Be your Own Doctor

                                                

What profound yet simple words to live by. Go outside at least once a day, drink lots of water even when you aren't thirsty, move about, rest when your body says rest and eat when your body says it's hungry. In other words, listen to your body. 

Most families are structured to eat three meals a day and snacks when necessary. Farm life meant that mealtimes were breakfast upon rising, 12:00 for dinner as it was called and 6:00 for supper.  Each meal was a substantial meal to say the least, including a dessert and often fresh bread. How on earth wasn't everyone morbidly obese?  Hard manual work certainly saved them, as well as most of the food was made and grown on the farm. 

I believe that most families come together for an evening meal.  Breakfast has shifted from traditional cereal and toast to a buffet of interesting food. Everyone eats what they enjoy, and what I currently enjoy is a muffin, yogurt and fruit, a bagel works as well. "Lunch" in most homes appears unstructured.  Most people just open the fridge door and make something, usually a sandwich or leftovers. When it is time for "dinner" at the end of the day, one adult may be responsible for the meal, or it may be prepared as a family, or they order in. The most amazing "snack cupboard", is set up in most homes. It is a huge supply of several different kinds of snack food for kids to choose from. As I age, I realize the importance of protein at every meal, an egg, some cheese or yogurt is adequate. 

What is not to love about this guy? Medicine on a whole is about symptom management. Heart medication, for example, doesn't cure what is wrong with your heart, it only manages the symptoms. Antibiotics either kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria in an infection, which in turn manages the symptoms. There are some real success stories about curing yourself without medications and there are some sad ones. 

Some people believe that going to the doctor is the only way to deal with being ill.  Others will try many other alternative ways of getting better before making an appointment to see a doctor.  It seems that going to an emergency department for care is usually an unpleasant experience.  Currently, Brandon is in desperate need of an Urgent Care Center to help ease the Emergency department and relieve the long wait to get seen by a professional. It seems most people require follow up tests before a confirmed diagnosis is made by their doctor. Hence, the long waitlist for tests such as a CT, MRI or other scans. Surgery or follow-up procedures may follow and that means you are on an even longer wait list.  

It just wouldn't be a blog if I didn't refer to the news.  Today's news reference is regarding the shortage of professionals in the medical world.  Every time I hear that they are going to build a new hospital or add to an existing one, my mind goes to the fact "who is going to work in them?". My second question is, why is it that both western and alternative medicine aren't an option to provide the best care possible. It would still be an individual choice of how you want your care to play out, but how nice it would be to have that opportunity. The cost of many alternative medicines is out of pocket and does factor in for many people needing those types of therapies.  

I love the following words of wisdom. I thought, how simple it is to lead a healthy life.  

It is baffling as to what keeps people healthy.  Some people do not one single thing that is classed as healthy living, yet remarkably they are very healthy.  Other people do it all the way you are supposed to: they watch what they eat, they exercise, they lead a calm and organized life but are still unhealthy. 

My last words of wisdom on this topic are that I believe that knowledge is power when it comes to your health.  It is not a "one size fits all". Never ever hand your health over to others.  I feel very strongly about this, so strongly I have already written about it in another post, and here I am writing about it again. Make sure you understand as much as you can about any diagnosis you have received. Historically, doctors didn't like to be questioned, but now I think they are getting used to google searches.  In the past, I knew a fair bit about health, but since retirement I don't feel I have the same wisdom. But I do know what I need to know about my health. At the end of the day, I feel the biggest resource is someone that has had a lived experience and already walked in your shoes. Seek them out, embrace what they are saying, their knowledge will help you make your own decisions about what is right for you. Just be your own Doctor!