Taking the Hippocratic Oath is a rite of passage. Before any physician enters Exam Room 1, he recites these words, written by Hippocrates centuries ago. These words are powerful; so powerful that they are treated as more than just words. These words represent a physician\u2019s love and devotion to his patients.<\/p>\n
No matter how stressful this field can be, I have always seen physicians set these words\u2014the oath\u2014as their standard. As physicians (or budding physicians, in our case), we tell others to fill their bodies with nourishment and to practice a variety of healthy habits. But, the question remains: do we treat our own bodies the same way?<\/p>\n
As a public health major, I\u2019m all about \u201cprevention.\u201d My special interest is the prevention of chronic disease. Whenever I go home, I am the first to scrutinize my parents’ pantry\u2014making sure their ketchup is devoid of high fructose corn syrup and that their fridge is filled with raw food. When I talk to my friends or relatives, I push them to exercise because \u201cit really only takes thirty minutes of your day, and you\u2019ll feel amazing afterwards!\u201d<\/p>\n
Basically, I play the pushy health coach. But is this health coach all talk and no walk?<\/p>\n
Sadly, I don\u2019t always abide by the values I preach. Even though I know I should be drinking water equivalent to half my body weight in ounces, I generally don\u2019t. Well, why not? Sometimes I don\u2019t make it a priority, and other times I forget. Many patients probably experience a similar scenario. Likewise, I often see my fellow classmates put academics above their health at school. I can be guilty of this too.<\/p>\n
When I started thinking about our habits, I was hard on myself and my peers. As healthcare practitioners, our own health should never be placed on the backburner. More importantly, I don\u2019t like the idea of telling my patients to do A, B, and C if I can\u2019t do A or B or C myself. It just doesn\u2019t seem very reasonable. I\u2019ve come to the conclusion that there are two ways I can approach this in the future:<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve realized it\u2019s okay to push those I love to be better, even if I\u2019m far from that point myself. But this conversation should\u00a0be accompanied\u00a0by a discussion on health barriers. It\u2019s hard to get your limp legs out of a warm bed in the morning, but what will help you rip off the covers and jump on the treadmill? Sleeping with your sports bra on? Placing your alarm farther away from the nightstand? We all know what \u201chealthy\u201d looks like; what we don\u2019t always know is how to achieve it. I want to share my own obstacles with patients while also discussing theirs.<\/p>\n
Bottom line: I don\u2019t have to be perfect to offer health advice\u2026I just need to be compassionate.<\/p>\n