– by Karen Morgan, Executive Director, Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation –
My Dad had his first heart attack when I was ten. The spectre of heart disease coloured my life, and that of my brothers, from that point on. You would think that would cause us, at a young age, to carefully consider our lifestyle and take action to ensure we stayed healthy throughout life. Then again, perhaps I say that with the benefit of hindsight. After all, I came of age in the ’70s: a time of disco, two-martini lunches and other excesses. I didn’t really think about how lifestyle impacted my health until I was diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Unlike my brothers and me, teenager Hélène Campbell of Ottawa became the “CEO” of her own health care when she was told she needed a double lung transplant and no lungs were to be found. Hélène had been diagnosed with asthma at the age of fourteen. In summer 2011, she could not keep up with friends. After almost collapsing while hiking, she went to see her family doctor. She was diagnosed with advanced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and was told she needed a double lung transplant. Since lung transplants were not done in Ottawa she had to move to Toronto to wait and as her condition deteriorated, she decided to take action. Hélène worked to get the attention of popstar Justin Bieber and TV host Ellen DeGeneres with an online Twitter campaign. Her success led to a surge in registrations for organ donations, and in April 2012 she received two new lungs.
While our own situations are probably not as dramatic as Hélène’s, we can all be the CEOs of our own health. After all, there is no greater advocate for your own health than you.
What does being the CEO of your own health mean? It’s not rocket science, and I’m sure you’ve heard most of this before:
• Exercise: make a weekly plan of walking, biking, yoga, lifting weights or swimming at Panorama Recreation Centre – whatever suits your life.
• Nutrition: pay attention, but don’t forget to be good to yourself! Include a variety of foods (yes, that means eat your veggies!) and drink lots of water. Don’t deny yourself the treats you love, but practise moderation. I mean, what would life be without chocolate (preferably with a glass of red wine)?
• Physical Wellness: get whatever routine testing you should for your stage in life (regular visits to discuss my blood pressure and a mammogram every two years are musts for me) and ask what test results mean. Take any medications you need on time and understand and watch for the side effects of each.
• Mental and Emotional Wellness: pay just as much attention here. Make time to read, visit with friends, pursue your hobbies or even volunteer (it’s been my observation that people who stay engaged and give back to their community remain younger longer).
I met a woman at the community health forum in February who told me that, because she hasn’t been able to find a family doctor since she moved to the Saanich Peninsula, she has paid close attention to her diet and exercise and has used walk-in clinics for testing and minor ailments. For five years, her health has been good and ailments few, although she knows that, as she ages, this is a strategy that will need to be supplemented by a family doctor.
You know your body better than anyone else, right? Family doctors are in a position to help, but it’s your job to take care of it. Give yourself a promotion: become the CEO of your own health care.
