TAKE COMMAND OF YOUR HEALTH: Clinical Observations and Contemplative Questions To Move Inward and Forward. By Grace Sunga Asagra
Some doors only open inward, and reclaiming your health is one of those!
From over four decades of clinical nursing work experience combined with relentless studies in all holistic health and related topics, I have gathered observations on patient-physician relationships that I thought would be helpful to bring to the public’s attention. The intention is not to get stuck on observations that do not help us in achieving premier health outcomes, but to instead reclaim our health. It is best to take not only the road that we are walking upon but also the road that we will lead us forward!
You do not need to agree with me. You do not have to be defensive, find excuses, or go to whatever thoughts and beliefs you have just in case my observations do not sit right with you. I just want you to look in the mirror and ask yourself, “What else can I do to get myself out of the rut, be healthier, live longer, enjoy my family, and add more value to my family, co-workers and others in my life? How can I turn health ‘misfortunes’ into possibilities for gain? Where can I start to pull myself up instead of continuing to fool myself into believing that someone is coming to save me?”
I also want to be clear that this article is not against physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or any health providers. They work hard and have the best intentions at heart.
Nevertheless, here are my top eight observations. In these observations, I include contemplative questions that we can all use to perhaps change our experience so that we can walk on the road that says “Take Command of Your Health:”
1. There is a general lack of investment and lack of value in health. Unlike going to the auto mechanic for car troubles, car owners will not hesitate to change their auto mechanic when the same car trouble repeats again and again, or a new problem arises. The costs of car repair and maintenance keep going up. How about health care expenses? There are increasing co-pays, more time spent for visits to physicians or for procedures, and more supplemental costs for complex situations. Depleting energy and cognition occurs, which is just like diminishing revenues in business. Your health is your business. What is the value of your health? How do you invest in your health? Isn’t your good health integral to achieving all your dreams?
2. There is an unsigned contract of attachment with physicians. When it comes to the patient-physician relationship, we seem to hold on to our same physician until someone dies – either we die first or our physician dies first. Hehehe. It reminds me of the popular sales pitch, “Lifetime guarantee!” The question is, whose lifetime? Is it fear? Is it complacency not to start all over again? Is it surrender and relinquishing your critical thinking ability? Is it lack of ownership, since it is easier to blame others?
3. Patients lack patience and persistence. If they fail to speak to a doctor, they do not ask for a nurse, PA, or NP to have a conversation that could lead to alleviating their concerns. Most hesitate to call or do not persist to make follow-up calls. Patience is more than a virtue. It is a practice. Aren’t there other health practitioners or staff in the office? Is this a one-man doctor’s office? Maybe, but very rarely. How about telephone answering services- why not leave a message until you get an answer?
4. Patients funnel information from the physicians like dogma or like God-sent information, as though it were written in stones. Diagnoses are felt like death sentences - irrevocable and unchangeable. What happened to human curiosity to hear other information, learn new ways, and embrace other possibilities? Aren’t there many messages and messengers? Isn’t this a vast universe with many stars both seen and unseen? Why narrow it down to just the opinion of a physician?
When you take command of your health, you fulfill your dreams, passions and aspirations beyond your your imagination. I am on the right lower corner next to my grandchildren Michael Joseph, 5 years old, and Adelina Grace Leggieri, 4 years old. I am accomplished performing artists of Kinding Sindaw, NYC. This was recently taken on the last live theater show at La Mama Experimental Theater last March, 2020 where my grandchildren had their debut performance. I exude energy, passion and commitment to live my life to the fullest in diverse ways that keeps me super healthy and happy with family and friends. You, too, can have what I have.
5. Patients just need a little nudge and direction from someone they trust. There might be a resistance in the beginning to do something, but when there is pain and suffering, a door of introspection and courage opens up for patients and relatives to step out of their comfort zones. Meaningful conversations need to happen. Do we have to wait for someone tell us or to save us? What happens to acknowledge our inner wisdom?
6. Key signs and symptoms, like dry hair and skin, white spots on fingernails, thick coatings on the tongue, bad breath, and many others are ignored. They are just too simple, so why investigate it? There is no pain, so why worry? Patients like to act only when things get complicated. Then they expect the doctor to offer them a pill and get upset if they do not get a prescription! Wouldn’t it be better to prevent a problem? We have to work much harder to resolve major health issues than minor ones. It may possibly resolve health issues before they become much more complicated and difficult.
7. Patients tend to forget what they deserve: the most compassionate care from the doctor and the entire health team! Health care providers mean well when they provide services from the knowledge and expertise they have gained through their training and experience. However, unless health tragedies happen to themselves or their family members, a shift in mentality and approach does not occur except by remembering, through the grace of God, that we humans came into this world with an ultimate frequency agreement of possessing a loving and free will. So, when you become a patient, why settle for less than what you deserve? Why not take the courage to reclaim the care that is divinely meant for you? Why allow poor care?
8. When a person becomes ill, their general reaction is to become either more or less spiritual, to blame or to take ownership, to go outward or to go inward, to reach out or to withdraw, to deny or to accept. There are many unanswered questions: “Why me? What lessons can I learn? What can I do differently? What road shall I take? Is this an Aha moment? Am I ready to be extinct?”
YES, some doors only open inward, and reclaiming your health is one of those! Do not let anything or anyone take the JOY out of your life.
I hope this article is helpful. Peg Peterson, JD, CHC and I created a 7-Video Course entitled “TAKE COMMAND OF YOUR HEALTH: 7 Ways to Minimize and/or Shorten Your Hospital Stay.” Check it out in my store page.
