{"id":16796,"date":"2019-03-06T09:04:49","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T14:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feminem.org\/?p=16796"},"modified":"2019-03-09T18:34:45","modified_gmt":"2019-03-09T23:34:45","slug":"health-hacks-do-less-thrive-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feminem.org\/2019\/03\/06\/health-hacks-do-less-thrive-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Hacks: Do Less, Thrive More"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Life in the ER Led Me to Develop \u201cHacks\u201d for Life \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Moms: how many times have you heard, \u201cyou won\u2019t be doing that when the baby comes\u201d? Or worse: \u201csay goodbye to sleep when the little one gets here!\u201d Conversation after conversation left me with a daunting thought: Did we really have to accept poor health (and at times our sanity) as the cost of motherhood?<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t cool with that.<\/p>\n

You see, I\u2019d heard it before \u2013 when I was in my intern year, I awoke one day with swollen joints \u2013 my hands, feet, pain in my back\u2026 I went from running daily to being unable to stand when I evaluated patients \u2013 I\u2019d pull up a garbage can to sit on, since we never had enough chairs. I was eventually diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and started on injections twice a week.<\/p>\n

But, as an ER doctor, I\u2019d always felt this sense that \u2013 whatever came through those double doors, that I could handle it – \u00a0that \u201cI\u2019ve GOT this\u201d. So, I asked myself\u2013 why did I not feel that way in my own health<\/em>?<\/p>\n

So, I started to research and with significant lifestyle changes, I was able to wean off my arthritis medications eight years ago. (Note: I\u2019m not anti-medicine\u2014I have huge faith in it. I prescribe it ForPete\u2019sSake<\/em>. But, in my individual case\u2014as for many\u2014other factors also play a large role.) Most days, (as long as I keep within this regimen) I can forget I have this diagnosis.<\/p>\n

So, when I heard similar messages during my pregnancy, I wondered \u2013 could I take those lessons I\u2019d learned from coping with my arthritis, plus the mentality and skills that let me feel that \u201cI\u2019ve GOT This\u201d in the ER, to create a way for myself \u2013 and every single mom and woman \u2013 to feel more \u201cI\u2019ve GOT this\u201d in her every day?<\/p>\n

I could.<\/p>\n

You see, working in the ER had taught me about cognitive overload, about our body\u2019s equilibrium (and what happens when they go into disarray), and the profound impact of even the smallest lifestyle choices. We learned the value of protocols (ABCD anyone?) and process improvement. I also learned the beauty of small, incremental change: if a patient comes in with a blood pressure of 225\/150, first I yawn (call me when SBP is > 250, right?), but secondly, I don\u2019t knee-jerk reaction to fix it to \u201cnormal\u201d \u2013 I slowly start to lower it, knowing that the slow, incremental trend is far better than a severe drop. Because in the ER, I\u2019ve learned that just incremental beginnings can trigger radical change.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly what works in our own daily lives, as well.\u00a0 Want a few examples?<\/p>\n