Shame on Lebron? Shame on Gilbert? Shame on ESPN…hmmm actually shame on us.

 

While there is plenty of shame to go around for errors in judgment, for self-serving displays and for money making schemes devoid of character surrounding the Lebron James departure from Cleveland.  However, at the end of the day we need to look to ourselves and ask how did we contribute to these events? We as fans need to examine our need to turn athletes into heroes. Heroes deserving of parades filled with adoration and pleas for their loyalty and attention.

When was the last time that our city held a rally in protest of corruption and demanded the removal of amoral and unethical public officials from positions of power that holds real impact on our individual lives? When was the last time that this city championed individuals who save lives, protect lives and improve lives here in our city every day.

We should be examining ourselves and asking. Why does the ability and skill to hit a baseball, sink a basketball or score a touchdown stir more passion and interest in us than the ability to raise money to feed the poor, or the creativity to teach, the selflessness of some to donate not from their surplus or the courage to stand for what is right and not what is popular?

Instead of focusing on Lebron and his motivation, his personality and his character, we should ask ourselves what was our contribution.  Athletes simply by virtue of their physical talents should not become our heroes or Kings to be worshipped. We should ask ourselves did they make a difference in the lives of others through time and talent and selfless giving. It is those individuals who deserve parades and our admiration.  We should rally our efforts and take to the streets to prevent children and seniors from being abused and exploited, to campaign for money to feed our poor and help those without jobs.  

Maybe the narcissistic, self absorbed title should be ours. We as fans are willing to excuse angry tirades, childish behavior and violation of rules by our athletes as long as they bring us a victory. Aren’t we equally to blame for the creation of the King?

We should take this painful lesson of perceived betrayal and challenge ourselves to enjoy sports and be entertained by our gifted athletes. And then let’s go out and find real heroes in our city who inspire us to be better human beings.

What Motivates People to Change Unhealthy Behavior?

When presented with information about their health and the changes they need to make to their lifestyles, what exactly motivates people to make these changes? Well, the fear of death is a great motivator for change. Frequently, after patients suffer a heart attack for example, they begin to make changes in their life. They may quit smoking and improve their diets. However, it’s also not uncommon for people to lose their motivation to continue these changes. They may return to smoking or gradually return to their poor eating habits. Does this sound familiar?

Are there certain factors that help people stay committed to the changes they make? There are twenty-one commonly studied theories and models that explain how certain feelings and beliefs can contribute to healthy behaviors. The following basic themes and concepts of these theories will help you identify what motivates you and how you can stay committed to healthy behaviors.

Perceived Threat

This concept refers to whether or not you believe you’re going to get sick in the first place and if you accept your diagnosis. That is, what are your beliefs about your own susceptibility to developing an illness or disease?  Do you deny the impact of your behavior (smoking, weight, stress) on worsening or contributing to your illness?

• Obtain accurate and specific information from your doctor.

Often patients will claim that the doctor never specifically said that their smoking or their diet can cause damage or disease. This miscommunication may be due in part to the patients not asking direct questions because then they can assume if it wasn’t directly stated, than it must not be that serious.

• Objectively evaluate the information you are given about changes in your lifestyle. We are often very comfortable giving advice to other people we care about. We can easily say, “You really shouldn’t smoke”, or “You need to better manage your stress.”  However, when it comes to us the advice is often lost. Although you may be able to say to yourself.  “I really should be exercising”. You may also follow-up up with excuses that give you permission to continue with the behavior. It is important that you listen objectively to what you are saying to yourself and then correct that self talk.

Beliefs about Immediate Benefits

We are unlikely to change our behavior unless we believe that there will be an immediate benefit to our health. Telling somebody to monitor the amount of saturated fats in their diet when they are not currently experiencing any medical concerns is unlikely to yield a change in behavior. Behavior change needs to be anchored to improvements that can be experienced now.

• Visualize yourself benefiting from the changes. If you are quitting smoking or improving your diet, visualize your arteries with blood flowing freely without the clogging effects from unhealthy behaviors. Imagine your heart pumping at a regular comfortable rate without having to work so hard.
• Remind yourself that you are making the right choices. For example, tell yourself as you exercise that you are lowering your cholesterol, keeping your weight down, and improving the overall functioning of your heart.

Beliefs about the Costs of Making a Change

When we are confronted with information about our health and the changes we need to make, a couple of thoughts usually come to mind. First, we begin to weigh the benefits of eating a healthy diet versus the loss of eating whatever you want. For example somebody who perceives that the benefits of eating a healthy diet includes marginally improving heart health but the cost of changing the diet involves depriving self of “good foods” is “expensive’ and an inconvenience to family” is unlikely to stay motivated. The cost of the change clearly outweighs the benefits.

How do you view changes that you need to make in your life to improve your health? Try to do a cost-benefit analysis for yourself. Notice the language that you use and then honestly assess how real you believe the health risk of is for you and what cost you perceive yourself having to pay for your health.

Self Confidence

Do you listen to a health message and find yourself acknowledging that while it makes sense, deep inside you’re thinking, “I could never really do that”?

Confidence is built when we are able to have several small measures of success in high-risk situations. So if you notice that resisting high-fat foods is particularly difficult for you when you’re dining out with friends, then small improvements will be felt as success to be built upon. This will improve your confidence and commitment to sticking with your healthy behavior.

Environmental Cues

Many of the motivating factors we’ve talked about so far involve changes that you need to make inside yourself. There are also environmental changes you can make to support your efforts to change unhealthy behaviors. Surrounding yourself with cues to remind you of our commitment to change and help you sustain changes can be quite useful.

• Surround yourself with supportive people who share your commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
• Keep healthy foods readily available to you.
• Establish an exercise routine with a partner.
• Keep a list of your priorities and the amount time committed to each task as a reminder of your improve time management techniques.

Laugh Your Stress Away

Humor can be one of the best stress relievers. Scientifically, laughter has been shown to release endorphins—the body’s own natural pain killer and feel-good chemical. From a physical standpoint, laughing is like an aerobic exercise. Researchers have shown that one hundred  good belly laughs have the same health benefits as fifteen minutes on a stationary bicycle. Laughter has also been shown to strengthen the immune system so it can fight off viral and bacterial infections. Good, solid laughter can even increase the natural killer cells of the body that destroy abnormal precancerous cells. Laughter really is good medicine.

From an emotional standpoint, using humor can be a good coping strategy. When you laugh about something, you can momentarily forget your tension, and your body automatically relaxes. Humor can also give you a fresh approach to life’s daily stressors.  It can help you keep a sense of proportion and perspective about situations in which you find yourself. After all, there will be many things—other people’s action or life events—that will be out of our control.

Humor can bring enjoyment to life and dramatically interferes with thoughts and feelings of depression and anxiety. Have you ever noticed that when you are laughing the tension of anxiety fades and levels of sadness can be lifted?

People who laugh often are usually more social, pleasant to be around and report feeling less physical and emotional tension. Patients who use humor to cope with medical conditions report that it feels like taking a break from worry, pain and fear. This distancing can help you take a break from your current distress while at the same time mobilizing your coping resources for future coping needs.

Managing stress is critical to your health.  Stress has been shown to be an independent risk factor for heart disease and it reduces the effectiveness of the body’s immune system. This compromised immune function puts you at risk for developing numerous chronic diseases. So, take care of your health and go ahead and laugh.

Integrative Medicine: Treating the Person and not just the Disease

 

Reforming and improving healthcare is the focus and challenge of the future. In response to some of these challenges, a holistic approach to healing has begun to spread to major universities, hospitals, healthcare agencies and medical schools.  This holistic approach, known as integrative medicine acknowledges that healing is about addressing the mind, body and spirit of the person.

Integrative medicine is a model of integrating care from the best conventional medical protocols with complimentary therapies such as acupuncture, healing touch (an evidence-based modality used by nurses to manage pain, wound/fracture healing, etc), massage and music therapy, yoga and wellness coaching for support with life style changes. The efficacy of these therapies have been widely studied with conditions ranging from gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and stress related to medical illness and surgical procedures as well as pain management post-operatively.

The American Hospital Association reports that there has been a significant increase in hospitals offering complimentary therapies with only 8.6% in 1998 to almost 25% in 2004 with an additional 24% reporting plans to add services in the future. It has been reported that patients who use integrative medicine programs in a hospital are more likely to rate their overall experience higher.

The growing trend and appeal of integrative medicine appears to be coming from the consumers dissatisfaction with the current healthcare system including feeling rushed through appointments and viewed only as their disease or illness, e.g., the breast cancer or the diseased kidney. They want to be viewed in whole as the person with the disease. Healthcare providers are also embracing integrative medicine as a way to reduce their feelings of being overwhelmed and rushed in providing care under the current healthcare system.