What If We Have Forgotten What Optimal Health Looks Like?

What If We Have Forgotten What Optimal Health Looks Like?

I think nursing schools do a wonderful job of instilling the vision of nursing. Nurses are the gatekeepers, the eyes and ears that see, hear, and assess what is going on with our patients. We are at the patient’s bedside when the physicians and primary care providers are analyzing and interpreting results, and engineering the best course of action. We hold our patients hand, we listen to their fears, and we translate their concerns to the doctor. We also have the critical thinking and technical skills to determine when they are getting into trouble. We often have the opportunity to hear what is in their heart and soul. We develop a broad base of skills and have the ability to use all of our talents. 

Unfortunately in the crunch of modern healthcare, when I am taking care of my patients, the compassion of nursing often gets pushed aside for the technical aspects and I find myself focusing on their Pneumonia and Dehydration. My job description requires I focus on the details of their medications, diet, bowel movements, intake and output, and vital signs. I pass medications, do treatments and chart. I look for trends to determine if my patient is improving or declining. I focus on getting them ready for discharge. What if I am so caught up in the war of fighting disease, infection, cancer, and pain; that I have lost sight of what I am fighting for? What if I have spent so much time taking care of the details, that I have facilitated diminishing the life of the whole organism I am fighting for?

What if we have forgotten what Optimal Health looks like?

What if, as health care providers we change our focus from treating those who are sick, to helping our patients and families stay well. I’m talking about shifting our perspective. What does health look like?

After all, if you don’t have a clear definition of health, how can you work toward achieving it?

My definition of Health:

Healthy is waking up in the morning feeling refreshed, having the physical energy and clarity of thought to easily get through an 8 hour day. Health is fluid movement, and freedom to focus on tasks, and events around us. Health is having the power to dream and the imagination to accomplish those dreams. Health is feeling strong enough to see life as an obstacle course full of challenges, and learning experiences, knowing we have the strength and endurance to tackle them because we are surrounded by family and friends who have been there and can advise us when needed. Life is a team sport and we are all in this together. 

Health is fueling our bodies with healthy foods. Eating and digesting, deriving satisfaction from the taste and wholesomeness from what we put in our bodies, deriving strength and sustenance. A healthy body digests a wholesome meal in 3-12 hours and eliminates the by- products. A healthy person is composed of approximately 85% water and hydrated well enough that what comes out looks like clear water.  

Health is being at peace with God, whatever you believe him to be. Having faith, hope, and love in your life. Optimum health is appreciating, that there is positive energy all around us; we just have to be open to receive it. It’s having a spirit of giving and sharing. It’s feeling a responsibility to leave the planet better than you found it.

Healthy is understanding that everything that touches us has the potential to leave an imprint. What we put in our mind, our heart, in our mouth, and on our skin matters because we can internalize it. 

Treat your body with value and respect.

What if we are settling for less simply because we haven’t been exposed to more? What if we are so busy fighting; disease, cancer, infection, and pain; that we are blinded and deaf to the cause of dysfunction? What if our body has built in self- healing mechanisms? What if we worked at supplying the building blocks and materials our body needs to heal itself? What if we used all aspects of healing; the power of the mind, body and spirit to work together to a form a greater strength, power, and ability to heal? What if we learned to listen and see symptoms of dysfunction, as our body’s way of communicating what it needs? 

What if we are cheating our patients and ourselves by not using more? What would happen if we focused on building, supporting, enhancing what we already have?  What if we didn’t have to stop working at healing until our patients are ready to quit?

What if God didn’t abandon us, what if we lost our way, and we abandoned each other?

A goal of this column will be to educate on health care options to help each and every one of us achieve Optimum health.

Getting back to nurses as being the Gatekeepers, I see Nurse Case Managers as having the ability to look at the whole picture. With education on all aspects of health and wellness, we have the insight and knowledge to work with our patients to achieve optimum health. We can direct patients through all health care services and resources to achieve Optimum Health. We need a broader knowledge of the resources available to us, and how and when to use them. 

What Case Management, Alternative Medicine, Integrative Medicine, and Complementary Medicine Resources do you use?