“We were married in 1978, came to Charlotte, and wanted to have children–but couldn’t,” David C., our latest member of the month recalls. “We went to every medical expert that we could, and they were not encouraging.”

As a result, Marilynn (David’s wife) began looking into naturopathic health and its  potential benefits. Together, they began implementing these more holistic practices, and miraculously, they went on to eventually have not one, but three children.

Today they also have 10 grandchildren. And they still believe in the power of supporting the source, not the symptoms.

Functional medicine vs. naturopathic medicine

While naturopathic medicine adheres more strictly to using natural and preventative therapies as the primary treatment methods, functional medicine takes more of a systematic scientific approach to uncover root imbalances. Both aim for holistic, root-cause resolution of illness, but there are in fact more intricacies to the differences.

For David, he and his wife had had success in healing their bodies–but what they sought was a medical professional to help them “stay on top of things” as they aged, still with that whole body, source-driven approach. 

“Dr. Jorge is more data-driven,” David says. “He’s a doctor with great credentials, he has heart specialties which I was interested in, and he is very focused on data, which I appreciate. He’s also very open to things that Marilynn and I do to try to stay healthy; he always listens and is supportive.”

So when David joined Companion Health, he was ready to understand more about himself in a data-oriented way with one goal in mind: maximum health. 

Maximum emotional, physical and mental health.

No rookie when it comes to health

David played basketball at UNC Chapel Hill during his college years, and then went on to play in the European Professional Division, based in Nice, France. “I have built in some regimens and disciplines from that that I have used in a lot of areas in my life, ” he says. “Anybody who plays collegiate sports and beyond needs self-discipline,” he continues.

Following his basketball career (during his college years he achieved a bachelors in communications from UNC Chapel Hill), he went on to get a masters and a specialist degree in education in counseling from the University of Florida, a masters of divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary, and a doctorate of ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. 

“I’m an educated fool,” he jokes. BUT, his impressive educational resume has given him good insights into mental health and spiritual health.

“I have some strong work ethics and know how to take care of my body; I know how to eat well and how to give my body the best chance to be healthy,” he says, thanks to his early experiences. 

David has been a pastor for over 45 years, and is at the 2nd of two churches that he has overseen in that time. He’s very dedicated to his family and his profession, and sums up his passion in this way:  “I want to maximize my health and let me do this as long as I can.” 

Success with the support of his health coach and doctor:

Building off of these experiences, and a goal-setter by nature, David recaps his last year’s successes as the following:

1. Starting my day with deep breathing
2. Daily quiet time where I read the scripture, journal and pray 
3. I get up and walk a bit every hour. I study a lot, and my health coach and I came up with a plan for me to walk every hour to not only move, but to not have so much sitting time.
4. 5 times a week I walk 2 miles in addition to strength training
5. Diet – I avoid processed foods, sugar, and processed carbs; goal of eliminating inflammation. David reports being at his playing weight (!) and his joint pain has reduced significantly.
6. Committed to only going out one night a week–we can’t sustain any more than that now at this stage of life.
7. Permission to take ½ of the Sabbath completely off (after preaching)
8. Our own extended Sabbath (a full day of Sabbath on Fridays, for a full 1.5 days/week of rest)
9. Go to the beach as often as possible and get our Vitamin D. We love the beach!
10. Minimizing screens at night–I love sports, and end up watching a lot of sports … I’m focusing on improving this for sleep purposes.

Your health, your responsibility

“I am grateful for my health coach and her counsel,” says David. And I’m grateful for my time with Dr. Jorge. It’s not just 5 minutes where you see a doctor … that’s what I had before. I am grateful for the elongated time with the doctor to ask questions, and frequency of the check-ins,” he continues.

Yet still, it’s a partnership. David would not be where he is today without his dedication to his health. He has an impressive journey that he continues to keep building on. We are just as grateful to support him in his quest to continue to feel and perform his best.