Shedding some LIGHT on death
The most common causes of death for an American:
(statistically speaking)
- Heart Disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer
My job as a passionate primary care preventative practitioner (or PPCPP) is two fold:
- Address my patient’s immediate health concerns and goals.
- Help my patients increase longevity and decrease morbidity.
We plan for retirement, but we do not consciously plan our cause of death. **Ahem, or do we?!** Key word there: CONSCIOUSLY. Fact is, our bodies are making plans based on our conscious choices. We’re choosing with each food choice, or each choice between the sofa or the Stairmaster. And our DNA is choosing! We have ZERO-ish control over our DNA, which has an entirely different plan regardless of the conscious choices we make daily.
This blog, while some may think is morbid, is an open dialogue about death. Why does it have to be taboo? Why do we wait to talk about death until we’re in the hospital and it’s too late? It’s time we shed some light on DEATH. Let’s talk about it! It doesn’t have to be scary or even a taboo topic.
If I had to choose from the above, I’d choose heart disease I think, because it tends to be quick. What would be your choice? Or have you perhaps already chosen?
Let’s have a raise of hands for those who feel the aforementioned causes of death are preventable?
Yes, to those with their hands or eyebrows raised, speaking to the majority of cases of heart disease, metabolic syndrome/diabetes, and even cancer, prevention IS possible when you steer clear the risk and contributing factors. Functional Medicine Associates uses a holistic approach to treat chronic illnesses.
Slipping into death during sleep whilst tucked in your bed and dreaming of dancing in the clouds (ahhh) is, dare I say, achievable. Perhaps for those extremely rare and lucky genetic jackpot recipients, this end will happen despite having a daily cigarette in one hand, a vodka soda in the other, whilst sucking on a candy cane. For the majority of us however, we will need to actively work towards – um – that end.
How can your PPCPP help you choose your cause of death?
We help you determine through comprehensive testing* if your boat is headed towards the islands of heart disease or diabetes. IF your boat is headed the wrong way, we need to know, and we need to know now.
We can turn the bow – and we can turn it now.
*Comprehensive testing is often at NO to little out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Our staff can help you understand if the testing would be free/subsidized for you based on your insurance.
In light of Diabetes awareness month here is my tip: become AWARE! In recent months I have diagnosed an alarming amount of heart disease and diabetes or metabolic syndrome (a condition of both). These diagnoses are turning up in those who were otherwise unaware and had no obvious signs or symptoms of this underlying eerily quiet pathogenesis. Diabetes and heart disease do not discriminate, they are not diseases of the “unhealthy” or “obese” or “old,” they occur in many forms and in anyone of any shape of any age at any time.
Since we are on the topic of death, a popular topic in conversation, one we are all comfortable talking about, let’s talk about advance directives.
Are you and your loved ones ready for the business of dying with advance directives?
Advance directives are kind of like your mission statement for your death. I’m bringing this up because in my limited experience not many folks have a plan. Leaving or slowly exiting without a plan leaves those caring for you or left behind in a difficult and complicated situation.
Do you have a plan? Will doctors know what that plan is in the event you are unable to communicate? 
Do your loved ones know your plan? How will your exit impact your loved ones? Will they have to change their lives to take care of you? Assume power of attorney? Manage financial decisions? Clean out and sell your home? Will your loved ones while grieving have to manage difficult decisions and share the load of heavy tasks that suddenly appear? Will they agree on how to manage things?
If you don’t have answers to these questions for either yourself or your loved ones, join me as a student. I invited an expert, he’ll be teaching a class at Whole Health Wellness on Thursday, Nov. 19th at 6:30pm. Call our office to pre-register, space is limited.
