Mari’s Personal Journal: Optimal Health Without Annual Physicals

Friday, June 8, 2012

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease

~Buddha

Happy Friday! Today is Day 8 of my Sugar Free 30 Day Optimal Health Challenge.  And by sugar free, I mean any processed food that lists “sugar” as an ingredient. For now, I’ll just trust that food product producers are relatively accurate in their ingredient listings. I don’t feel the need to get into micro managing; that would be a poor use of my growing healthy energy and brainpower.

How’s Your Health today? What health issues are you and your Journal working on?

You might be interested in joining our Optimal Health Forum, where you pick a health item you want to focus on for the next 30 days and report in daily on how you’re doing. We’ll answer your questions and provide encouragement, support or whatever you need to help you master your 30 Day Health Challenge!

So far, @Wendy (she’s implementing a journaling and yoga routine) and @Donna (she’s working on caffeine reduction) have joined the Optimal Health Forum. And as I said in last week’s Mari’s Personal Journal column, if you post in the OH! Forum for 30 straight days, you’ll get a CreateWriteNow signature T shirt. If you already have one, we’ll give you something else from JJ’s Journal Therapy Store.

What did I do for my health this week?

I saved myself some $$$ because I decided to stop getting my yearly physicals based on doctor’s orders:  Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal’s article in last Sunday’s New York Times, “Let’s (Not) Get Physicals.” She says:   

For decades, scientific research has shown that annual physical exams — and many of the screening tests that routinely accompany them — are in many ways pointless or (worse) dangerous, because they can lead to unneeded procedures. The last few years have produced a steady stream of new evidence against the utility of popular tests: READ MORE

My take away from her article is that we patients have significant opportunities (financially and personally) to become our own Primary Care Provider by changing our thoughts and behavior and starting to create partnerships with our healthcare resources.    

Would you like to get started on becoming your own Primary Care Provider? (that’s what PCP on JJ’s shirt above means). Begin by asking your Journal a question like, “What is this woman talking about me becoming my own Primary Care Provider, does this make any sense to you, at all? Then write, write and write. And tell us in the Comments below what your Personal Journal says.

WriteON! 

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Work stress contributes to physical disease.  If you‘re currently unemployed, underemployed, have a work related physical disability or just absolutely dread getting out of bed in the morning and want to learn how to create your ideal job, then sign up for our Do What You Love! The 7 Days Career Journaling Challenge write now!