Dooley Noted: 5/21/2015
Yesterday, I had the honor of helping an amazing acupuncture intern treat a woman in her late eighties.
Picture that scene for a second.
I don’t have to guess how wrong your picture is.
This woman was bubbly and vibrant, with fiery red, curly hair pinned back from her glowing face with a colorful headband.
She was dressed in workout clothes, and she was fit as fiddle.
Her chief complaint? Some midback discomfort.
We grinned widely as she showed us her full toe touch and overhead extension.
As she described her discomfort, she noted, “I don’t like complaining but I thought, ‘Why not check it out?'”
This was not my first rodeo with octogenarian patients.
I’ve treated many.
The ones that seem to gravitate to me are fit people, looking to remove impediments to their fitness.
Have they hit the genetic lottery?
No.
They have major commonalities, which I consider a skill set.
1. They never state “I have,” followed by a diagnosis.
2. They never use their radiographic findings or diagnoses as excuses not to do things.
3. They never immediately sit when entering the treatment room.
4. They avoid junk food and dormancy.
5. They apologize for complaining and count their blessings.
While genetics may be on their side, our genetics are slaves to environment.
Start marrying those diagnoses, and they will consume you until they become your identity.
Keep stating you’ll get fit tomorrow and the number of tomorrows you have may decrease.
Complain without an action plan and prepare to keep complaining about that same thing for a while.
Gripe about pain upon movement without a commitment to movement practice, and prepare to gripe indefinitely.
Or, you can follow steps 1-5 and work towards being that type of octogenarian.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley