Taking care of yourself first

I’d need 10 pair of hands to be able to count how many times I’ve told my patients to realax and take care of themselves this week. People seek advice from me about how to best handle their injuries, their aches and their pains. Yet, when I tell people to apply ice or apply heat, or to take a hot bath, I’m constantly told I don’t have time.

What? You don’t have time. Well, then you’ll just have to continue to suffer. (Sometimes I think it, sometimes I actually say that to them)

There’s no way you can walk into a doctors office, regardless of discipline or specialty, dump your problems off on your doctor and then come back in a week or two and expect your problems to be fixed. Good results in your health always come when a patient and a doctor work together as a team.

So, let me let you in on a little secret…..

Shhhhhhhhh.

Ya ready???

Start taking care of yourself first.

That’s it.

Start taking care of yourself first. Seems simple enough. That's your part in this doctor-patient "TEAM". At the end of the day, come home, eat a light dinner then when you start to wind down…take a nice warm or hot bath for 20 minutes and just relax your body and mind. Let the physical and emotional stresses of the day just float away. I bet you’ll sleep better as well.

If you sleep better, you will get the proper release of growth hormone from your pituitary. Growth hormone helps your body heal and really rejuvenates you. It's like a little in-born fountain of youth. That’s why all studies on sleep deprivation show a link between poor sleep and just about every condition you don’t want. Diabetes, cancer, obesity and a general piss-poor attitude.

So, start with numero-uno. Start by taking care of yourself. An unhealthy ‘you’ can’t perform your job, your career or take care of your family to the best your potential will allow. By taking care of yourself first, you’ll be able to best handle all things life throws at you and then some. So tonight, go take a nice bubble bath and see how much better you feel in the morning.

Unless you have some medical condition that you shouldn’t use moist heat on or increase your heart rate, this should be a nice way to get started on taking care of ‘you’

OK?

Good. Now, on your mark….get set…..GO.

‘nuff said

DocT

Dr. Narson is a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award in 1999-2000. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.