Healthfulness over Helplessness

 

Everyday patients come to the office with various complaints and fears. Fatigue, lack of energy, poor sleep, inability to lose weight are common complaints. The fears include aging, loss of vitality, and illness–especially cancer.

Often there is a sense of helplessness.

Patients commonly are on medications for treatment of high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, and depression. The medications are good at controlling these problems yet the patient still does not feel well. There is a sense of confusion.

“Why don’t I feel healthy if the medications are controlling the problems?” Well, unfortunately medications only treat or prevent diseases. They do not provide health.  Good health is more than the absence of disease.

What is good health?

The word “health: comes from the Old English word “hale” which means “wholeness, being whole, sound or well.” It requires the attention to mind, body, and soul. When all three are attended to in a positive way then good health follows. They are all interconnected.  Truly good health cannot be realized if attention is only given to one or two of the three.

It is not my place to counsel or lecture on the soul, that is best left to one’s religious or spiritual guide. It is, however, an important aspect to health. Challenging the mind in various ways throughout life is extremely important. Age is not an excuse not learn new things or to develop new skills. Finally attention the body through proper diet, exercise, and rest is perhaps the part of the equation that people have the most difficulty with.

A recent study (Annual Report to the Nation for Research of Cancer) in the Journal Cancer as reported in the Wall Street Journal showed a direct link between obesity and lack of physical activity with the increased occurrence of breast, uterine, pancreatic, kidney, and lower esophageal cancers. In addition, people who are diagnosed with these cancers have a poorer response to therapy if they are obese and physically inactive. Incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension are directly linked to these also.

The secret to good health is not even a secret. Health cannot be found in a pill, magical supplements, a 10 min exercise routine 3 days a week, or in any of the myriad of “secrets” hyped on the internet. In comes down to the same things we learned in ninth grade health class, eat a healthy balanced diet, exercise on a regular basis, maintain optimal weight, don’t smoke, don’t drink to excess, get a proper amount of sleep.

Easily 50% of health problems are preventable if we take care of ourselves. It just takes effort and discipline. The rewards are tremendous. Vitality, energy, positive outlook, and “good health” are the payoff. Put another way, exercise is cheaper than medications and without the side effects.

Jerry Maguire had it right: Help me…help you!

Doctors can treat disease but they can’t make you healthy…that is up to each individual. “Health and Happiness” are a choice. Not a gift bestowed on some and not others. You are not helpless. Your healthful happiness just takes effort and perseverance.

Remember always, you are in control!

~ Dr. Naples