Listening to Joel Osteen he began today's sermon with a story:
-two lumberjacks were working away in the bitter cold and one said I have to take a break and sharpen my axe.
-the other said I have no time for that and continued to chop away
-1st guy comes back after 3 hours with a razor sharp axe and slices through more wood in faster time than the guy with "no time"
In many of the 50-60 year olds that come to see me (CEO's included) I present a lifestyle plan to change and get back to feeling health and wellness. Many times the plan I create encroaches upon the "untouchable" 50-60 hour work week. I certainly try to design a change that is gradual and sustainable but it is usually first accompanied by resistance until I let them know that if they embrace "sharpening their tools", the 50-60 hours of work will be performed more efficiently to the point of creating time to indulge in more healthy endeavors....that in turn will open more creativity/more productivity/better sleep/faster problem solving (you can see the positive cycle of events that usually follows). I also have some obese, hypertensive, emotionally drained, cortisol depleted moms that care form 3-5 kids and don't even have time to carve out for 5 minutes of breath work. (I even obliged a mom who came desperate for help but unwilling to risk changing her unhealthy routine...saying ok, how about if we combine breath work during your daily potty break.....she said "can't do it"! I pointed out her speed of speech, her emotional fragility, and difficulty with finishing sentences without distraction....if she could harness her own practice of calm-her duties may just become an iota more efficient; providing her with at least more poop time instead of splash and go.)
Whether its running a company or running a household, we get into a rhythm that seems to carry us from breakfast to bedtime. It would seem that we have reached our destination in life with the only routine available; and deviating from it could end up a disaster. But the realization I point out is the disaster is already occurring when my 50-60 year old looks like a 70-80 year old, weighs 50 pounds heavier and average, is on 3-5 medicines, and considering a divorce lawyer since the counselor didn't help. Running a company or running a family takes a lot of talent and making it to that point has its rewards but my point is that there is still alot of learning to occur. It is said that most Americans after high school will not read another book from cover to cover...ever! Learning is not period in life...it is a way of life. There will always be more knowledge to impart to even the most well read people.
The act of "sharpening your tools" goes for doctors as well. I had a priest come to my wife's office blessing (Dental Radiance) and he asked me about L Arginine for cholesterol lowering. Of course I dug a bit deeper in the short time I spent with him, and turns out he was placed on a statin after a few years of "trying on his own" with diet. The medicine helped drive his cholesterol down to 150 (good!) and he said his HDL was good at 65 (mediocre if you ask me) but his last 2 blood tests showed "enzymes were high" and doc wanted to take him off the statin since his cholesterol levels were good in the last few years. I wasn't there for the conversation he had but I wanted to question his doctor as to what the hell he was doing suggesting statins before nutrition change. When I queried the Father on his fiber amount or if he was on an omega 3 fish oil or which nutrition author he was following....didn't have much of an answer except he tried to switch veggies for meat but was unsuccessful. So just bringing realization to his fork in the road, I said if the nutrition practice he adopted before the statin didn't help; and after the statin he didn't continue any great switch to vegetarianism....how can stopping the cholesterol medicine now be met with anything else but the same high blood test results as before. It was at the request of his chiropractor to consider L arginine during the next 3 months while his doctor wants him on a break from liver damaging statin. The chiropractor had a good idea to think in terms of nutritional deficiency but this should have been the doctor inquiring on: the lifestyle of a priest, his exercise routine, his wine indulgence. But guess what.... most doctors reach this pinnacle of medical knowledge and just do the basic minimum in keeping up with CME training as per requirements of board certification and maybe the occasional visit from a drug rep who is promoting her newest statin with great results from a study funded by the same company. What if we allowed CSA vegetable delivery or Whole Foods Market into doc offices for pushing produce on doctors "backed with evidence" in some of the oldest studies (Framingham, Lyon, Nurses Health)....I think docs would make stronger suggestions for meals, dishes, nutritional practice. But alas, the docs have no time; trying to break even with the vast number of patients to be seen, refills to be faxed, procedures to be performed to make up for the stagnant salaries we get compared to the diminishing reimbursements paid by medical insurance. Who has the time (2-3 years) and the money (30-40,000$) to "sharpen their tools"? Joel Osteen was right, the apparent disease is thinking when you arrive at destination, all the work is done. I feel the answer is always stepping back, reassessing your purpose in life, honing your skills then reapplying them for the benefit of yourself and those around you.....you will never over-sharpen an axe.
