Achieve “Best Ever” At Any Age!
True Health Functional Medicine Clinic
In medicine, the goal of treatment is to manage the symptoms or slow the progression of the disease process that has overtaken your body. Expectations are fairly low. “There is no cure for your disease, so this is the best we can manage it.” Cancer treatment is victorious if you increase the probability of living more than five years or extend the normal life expectancy of a person with whatever disease…even by a few months.
What if we chose a different goal? Something exciting like “best ever. “
This concept came to me after a discussion with a patient who was about to turn 69. She shared with me that she feels her BEST EVER. Her energy, happiness, resilience to stress and her overall health and vitality are BEST EVER, as compared to her experience as a kid, and anytime in her adult life. She feels BEST EVER at age 69. She first visited True Health Functional Medicine Clinic in January of 2009,
experiencing what she described as her worst ever (please excuse the picture. Hers was the case study I posted that I was cited for treating a medical condition and terminated from insurance. I asked if she’d pose for a more appropriate picture, lol). She had an autoimmune thyroid condition called Hashimoto’s, plus a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. She was sick, tired, and in severe pain. And naming her suffering didn’t relieve the suffering even 1%.
She had to leave her career because she couldn’t handle the stress of working. She didn’t have the energy or strength to do it or she hurt too much to do it and she was certain she would be dead if she attempted to continue.
At the point I met her, she had little hope, little money, no direction (for improving her health) and no income. Dying was beginning to look like a viable option; at least the pain would end, and she wouldn’t have to worry about becoming homeless. But she wasn’t quite ready for life to end. Ending her career was a decision to extend her life, no matter how much pain there was.
Yes, WORST EVER.
And now, BEST EVER.
It got me thinking. Thinking about the concept of wellness, and my long time patients. Melissa has been checked at least monthly for many years. She is the most consistent fixture in my practice, besides me, my first patient ever.
I started to reflect on my suffering, which was mild compared to hers, but was a pretty good list. Anxiety, shoulder pain, allergies, and although I had never complained about my energy, I had to take naps all through my late teens and 20s. Now, my pain levels are best ever along with energy, stress resilience, anxiety levels, allergies, flexibility, and I’d say happiness too! Then my kiddos momma, who was nearing 40 at that time. She had chronic migraines, allergies, ear infections (even into college), terrible cramping with her cycle, and 
all of that is best ever. Moods, tail bone pain, TMJ pain, shoulder pain, all best ever.
all of that is best ever. Moods, tail bone pain, TMJ pain, shoulder pain, all best ever. Scoliosis was best ever, which I noticed when she was bending over and looking across her back I saw no “rib hump!”
I asked another “regular” patient about his best ever’s. He said his ankle, knee and hip pain is best ever. He said he used to regularly use 800MG ibuprofen for pain and would almost always hurt after playing basketball which he played competitively in high school and college. He also said his ability to manage stress and emotions is best ever.
Most, if not all, of my patients come in for problem solving, and some don’t come back until the next problem arises. Some remember the help we provided, and others fall back into the “normal” routine of visiting the “real” doctor. A few even went the route of getting named and categorized, and managing the symptoms before remembering True Health.
Others keep coming once or twice a month to accept my care without expectation, which never hurts. And tends to lead to best ever!
BEST EVER. I propose that as the new goal for your health care investment.
One more question for the people enjoying best ever at 40, 50, 60 and even 70s; did you suffer great financial loss on your journey that led to True Health and finally healing? A: “My financial stability increased while my health came into balance.”
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