What is this about?

This week, we arrive at the What!

What is The Total Patient?

I believe it is advice, encouragement, practical tips and suggestions, and insight into what being a patient really means.

As a nurse, and especially as a Nurse Practitioner (NP, from here on out), I'm concerned with how your home life affects your health. Is your job increasing your stress which is creating worse neck pain? Are you having panic attacks because you're scared about taking a test? Does your blood sugar fluctuate beyond "normal" ranges every day? Is the anniversary of your sons death looming and causing your insomnia to worsen?

These are the topics I address with patients on a daily basis.

The longer I practice, the more I see the connection of mind and body and how that relates to every day choices. What did you have for breakfast? Did you exercise today? Have you had your mammogram? Did your boss yell at you? Did you binge on a package of Twinkies? Very rarely, IMO, are these decisions singular. Meaning, each decision is influenced by other choices and each decision has direct effects on outcomes.

Let me break it down further. I eat protein (eggs) for breakfast every day. I have learned that I need protein and fat to keep me satiated throughout the morning. If I eat breakfast, and have my coffee, I feel better, I am more clear mentally, I have enough energy to tackle my patients and get through until lunch. In order for me to be able to get breakfast, I have to wake up early enough which means I have to go to bed at a decent hour....etc. Have you read the childrens book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? This is so true!

I digress...

The Total Patient is helping you connect these dots for yourself so you can live life to the fullest! So you can get the most out of your doctor appointments and specialists. We want to enable you to manage your health on your own, as best you can, by integrating basic and often over looked methods.