I have been watching a little television during my COVID vacation. I usually work in my office until around 9 pm and then head downstairs to unwind before bedtime. My wife and I have been watching earlier episodes of NCIS (https://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis/).
I was driving this morning and allowing my brain to send me some thoughts on a topic to write about today. And NCIS crept in and out of my brain. Maybe it was a clue. How do I equate NCIS to health and wellness? It did not take long to see the close alignment of catching a bad guy and catching a healthy lifestyle using NCIS’s activities and actions.
Means, Motives, Opportunities
The means, motives, and opportunities are crucial elements of any investigation. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/polarized/201212/means-motive-and-opportunity. Let us start with the motive, the reason why a person committed the wrongdoing.
I research the human body at the cellular level looking for cause and effect relationships, chemically speaking. Treat a cause and fix a problem. Treat a symptom, and you will always treat a symptom. When I catch a cold (which is exceptionally rare), I want to know what caused it to avoid that opportunity in the future.
Years ago, when I lived in New Orleans, I went in several years to see my doctor about cold/allergy symptoms that would not go away with over-the-counter medications. While waiting, I grabbed my chart and noticed that I had been in the previous year for the same reason almost precisely one year earlier. As I looked further, the year before that was the same day.
The doctor returned, and I asked if what I had could be a seasonal allergy. He looked at my chart and reviewed the dates and concurred. I was allergic to something that occurred roughly at the same time each year. I came across an article in a flight magazine about fresh frozen bee pollen being an effective agent to reduce or eliminate seasonal allergies. https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/bee-pollen-for-allergies
I searched around and found a place where I could buy fresh frozen bee pollen from local bees. I started a regimen on 1/8 teaspoon daily. A year later, I had zero symptoms. Some causes are easier to find than others. My wife’s breast cancer probably had several compounding causes – stress, diet, and more. If we continued our same lifestyle, her cancer would probably have a higher risk of returning. We changed several aspects of both our lifestyles. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/cancer-prevention/art-20044816.
The cause must be treated, not the symptoms. Doctors do not treat causes. They give you pills to address whatever personal discomforts you are experiencing. However, Dr. Google is available 24/7, and a lot of information can be found to talk to your physician about on your next visit.
Recently, I had a heart catheterization to determine why I had some pseudo-angina pains. Two blocked arteries were discovered. Two DIY by-passes were also discovered. Through angiogenesis, my body grew two new veins to support the arterial shutdown without the need for surgery. I am taking a pill to increase the flexibility of my blood vessels to improve blood flow.
My blood pressure was a bit higher than it should be. My cardiologist started to talk about another pill for that. I asked if I could increase my exercise and lower my weight to control my blood pressure. He agreed and told me to report back in 90 days.
Most doctors, given a good reason to make a change, will allow a change and monitor your progress. Find out what caused a problem and address it.
What To Do Next?
On NCIS, a new case starts to develop, and the agents will look at the boss and instantly tell the boss what needs to be done, and they start doing it. We all know what needs to be done – avoid toxins, manage stress daily, maintain a healthy weight, and more.
There are no secrets to discovering what it takes to achieve and maintain good health. https://familydoctor.org/what-you-can-do-to-maintain-your-health/. Do your research. Know what to ask your doctor. If you suspect interference with the prescription medicines you are taking, talk to your pharmacist. Do not keep secrets about your health.
Immediate Action Required
The boss canceled Thanksgiving vacations at the last minute on a recent episode on NCIS. Your health needs are immediate. Do not wait until you return from vacation to address a health issue. Do not wait three months until your next physical. We survive the delays to see the doctor when we are young, but there is no guarantee that you can wait months to see a doctor after sixty years of age.
A corollary to canceling vacations is the immediacy of doing something. It seems to be the norm that lunch, even going to the bathroom, is less critical than working the case when you are an NCIS Special Agent. Procrastination and distractions render many of our plans useless. However, when immediate action is required, do it then, do not wait.
With COVID and competing health and medical resources, a decision to wait in your doctor’s office might be more important than making an appointment three or four weeks hence. Sometimes a problem can be caught early enough that it can be fixed.
Investigations
I love the way background and financial checks are done automatically on all persons of interest. I always order an extra CRP (c-reactive protein) test, a homocysteine level test, and a vitamin D3 test with every annual physical. You cannot have too much data on your health.
I do not know why CRP is not a norm for annual physicals, for all blood tests. This test tells me how much inflammation I have in my body. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/c-reactive-protein-test.
The test will not tell me where inflammation is located in my body, but it will let me know my body’s overall inflammation level. I cannot remember a CRP test result over 0.25 mg/L. You want the result to be as close to zero as possible. Why? Because chronic low-level cellular inflammation is the genesis of all diseases.
A homocysteine level test is used to the gold-standard for heart health. https://www.medicinenet.com/homocysteine/article.htm. In the last test I had, I scored 8.0 µmol/L. The normal range is 5-15 µmol/L. Why wait until you have problems taking a deep breath? This test is inexpensive and gives you a good baseline regarding your heart’s health.
A vitamin D3 test is an excellent complement to all the other tests. https://www.healthline.com/health/25-hydroxy-vitamin-d-test. My last reading was 108 ng/mL. Healthy levels are above 50 ng/mL. Most people have readings below 30 ng/mL. Vitamin D3 is needed for many aspects of health.
Conclusion
NCIS is a television show, not reality. However, the tools and techniques employed to solve the mysteries on each show can be used analogously to find our health problems before they become serious.
There are many home-test kits. Local labs are growing. Sometimes the test results must go to your physician, otherwise, you are the only one seeing the results most of the time. Insurance covers most of these extra tests; however, they are not expensive.
You are responsible for your health. If you employed an NCIS Agent to investigate your health? Many of the things an NCIS Agent would do are things you can do without the training of a Special Agent.
Reset your mindset to investigate yourself first and take the required actions immediately to address any shortfalls. Seek advice and counsel when you need detailed answers.
Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com
Great point on mindset and using NCIS as an example!