An MD with a DOABLE Approach

I don’t have to tell you that we live in one of the unhealthiest societies on the planet. Rampant cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes mellitus on the rise, obesity more striking than ever! Let alone pervasive fatigue, joint pains, insomnia, limited energy, and indolent depression.

These circumstances didn’t just happen. All of this seemed?to have just crept into our lives.

What I find most striking today is that most of these health-related issues?do not?correlate with?age. Across the board, these new and alarming facts require further inquiry as?we must take personal responsibility for our health, once we can all agree?dis-ease is on the rise for all. ?

Is it time for a health resuscitation?

Is it time to revive our lifestyle? How do we approach self-care, and healthcare?

When I reflect on how we got here, I go back to a time when I was the serving physician for the Indian Health Service, attending to the Apache of?eastern?Arizona. We had a saying,?“if a Native American has chest pain – it isn’t his/her heart.”

In my two years of living with the tribe I cared for only a single patient with a heart attack. As I fast forward to the?present day, their story has changed?dramatically.?Their reality has become more like a daily shuttle bus bringing heart patients from the reservation to the city for more advanced care regularly.

What has changed in this 30-year interval?

One way to get to the source of the problem might be to take a look at the top selling items sold in convenience stores. Their list reveals?fast food; soda, chips, candy, and packaged sugary snacks,?as the top sellers.

Another layer to consider in this?discussion states the obvious, we have become “a passive society” in more ways than one. Who would have imagined plugging into the internet would become a major health risk and be compared to a modern-day?cigarette smoker.

News and social media can?keep us very?entertained,?as it focuses?on feelings,?keeping us?engaged with?no need?for?“critical thinking” which?we gladly?participate in. Getting hooked on these digital interactions has?become that?slippery slope?with too much?time in its consumption?by?many. This learned behavior?appears to be taking over our lives with results that define a soft life on the couch.?You get the picture.

In my medical and personal experience, the health plight of the Native American has been emblematic for all of our western society. Ironically, we seem to be leading the way for others,?which is frightening as a health professional.

Well, now that you have read this far, there is one more?significant fact?that will help me bring this message home for you. It is the stats related to?Southeast Asians who have moved into the United States and how they?have been documenting some of the highest incidence of heart disease in the world!? Surprising maybe,?but not shocking.

There seems to be?no way?around these simple truths. Clearly, “how we live” is wreaking havoc to a healthy life.

It is time to refresh, to get back to the basics, to change this?degeneration, and?we can.?The subtle shifts one will need to make are reasonable. They will improve your life?without any big asks?and you will?feel good again naturally.

As we take a closer look at?“how we live”, what are the core Qs we should be asking ourselves?

My writing has begun by having an honest conversation to uncover the ways in which we?think, move, and nourish ourselves. The responses would certainly provide clues and reveal the essence of where we are. As we listen within, this authentic voice can provide?a clearer perspective?in order to avoid becoming a victim of?dis-ease.

This self-care journey isn’t something money can buy because it is for you. It might require patience and time on your part but the reward is?life giving and much better than the painful, time consuming, and expensive alternative.

Where are you right now?

As common sense would have it, personalizing opportunities and instituting change can only begin with YOU. For many it might be a profound challenge?from the get-go, since confusion will begin to flourish. For example, as you begin to take a broader view on all the marketed diets you might have come across over the years?– Mediterranean, low carb, paleo, intermittent fasting, . . . you might recall,?magic in none!

Therefore, as I commit to helping you add to your thoughtful collection of books written by MDs, my instincts guide me to take a closer look at the issues that confront us first. Only then can we?dissect the opportunities for success – all hinging on an idea of keeping things?very simple,?doable, and most importantly,?not?selling you on any damn product to go with it.

Optimally,?obviously,?I must?consider using language and techniques?that are motivating to get you to off the coach, offering activities inspired to get started with a clear view of where you would like to take this transformation. Then I would move these thoughts?forward to assure a?space for you to design?your own plan, get definitive results, and generate your own sense of health and happiness.

WOW,?health and happiness, something we can never get enough of,?right??

I would like to keep this real, avoiding?distractions with the?hope to instill profound?ahas?required to strengthen and empower you?within. I?will apply?the basics of common sense in order to rule your results.

If I endear myself to put these ideas down on paper,?I believe there?will be an opportunity to make a?real difference. As I considered all of my professional experiences as a heart specialist and include those personal observations from a trained eye, there will be no doubt my?distilled wisdom will flow over?into my overall core message:

“If it is DOABLE, it?has a chance?to get done.” -- Harvey J. White MD