29 April 2008

An Invitation: Do We Practice What We Preach?

"Avoid eating large amounts of fatty foods
like lechon and kare-kare."

"Exercise regularly."

"Stop smoking."

"Avoid salty food
items."

"Stop smoking already."

"If you're a diabetic, learn to avoid eating sweets ---
yes, that includes
drinking sodas and iced tea."

"Please stop smoking now."

"No, watching TV and playing
video games are not forms of exercise."

"Avoid eating junk food."

"Can you take your medicines religiously?"

"Why haven't you
stopped smoking yet?"

"Consult your doctor regularly or at least once a
year."

"Sleep early and sleep at least 8 hours every night."

"How many times have you undergone an executive check-up?"

"What medications do you take?"

"Smoking kills.
It has been documented and proven in studies.
Doesn't that scare you?"

To my fellow medbloggers, friend nurses, and those others in the allied medical professions who blog --- I am sure you are all familiar with the statements and questions mentioned above. At one point, you must have heard yourself say and ask those things to your dear patients.

I will be hosting TBR-8 next week, on May 6, 2008 (methinks this year's annual PCP convention will coincide with this date), and the theme is:



I am inviting all of you to elaborate or to share particular stories and experiences why you practice or why you don't practice what we preach our patients.

Show where you stand, and do not be too shy about it. It is about time our patients knew if we practice what we preach.

Do we really lead healthy lives? If so, how healthy are we?

Describe your normal 'healthy' day.

What do you eat? What do doctors eat?
How do we exercise? Do we exercise regularly?

Do doctors smoke? Do smoking doctors find it difficult to quit? Do we even consider quitting? Why or why not?

How often do we have our own regular laboratory work-ups?

It is said that experience is the best teacher, and that the best way to teach is to lead by example.

How true is this in our case? Are we leading our patients by example?

Let me know by submitting your post links to me at doc[dot]emer[at]gmail[dot]com on or before 11:00PM of May 5, 2008. Please put TBR-8 Submission in the subject heading.

Thank you, and I hope to see you all here next week.

7 reactions:

Deany Bocobo said...

Somewhere I read that doctors, at least in the US, have lifespans 3 to 5 years lower than the general population. but that was a long time ago. don't know if it's still true. But if it is, that might be saying something.

mesiamd said...

I believe the outlook of many doctors changes in time. In school, many are altruistic, but faced with the realities of the profession, some become cynical. A large majority remains focus on their job.

Since they're human beings, like any of us, on a certain degree, they're prone to suffer the same discouragement, inconsistency, fear, fatigue, illnesses etc. that affect his patients. Sabi nga nila, "Tao rin sila."

Sometimes he preaches medical wisdom that he doesn't do for himself. His longevity depends largely on multiplicity of factors that he probably can explain to himself.

Anonymous said...

Gadzooks! Good thing I visited your blog first, I thought I was hosting TBR-8, ikaw pala!

I will publish an erratum in my recent call for posts. You may want to check it out in advance too, Doc Emer. Napaaga tuloy. It's HERE.

Count me in for this edition. I'll put something up tomorrow, take advantage of the holiday.

J.A. said...

Great idea for a theme! Will try to formulate my blog over today's benign holiday duty...

Dorothy said...

Since we are in the topic of Practicing What We Preach and Living Healthy ... I am advertising a FUN RUN entitled DOC FIT!!! This will be on May 25, 2008 at the U.P. Diliman Campus ...

There is a 5k and 10K open category ... and a SPECIAL CATEGORY FOR DOCTORS!!! The mission of the said Race is to encourage doctors to "practice what we preach" and live healthy energetic lives through RUNNING!!! For inquiries, please log on to http://runrio.com

ice9web said...

yes I agree we must practice what we preach
sometimes I get annoyed with doctors who drink too much and even smoke or eat junk food on their clinics is like advertising it???

hmmm what can we do about this?

Jet said...

uhmm... off topic Doc. I tagged you. It's not urgent so don't fret about it but it could be interesting. As for this, I'm sorry to have come upon it too late. Rain check? :D