Want to learn more?  I’ve created a special booklet  that you and your loved ones want–and need to know to enjoy optimal health.  It answers 10 questions like:

• What is  Grover’s Disease?
• What causes Grover’s Disease?
• What questions should you ask your doctor?
• What if the doctor you want is out-of-network?
• What are 10 things family members can say to help–and not hurt?

Click here to purchase a digital  download of this special report filled with practical, actionable ideas to optimize health.  The cost is $3.00.

Or get a package with three resources

• The Grover’s Disease Report  Value $3.00
• The e-Personal Health Journal with tools to partner with your  doctor and manage your medical conditions.  Value $19.95
• The e-Caregiving without Regrets Value $9.95

If you purchased these separately you would pay almost $33.00.  Click here to purchase for $21.95

Today I had the honor of taping a public service announcement  for Bartell Drugs.  I went to the studio that houses the station I listen to in my car so often– Seattle’s Warm 106.9.  As I entered the front door, I went to sign in with the receptionist. Right over her shoulder was a welcome sign.  Literally.

The receptionist even offered to take a photo

Warmth is part of the Warm 106.9 branding; still, I was struck with how this friendly welcome positively shaped my experience at the station.

How well do you welcome your customers, clients and visitors as they call you, walk through the front door of your business or visit your web site?  Walk in as if you were a customer and see how it feels.

Thanks, Warm 106.9 for the important reminder that a warm welcome is good buisness!

If someone were to describe you, would they say you’re more like an aspirin or a vitamin?

Not that you literally prescribe aspirin or vitamins.  However, you help your patients, clients or sources of referrals achieve one of two outcomes: move away from what they don’t want, or move towards what they do want.  An aspirin or a vitamin.

Medical specialties generally fall into the aspirin camp or the vitamin camp. Dentists are like aspirin and orthodontists are like vitamins.   Cancer centers are like aspirin and fertility clinics are like vitamins.  Cardiac surgeons are like aspirin and cosmetic surgeons are like vitamins.  Dermatologists can go either way.

Patients move back and forth between the camps, depending on their circumstances.

A person in the midst of a rip-roaring migraine will do whatever it takes to get some aspirin.  They just want the pain to stop.   The worse the pain, the higher the motivation.

What happens two days after the headache subsides?  You might think that this person would make choices based on the fear of another attack.  The evidence shows otherwise.  One year after a heart attack, only thirty percent of  patients take the medication that will prevent a second.  Once the pain is over, it’s done.

The difference between aspirin and vitamins is like the difference between playing not to lose and playing to win.  The team playing to win will usually prevail.

What does this mean for you, your clinical outcomes and your business outcomes?    The organization that offers both aspirin and vitamins has the competitive advantage.

My dentist is a wonderful example.  I trusted him as I sat in his chair with a whopper of a toothache.  What does he say every six months to keep me flossing and brushing between cleanings?  He does not remind me of the pain of my inflamed tooth; he tells me stories of octogenarians smiling at their grandkids’ wedding with their own teeth.

Fear of pain drives immediate choices; however hopes and dreams drive long-term compliance.

When you want to motivate someone managing chronic conditions, go digging for their dream.

When you want immediate action, go digging for the pain.

Stock both aspirin and vitamins in your career formulary.  Then reach for the right prescription at the right time.

What do you think?

Click here to get my special report How to get More Patients.

Imagine standing in front of a mirror and seeing a trim toned body.

You can get there!

How do I know? As a doctor I’ve witnessed my patients make remarkable transformations; as a health coach I’ve seen clients do it. Plus, I’ve done it myself. This person to your left is me now; the person to your right is me 20 years ago.

Each moment of each day, you’re either building fat–or burning it.  Here are three tips to turn your body into a fat-burning machine:

You can get there!

Get off the sugar roller coaster

Just as your car runs on gas, your body runs on glucose.  Your body has an ideal blood sugar zone. Not too high, and not too low, but just right.

Sharp blood sugar peaks and valleys lead to weight gain.    Here’s how to get off the sugar roller coaster and keep your blood sugar in the steady fat-burning zone.

Eat regularly.  Hunger is like your admission ticket to a sugar roller coaster ride. Find the eating schedule that works best for you.  It may be three squares a day, or it may be grazing every 2 to 3 hours.

Eat right.  Avoid foods that lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar.  Instead reach for foods with a low glycemic index that keep you in the fat-burning zone.

Eat enough.  Let your body–not your brain–tell you when you’re hungry and when you’re full.

Move 

Think of muscle as a fat-burning furnace.  Exercise flips the furnace switch on.

Get started.  Even moderate exercise supports fitness and weight loss.  Begin small, even if it’s just a ten minute walk.  Stick to it for one week and notice how much more energy you have.  And how much easier it is to make good food choices.

Have fun.  Find something that’s fun to do.  Factor in how you like to move your body, and your desire to be around people.  Some prefer solitary time for thinking.  Other want to make it social.

Make it a habit.  Build exercise into your schedule.  Make it part of your day like brushing your teeth.

Besides losing weight, you’ll also enjoy a healthier brain; exercise causes your brain to make a substance called BDNF, also called “Miracle Grow for your brain.”

Seek balance.

If exercise turns on the fat-burning furnace, stress turns it off.

Think of stress as a scarcity alarm.  You hang onto resources–whether it’s money in the bank or fuel stored as fat–during times of scarcity.

Avoid scarcity of the elements that fuel your life: food, water, sleep, oxygen and human connection. Here are some tips to get in balance in each area:

• Air  Fill your lungs. Put your hand on your belly and take a deep breath. Your belly should pooch out. Do this with every breath.
• Water By the time you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. The best indicator of your water balance is the color of your urine. It should be light yellow.
• Sleep  Get a  full night’s sleep. Your electronic devices all have off switches; use them.  Consider daytime naps.
• Human connection Human connection powers our lives just as surely electricity powers our houses. Get and stay connected to important people.  Meet in person when possible.
• Food  When you reach for food, ask, “What is my body really hungry for?” Is it a nap or a call to a friend?

Keep that picture of that slim toned self in your mind.  You can and will get there!

ⓒ 2012 Dr. Vicki Rackner  All rights reserved.  May be reproduced with permission.

Many choices reasonable caregivers make under stressful circumstances contribute to weight gain.

Less exercise.  “My walk seems like a frivolous indulgence compared to my mom who really needs me.”

More fast food. “Where did the time go?  Let’s swing by the fast food window for dinner.”

Sleep deprivation. When I was a surgeon-in-training, my mentor said, “You can get by on less sleep or less food, but not at the same time.”

The search for love and comfort. “I can’t turn to the person who has been my soft landing spot for years and say, ‘It’s so hard caring for you!’  That’s when I reach for the Haagen Daz.  It’s like getting a hug, at least for a moment or two.”

Then there’s biology.

Stress hormones change the body’s metabolic thermostat towards the setting of weight gain.
Hormonal changes of peri-menopause can lead to weight gain; many women step into the care of aging parents just as they’re stepping into menopause.

Biology is not destiny.  You can maintain your weight, even with the stresses of caregiving.  Click here for some ideas you will recognize as the advice your grandmother gave you. It will require some effort, and it can be done.

What do you think?  Please weigh in—as they say.

Want to make your holiday dinner really special?  Ask people around the table to share stories.

Here are some questions that might get the ball rolling:

• What were the holidays like when you were a child?  What did you serve for dinner? Who did the dishes?
• What did you get for presents?
• What was it like growing up in your neighborhood?
• Who was the most colorful member of our family?   Do we have any relatives we never talk about?
• What’s the proudest moment of your life?
• What’s the naughtiest thing you ever did?
• What concerns kept you up at night?
• What happened when someone got sick?  When did you see the doctor? Where? Did he make house calls?
• Who delivered babies?

You can bring out photo albums to jog memories. Be sure to have a video camera ready to capture this priceless experience.

Enjoy the celebration of the gifts you bring to each other.  Happy holidays!

Let’s say your loved one runs into medication glitches.  Maybe they accidentally double the dose of medication, take a spouse’s meds or drop their pills and can’t identify them.

Encourage them to call the doctor.  Your poison Control Center can help, too. Here’s the link in Washington State.  http://www.wapc.org/information/for-you-your-family/seniors/..

Developing relationships with people who refer patients accelerates your practice growth. In this video, learn the three steps to a meaningful conversation that will lead to more referrals.

Do you think your pet has healing powers?  I bet you’re right!

This past week I got to tell some stories about my special four-legged companion Elvira.  This chocolate lab was a healer.   There was something special about her; you just felt better when she was by your side.

Elvira came into my life by divine accident.  We rescued her as a mature dog after her owner died.  In the years we spent together I often wondered who rescued whom.

The calls and cards I got after hear death last year tell me that she was loved by many.

It was a delight to tell some Elvira stories in an interview with The Pet Engineer.  You can hear the interview here.  The host Giana collects stories of people and animals helping each other.

I spent many years as a surgeon curing patients; cure is the process of fixing something that’s broken or removing something that’s diseased.

Healing is something much different; it’s the process of becoming whole.

I’ve been with dying people who are healed, and healthy able-bodied people in desperate need of healing.

If Elvira had been at their side, they would have experienced her caring presence.  She accepted people exactly as they were.

I hope that you have a pet in your life who does that for you.  I hope that you can become such a healing force in your family and community.

Thanks to Giana, The Pet Engineer for allowing me to share Elvira’s stories.

PS Here’s our new family member MuttPup on the left playing with his friends at the dog park. He’s sixty pound of puppy trouble!  And we love him.

Ever wondered why holiday celebrations feel so good?  It’s all about brain chemistry.

Each of your thoughts, feelings and actions causes a chain of brain cells to fire together, leading to changes in the local neurochemistry.

Some of those changes make the brain work better; just ask anyone who exercises regularly.  Others, like the presence of chronic pain, make the brain worse.

Many holiday traditions create positive brain changes, hitting the sweet spot of optimal brain function.

Here’s how you can create brain holiday magic for yourself.  If you’re a caregiver, you can create the circumstances so it happens for loved ones, too.  This holiday brain chemistry can be therapeutic for a person living with physical or emotional pain; pain relief is part of the magic.  

Connect.  Caring human connections enhance the brain’s release of feel-good substances, including BDNF, sometimes described as “Miracle Grow for the brain.”

People living with chronic pain tend to become isolated.  Reach out and invite them to join you.  Or go visit them.

If you avoid people in physical or emotional pain because you’re uncertain about what to say,  you’re not alone.  Here is a quick summary of The Connection Prescription, that will offer you some tips.

The Connection Prescription: How Families Find More Joy, More Love and More Hope

Give.  While it’s aways fun to get presents, the act of giving–not receiving–releases the holiday magic brain chemistry.  Witnessing an act of kindness will do the same thing.

Many care recipients find diminishing chances to give.  Create giving opportunities for them.  Ask them to give you the gift of their stories.  Help them give to others in a way that uses their gifts.  If your mom loves to knit, buy her some yarn so she can knit scarves for the homeless.  Help your dad find a military pen pal.

Even if you’re short on time or money or energy, you can always give thanks.

Play.  Have fun.  Laugh.  Sing and dance.  All of these activities distract the brain away from pain.  Get up and move; exercise increases brain levels of BDNF.

Other factors make it easier to hit your brain’s sweet spot.

• Get enough sleep.
• Fuel your celebration with healthy eating.
• Mange your stress.  Stress is a pain that tells you that you don’t have enough of something.  Get it!

There’s no short cut to the brain’s sweet spot.  While drinking and overindulging make you feel better in the moment, they move the brain away from the sweet spot.  Alcohol is a neurotoxin. Use it in moderation.

Help others find joy, and notice how your own joy multiplies.

What do you think?

I’m grateful that you have given me the opportunity to share my stories with you.  Thank you for sharing yours!

Wishing you a holiday season filled with love, light and joy.