Phyllis B. was a longtime patient of mine whose medical problems were happily under control and who usually came in only for annual check-ups. As I\u2019d just seen her last month, I expected today\u2019s visit meant some new problem had emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m here for Kirk,\u201d she began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d only met her husband once, years earlier. An accountant, or bookkeeper, or something like that, I remembered. The phrase \u201cKirk never goes to doctors\u201d had stuck in my mind. Apparently, he\u2019d recently been going to a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt one of the blood pressure screenings they do at his office\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was going to interrupt, \u201cI know, I know, they found high blood pressure<\/a> and you\u2019re worried,\u201d because doctors always interrupt their patients, finish their sentences, and so forth. We can\u2019t help it. We\u2019re the ultimate know-it-alls. But I\u2019m working on this trait and kept my mouth shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey found high blood pressure. I\u2019m worried about him because he went to a doctor near his office who convinced him to start taking some pills. Now his blood pressure is down, but he\u2019s not the same man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor one thing, he\u2019s depressed at the prospect of taking pills for the rest of his life. For another, he\u2019s not as energetic, he\u2019s become absent-minded, and as for our sex life, forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I asked Phyllis if Kirk would come in to see me. For someone who doesn\u2019t like doctors, I thought, two physicians in his life might be a culture shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, he\u2019ll come. He liked how you helped me. How did you remember he doesn\u2019t like going to doctors?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe doctors know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kirk arrives for his appointment<\/strong> He showed me the numbers from the office health fair where his high blood pressure was initially discovered. They really weren\u2019t all that bad, and I told him so immediately. He\u2019d also brought a copy of the lab tests run by the other physician and he handed them over with a sigh and worried look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s worrying you about this?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe doctor said it was pretty bad. The cholesterol, I mean. He wants to start me on some drugs for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like Kirk\u2019s blood pressure, his cholesterol levels were in the mild-to-moderate range. I thought his doctor must be a cup-half-empty sort of person. Me, I\u2019m more optimistic. \u201cListen, Kirk, I agree with your other doctor that, left alone, as-is, and untreated, your blood pressure and cholesterol will knock ten years off your life. Those are the statistics, pure and simple. You\u2019re not smoking anymore, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow did you know I used to smoke?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe doctors know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lifestyle adjustments to the rescue<\/strong> \u201cLook\u201d I began. \u201cI\u2019ll make this simple. You\u2019ve got what we call lifestyle problems. Your lifestyle basically stinks. You have no business eating cheesesteaks for lunch. You never exercise and walking around your office doesn\u2019t count. You\u2019re overworking and mostly sedentary. And now your body is sending messages that it\u2019s very disappointed in you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We made a plan. First, Kirk would go from our office to a pharmacy and purchase his own blood pressure monitor. He would take it to work, place it next to his computer screen, and at least once a day record his blood pressure. He\u2019d get a notebook for this and bring it along on every visit. He\u2019d also check out some free stress-reduction apps for his phone<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, he\u2019d return for some sessions with WholeHealth Chicago nutritionist Olivia Wagner<\/a>. He and Phyllis would ideally see her together, to learn the basics of healthful food shopping and preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, one more thing. I told Kirk I\u2019d like him to go over to the health club near his office and hire a personal trainer. It\u2019s an out-of-pocket expense, true, but he of all people could probably finagle a tax deduction out of it for health-related purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started Kirk on the following supplements and herbs to protect his heart and lower his cholesterol a bit, recommending that he make green tea his beverage of choice as it helps with both blood pressure and cholesterol. If green tea wasn\u2019t his cuppa, he could take green tea extract capsules, one twice daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For blood pressure<\/strong> For cholesterol<\/strong> I told him he might not need the supplements at all after a few weeks. Kirk\u2019s BP would likely drop with weight loss, as his was mild in the first place and had been taken in a stressful situation (the doctor\u2019s office). Once his BP was under control, his doctor would probably be willing to take him off the medication, especially if he complains loudly enough about the side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kirk looks dubious<\/strong> I assured him it only seemed that way because he was starting from ground zero, where he\u2019d been doing nothing at all to support his health. If he asked around, he\u2019d probably be surprised by how many of his accountant buddies paid attention to what they were eating and worked out at a health club three or four times a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll this will soon be second nature to you,\u201d I said, \u201cespecially when you start getting your mo-jo back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kirk looked over at Phyllis, \u201cDid you tell him\u2026?\u201d but Phyllis was studiously avoiding eye contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOK, OK, I\u2019ll start on all of it. Say, how did you know about the tax deduction for a trainer? That\u2019s my field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDear,\u201d said Phyllis, \u201cDoctors know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And because he put his mind to it, Kirk did do well. First of all, he had Phyllis for support and she wanted her old Kirk back. She became an extraordinary cook and got him interested in meal preparation. Together they found inventive ways to amp up the fruit and vegetables in their daily diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kirk\u2019s home-packed lunches were the envy of his office. His personal trainer helped him tone muscles Kirk hadn\u2019t used since college and his wardrobe changed for the better as his waist shrank from a 42 to a 34. He stuck with his original doctor, which was fine with me. I hoped the doctor could see what patients were capable of doing if only they were guided along the right path and had the will to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Phyllis came in some months later for her annual physical, she brought a copy of Kirk\u2019s at-home blood pressure readings, his weight, and his cholesterol levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese are with no medications at all. He\u2019s very happy, although it gets a bit much as he now tells everyone what to eat and how to exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I laughed and told her that happens. \u201cSuccessful patients–especially those who\u2019ve gotten well by their own efforts–their personalities begin to resemble doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey act like they know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be well, Phyllis B. was a longtime patient of mine whose medical problems were happily under control and who usually came in only for annual check-ups. As I\u2019d just seen her last month, I expected today\u2019s visit meant some new problem had emerged. \u201cI\u2019m here for Kirk,\u201d she began. I\u2019d only met her husband once, years earlier. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2087,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[352,28,2,14,139,531,398,50,296,130,3,1964,187,43,33],"tags":[2069,2070,380,1492,2071,237,1014,135,490,539,300,1084,162,2072,2073,2074,954],"class_list":["post-16676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aging","category-alternative-therapies","category-blog","category-c","category-cardiovascular-health","category-case-studies","category-fitness-exercise","category-healthy-lifestyle","category-inflammation","category-integrative-medicine","category-knowledge-base","category-meditation-spirituality","category-mens-health","category-nutrition-nutritional-supplements-vitamins-herbal-remedies","category-womens-health","tag-berberine","tag-bergamot","tag-blood-pressure","tag-cardiovascular-disease","tag-cardiovascular-health","tag-fish-oil","tag-heart-health","tag-herbs","tag-hypertension","tag-lifestyle","tag-lifestyle-changes","tag-lifestyle-medicine","tag-nutrition","tag-nutritionist","tag-reduce-blood-pressure","tag-reduce-stress-and-anxiety","tag-stroke"],"yoast_head":"\r\n
I didn\u2019t recognize the gloomy looking man at first and then I realized it was because he\u2019d gained so much weight since his visit years ago. I couldn\u2019t think of any accountant jokes to cheer him up so we got right down to business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did want to be tactful, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phyllis, Kirk, and I plotted out a program that would dramatically improve his numbers if Kirk followed the guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
—Carditone<\/a> (an herbal blend) twice daily.
—Omegagenics EPA\/DHA<\/a> (fish oil) twice daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
—Berberine<\/a> twice daily.
—Bergamot<\/a> twice daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a lot of stuff you want me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Edelberg, MD<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"