HEALTH IS WEALTH!

Health is Wealth

James R. Fisher, Jr., Ph.D.
© September 2006



Health is the greatest of all possessions; a pale cobbler is better than a sick king.

Isaac Bickerstaff (1735 – 1812)
English Dramatist

I had my six-month check-up with my doctor today. During the interim period I had an MRI (head), EKG, treadmill test, sonogram of my heart, lungs and intestinal tract, a colonoscopy, blood tests, and an eye examination. It took me a period of three months to schedule and complete all these tests.

As I came into his office – my appointment had been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and I had to reschedule it for 1:30 p.m. – I felt in an apologetic mood. Turns out he couldn’t see me until 2:30, but he did so then with a broad smile on his face. “How are you today, James?

“I’m fine,” I said, “I apologize for missing my appointment. My 2000 Taurus wouldn’t start. I’m apparently in better shape than it is.”

He laughed so hard he couldn’t control himself. “Now, that makes my day!”

Then he proceeded to go through all my tests with me. “Do you know, James, you have the body of a 40-year-old, do you know that?”

“No.”

“I’ll tell you why. I see all kinds of people. I was born in a small village in India. People here just don’t appreciate what they have. There was no welfare in my village. Your family took care of you or nobody did.

“I’ve got people half your age who can’t pass the treadmill test. I got people here that say they can’t quit smoking and they’ve got emphysema. They want somebody else to quit for them.

“I’ve got people here who can’t pay their bills, and it’s not their fault. They want somebody else to get an education, somebody else to compete for a good job, somebody else to see how hard they’ve got it, and to give them a hand out to get out of their mess.

“I’ve got people here that are obese and have diabetes, and they say it’s not their fault. They can’t exercise because they can’t walk very well, bad backs and bad legs and all. They don’t have any choice but to sit in front of the television all day and eat. They want somebody else to walk for them.

“I’ve got people that are having retarded children and they themselves are retarded. And they want for me to find some agencies to get them more benefits.

“I’ve got people who come here with blood work that indicates they’ve been promiscuous. I won’t treat them. I have no time for them. Society can do all they want for them, but I draw the line because there is no place where it says I have to treat them.

“I’ve got people coming in here who have all of these different ailments. They’ll say the reason I can’t get ahead is because my brother’s in jail and I have to take care of his kids. I can’t get a job. Besides, I ain’t got no education.”

At this point, I interrupted, and said, “You hear it all.”

His head slumped down into his shoulders, “Yes, I hear it all.”

I said, “It’s sad.”

“Yes, it’s very sad. People here just don’t appreciate what they have. I don’t know what the answer is.”

“Do you tell them?”

“Do I tell them what?”

“Do you tell them just what you told me?”

“Do you think it would do any good?”

“Oh, I don’t know, doctor.”

“No, I don’t tell them. Am I a coward, James?”

“No, you’re not a coward, but I agree with you it is sad.”

“James, I don’t know what America is going to come to. Nothing seems to get through to these people.”

“Doctor, you probably see every kind of lifestyle disease there is.”

“Yes, and then some.” Then he added, “It’s not only that. It’s that they don’t think any of this is their fault. There is not a one of these people, that I’ve mentioned, that have failed the treadmill, that have several things wrong with their hearts, that have emphysema and can hardly walk to the end of the block, and some of them are in their forties.

“And that is my fault? That is society’s fault? It’s not their fault. When I say to them, why do you drink? They say, to forget, I’ve had a lot of pressure in my life. Why do you smoke? To calm my nerves. Why do you take drugs? To put me in another place. Not one of them says, I do it because I’m stupid. Not a single one.
“So they come to me, a tall, dark complexioned Indian doctor, who they feel superior to, because I’m a foreigner and I have an accent, and what can I tell them about America? So, I don’t tell them anything.”

I said, “Do any of them get better?”

“You want a truthful answer?”

I nodded.

“No, they don’t get better because they want somebody else to get better for them. You see, that’s the problem.”

Smiling, I said, “Are there many more like me?”

He looked at me steadily. “Well, James, I have all those people out there in the waiting room. I’ve been here since 8:30 this morning. And I’ve been talking to you now, for what, twenty minutes?”

“About.”

“That should be your answer. No, there aren’t many like you. Tell me, why are you like you?”

“I don’t know how to be any different.”

“See, there you have it, nor do I. Good day, James. You’ve put a little light in my day.”

And with that I left.

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Check out Dr. Fisher’s website: www.fisherofideas.com