Vital Signs September 2013
Physician Health Matters
A growing body of research presided over by Erica Frank, M.D., M.P.H., at the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia indicates that the more health-conscious medical students and physicians are, the more attention they pay to prevention-related counseling and screening practices with their patients.
Put quite simply, healthy physicians inspire health in their patients. I’d like to share with you how this phenomenon has played out in my life — as a patient and as a psychiatrist.
About five years ago, I found myself with a BMI approaching 30. As my career had unfolded, I was getting less and less exercise. The stresses and strains of everyday life and medical practice were such that I wasn’t sleeping as well as I had as a younger man. Along with my weight, my blood pressure was going up. But I didn’t have the time or the motivation to do anything about these gradual changes.
A younger colleague in family medicine began sharing with me her experiences as a triathlete. Initially put off by all the talk of running, swimming, and biking, her vigor and excitement began to engender curiosity, with a dollop of “Type A” envy. If she could do it, why couldn’t I? Then she lowered the boom: “You’re getting too heavy,” she said. “You are developing hypertension. Before you know it, you’ll have an MI and you’ll be dead.”
Her upsetting words jarred me out of complacency; there was an element of truth to them. I started running — running for my life.
I hated it at first. It wasn’t fun. I huffed and I puffed, with barely enough stamina to make it around the block.
But after about six months I was hooked. I was getting up in the dark, strapping on my headlamp and reflective gear, and running 20-plus miles per week. My BMI and BP were dropping, and I was sleeping well again.
With each daily run I felt as though I was rebooting my nervous system and my psyche. I came to work feeling refreshed, and with a new-found sense of equanimity. I was getting more done.
Some patients, noticing my weight loss, wondered if I was okay. Many hung on my every word when I described my transformation. They checked in with me to see if I was still running. And I began to “prescribe” exercise as a matter of course. It’s a powerful antidepressant. It’s a suitable substitute for people who give up smoking or drinking. It can help with the weight gain brought on by psychotropic medications. And, of course, the more you exercise, the better you will sleep.
So there we have it. It’s what we learned in medical school: see one, do one, teach one. If you have yet to embrace the exercise bug, stop making excuses and begin taking charge of your health and well-being. As they say in AA, “bring the body and the mind will follow.” You’ll feel better, and you’ll deliver better health care. Your patients, friends, and family will be grateful.
—Steve Adelman
Director, Physician Health Services
For more on this topic, and for the free video, 10 Minutes of Exercise You Can Do Anywhere, please pay a visit toinstituteoflifestylemedicine.org.
