For 15 years, Acupuncture Atlanta has been - at its heart Warren’s brainchild and passion; as an Acupuncturist, Herbalist, Author of two books, and avid cyclist; in addition to being a husband and father. Practicing traditional Chinese medicine, his fundamental approach for helping people to achieve a healthy creative life and addressing the root cause. His books cover research on the driving forces of chronic disease conditions, aging, and how our consciousness creates our health and creativity. Fascinated with the microbiome (a topic that is just now being brought into the medical spotlight as scientists learn more every day) he wrote two books about it. Most importantly, Warren practiced what he believed, including his views on longevity, healthy living, and moderation to enjoy in the good things life has to offer.
This month we celebrate his 20+ years as a practitioner and the 15th Anniversary of Acupuncture Atlanta as a clinic and a health-focused company. In honor of Warren's passing earlier this year, we want to share some Warren wisdoms from over the years. These quotes have been taken from his books, Your Mitochondria: Key to Health and Longevity and The Reality We Create: The Influence of Beliefs and Consciousness on Our Health and Longevity. Along with quotes gathered from various podcasts, interviews, and AcuAtlanta newsletters.
Warren on Food
In Chinese medicine, food is viewed as medicine that you eat three times a day. There is a saying that you should first treat an illness with the proper foods, and if that doesn’t work only then turn to acupuncture and herbs. Food therapy is an important and effective part of Chinese medicine, and during certain times of the year, the temperature of foods can make a difference in how you feel and in your overall health.
Warren on Water
I have been researching water; the different structures of water (other than H20), the oxygenation, surface tension, and microvolts all of which profoundly affect our health.
I had one of those Ah-ha moments when I grasped that we live in a water world and 70% or more of our body is composed of water. Water in our body encodes information, conducts voltage, and helps in the membrane exchanges of numerous processes, however, you see very little medicine that is directed towards this understanding.
Warren on Autumn and Balance
Within Chinese medicine, dietary philosophy is a central pillar of medicine. The pillar is based on the principle of harmony between what we eat and the seasons. Autumn historically has been a time to relax. In the past, the crops were in and the weather was not yet cold. Today we don't have crops to deal with, but we may have had a busy family summer and for some of us we have our kids back in school on a schedule, so we can take a breath.
Whether you have crops, or busy family life, or just a busy life, the one constant here is that this is a beautiful time of year. The splashes of color with the leaves changing, the cool mornings, and the warm afternoon sun, all gently remind us to be present. The act of being present in one's life creates balance, harmony, and protection in our life which is important for creating optimal health and longevity.
Warren on the Mitochondria
The implication is that you can improve the quality of your life and extend your lifespan. Improving the quality of life means that, as we age, we’re still active, both physically and mentally.
The origin of the symbiotic mitochondria relationship is essentially the origin of life. Mitochondria are the primary source of energy in the cell, and mitochondria keep the cell alive. The cell as a whole can be viewed as a functioning city, populated by various buildings that represent important structures within a cell. Aging is a process that results in a decline of optimal body function through a combination of mutant mitochondrial and cellular debris accumulation.
Chronic degenerative diseases are strongly associated with advancing age. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Efficient energy generation is the key to understanding the difference between healthy cells, senescent (aging) cells, and diseased cells. Energy is the cornerstone of all life. In virtually every disease, mitochondrial dysfunction is at the center of events and is usually the origin and driving force behind the pathology. With each contraction and expansion of the heart to eject blood into the arteries, energy is required. The source of this energy is ATP, which is primarily supplied by the mitochondria.
We try to keep it simple and based on this relevant information about just how fundamental the mitochondria are in contriving our life, health, and longevity.
Warren on the Mitochondria and Exercise
There is a very simple thing someone could start today. So the second thing is, and this kind of couples with breathing is exercise. And I'm not talking about strenuous exercise, I'm just talking about mild exercises like walking or biking. And what that drives as biogenesis was just production of more mitochondria and it also fires up the mitochondria to kind of clear out the debris. And I'll tell you what I mean by debris on this third one. But, that's really important. You know, even just walking, moving your arms while you're walking, breathing, that's going really improve the performance of your mitochondria. And it's a really simple thing whether it's like 20 minutes a day. So if you're doing strenuous exercise, that's fine, you know, I'm not suggesting stopping that. But really for the mitochondria's point of view, it's just some daily movement to move things at the level of the mitochondria.
Warren on Consciousness
Where do you believe your consciousness resides—solely in your head, or is your entire body permeated with consciousness?
In the classical physics world, we’re solid “mass,” but, in the quantum world, we’re millions of atoms and molecules jostling around in constant movement, with vast spaces between them, held in place by electromagnetic forces. What we see in living systems is that both quantum coherence and resonance occur, and this accounts for the instantaneous transmission of information and energy.
Everything in the universe is constantly moving and changing. Nothing is permanent. Movement and impermanence is the nature of reality.
The understanding we’re left with is that awareness (consciousness) permeates all life—from the most primitive single-celled organisms to the most complex life form on the planet—us.
Warren on the Power of Thought and Emotion
To learn anything, it’s necessary to have the courage to accept that what we think we know—including our most rooted convictions—may be wrong.
Most people are unconscious of the myths, allegories, and assumptions that shape their individual and social lives. You trust your emotions as the compass in your life. If you have a negative emotion you assume that reflects the way things really are: “I feel it, therefore it must be true.”
Warren on Reality and the Microbiome
Your sense of “I” ness can become a little less solid as you understand that in reality you are a superorganism, a cooperative community of organisms all working to ensure your health and well-being.
Together, the microbes and mitochondria living on and in the human body contain over 6 million genes. These genes collaborate in running our bodies alongside our 21,000 human genes. Collaborate is the operative term as some of the bacteria in your gut produce essential amino acids which are the building blocks for neurotransmitters in the brain such as serotonin, others assist in making the B vitamins, other bacteria drive the immune response to kill pathogenic viral, and bacterial infections. Finally, there is direct communication occurring with your brain/consciousness. Brain... this is your gut calling...we need something sweet today maybe a little chocolate.
Totaling all of these cell populations, an estimate can be made that for every one cell that is you there are ten to twelve cells that are not you, all living an interdependent and interrelated relationship within “you”. What we are learning is that within us and the planet we live on, all life is interconnected and interdependent, that we live in a matrix of life, and this realization challenges one of the Western culture's central foundations. “One so universal it is essentially invisible. It is an early Iron Age idea expressed in a Bible verse, “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the Earth.’” (Genesis 1:28)
This assumption has been the unspoken cultural meme of human societies for centuries. Its corollary is that humans live on the Earth and have dominion over it. Even people who are atheists still carry this lingering cultural meme, like social DNA. We are a special category of being somehow separate from the world upon which we live. It justifies our culture's unrepentant extractive practices, whether it concerns the living beings of the ocean, or coal from beneath our mountains.
Warren on his daily supplement routine – empowering the mitochondria
In addition to deeper breathing, eating right, and exercising, supplements can also enhance mitochondrial health. This basic supplement protocol will help empower your mitochondria.
- D-ribose • Serving = 1 gram/day
- L-Carnitine • Serving = 2 gram/day
- Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinol) • Serving = 100 mg 2/day
- Magnesium • Serving = 100 mg 2/day
