Now or Later...It's Up to You!

by Glen Depke

How many times have you heard, "you can work hard now or you can work hard later?" This old saying can very easily be used in conjunction with your health. Look at our society, there are so many individuals that do not want to put any effort into their health now, only to suffer the consequences later. One of the problems is that so many have been fed the lies that you can simply damage your body without any worry because you will be able to use drugs or surgery to fix this later. Easy now and easy later mentality. 

Good luck with that one!

We have actually been a 100 year experiment and let me share a secret with you.  

The experiment failed!

I want to share that it really is not that difficult to find and maintain optimal health when you start looking for it, before you are sick. That makes life so much easier. 

Many of the clients that come into my office start this journey after years of health challenges and I often think to myself, "I wish he/she would have come in years ago." I understand that we have not been taught to be proactive with our health but it is time to do something different. Different is the key, since we are a culture of trying to find a different result by doing the same thing. 

You know the story...

I want you to understand, that if you have already waited to make some changes until after you have found your health challenged, it is not too late. I have had the pleasure of witnessing thousands of complete health turnarounds in my career and often with individuals that have been told by conventional doctors that they would not be able to overcome their health issues.

I am not one of those holistic practitioners that bashes the conventional medical system. Everything has a time and a place. I just find that for those with chronic illness, living a life of medications is not the answer. The answer lies in our own choice of taking charge of your health. Focusing on your fundamentals of health, addressing your mental/emotional stress, balancing your exhausted adrenal glands, dealing with your gut, immune and brain issues and ridding your body of the metabolic waste and toxins that poison you every day.

The current paradigm of drugs and surgery first, holistic health second and self care last is completely inverted. We should focus on self care first. If we stumble and find ourselves with challenges, seek out the assistance of someone in holistic care, such as a Naturopath (that would be me), Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, Herbalist, Homeopath or Body Work Therapist. Now if this still does not work, you may need the assistance of conventional medicine.

Do you see how this fits though?

While this may sound like a lot of work, I can share that it is quite simple when taken in steps. This is a focus for me with all of my clients. Take it one step at a time, create success and take the next step. You simply continue to move forward until you have reached the level of health and happiness that you desire. You did not get sick in month and your are not going to completely turn your health around in a month either. Take your time, create success and always move forward.

I am never the one to tell you what level this may be (you're desired health that is). This is your decision, it's your life and you are the one that has to live in it.

Some of my clients never stop learning and growing and a in a constant state of flux to be the best they can be in every moment. Others are simply happy to have significant improvement and live out their lives on this level without putting forth any deeper understandings. Remember, it is all up to you.

What I am really trying to get through to you today is the understanding that if you put forth some effort now, it will actually be much easier later.

I believe the natural aging process is about living a healthy, vibrant life, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually until very close to the end of life. At this point, there is a very steep and dramatic decline and we die. 

Lots of fun and excitement, living our greatness and leaving the world a better place when we left than when we came.

Sounds much more inviting than the "natural" aging process. You know, we vibrant in our twenties, gain weight in our thirties, begin to develop chronic challenges in our forties, diagnosed with significant challenges in our fifties and succumb to the knife and pill organizers for our meds in our sixties. There's nothing "natural" about this.

It is simply watching "sick" people get old.

Now or later, it is truly up to you!

If you are new to Depke Wellness, click here for an opportunity to discuss the protocols used by Glen Depke and Depke Wellness at no cost to you.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about today's article, leave a post below for us to answer personally.

Steps for Optimal Healing

by Glen Depke

You have heard me in the past discuss most aspects of healing but how do you put it all together. Well, there is one way to do this that I definitely do not recommend and that is doing it all at once. Your body, mind and spirit did not fall apart all at once and it is not going to move into balance all at once either.


So many individuals seek assistance from others or take all the information they have researched and then want to do it all at once and all right now! I am sure you have seen this before; it is a cultural challenge.

So many of my clients come into my practice that have already worked with incredible practitioners and followed some awesome protocols, yet still feel frustrated with the lack of success. This is more than often do to the fact that they are on step C, but have yet to work on steps A and B. Make sense?


As an example, if a client has brain symptoms, I would not jump into protocols to balance the brain. I would start with their fundamentals, address their adrenal health, then the gut and then finally the brain. So here is the fun part. Often by the time we get the the last steps, the challenge or symptom is often gone. So even though the symptom may have appeared to be in the brain, maybe it was actually an adrenal or gut challenge. Maybe the gut or adrenal challenge was simply tied into the foundation of your fundamentals, which is your mental/emotional health. So the whole problem may have originated from stress. If this was the case, you may have found a small level of relief addressing the brain symptom but overall, you would have not found your level of balance due to the lack of addressing your reaction to stress in your life.

While nothing is absolute, I want to show you the flow and patterns I have seen thousands of times with clients in my practice. Addressing your health in this way will start at the beginning and allow one step to build upon the other. Ultimately this can create many mini successes along the way to continue your further balance and allow you to reach your goals of optimal health and wellness. 


Very exciting!

Here are the steps I typically follow when assisting my clients with chronic health challenges.

First I always address the fundamentals of health along with assessing their adrenal function. Once we have some balance in the fundamentals and adrenals, I would recommend addressing the gut/immune connection. Once these areas are addressed, it would be best to look at neurological function and address healing the aging brain. Once the aging brain is moving toward balance, you can then start detoxification and any lingering nutrient replacement.

As I mentioned earlier, it is often the case that my clients do not have to address every single level because the underlying challenges are so often addressed earlier in the game and they are feeling health and balance. Some have to go through at the steps while others do not.

Since we cannot know this at the beginning, it does not make sense to try to do it all at once. At least it does not make sense to me. What makes sense to you is really the question.


For those that have any questions or comments to this article, feel free to leave a comment below.


If you would like further information on this subject and would like to talk to me directly, I offer a FREE 20 minute phone consultation. I currently work with clients all across our fine country, so distance work is not foreign to me.

What do you Think About Vitamin D?

by Glen Depke

There is quite a bit on the internet about vitamin D, so what do you think about vitamin D?

Well, here is my take on this important nutrient.

First of all, there is a question as to whether or not vitamin D is a vitamin at all. Some claim it is a vitamin, some claim it is a vitamin with hormone type properties, while some believe it is actually a hormone. Regardless of what it is there is one agreement, we need it in adequate amounts.

First of all, what is the benefit of maintaining proper vitamin D levels? Here is a list of the benefits of proper vitamin D levels.

• Delay the onset of aging
• Improves hearing
• Assists in cancer prevention
• Enhances immune system function
• Assists in balancing hypoparathyroidism
• Potentially assists with joint pain
• Stimulates the formation of bone
• Accelerates healing of fractures
• Potentially assists with muscle soreness
• Increase muscle strength
• Aids in preventing Osteoarthritis
• Prevents Osteomalacia and Rickets
• Potentially relieves migraines
• Potentially assists with Multiple Sclerosis as well as other autoimmune disease
• Helps prevent tooth decay
• Facilitates calcium into your teeth
• Potentially relieves Psoriasis with topical application
• Stimulates the production of nerve growth factor
• Stimulates the production of insulin-like growth factor-1
• Increases absorption of calcium and phosphorus
• Improves the absorption of vitamin A
• Potentially lowers PSA levels

This is quite a list of benefits and I would suggest that we potentially have yet to scratch the surface of the multiple functional benefits to our body.

The RDA for vitamin D is now 400 to 700 IUs daily depending on age. Remember thought that the RDA is the minimum to ward off disease. The optimal daily allowance ODA is up closer to 1000 IUs daily. As a follower of Depke Wellness, I know that optimal health is your goal and therefore the ODA would be your goal.

Now that we can understand the benefits and recommended amounts, how can we be sure we are maintaining proper levels for optimal health and wellness? Let’s look at ways to address this.

My first suggestion is always to get out in the sun. Daily sun exposure is the preferred avenue for increasing vitamin D production in the body as well as so many other health benefits. Did you know that your body also uses cholesterol in the conversion of sunlight into vitamin D? I want to be clear though that you pay attention to your individual skin tone and do not over expose yourself to the sun. It is all about the correct balance. For someone that has very fair skin you may only need 10 minutes per day, while another with a dark complexion may need 30 to 40 minutes or more. It is also important to get this exposure during the peak times of 11:30AM to 1:30PM. Yes, I know that is when you have been told to stay out of the sun, but this is the best sunlight for vitamin D conversion. Remember also that you need to have total cholesterol at a minimum of 150 for this proper conversion also.

I know that most do not have the availability of daily sun exposure, so let’s look at alternatives.

From a nutritional perspective some of the higher dietary sources of vitamin D are listed below.

• Halibut oil
• Kippers
• Cod liver oil
• Mackerel
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Raw dairy
• Egg yolks
• Shrimp
• Liver

Most of the food sources do not provide the optimal levels for us individually so nutrionally, I always recommend cod liver oil. This has been used throughout our history as a significantly positive addition to the diet of most. Not only are you getting a quality source of vitamin D but also vitamin A and the ever important omega 3s that we discussed last week. When I lived back in the Chicago area, I took a krill supplement in the warmer months and cod liver oil in the cooler months. This was an incredible way for me to maintain yearlong vitamin D as well as omega 3 balance. The cod liver I recommend to my clients in cold weather climates is the Pure Cod Liver Oil. This is lemon flavor and in a liquid form to allow the highest level of absorption and assimilation. I only offer the lemon flavor to my clients. Funny, but once I purchased the non-flavored by mistake and it ended up in my dog’s food for the next month. To all those that consumed the non-flavored when they were younger, I give you a lot of credit. If you are using cod liver oil, it is recognized that 2 tablespoons per day with meals provided the ODA you're looking for.

From a supplement perspective, you could take vitamin D3 drops in a liquid form. If you are on the Krill-Plex which is the omega 3 supplement that I always recommend, and you do not want to stop taking krill through the year, you could simply add the Pure Vitamin D3 drops. This would also be the best option if taking oils in a liquid form are difficult for you. Cod liver oil is a great product but I get that it is not for everyone. All you need is one drop per day of the Pure Vitamin D3 to enhance your vitamin D needs. This is perfect for those winter months or for those that are not able to enjoy regular sun exposure. For most, that one drop per day is all that you would need.

Now you understand the importance of vitamin D and optimal health. Assess your individual needs and address this accordingly. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to respond with a post below and I will address this personally.

To order your Pure Cod Liver Oil or Vitamin D3 drops visit the Depke Wellness Store. Remember, as always shipping and handling is FREE with Depke Wellness.

Recent Testimonial

My journey to health started 3 years ago. I first met Glen when I went to a clinic to find out why I was waking up in the middle of the night consistently. Regular exercise, cardio and resistance exercise had been a part of my routine as well as nutritionally eating the recommended 10 raw veggies and 2 fruits with a small amount of protein and fat daily.

I had multiple blood tests run by regular M.D.’s. The results came back perfect and they said I was the picture of health. Right then I knew that if I didn’t look elsewhere, they would say that it was all in my head.

After meeting Glen, he ran a special adrenal test. My results indicated that I had an adrenal insufficiency which resulted from a stressful, workaholic lifestyle, no time for relaxation and a lifetime of suppressed emotions. I also took a quiz based on my eating habits and we discovered that the “perfect diet” was not so perfect for me. The standard recommendation was pretty much for carb types and it turns out that I am a fast metabolizer and I needed much more protein and fat to balance my metabolism.

Along the way, Glen has worked with me to heal my adrenals as well as severe and chronic insomnia, hypertension, an H-pylori infection, malabsorption of my nutrients and minerals as a result of digestive issues, and candida. I learned that much of my body’s physical issues were a result of my emotional suppression. I learned to suppress my emotions as a child, and what may have worked for me as a child, was no longer benefiting me as an adult. Glen is compassionate and especially gifted in helping uncover my suppressed emotions. It took much dedication and persistence on his part as well as mine. The journey involved permanent, lifestyle changes.

I would say the most important work we have done has to do with healing my emotions. I literally lived in an emotional prison, where my emotions were in control of me. I have learned how to live in the present, no longer bothered by issues of the past. I have developed skills under Glen’s tutelage to enable me to live a life of ease and balance. My entire life has been transformed because of the emotional work I have done with Glen, and I am excited to be living a vibrant, healthy life. I will always be grateful for Glen’s patience, dedication, and passion for assisting me in reaching optimal health.

Diane W.

To learn more about Depke Wellness visit this link.