Don't Take It Easy

This post is going to reveal just how ancient I am.  I remember when people who worked in offices were called secretaries.  These people did their work on typewriters.  People who worked on typewriters expended a great deal more energy during the course of a work day than people working at computers do today.  It took more effort to push the keys on a typewriter than it does to use a computer keyboard.  Secretaries weren't tied to their desk chairs the way office workers are today.  They had to get up frequently to get paper and resource material that now is right at the finger tips.  Over the course of the day a significantly greater amount of energy was expended by the typewriter user than the computer user.

At a time when our society is struggling with both an obesity crisis and an epidemic of health problems related to poor physical conditioning, I think we need to look at how we do everyday things in our lives.  For most of my lifetime the aim of products and services has been to make life easier.  Perhaps life has become too easy for our own good.  We have made it incredibly easy to avoid the expenditure of physical energy.  As a result our total caloric expenditure over the course of a day is significantly less than it was before we made life so easy for ourselves.

I propose that we can be healthier, thinner people if we find ways to expend more energy during the course of the day.  When doing any activity, see if you can think of a way to do it that will require you to move more or use more muscle.  We've long been encouraged to take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Maybe take that one step further and make more trips up and down the stairs rather than group tasks at either the top or bottom.  When going shopping, instead of taking the spot closest to the door, park further out in the lot.  Hand carry a basket rather than push a cart for a small number of items.  If you only have one or two cuts to make on a board, use a hand saw rather than a power saw.  Use a hand screwdriver instead of an electric one when there are only a few screws.  Move the computer printer away from the computer so you have to get up to retrieved your printed material.  Sit on a gym ball or even stand for some of the time when at the computer.  Even something as simple as toe tapping increases muscle and energy use.  There are endless possibilities do things in ways to expend more energy. 

A portion of a calorie burned here, a portion of a calorie burned there and over the course of the day it ads up.  Doing this day after day will result in not only an increase in energy used but an increase in muscle mass.  This muscle will itself increase calories burned.

I have no desire to go back to manual typewriters, but I see a great need to change my own lifestyle to move more.  Rather than do things the easiest way, I'm looking for ways to use my body.  Remember the old cliche: "Use it or lose it."   

Technology Update

Our staff and doctors had the opportunity recently to have some training in the computer system we use at our office.  The program developer walked us through many of the capabilities of the system and give us previews of upcoming innovations.  It's hard not to get excited about new technology, especially when you are intrigued by technology like I am.

New technology can make it possible for us to do things we simply couldn't do before.  It can also result in increased demands on what we produce.  One of the things we are preparing for is participation in province wide access of patient records between all health care practitioners.  This should be of benefit to the patient by reducing duplication of services and procedures.  Communication of findings and concerns will be simplified.  However there is a rat's nest of concerns with implementing such a system, not the least of which is maintaining the privacy of the patient.  Coordinating the development of the necessary technology is huge and, not surprisingly, there has been very little direction from the province thus far.  That makes planning difficult and potentially very costly for an independent clinic like ours.  We know it will mean digitizing all patient records.

While improving our office computer system will potentially improve our ability to help our patients, it won't adjust their spines.  I still need to be a doctor.  I need to determine where the vertebral subluxations are and how to correct them most effectively.  Technology can be an aid, but it still comes down to my ability to release the healing powers of the body.  The body still does the healing - and it always will.  I always need to remember that when evaluating new technology.

TV vs Computer

We got our first TV when I was a child.  It was a black and white behemoth.  We got one channel with sporadic reception.  But it took a commanding place in our household.  It was front and center in the living room.  It was also front and center in our minds.  It was television!  It demanded our attention.  We had to do things on it's terms.  If we wanted to see a particular show, we arranged our schedule around it.  Skipping commercials was not an option.  (They were often part of the show itself.)  TV hasn't changed much.  It still demands that the viewer do things on it's terms and it's schedule; even as hard as VCRs, DVRs & PVRs have tried to change that.

Computers, as an entertainment source, on the other hand allow the user to come and go as they please.   We decide what we want to view, when we want to view it.  The advertising is there, but again we choose whether to view it.  The user is in control.  (As I say this I also realize that while I technically control my computer, sometimes it seems the computer is doing it's own thing ;) 

There is an important analogy here for health care.  In the past the doctor told the patient what to do and when to do it.  Today the patient has the opportunity to take charge of their own health.  With adequate information patients can effectively evaluate available options and make the best decision for themselves and their families.  For who can make a better decision than the individual themselves.  The doctor becomes an adviser; part of their team, rather than someone who dictates what must be done. 

For many years now, I have tried to educate patients and give them the option to chose the care they feel is best and respect the choice they make.  All I can do is make recommendations.  I know that in my own health decisions I want to be in control, not controlled.  I want to be on the computer, not in front of the TV.  How about you?