Frustration. Rushed. Ignored. Intimidated. These are just a few of the answers I get when talking to clients about their relationships with their physicians. It’s not that doctors are unwilling to connect with their patients on a deeper level, it’s that time is money and there isn’t enough time. By the time your physician pays for the costs of running their practice, there’s not much left over. The Healthcare system is clogged just like a drain in your kitchen sink. The treatment cannot get to where it’s needed because there’s so much gunk in the way. It’s time to change that.
So what can we as patients do to help this system run a little bit better? Well first of all, we can start taking better care of ourselves. We have a responsibility to properly care for this one body we have. There are no second chances. Preventable illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are just a drop In the bucket of reversible disease. So what do we do to prevent or reverse these conditions? Take responsibility for our personal health and the health of those we love. Real nutrition and lifestyle changes are the cure for preventable disease. It’s not complicated. It’s rather simple really. Eat REAL food. Food that comes through your car window is not real food. It does nothing to give your body the nourishment that it requires. Something that you can just pop in the microwave and eat is not real food. Reduce your sugar consumption. The average American consumes more that 150 pounds of sugar each year. Plan meals ahead of time including vegetables and leafy greens. PRACTICE cooking. Try some healthy recipes.
Get off the couch. Take the stairs. Move your body. With every passing second, you’re getting closer to the end of your life. Remove negative people from your circle and foster healthy relationships that feed your soul. Find work that you love or find a way to love the work that you do. Slow down. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Enjoy doing nothing. Even five minutes of quiet time for reflection can change the course of your entire day. Many “medical” conditions are actually “lifestyle” conditions. We need to help our physicians help their patients by removing our gunk so they can better focus on treating the patients that are truly ill. Our health and wellness is not the responsibility of our physicians. That responsibility falls on each of us individually. Your physicians and your future self will thank you for it.
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