By Joy Stephenson-Laws, JD, Founder

It’s always inspiring to hear stories about young people who are self-made millionaires. But it’s even more inspiring to hear about young people who realize their health is their greatest wealth.

And for some, coming to this realization is not an easy journey. But it’s more than worth it, even if it means letting go of another source of wealth.

Take, for example, the incredible story of Charlie Jabaley, a 30-year-old hip-hop mogul who made millions after starting his own music and artist management company. But as rich as Jabaley was in his career, he was equally poor in the most important thing of all -- his health.

“The bigger my business got, the bigger I got," Jabaley said in this CNN report.

Jabaley recalled binge eating a lot, sometimes consuming more than 10,000 calories in one night! He ballooned to over 300 pounds and to add insult to injury, a brain tumor, which he had since childhood, increased.

“My brain tumor I had since childhood started growing. My body wouldn’t respond to the medication. It wrapped around my carotid artery, my left optic nerve, and could possibly corrode the top of my spinal cord,” Jabaley detailed on his website.

(It does not appear that his tumor was cancerous, but clearly it was still very life-threatening).

But the return of this tumor was just the wakeup call he needed. He made some serious life changes, including leaving his business so that he could pursue getting his health back full time.

In theory, the very thing that made him rich was killing him, so he had to let it go. Clearly,  money is not everything. And although money may help pay the medical bills, it certainly cannot buy you a healthy mind and body.

Jabaley said he had been a chubby kid and always dreamed of being an athlete but turned to business, because he knew that this was something he could excel at. Once his tumor returned, he took this as an opportunity to turn things around and take on his dream of being an athlete.

In 2017, he made a contract to himself stating that he would become a top athlete. He also used this as an opportunity to inspire others. After he left his company, he moved to California (the land of health nuts, right?!). He became dedicated to working out and adopted a vegan, plant-based diet.

Furthermore, he fulfilled his dream of becoming an athlete by completing four marathons, an Ironman Triathlon and even starting his own Dream Machine Tour, a bike ride from Los Angeles to New York.

He lost more than 130 pounds, and now his brain tumor is under control.

Although it appears that Jabaley’s tumor was not cancerous, we cannot ignore the connection between obesity and tumors.

For instance, consider meningioma, a type of brain tumor. This type of tumor is usually not cancerous, but it can still cause major health issues. I suspect this is the type of tumor Jabaley developed.

“The risk of this slow-growing brain tumor that arises in the membranes surrounding the brain and the spinal cord is increased by about 50% in people who are obese and about 20% in people who are overweight,” according to the National Cancer Institute.

And according to a recent study, there appears to be a connection between this type of brain tumor and being overweight.

“The researchers found that overweight patients were about 21 percent more likely to develop a meningioma tumor compared to patients at a normal BMI. Patients in a higher weight bracket (obese) were 54 percent more likely to develop a meningioma,” according to one report on the study.

“The study found a similar link between lack of physical activity and meningioma. People who exercised vigorously were about 27 percent less likely to have a meningioma than people who did not exercise.”

So the proof is in the pudding...diet and exercise matter a lot!

It’s not breaking news that we need to eat healthily and exercise to be our healthiest selves. And I think stories like Jabaley’s show that even some of the unhealthiest people can become some of the healthiest. All you need is the will and dedication. One might say “he had the money to get healthy.” But money without a dedication to exercise and nutrition means nothing when it comes to health. And this is something we all can do. It does not mean we have to quit our jobs. It’s about creating an awareness that we are nothing without our health. After all, you won’t be able to work if you are in the hospital.

Some things are inevitable and unfortunate things can happen with our health, but we can take preventative measures that are very effective by eating right and moving regularly.

Need a jumpstart to get healthy?

• Read here to learn about nutrients that may aid you in your weight loss goals.
• Click here to see how you can fuel your body properly for your workout.
• And don’t forget the importance of probiotics.

Finally, get a comprehensive nutrient test. This will identify whether you have too little or too much of a certain nutrient. You need to be nutritionally balanced to effectively lose weight (if you need to) and maintain your overall health and wellness. If you discover you are imbalanced, you can work with a competent healthcare professional to possibly tweak your diet and/or take quality supplements.

Let’s enjoy our healthiest lives!

The pH professional health care team includes recognized experts from a variety of healthcare and related disciplines, including physicians, attorneys, nutritionists, nurses and certified fitness instructors. This team also includes the members of the pH Medical Advisory Board, which constantly monitors all pH programs, products and services. To learn more about the pH Medical Advisory Board, click here.