I advise all of my patients that the single most important thing they can do for their health is to develop a "natural cure mindset". It is a life-enhancing mental shift from disease-orientated, victim-thinking towards a new way of thinking that focuses on building vitality, longevity and well being -- and it is a very easy shift to make, given the tools that have recently become available.

Doctors have a disease-oriented mindset. You can see the effects of this by looking all around you. In the absence of anyone really taking charge of our health, there is an abundance of disease to be treated: one in every two Americans will experience cancer; one in every three born after 2000 will develop diabetes. Meanwhile heart disease, asthma, and obesity are rampant.

A natural cure mindset can save your life. It can shift you from being a "victim of disease" as defined by self-appointed medical authorities to being at the center of your own wellness program.

I've seen a lot of people save their lives by changing their mindset. It's a lot easier than you might think. People can let go of life-long habits in an instant once they decide they really want to. It's unfortunate that it often takes a life-threatening illness to get them there when, in fact it's easy to make the shift once you decide to do it - especially with the new tools that have become available.

Stressful thoughts lie at the heart of many illnesses. They are toxic to your body. Once you realize that your thoughts are not necessarily real - they're just your thoughts - you can learn to take things less seriously. Often, this is enough to put you back on the path to health and happiness.

A natural cure mindset consists of three basic thoughts about your health. Once they become habitual to your thinking, you will have developed a powerful asset that will continuously support your vitality and longevity.

The famous case of Normal Cousins, who cured himself of an "irreversible" disease by laughing at Marx Brothers movies instead of worrying about his condition, woke up America - and some doctors -- to the fact that your emotional and mental diet powerfully affects your physical health.

Your most intimate relationship is the one that you have with your own thoughts and feelings. They are always with you, and they exert an enormous influence. That's why I encourage all of my patients to develop a natural cure mindset by making three basic thoughts their habitual way of thinking about their health. I show them simple, proven techniques that anyone can easily follow to get this done.

A natural cure mindset costs nothing and will pay dividends for the rest of your life. As Albert Schweitzer said: "Each patient carries his own doctor inside him. They come to us not knowing that truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to go to work."

You can wake up that "doctor inside you". The process starts with being deliberate and purposeful about your habitual thinking, or mindset.