The Wealth of Health - Winsome Wisdom by Steve Chappell

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The first wealth is health." With the tidal wave of controversy swirling around the topic of health care in America, I humbly offer a suggestion which may not solve the national health care predicament, but which will likely reduce your personal lifetime health care costs as well as sustain a comfortable quality of life.   

Having been adopted and not knowing my biological family history, I am keenly aware and concerned about the state of my health, so I have formulated my own plan of defense. In two weeks, I will pass another milestone along my via vitae: the wellness exam. Or as us seasoned GI’s used to call it: the annual physical. Why the name change? Who knows. Maybe some ad agency gurus thought the word physical seemed too provocative. Or perhaps the term wellness was deemed more reassuring and appealing (translation: politically correct). Oh, well... I would agree that wellness exam is certainly more reassuring than calling it sickness prevention exam.

 

So once again, under the supervision of my longtime friend and physician, Dr. John, I shall undergo the usual tests, pokes and prods. Following this annual sojourn to Memorial Park West, I hope to be pronounced fit for another year pending the results of the blood lab work. Specifically, cholesterol and triglycerides. In years past, both had been on the high side. During the week after my physical, the lab report always arrived at home via USPS announcing the results. As usual, my cholesterol and triglyceride levels were beyond recommended limits. And as usual, alongside the printed results was the hand written note from Dr. John consisting of only two words: diet, exercise!

 

Last year’s lab results arrived on schedule but with a twist. This time, there was no hand written two-word warning, only a hand drawn smiley face! Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were all within the normal range... for the first time ever! Why the sudden dramatic improvement? Your guess is as good as mine, especially since I still enjoy those country boy sausage, biscuit, and gravy breakfasts, not to mention cheeseburgers and ribs. But there’s an old piece of wisdom I recall hearing from my grandfather that says, "Never look a gift horse in the mouth."  

Regardless of the results, I enjoy the benefit from having information regarding the state of my health. Information I would not have had if I had chosen to avoid the medical profession, as so many do. For whatever reasons (high cost, lack of insurance, fear), many people stay away from the doctor's domain. Some of my immediate family members were among the worst offenders.

 

My brother Jerry, also adopted, was a card carrying member of Doctor Avoiders Anonymous. His only visit to a doctor I ever recall was due to chronic severe back pain. No surprise, given the fact he was 6 feet 8 inches tall and played a lot of golf. Other than the back issues, however, he seemed in perfect health. Then suddenly he was dead at age 51 from heart related problems which, if detected early, might have been corrected. That was over seventeen years ago... I still miss him terribly.

So here’s my humble suggestion: get your one and only body down to a medical facility and take a wellness exam. But keep in mind, a once-a-year trek to the doctor’s office is no guarantee of long life or good health. Having that face-to-face with your family physician, however, does guarantee that you will get information. You will be given a set of weights and measures to help you make informed decisions regarding your own health and lifestyle.

 

But when it comes down to sickness prevention, we might do well to follow Dr. John’s two-word prescription: diet, exercise!