81- Meditation, Breathing, and End of Life Care with Dr. Brad Lichtenstein

By Bryan Carroll CFMP, NTP, FAFS

August 15, 2019


How often do you get the chance to slow down and enjoy the moment you are in? If you live in the States, my guess would be not very often.

We live in a fast paced world, and we tend to add too much to our schedules. Then we ultimately feel like time is "flying by". The reality is, we aren't taking the time to enjoy it!

Recently I listened to a podcast about a guest who had made nearly $100 million over the course of his life. But at 45 years old, he got sick, and the prognosis wasn't good at all.

He said in that moment, that was when he realized that all the hard work and hustle to make so much money didn't matter at all because money wasn't going to save him or give him extra time with his family.

That conversation definitely made me think about life in a different way. The kids I work with constantly talk about "when I am blank age, then I can do this", and they don't even recognize they are wishing their life away.

But as adults, we do the same thing. We constantly look ahead, and have a hard time enjoying the "right now". Which is why I brought Dr. Brad Lichtenstein onto the show.

More...

What Did Dr. Brad Lichtenstein Learn From His Hospice Study?

A great way to learn about life is to learn from those who are at the end of it.

Dr. Brad was part of a 3 year hospice study where they wanted to test different methods to see what would make the passing process easier. He worked directly with over 500 hospice patients, so he had the chance to have a lot of conversations about life.

What was fascinating about what he learned is that everyone felt like they didn't have enough time to enjoy their life.

The elderly who lived long lives wished that they had done more with their life. The young who were terminally sick felt like they didn't have the opportunity to really experience life.

So how can we slow down and enjoy the moment more?

By meditation, and working on our breath.

No, I am not talking about sitting on the ground with our legs crossed and finger tips touching. Meditation can be done many different ways, and it helps to train the brain to focus.

Breathing changes our nervous system and our state of being, which can make us feel much different in the moment.

In this episode, we dive deep into both of these options, and why everyone should add it to their routine.

What To Expect From This Episode

  • What you can learn from a 3 year hospice study
  • How meditation trains the brain to be able to focus
  • Ways breathing can change our nervous system
  • Breathing massages the organs and can reduce inflammation


Shownotes

  • [1:30] Dr. Brad Lichtenstein has a lot of alternative medicine modalities that he uses
  • [5:45] Did Brad work with hospice patients to learn even more about life
  • [9:30] What are people's reactions when they receive a terminal diagnosis
  • [13:45] Are most people fearful of death
  • [15:15] What is the average life expectancy once you enter hospice
  • [17:45] In the study, what were you trying to learn from it
  • [21:00] Why is meditation so beneficial
  • [25:00] Breathing is equally important for our health, what are some breathing practices we should be implementing
  • [30:00] Your breath can put your nervous system into a parasympathetic or sympathetic state
  • [32:00] If you are working to expand the diaphragm, but you have gut inflammation, which do you work on first
  • [37:30] While exercising, you are breathing much more. Will this still massage the digestive organs
  • [39:30] There are many ways to breathe (such as Wim Hof), are there benefits to these different styles of breathing

Resources From This Episode

Some of these resources may contain affiliate links, which provides a small commission to me (at no extra expense to you).



Transcript For Episode (Transcripts may not be 100% Accurate)

Learn More About Dr. Brad Lichtenstein

Website: The Breathe Space

Social Media: Facebook , Twitter

Dr. Brad Lichtenstein teaches us about breathing, meditation, and end of life care

Dr. Brad Lichtenstein teaches us about breathing, meditation, and end of life care

About the author

Bryan Carroll CFMP, NTP, FAFS

Bryan Carroll is a certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and Movement Therapist who helps the outdoors community to reduce injuries and improve their health so they can get back to exploring nature. His big health crisis from mold exposure taught him the importance of finding the root causes to illnesses so you can take back control of your life. He is also the host of the Summit For Wellness Podcast.

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