Do You Believe in Miracles?
10 Exercises to Stay Spiritually Fit
20 Scriptures That Bring Hope to Any Situation
5 Ways to Revive Your Dream!
7 Ways to Plant Seeds of Greatness in Your Life
20 Powerful Declarations to Fight Discouragement
5 Ways to Stay Healthy This Summer
5 Tips for Better Sleep
7 Top Health Issues Facing Today’s Women
Celebrities Who Won't Back Down
A Conversation with Minnesota Wild Center Matt Cullen
Yes, Gratitude Works!
10 Ways to To Handle Life Changes With Courage
The Fruits of Desire
Nurturing a Healthy Marriage
10 Ways to Get Over a Hurtful Past
Ten Things Every Dad Should Tell His Son
I am excited about launching a new website that our
organization has been dreaming of for years now. In the process of developing
the materials, I did a video blog on a topic that seems to get people
passionate about their stance. The topic
is age-old but I am bringing it into the medical milieu today.
Let’s set the stage.
Bring yourself back to the moment you learned of Bill Clinton’s ‘extra-curricular
activities’ during his presidential career.
Were you of the camp that said, “It’s his personal life and it has
nothing to do with his professional abilities and integrity”? Or were you like those who were concerned
that these behaviors signal some ethical deviation that likely pervades his
character and raises concerns about his overall decision making compass?
Now, let’s get health care about this! Should doctors be held to a higher standard
of healthy living as they are mentors, advisors and leaders to their patients
on these matters of disease prevention and management? If you saw your oncologist smoking a
cigarette out back or your cardiologist chugging down a sugary soda with his greasy
burger, would your confidence and respect waiver? Obviously, doctors have the right to do
whatever they want legally; however, many patients articulate that it is
professionally irresponsible to advise and, at times, preach one thing and then
proceed to behave totally different in one’s own life. Interestingly, the Latin origins of the word
‘doctor’ translate to something many of us might not have guessed… ‘to teach.’
In both historical and modern times, effective teaching has always
incorporated leading by example.
Integrity is the bottom line here. When I tell a patient that coming off of gluten
is necessary to help their asthma or thyroid condition, I can honestly say that
I have walked the walk while I am talking the talk. That’s what patients are inspired to
follow. I am a real person with my own
genetics, symptoms and lifestyle issues but I hold myself accountable to what I
must do to get the vibrant, healthy, med-free, disease-free life that I, too,
crave. In my office, I am an open book. My labs are laminated and available for
patients to view my stats when I put myself through the similar tests . It’s not required of me but it shows that I
am not ‘immune’ from following my own guidelines. I am not perfection, nor do I think that there
is such a thing. I follow my ’90/10 rule’
(I aim for a 90% good choices rate as a measure of success in a world of
inevitable change and limited control!)
As I go to social events and celebrate birthdays with my kids, I know that
the decisions that I make are in line with what I teach my patients every day
in the office. (By the way, I am the
first one to admit that making effective change in lifestyle is not easy and
talk about my struggles openly.)
You wouldn’t go to a hairstylist with bad hair; you wouldn’t
choose a financial advisor going through his own personal bankruptcy. Should patients expect their doctors to be
living examples of their life’s work? For me, it’s logical to be one consistent
person in all my mini-worlds because constancy of action and action that
follows my beliefs makes my life simple and true.
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posted January 5, 2011 at 11:53 pm
At one time I consulted a doctor who was a very large man, but he was an infectious disease guy. I would have been less confident if he had been a cardiologist! On the other hand, I’m somewhat nostalgic for the whiskey and laudanum addled surgeons of the 19th Century. Some of them did breakthrough work and were colorful characters. Not sure I would have wanted them as my personal cutters…
At any rate, the discipline of “wellness” is still an emerging one among the medical profession. The bulk of medical education is focused on diagnostics, learning the flowcharts and algorithms of “evidence-based” medicine and an education in pharmacotherapy carried out largely by drug companies seeking to get everybody in America on the latest $10 a day statin.It’s encouraging to see a growing movement of doctors modeling healthy choices and also taking a more aggressive approach to preventing disease.
posted January 7, 2011 at 5:26 pm
While I am certainly not an admirer of Clinton or his policies (e.g., ending welfare as we know it), I find it unfortunate that adversaries focused on his personal pecadilloes instead of important political issues.
That said however, I’m totally with you on hoping my doctors “walk the walk.” It makes it a lot easier for us patients as we try to change our unhealthy ways.
posted January 9, 2011 at 1:20 pm
“Should patients expect their doctors to be living examples of their life’s work? ”
I lose respect for people who are obviously lazy about their health, but this holds true for everyone. Doctors should not be held to a different standard.
You laminate your lab results and show them to patients? I think this is prideful at best and insulting at worst, as though they are a badge of your good choices in life. If you are ever unfortunate enough to develop something serious (diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer) and the gluten-free diet is not enough, I **wouldn’t** say it’s your own fault and you should hand in your medical license. I would hope that the experience would strengthen your empathy toward your patients, that it would make you a better doctor and not an imperfect and damaged one.
Some doctors might give excellent advice and take great care of patients, but could have their own personal vices, such as smoking or liking ice cream too much. So what? They are people too.
I’m happy you’re so healthy and that your style of medicine (gluten free for asthma and whatever else) works in the sphere of your own personal health. But your health, or any doctor’s health, in no way affects my opinion of how good or misguided you or they may be. Personally, I’ll continue to judge my doctor by her empathy, intelligence, and the quality her advice, not by whatever medical pitfalls she may or may not run into. I hope your readers do the same.
posted January 10, 2011 at 11:11 am
This is a great attitude, and for some issues this should hold true. However, I think some doctors should be held up as examples of fortitude and courage when they continue to work with terrible illnesses or changes to their physical self, i.e. cancer in the previous example, and the later, an amputation. For those doctors that are drug abusers, as they have unfettered access to some,then there should be a stiffer punishment than just loosing their licenses, which I would hope would be for their life and not just a few years. Also, I’d like the insurance companies agree to allow doctors to see people at a reduced cost for follow-ups that were ‘preventive’ in nature, i.e. to be a voice of encouragement to those wanting to quit smoking or to loose weight. It would be nice if there was NO cost to the patient who already had to pay fuel costs to get there. Just an idea. Thanks for the encouraging attitude!!
posted February 25, 2011 at 7:44 am
Thank you for a great post. I believe that doctors are much like parents and therefore the message of ‘do as I say and not as I do” does not go very far. Leading by example is key to really getting the message across. Keep up the good work!
posted March 16, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Thank you so much for this post, it is reassuring to know that this issue is getting some attention. I hope that this positive attitude spreads like wildfire in the medical community!