Conversations with Dr O: Are You a Well Being?
Are you a “Well Being?” What does that mean exactly? One definition may be; A being (as in human) that is well. So now, that begs the question: What is well? We live in a society that pushes fame, fortune, flashy cars, and big homes. If we attain all that, are we well? Is wellness simply the absence of sickness, or is it more?
I recently came back from a trip to Italy where a met a beautiful lady, Gabby. She and her husband have spent their lives truffle hunting. They have won awards for the products they have produced from their truffle hunting excursions. She has a small room she affectionately dubs her truffle museum. She is a wonderful cook with magnificent blue eyes that sparkle with love and enthusiasm for her family and the life they have created together. Several times throughout our time together she made the statement “our life is simple.” I found myself wishing for that simplicity.
It seems we live in a time where we have created a desire for things instead of relational experiences. How has this affected our health in the good ‘ol US of A? Did you know that the US is ranked 37th in the world for health outcomes?! Yet, we spend more on healthcare than any other country in the world. Where have we gone wrong? I am not jumping on the band wagon trying to beat up our healthcare system. It is made up of beautiful people who have a heart to help those who are sick and/or injured. My recent experience in the ER, after a horseback riding injury where I sustained six back fractures, left me grateful for the expertise and attention I was given. Once I left the hospital, however, I needed a different type of care. Something that would help me along my healing journey.
This is where I think the concept of wellness comes in. Wellness is more than the absence of disease or pain. Therefore wellness must encompass more than a fix for “what ails us.” Are you well if you are not anxious or depressed, but you are in pain? Are you well if inflammation in your body has created autoimmune conditions but your relationships are fine? What if your relationships are troubled but you don’t have any health issues that you know about? How is your spiritual life, do you attend to the part of you that drives your existence? I could go on for a while with these comparisons, but I think you get the point. We are more than physical, spiritual, and mental health. We are beautifully complex beings that must attend to our WHOLE PERSON in order to live in a state of wellness.
Whole person health, then, should include several components: Physical health, Mental Health, Spiritual Health, Financial Health, and Social/Relational Health. As a functional medicine physician, I help my patients primarily with their physical health. However, the longer I am in practice, the more I realize every part of the whole person must be addressed; because they are all inexplicably intertwined in every decision we make, every action we choose, and every experience we assess.
Here’s my thought for today: Take one area and make a few changes that will help you improve in that area. For basic health, there are only five fundamentals you need to incorporate to stayalive. 1) You need to eat and drink something, 2) You need to breath, 3) You need to move, 4) You need to sleep, and 5) You need to eliminate wastes (urine, sweat, bowel). I will expound upon each one of these in detail; but for now, let’s just call these principles your “High Five.” How well you navigate through your “High Five” will determine whether you simply stay alive or whether you thrive.
Please check back in regularly as I plan to unpack these topics moving forward.
Confession: I’ve never written a solo blog before; but I feel an internal drive to help people regain and maintain their health. As a physician, I can only see one person at a time. It’s a bit limiting, considering how many people need help. My hope is that this information will get to as many people who need it. Let me know what you think and if there are any topics you would like me to cover. I wish you all well on your journey to WHOLE PERSON HEALTH!
