“In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.”
-original Oath of Hippocrates
“I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.”
-modified version, Dr. Luis Lasagna
As I go through my day, the consummate physician-observer in me sees the people around me as potential patients. It’s nothing special; every doctor–and I’m sure any profession that works with people—barbers, personal trainers, etc—will admit that they all assess strangers in terms of their profession all day long. Just think, every one one pass by is thinking, “This guy could use a haircut,” or “that lady needs to work on strengthening her core.” I look at peoples’ veins and think “that one would have great I.V. access.”
I’m more than just an anesthesiology resident, though, so I see the rest of the patient, too: their weight, limps, lesions, weaknesses, skin issues, and on and on.
It won’t surprise you that the most shocking ‘patients’ I see walking around these days are in the hospital. But would you guess I’m talking about the medical staff? That’s right! I’m most surprised at the state of health I see most doctors and nurses living in as they do their work!
I notice the doctors most. There he or she is, leading a pack of wild-eyed, disheveled residents down the hallway. See them there, squinting over a chart, yelling at the residents or nurse condescendingly, wearing loose-fitting clothing over their pudge? “Teaching” completed, catch them ponderously passing the stairs as they labor toward the elevator, then complain that it’s taking forever. When it finally arrives, they crowd in with the other medical staff, and press the button to go up. One floor.
Doctor of Medicine, expert in health, wellness, disease, healing and—get ready for it—disease prevention. There they stand, huffing and puffing their way through the day; out of shape, clueless about their own health status, and with health habits they shake their had at with each patient that passes them by. Now tell me, what is this Doctor–head of a pack of future doctors–bestowing upon them? What do these doctors show us while they are preaching the merits of diet, exercise, and taking care to avoid the pitfalls of life? He who is without sin cast the first stone…
I’m winding up, bitches.
As a doctor myself, I shake my head at the example I see us presenting to the mass of patients we are simultaneously trying to save. How does a doctor who is out of shape, overweight, not seeing a primary care physician regularly, and not eating well going to be able to counsel someone effectively in these vital aspects of healing and health prevention? Where is our credibility? Where is our understanding of the struggles to do this, if we have no experience struggling to do this?
“Hold the phone, doc! Who are you to judge?” Well sir, at least I take the stairs in the hospital unless I’m carrying my emergency tools to a code which are on wheels, can run at least 5 miles whenever, plan and cook a healthy diet, exercise daily, and pay attention to my diet and habits, including sleep, fun, stress, and recereational activities and beverages. I’m not perfect, but I’m elbow deep in the struggle.
“But sir, we are so busy taking care of people!” Yet, how much of what we do is directly related to preventable issues? If doctors practiced what they preached, one has to think that patients would take notice. Healthier patients means less work, right? And what, you don’t think your patients aren’t busy?
We could enter the chicken or the egg debate above, but the bottom line is that if Michael Jordan and Fat Albert where both showing you how to dribble, who would you listen to? (alright smarta$$, be serious for a second) About the only thing Fat Albert can dribble is gravy onto his mashed potatoes. Frankly, we doctors are like Michael Jordans dressed up as Fat Albert–it’s hard to take us seriously.
But we doctors are dressed up in white coats, symbols of our expertise, and trying to be taken seriously! We are trying to sell you on the fact that if you take our advice, you will reduce your suffering, increase the quality of your days, and lengthen your time doing the things you love with those you love. But we aren’t selling it with our example, leading the way.
‘Understand this,’ we say, ‘you will get sick, you will get hurt, and you will eventually die. However, you have a choice as to how much and how often and how soon those things happen.’
It’s no wonder that diseases controlled with good health practices such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease still top the leading causes of death and morbidity in the US.
Attitude reflects leadership. Our leadership currently avoids the stairs, remains overweight because they are “too busy” to plan healthy meals and exercise, and generally chooses to ignore the evidence in their own field of expertise.
I have to wonder: could this be the ultimate example of the holier-than-thou stigma doctors have often been given? Maybe it’s a manifestation of the God-complex I hate to hear associated with doctors. But I can’t help admit that giving patients a hard time for their excuses to not change their bad habits while justifying our own has little defense. Just because we take care of other people doesn’t absolve us from having to take care of ourselves. Helping others doesn’t make our ‘busy’ a justifiable excuse compared to a patient’s ‘busy.’
Here’s my logic. We invest time studying, practicing techniques, and learning our profession well to help people. But we’re failing in our ability to execute our plan effectively. We are led to believe that the former will make us better doctors. So why not take care of ourselves. If anything I’ve written above makes sense, we will practice longer, empathize better, and be more effective in each interaction, not to mention be more believable! If we aren’t too busy to dedicate ourselves to learning medicine, we should be too busy to run, sleep right, and eat well. Hippocrates would be proud.
I don’t say this to sell out the medical profession or to justify behavior. The kid that goes out and shoots someone because his hero football player or older brother did it, or the patient that doesn’t exercise and ends up with diabetes still has consequences to face that ultimately are their responsibility. However, it seems reasonable that doctors should choose to and their ranks chosen from people ready to be an example of their knowledge applied. That being accomplished, the example goes a long way in the right direction.
One way to look at it...
