Finding The Love that heals us, and gives us courage and confidence

In my many years of medical practice, I’ve often seen the pain and devastation of rocky relationships, substance abuse, low self esteem, fears, and anxieties in so many lives including many of our brave soldiers and veterans. I’ve listened to tender and broken hearts whose burdens of sadness, worries, and anxieties about their physical health, job, money, legal or home-related problems were too much to bear alone.

Their faces and names are different but the stories I’ve heard throughout the years of practicing the art and science of medicine seem to mostly hover around the same theme: Life Is hard, and true Love is hard to find.

Indeed, far too many patients, military and civilians,  I’ve seen and heard are hurt and discouraged by hard life experiences. They feel unloved, and doubtful of ever finding true love in their lives.

Friend, we can’t give what we don’t have. We can’t give away genuine love to others if we don’t receive it and experience it ourselves.

Truly, how can any of us live well without finding such love. Unconditional love liberates us. It strengthens you and me and gives us a sense of purpose. Without it, I can’t be all what I was created to be. And without it, we can’t accomplish all what God destined for us to accomplish.

Higher, purer, unwavering, and unconditional love is what I need. It ‘s what you need. That’s why there must be an ultimate Source of unconditional, unceasing, never-ending and genuine love Who loves us first with no strings attached. A Source who renders us loved, lovely, and lovable. It’s only then that you and I  can begin to love ourselves and others.

This ultimate Source of unconditional love who loved us first is our maker and creator: God

“…God is Love”

1 John 4:8

Renowned American actor, Chris Pratt, who acted in multiple TV productions and movies such as Jurassic World,  and the Guardians of the Galaxy series among many others said it best on June 16,2018 as he was presented with the prestigious Generation Award at the 2018 MTV Music and TV Awards.

“God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that. I do.”

Bishop Michael Curry’s Royal Wedding Sermon

As our country, and the world are challenged by unprecedented suicide rates, I find many who are in urgent need not just for good antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills, but desperately in need of finding genuine love. Gentle, sweet, tender, dependable, friendly, caring, and welcoming  love redeems us from despair and hopelessness. It saves us.

“…Love never ends”

1 Corinthians 13:8

Views expressed here are only of the author, and do not represent the views of any other organization or entity. Information in this blog are not meant to be medical advice. Please see your medical provider or psychologist for any of your medical or psychological concerns.

Adel G. Hanna, M.D.

Author: Soldier To Soldier Heart to Heart

A Doctor’s Stories from a Military Camp

Amazon Author Page

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Survival and Joy in the Journey

It doesn’t take much to hear, see or experience bad news in the course of our day. I’m not just talking about what the media outlets splash on the internet and TV broadcasts announcing new alarming information about terrorism, mayhem, and an epidemic of mental health crisis, addiction,  sexually transmitted diseases, violence, and murder.  But to me as a physician, “bad news” is the sobering and real personal stories that I, and a multitude of medical providers and first responders, hear daily from real people whose life’s journey has been tainted, wronged by others, derailed, messed up, threatened, and turned upside down.

Long after the sensational headline news have generated high ratings, and the attention span of a temporarily captured audience has weaned and dissipated, there remains the  brokenness of many a soul, body, mind, and spirit that yearn to heal and to survive the remainder of his/her life’s journey. Many among us are hurt by life’s experiences , confused, feeling unloved and immersed in worthlessness. Many are hopeless, and in a constant quest for love, peace, and hope.

Friend, each one of us must not only know the skills needed to survive the journey of life with its daily avalanche of  adversities and bad news, but we must find contentment, peace, rest, hope and joy in the journey.  

Join me in other blog postings for few thoughts, ideas, and reflections on what I believe is needed to stay strong in the course of life, and to find abundance of rest, peace, and joy in life’s daily challenges and struggles.

Adel G. Hanna. M.D.

Author: Soldier To Soldier Heart to Heart

A Doctor’s Stories from a Military Camp

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Views expressed here are only of the author, and do not represent the views of any other organization or entity. Information in this blog are not meant to be medical advice. Please see your medical provider or psychologist for any of your medical or psychological concerns

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Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you

proverbs 2:11 (NIV)

Our human bodies are in a perpetual need of regular caring and nurturing. Much like cars that break down when not well taken care of with regular maintenance and oil changes, we all need good maintenance and healthy life changes. Our vulnerable bodies, minds, and spirits need physical, mental and spiritual rest and maintenance to keep us going throughout the many miles of life’s rugged and hard earthly journey.

Preventive medicine is a fancy way of saying that our moms’ life lesson of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is true and not a fancy “old wives’ tales”

Friend, caring for the well being of our bodies is not just about working out five days a week to keep us in top muscular Six-Pack Abs shape, and is not about having great haircuts, maintaining great skin tan and complexion, and knockout facial appearances. True and genuine caring for our well being is way deeper than that. We can all agree that spending plenty of time and energy in caring and maintaining the outer and external frame and looks of a car without tending to the needs of its engine is pure foolishness. But so is caring for our outer appearance and looks without dedicating time, and rendering the utmost of care to our minds and spirits. 

My body and yours can afford to have, without major adverse consequences, bad hair day, bell bottom pants, the wrong colognes and perfumes, and totally old fashioned clothes. But, we can’t afford to have a heart out of its normal rhythm, a colon with cancerous polyps, a liver hardened by cirrhosis, a kidney that no longer functions, and a brain plagued by strokes and addictions caused by years of neglected healthy living. Nor can we afford having emotions sunk in perpetual anxieties, depression, and negative patterns of beliefs that cripple our lives.

There is nothing to be offered but much love and encouragement to those of us whose physical and emotional ailments are hereditary and beyond their human control. But for the rest of us who make daily unhealthy choices, our moms’ preventive medicine wise sayings of “prevention is better than cure, and “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” will always stand the test of time.

So friend, how well are you caring for both the external parts, and the internal, unseen aspects of your body, mind, and spirit?

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord and shun evil.
 This will bring health to your body
    and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7-8 (NIV)

Advice and recommendations offered here are not meant to replace your medical provider’s individual evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. Please see your medical provider for any physical or emotional concerns.

Views expressed here are only of the author, and do not represent the views of any other organization or entity.

Adel G. Hanna, M.D,

Author: Soldier To Soldier Heart to Heart

A Doctor’s Stories from a Military Camp

Blog: www.adelhanna.com

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Soldier to Soldier, Heart to Heart, Second Edition

And the ebook version of the book

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When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd

Matthew 9:36-38

On the surface, America’s Health System appears to be a formidable, well polished multi-billion dollar enterprise headed by well dressed, highly paid CEOs whose main mission is society’s well being. A powerful system that’s forcefully marching forward even as slowing down is the prudent path many of society’s wise are calling for.

It runs tall state of the art hospital buildings that look like fancy hotels, and utilizes multi million dollar electronic medical records (EMR) system that helped transform doctors to data gatherers, clerks and technicians as many doctors complain. Physicians and medical providers lament how the EMR, that has not shown clear patient care benefits to justify its cost, has forever altered the close relationships with their patients.

It commands expensive top of the line advanced diagnostic and surgical equipment, an array of highly priced medications, treatments, and health care premiums that most people can’t afford.

It’s a competitive industry where nonprofit hospitals’ CEOs map their cities’ demographics, and compete fiercely with each other for insured patients in continuous multi million dollar advertising campaigns that promise better technology, better services and better care.

                                                      And so this is what you and I hear and see:

Great architectural hospital buildings, sophisticated, well dressed and highly paid CEOs who remind us how vital to society their medical enterprises are.

Unmatched technological advances, and expensive medications that work.

Slick advertisements that show excellent, caring, and compassionate hospital systems.

And that’s what we begin to believe based on what’s seen and heard: America’s health system is kind, healthy and well. A perfect model for other nations to follow.

But then we run into facts, figures and numbers about America’s health System that begin to question what we hear and see on the surface.

What appears to be is different than what the facts are as the following words show.

“Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. A growing body of research is calling attention to this problem, with a 2011 report by the National Research Council confirming a large and rising international “mortality gap” among adults age 50 and older. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people, because recent studies suggest that even highly advantaged Americans may be in worse health than their counterparts in other countries.”

Excerpts from: U.S. Health in International Perspective

Shorter Lives, Poorer Health

National Research Council (US); Institute of Medicine (US). Edited by Steven H Woolf and Laudan Aron.

Other highlights of the above report according to Richard Know in an online article titled “U.S Ranks Below 16 Other Rich Countries In Health Report,” the following are other important highlights of this nearly 378 pages report:

“Strikingly, even Americans who are white, insured, college-educated and upper-income are worse off than their counterparts around the world — a finding that no one quite understands.

“The report also finds that the U.S. fares worse in nine health domains: birth outcomes, injuries and homicides, teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, drug-related mortality, obesity and diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease, and disability.”

The above report provides clear data that despite the astronomical expense  and the great advances of medicine in America specifically in areas such as “cancer screening and mortality, control of high blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking rates, and suicides”, society’s physical and emotional health is worsening instead of improving.

But why? 

On the surface everything looks and sounds good: Magnificent buildings, billions of dollars in profits, and media ads depicting peaceful, happy and healthy people feeling and getting better.

But as I read the report, I begin to reflect.

All looks so well, so calm. But much like the Titanic sailing amidst a star laden skies in its seemingly peaceful transatlantic voyage, our American Health System might very well be heading towards a giant, unseen iceberg. America is losing its primary care physicians at alarming speeds due to burnout, stress, and frustration with rushed, and the increasingly shorter, one-on-one patients’ visits. This rising tide of discontent can be seen with physicians curtailing their practice, quitting the practice of medicine, and early retirements

Our health system is bound to collide sooner or later with this massive iceberg of: Burnt out primary care physicians leaving patient care by the droves and not having enough experienced providers to replace them fast enough. Fewer medical students choosing primary care, and many of the newly hired primary care physicians eventually following the same predictable path of burning out and leaving.

And a deteriorating quality of medical care which is the expected outcome of rushed visits that lead to unsatisfied patients, unaddressed physical and emotional issues, and a rise in medical errors.

According to an article by the Washington Post: Health & Sciences (washingtonpost.com/Kaiser Health News)

” Patients of satisfied doctors are more likely to show up for their appointments and adhere to treatment for diabetes and high blood pressure, studies show. Another survey found dissatisfied physicians reporting more difficulty than other doctors in caring for patients.”

“The lack of an adequate primary-care infrastructure in the U.S. is a huge obstacle to creating a high-performing health-care system,” said David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund, a health-care research foundation.”

Is the VA system facing similar challenges and is the same iceberg awaiting in its course?

Advice and recommendations offered here are not meant to replace your medical provider’s individual evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. Please see your medical provider for any physical or emotional concerns.

Views expressed here are only of the author, and do not represent the views of  any other organization or entity.

Adel G Hanna, M.D.

Author: Soldier To Soldier, A Doctor’s stories from a Military Camp

www.adelhanna.com

You can buy the Book and ebook from:

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Visit My Author page at

Amazon Author Page

The post Taking Care of America’s sick and Veterans the God Way. Part 3 appeared first on Alpha & Omega Healing Arts Dr. Hanna.