion, a better read than Casey Means' book Good Energy. Fitzgerald was a clarion call back in 2006 pointing out with the MAHA movement of today appears to be about. Here's hoping we can finally talk freely and openly about what Catherine Austin Fitts calls "The Great Poisoning" that we have lived through the last several decades.
It's time to start cleaning up our toxic world, and toxic bodies. If you want help with that, click here.
The Complete Guide to Fasting - Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day and Extended Fasting - Jason Fung MD
I can't remember who first recommended this book to me, but it was offered as "probably the best book you could read about fasting." Given that fasting is something we've been teaching since 2020, I thought it would be worth a read.
It's a great book! One major emphasis in the book is on fasting as a tool to heal diabetes. The research and results are compelling! It does a great job weaving an understanding of the physiology of fasting with real-world experiences. If you've been hesitant about fasting this book could give you some solid intellectual and research underpinnings to experiment with fasting for yourself. I am delighted to report I found the book very affirming of what we've been teaching in our coaching business.
Side note: My wife just finished her first fast which you can read about here.
If you'd like a shorter introduction to fasting, you can check out my podcast episode about fasting. If you're interested in being guided through a fast, consider applying for one of our coaching programs.
The Lethal Dose - Why Your Doctor is Prescribing It (Murder by Medicine is No Accident) - Dr. Jennifer Daniels, MD/MBA
This book was recommended by a new friend I met at the event I hosted with Catherine Austin Fitts--thanks Holly. Jennifer Daniels' story is fascinating...and also a warning to those in the medical profession.
Being a curious person AND a systems-level thinker Daniels kept having cognitive dissonance as she went through medical school. From the logic of LD50 ratings (literally Lethal Dose 50--in other words, at XYZ does, half of the recipients will die), to the protections offered by the phrase "standard of care" (that corrals doctors into liability-free waters if their patients die from treatment), Dr. Daniels could not help but be confused with how these realities conflict with the Hippocratic Oath.
I'll skip ahead in the story, but it was her inquisitive nature which questioned authority that eventually led to her home being raided, her name being added to the domestic terrorist list, and her forced relocation to Central America for daring to expose anything truthful about the shady happenings in the cartel we call modern healthcare!
Despite this, Dr. Daniels continues to write and help people heal. If you want a fascinating read that also have many useful nuggets of health wisdom, give this book a read.
Sea Energy Agriculture - Nature's Ideal Trace Element Blend for Farm, Livestock, and Humans - Maynard Murray
I read this book in preparation for my interview with Michael Sileck about salt. It was fascinating, and I suppose telling to see how, decades ago, there were real, sustainable solutions for food production. Heaven forbid we use ocean minerals when big companies are selling chemical fertilizers.
Murray argues (with pictures) for the profound way ocean minerals can heal the soil, increase crop yields, and help raise healthier animals. If you're into growing food, or animal husbandry, or you just want to understand how to (naturally) increase your mineral intake check out my interview about salt and look into Baja Gold--use the code HealingUnited10 for an additional 10% off. We switched to their salts, and ocean mineral drops, and love it. I believe Baja Gold to be the world's best salt--significantly richer in minerals than any salt on the market because of where the salt comes from--the Sea of Cortez.
What stood out to me the most from this book was on page 33 where Murray pointed out how straight sodium chloride (the salt on most restaurant tables) is toxic, so much so that the Chinese used to use it as a means of committing suicide. Salt it vital for health, but not all salt is "created equal."
DMSO (Dimethylsufloxide) For Humans - Recipes and Treatments - Herb Richards Pd.D.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Herb Richards on my podcast--thanks for the introduction, Robert. Herb's book fills a much needed niche in the conversation about DMSO, namely, to make the everyday use of DMSO easy and approachable.
Over the course of many years, Richards accumulated a large bank of stories sent in by people who used DMSO to assist the body in healing from a wide range of maladies. Along with the basics of what DMSO is, this book is a collection of the "Recipes and Treatments" people sent in to Herb over the years. If you've heard about DMSO, but don't know quite what to do with it, this book can get you started.
DMSO is just one of the powerful tools we teach people how to use as part of our 8-week Accelerated Detox Program.
Another Gospel - A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity - Alisa Childers
My book list for 2023 highlighted the book The Universe Next Door by James Sire, which is a deeply philosophical (i.e. intellectually meaty) worldview catalog that runs every religion through the basic questions of our existence and shows how each worldview answers them.
This year, I wanted something in the same vein, but where I didn't have to re-read sentences multiple times to figure out what it was saying. Enter, Alisa Childers' book.
If I were going to write a book on the topic of Christian apologetics (a reasoned defense of the faith) this is the kind of book I would aspire to write. Childers does a masterful job weaving story, honest skepticism, and historical investigations about the origins of the Christian faith. She takes on topics like the reliability of Scriptures, the consistency of the message about Jesus, and the formation of basic Christian tenants from the time of Jesus through the first few centuries.
Throughout the book she tells her personal story of being invited into what has come to be known as "Progressive Christianity"--a modern attempt to reimagine what Jesus really meant and water down (or abandon) just about every core tenant of the faith...but still say nice (albeit contradictory) things about Jesus.
The bibliography alone is a testament to depth of research she put into this very approachable and logical book. Her work is a gift in the breadth of the heavy hitter questions she wrestled with and a clear articulation of the history of how Christians came to believe what we believe.
Highly recommended!
BOOKS I WANTED TO LIKE, BUT DIDN'T
This is Your Brain on Birth Control - How the Pill Changes Everything - Sarah Hill Ph.D.
Given that so many of our clients are women I was looking for a book that would help me better understand and articulate what birth control pills do to the female body.
While I did get some of those nuggets, what I mostly got was a book heavy on the "virtues" of freeing women from the shackles of the way God designed their bodies. Couched in compassion and leveling the playing field, the book had as many arguments about how the pill liberated women to pursue career and engage in motherhood almost as an afterthought. Despite trying to speak positively about the option of motherhood, the book (at least to me) watered down any effort in that direction by the way it framed the discussion.
Being able to interrupt physiology and natural processes isn't liberating. The bill always comes due when health is approached that way. The only real practical nugget I can give you ladies is when Hill describes how common it is that the pill literally changes who women are attracted to--i.e. you could be attracted to a person when you're on the pill, who you find completely unattractive after you come off the pill. Yikes. If that's not an argument for finding a different way to manage your fertility, I don't know what is.
There has to be a better book out there on the effect of the pill. If you find it, let me know.
The End of the World is Just the Beginning - Mapping the Collapse of Civilization - Peter Zeihan
Zeihan is a highly-intelligent, systems-level thinker. This book is a fascinating ride through major cultural and economic shifts of the last century up until today. He does a remarkable job of helping the reader imagine where various trends will lead--for example China's "one-child policy" that is leaving a generation of hundred of millions of male Chinese men without a wife. That is just one fascinating example of many that will have a bearing on how the next couple of decades unfold--both the challenges and the opportunities.
I think Zeihan's strongest arguments are around the unsustainability of many of the systems of economics that have created vastly unfavorable trade relations and what it will look like when such untenable situations reach their end point.
Zeihan's biggest blindspot or weakness in this book is his assumption that national leaders are acting in the best interests of their individual countries. I kept listening to the book waiting for him to weave into his research the lenses of "who controls the money supply." What he fails to see is the invisible hand of central banking manipulating the world through monetary enslavement and puppet governments.
I listened to this book for a few hours before I abandon it when it got to the covid era. On that topic Zeihan is truly "out to lunch." He had no basic understanding of the pre-meditated malice and centralization of power and seems to have bought the mainstream covid narrative hook, line, and sinker.
Enjoy the book for it's musings within the confines of "official reality" as told by mainstream (approved) history. In that respect, it is a fascinating work, but it's written by an academic and I would not build any life or business around "the world according to Zeihan." To build a life around reality, not official reality, I'd recommend a Solari membership where you can learn from Catherine who spent 15 painful years battling (and winning) against the DOJ and IRS...and found out how the world really works.
Exposing the Spiritual Roots of Disease - Powerful Answers to Your Questions about Healing and Disease Prevention - Dr. Henry W. Wright
Given other books above, you can probably tell I am open to learning more about the unseen realm, and about the upstream mental, emotional, and spiritual roots of illness. I was excited to engage this book to see how it might help me better identify the "spiritual" roots of disease.
While I'd say the book is not void of truth, I will say it was a highly disappointing read. Its basic tenant is that 80% of all disease is because of a spiritual root problem. I could more easily entertain the idea that 100% of disease has a spiritual root back in the Garden of Eden than I could entertain the rest of what the book argues.
Through a semi-tortured read of scripture the book tries to force virtually every text in the Bible that mentions the body, into a tool of identifying a spiritual root of a specific disease. To me this is another classic example of "when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."
What sealed my perspective on this book was two-fold. First, the book (and teachers of this method) talk about the remaining 20% of disease as an opportunity to discuss the merits of the medical system and thereby display a glaring lack of awareness of the destructive nature of western medicine and where it CREATES disease vs. being a "gift of God" to help with the 20% that "isn't from a spiritual root cause."
Additionally, the idea that was most off-putting was that the reason there is so much autism today is because of a "spirit of confusion." Such perspective egregiously misses the entire picture of what really created the autism epidemic--two (going on three) generations of poisoned children via vaccines. The evidence for this could not be more compelling and telling parents that what their child is really suffering from a spirit of confusion is, well, I'll let you insert your own word(s).
DOCUMENTARIES AND SHOWS
The Wave Genome
This is a documentary Catherine pointed me to and it's hosted on her site.
This humble film is a needed look at the limitations of the chemistry model of health/healthcare, especially in the realm of genetics. The film does a great job of showing you how thinking within the confines of the periodic table blunts peoples' ability to see health, humanity, an the cosmos as it really is.
"If you want to understand the mysteries of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibrations." Nikola Tesla
What I liked about this film was it stayed within the confines of the invisible things that can be repeatedly measured and demonstrated to be true. The film requires more imagination than faith. "How" is a question the viewer is left to ponder as the film explores the (wavelength) interplay between other aspects of bio-physics (beyond chemistry) such as light, heat, motion, electricity, magnetism, and sound. It's mind-bending viewing.
The invisible world (including our thoughts) impact our biology in more ways than we may ever know. If you're intimidated by the first two books of this post (like I was), consider this video a great primer to get your mental gears turning to ponder much more about the mysteries of the world (and bodies) we live in.
If you watch it, let me know what you think about the ducks who were made to grow chicken feet! What!
The Capture
This is a highly entertaining, two-season BBC production that Catherine Austin Fitts recommended. She said it brilliantly captures how the digital control grid would work/is working. She was right. It helps you see how "deep fake" technology and AI are shaping our reality without us having a clue what's going on. It also helps you understand the tortured rationalizations those in power use to justify this game of "fudging" reality.
If you're looking for entertainment that will also give you a sanity check and sharpen your discernment, you'll appreciate the show.
Drive Through History
This is a free show on Amazon Prime that I just happened to stumble upon this while I was the one in charge of the remote. Drive Through History is a trilogy of literally driving (and walking) through the historical locations of the Bible's New Testament, and the spread of Christianity around the world. Dave Stotts (the host) is a fantastic historian. His jokes are terrible, but he helps bring to life the places and historical context of the events that unfolded first in...
Series 1: The Gospels
Series 2: Acts Through Revelation
Series 3: To the Ends of the Earth
It is a very faith-affirming show for many reasons, one of which being the amount of archeological validation of the reliability of the Scriptures. Each series is well worth the time!
Is Genesis History?
In last year's post I mentioned the Netflix show "Ancient Apocalypse." This year I dug a little more into alternative theories about the earth's history.
Is Genesis History? is a two-part documentary that uses geology to argue for the historicity of the account of a global flood in the book of Genesis. I must say, it is a compelling show. Last year I watched the sequel where they, as geologist, explore and explain how "bent rock" is laid down. They do forensic audits of the Grand Canyon and several mountain ranges throughout the world and offer a very different view of why the surface of the earth looks the way it does. Time and again, it turns out that the more you take the Bible at its word, the more accurate it proves to be. The evidence is out there, if you'll take the initiative to look!
Alone
This show, where contestants are literally alone in the woods and left to film their adventure see who can remain there the longest (for a $500,00 prize), has become an Elliot family favorite. We have enjoyed a few seasons of it and beyond the remarkable survival skills and sheer grit demonstrated, what I find most fascinating about the show is the raw human condition it exposes. We truly are NOT meant to be alone. We thrive when there are more of us sharing the load. If you could use some slower-paced entertainment that doesn't indoctrinate your brain, look for the show. I think you'll like it.
FAVORITE FIND OF THE YEAR
Dwell App...and The Bible Recap
A family at our homeschool co-op suggested this for our campus. Dwell is an app that will read the Bible to you just about any way you can think of. As a campus, we decided to go through the Bible in chronological order--which I had never done. It's fun to see the story unfold in one long narrative.
The Bible Recap (the #1 podcast in the world) is a daily, short (about 8 minutes) recap that goes with each day's reading and adds context to places and events. The host is also a great theologian and apologist who in each episode helps you see the character of God, She calls it her "God shot." She ends each episode with the reminder "He's where the joy is."
If your devotional time could use a refresh, check out the Dwell App, and The Bible Recap. We love it!
AND THATS A WRAP FOR 2024
Part of why I was late getting this post out is I spent January working on a new miniseries called Why You Don't Heal Like You Used To...and the Foundational Solutions No One is Talking About. It's free, and you can get access to it here.
With any luck, I'll get back to more blogging this year. In the meantime, check out my podcast, and if you need some help with your health, check out our detox coaching programs. We may be just what you've been praying for.
Until next time, keep learning!
Christian
PS. I'd love to hear what books or documentaries you think I should add to my list this year. Leave me a comment below.
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