Mark's Musings - November 26

Below is an aggregation of the stories I posted on LinkedIn since my last edition (since I took the week of Thanksgiving off, the content is from the week of November 12). I curate them through the prism of an "intersection of chronic pain and appropriate treatment" and so they come attached with my opinion.

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Drink water, be happy (844 views)

Drink one - or two, or three - of these when you first get up in the morning, Your body when it wakes up is somewhat dehydrated, and the best way to hydrate is not a coffee or soda but H2O. If you want to have a good day - even in pain - being hydrated at the beginning is one simple tool to help that happen. It's easy to do. And ... It's ... Free! In case you don't believe me, here's some articles to help explain it from WellAndGood ("I drank 16 ounces of water every morning for a week - Here's what I Learned"), from LifeHack ("When You Drink Water On An Empty Stomach After Waking Up, These 8 Amazing Things Will Happen"), from Business Insider ("Why top executives swear by a 30-second morning habit anyone can adopt") and from USA Today ("Why you should drink water first thing every day"). Sometimes it's amazing how very simple actions can have a profound impact. Several years ago I started every day with orange juice - until I figured out the benefits from Vitamin C did not outweigh the sugar, calories and acid that I was consuming. I changed my habit and started drinking water (and stopped buying orange juice which also saved me money). When you consider the human body is about 60 percent water, making that switch is a no-brainer. You don't need a prescription from a doctor. You don't need input from a pharmacist. You don't need to engage a tele-health nurse. You don't even need to ask for advice from family. Commit to the following ... "I'm going to drink lots of water every day." As Nike said, just DO IT.

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53% of patients want physicians to share non-medical therapy options, survey finds (308 views)

(1) and (2) are good things. (3) and (4) are not good. And (5) is the takeaway for clinicians. Note to those patients that aren't getting that input from their doctor - Use Google!

1. Overall, 76 percent of adults reported their personal health was good or excellent. An even higher percentage, 86 percent, said they had a lot or a great deal of control over their health; only 1 percent said they had no control at all.
2. Seventy-four percent of respondents said they discussed physical health with their physicians. More than 50 percent reported having discussions about test results, medications and exercise regimens.
3. Less than half of respondents said they talked to their physician about social determinants of health, such as diet (42 percent), sleep (40 percent) and mental health (36 percent).
4. More than half (52 percent) of survey respondents said their discussions with physicians did not extend beyond medical needs like test results, medications and physical symptoms.
5. Fifty-three percent of respondents said they wished their physician would discuss non-medical therapies with them such as nutrition, acupuncture or meditation. Forty-five percent said they wanted to talk to their physicians about why they want to be healthy.

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Pritzker wants to legalize recreational marijuana 'nearly right away' in Illinois (111 views)

I posted last Wed about the Nov 6 voting results on #marijuana (MI legalized recreational marijuana while ND did not; MO and UT legalized medical marijuana). Well, here's another voting outcome that was a little more subtle. The new Illinois governor "wants to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois almost immediately after being sworn in next year." The legislature already passed it so all he has to do is sign it. Since I don't live in Illinois I'm not sure if legalization (and vacating arrest records) was a driving force for voters, but obviously their choice of JB Pritzker seems to have implications. We'll see what happens. Here's a prediction: There will be a lot that happens between now and November 11, 2020. Legalization of recreational use will likely be on the ballot in several states. The subject will likely be discussed by legislators in others. Reclassifying it from Schedule I might even be on the agenda at the federal level. As I keep saying, whether you think this is good or bad (or you're indifferent) it's all about risk management at this point. Marijuana is not "coming" - it's "here."

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Few Americans exercise as much as they're supposed to—and that adds $117 billion in annual health costs

"Just a fraction of Americans are exercising as much as they're supposed to, costing the health-care system billions of dollars ($117B annually) and contributing to people dying early (as much as 10 percent of premature mortality)." What's enough? 150 minutes per week for adults, 60 minutes each day for people aged 6 to 17. How are we doing in the US? Only 26 percent of men, 19 percent of women and 20 percent of adolescents comply. Add to the context that 9.3M Americans are obese. Pitiful.

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Kids' Chance Awareness Week (366 views)

If you haven't noticed already with other Linkedin or Twitter posts, Nov 12-16 is Kids' Chance Awareness Week. In case you didn't know, the Kids' Chance movement started in my home state of Georgia 30 years ago (Valdosta, specifically, by a #WorkersComp attorney named Bob Clyatt). It has since grown into a national organization with local chapters in all states except AK, DC, ME, ND, NM, RI, WY. Thanks to Lynda Smith for her leadership in GA and for the countless volunteers that help make Kids' Chance across the country effective. I sent my personal check in to Kids' Chance of Georgia last week. If you haven't, from your personal checking account or your company's, please consider it. We live in a partisan country, and Work Comp can be a partisan industry. This is a bipartisan way to help kids achieve their dreams in spite of work-related injuries or deaths of their parents. Although awareness week is over it doesn't mean the mission doesn't continue. It does. To find money. To find recipients. To find volunteers. If you didn't contribute yet but would like to make a difference (and get a tax break), the clock is ticking towards December 31.

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NIDA Science Seeks Solutions to the Opioid Crisis (144 views)

"Only one in five people with OUD (opioid use disorder) receive any care, and fewer than half who receive care get medications." Read the update on the HEAL Initiative from Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse. A commitment to progress. Just in case you think they're not focused on the full picture here are their priorities with Helping to End Addiction Long-term: (1) enhancing pain management with the aim of preventing opioid addiction and overdose while improving pain treatment and (2) improving the treatment and prevention of opioid use disorders (OUD). I've seen Dr. Volkow present on several occasions - she's smart, passionate and exemplifies leadership. I have confidence that what she sets out to do will be done. Including this.

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Arthritis of the Imagination (1,295 views)

So true. Children start with a blank slate. Sadly, as they mature they learn what can be imagined might not be doable. What appeared to be wide open is actually constricted (at least in their mind's eye). Are they naive at the beginning? Or jaded by the journey? According to Healthline, arthritis is caused by normal wear and tear, an infection or injury, and family history. As a corollary for what Mr. France reportedly said, the causes of "arthritis of imagination" can be repeated failure (trying and not succeeding then giving up), a traumatic event (creating psychosocial issues and lack of resilience), and a poor support system (family and friends that tear down, not lift up). What's the worst thing that can happen with "arthritis of the imagination?" You give up. But should you limit what is possible by giving up? I don't think so. And neither did a bunch of other creative, imaginative people. For example, Thomas Edison. His "teachers said he was 'too stupid to learn anything.' He was fired from his first two jobs for being 'non-productive.' As an inventor, Edison had 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, 'How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?' Edison replied, 'I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.'" But his imagination (and diligence to overcome failure) didn't stop at the incandescent light bulb. He also invented the phonograph, microphone, and batteries (among other things). Can you imagine our world without artificial light or the ability to listen to music without the band in front of us? Massive numbers of failure did not produce arthritis of imagination. Instead it produced an intense desire to overcome. Imagination is the primary driver of success. Where are you on the "arthritis of imagination" spectrum? Have you given up on being your best you? As long as you're still breathing, there's hope.

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Building a Culture of Transparency in Health Care (162 views)

A culture of #transparency is needed. Of healthcare to patients. In workplaces (healthcare and everywhere else). Read this and see what you might need to do differently to better foster that kind of culture. As I often say, informed consumers make better choices.

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In addition, I published two blogposts:

• "Mark's Musings - November 12" on November 14
• "Resilience Defined" on November 16

There was also an article published in Business Insurance that recapped my sessions at the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) conference on November 6th and 7th:

• "Impairment continues to be a problem in construction: Speaker"

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"It's Never the Wrong Time to do the Right Thing" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

#CleanUpTheMess