ARE YOU IN CONTROL?

When it comes to the length and the quality of our lives, there is no plan of action that guarantees results. That being said, there are choices we can make that increase the chances for longer healthier lives.

When Babe Ruth picked up his first baseball bat he wasn’t a natural home run hitter. When Michael Jordan picked up his first basketball, he didn’t gracefully fly through the air scoring basket after basket.

As each of us goes through life and starts a new “adventure”, our lack of experience often reveals an awkward “clumsiness.” SUCCESS isn’t a birth right; it is mostly acquired through dedication and persistence.

 

The plate spinner is frenzied early on as he watches plate after plate fall and break

 

 

…and with practice, patients and persistence he overcomes the learning curve and enjoys the benefits of achieving successful results…

 

Our health is no different. We were not born with an innate skill to understand and follow a lifestyle designed to maximize the chances for longevity (and more importantly,) QUALITY.

The novice plate spinner doesn’t master his skill by relying solely on PASSIVE instructions of an accomplished plate spinner. Although these instructions may offer some assistance, the novice plate spinner will NEVER master the skill until he is willing to ACTIVELY participate. His desire to pursue and succeed (in the face of likely repetitive FAILURE,) provides the motivation and discipline necessary to master the skill of plate spinning.

This same CONCEPT applies to those striving for longevity and quality health.

 

These PASSIVE instructions provided by our doctors will NEVER (in and of themselves) provide a means of achieving GOOD HEALTH. This approach is designed to SUSTAIN sub par health for as long as possible.

In today’s medical model of chronic diseases, (ex. high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, GI distress, autoimmunity, etc…) the patient is rarely (if ever) presented a PLAN OF ACTION to overcome and FIX their condition. Instead, these patients are provided more and more drugs to reduce their symptoms as their conditions worsen. This PASSIVE approach emphasizes the doctor’s role in CONTROLLING the outcome. It assumes the patient’s role and responsibility for his or her own health is minor and primarily based on PASSIVELY following the directions on the prescription bottle.

What if early in the doctor/patient relationship the following instructions were supplied to the patient prior to the onset of disease?

If these requirements were provided to the patient and followed up at future office visits, would it be possible to reduce the number of chronic conditions consumers face today? Would it be possible to minimize the need for prescription medications designed to sustain (not FIX) chronic diseases? Would it be possible to create a HEALTHIER population of people by getting them ACTIVELY involved in the process?

We have seen in this article that mastering the act of plate spinning requires motivation, discipline and the willingness to be persistent. We have seen that PASSIVE learning is not enough (by itself) to gain mastery of this skill. We have seen that repetitive FAILURE is a natural part of the learning experience that ultimately achieves desired results.

Is the pursuit of individual GOOD HEALTH and the opportunity and quality of life one can potentially achieve not worth a similar effort? Can you begin to see that conventional approaches to health and disease limits one’s ability to EVER achieve an honest and meaningful state of GOOD HEALTH. The mere fact of lifelong drug dependency clearly demonstrates an INFERIOR state of health?

Until the patient is willing to take back CONTROL of his or her life by balancing the various components that support healthier outcomes, (seen in the picture above) the chances for ever attaining GOOD HEALTH are slim to none.

Besides prescriptions, what ACTIVE responsibilities does your physician “prescribe” in between office visits to help you achieve GOOD HEALTH. Does it look like the following:

Does your physician threaten to release you from care if you refuse to comply with your ACTIVE responsibilities, or is he or she more concerned with your prescription drug compliance?

Are you and your physician strategizing to increase the need for more and more drugs over time, or pursuing a path that reduces the need and increases the chances for healthier FUNCTIONAL QUALITY living?

Do you really believe, “you’re doing well,” because your physician says so, or are you ready to face the TRUTH and take ACTION STEPS toward achieving what GOOD HEALTH really feels like?

Tags: attitude, disease, doctor, emotions, health, lifestyle, motivation, quality of life, responsibility