"I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of over treatment and therapeutic nihilism. I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug. I will not be ashamed to say “I know not”, nor will I fail to call in my colleagues wh…en the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery. […] I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick. I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. […] May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help."
— The Modern Hippocratic Oath By Dr. Louis Lasagna
What’s your excuse?
Abraham Verghese: A Doctor’s Touch from TED Talks.
Modern medicine is in danger of losing a powerful, old-fashioned tool: human touch. Physician and writer Abraham Verghese describes our strange new world where patients are merely data points, and calls for a return to the traditional one-on-one physical exam.
Bodybuilders and fitness people have been using Chiropractic very extensively in order to stay healthy and fit. I found it was better to go to a Chiropractor before you get injured. We are a perfect team- the world of fitness and the world of Chiropractors.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
I have to have an adjustment before I go into the ring. I do believe in chiropractic. I found that going to a chiropractor three times a week helps my performance. The majority of boxers go to get that edge.
- Evander Holyfield
What is one thing you could change today, right now, that would benefit your health?
Preventative medicine
Holistic health care often deems itself to be a preventative form of medicine, and accuses allopathic medicine to be “sick care”. However it is my belief that all forms of health care has the ability to be preventative given the opportunity. In fact, I believe that preventative medicine exists around us daily in two forms.
The first form is education. The more a patient knows, the more informed they are, the more power they have over the state of their health. For example, if someone did not know the proper techniques of flossing and/or brushing, then they are bound to have poor dental hygiene. This may sound like common sense to you, to which I ask “if health education is so obvious, why is obesity rampant?”.
1. Of the people diagnosed with type II diabetes, about 80 to 90 percent are also diagnosed as obese.
Similarly, if someone has poor posture and never gets corrected, they are inevitably going to have back pain. A patient that is educated proper health care and management will have the tools to practice preventative medicine.
The second form of preventative medicine is motivation. A person must be driven enough to actually put their health first and put it into action. This is perhaps the most difficult part of practicing good health. Many of us know we could be living healthier lives, whether it be doing more exercise (or any exercise), quitting smoking, or changing our diets. So how come we aren’t living healthier? Is it because of a lack of dedication? How many times have we just gotten too busy, or maybe we will do it later? It is ironic that life gets in the way of our health, when our life depends on our health. It is never too late for anyone to make a change. Even the smallest changes can have a drastic impact on your health and on your life overall.
2. For smokers with asthma, quitting smoking can improve lung function test scores by more than 15 percent in less than two months.
For those of us who said “I will do it tomorrow” I leave a ridiculous, yet simple fact: Today is the tomorrow of yesterday.
Given this brief summary on preventative health. I believe that everyone could benefit from a little self administered ‘medicine’. For many of us this information might have been obvious from the very beginning, then I challenge you to put this obvious information into action. Get educated, get busy, and get healthy.
Yours in health,
- The stimulate health team
References:
1. Diabetic care services website: http://www.diabeticcareservices.com/diabetes-education/diabetes-and-obesity
2. Medical news today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/47436.php
How is your posture right now?
