Make Marathon of Life a Purposeful One

Medicare and commercial interest make an unhealthy combination. Medical consumerism like all sorts of consumerism, only more menacingly is designed to be far from satisfactory. The prolongation of life and search for perfect health (Beauty, youth & happiness) are inherently self-defeating. The law of “Diminishing returns” necessarily aplies.

There is no doubt that this enormous burden is mainly due to increase in the costs of Medicare (high-tech), defensive medicine practised by medical professionals, number of specialists involved to treat each case, unnecessary investigations and unwarranted interventional procedures etc.

“A chronic headache can be due to Sinusitis, Refractive error, high Blood pressure, Cervical Spondylosis, Migraine, Meningitis, Tuberculoma in the brain, increased intra-cranial pressure or an intra-cranial tumor (SOL-space occupying lesion). It can also be a cluster headache or due to irregular or insufficient sleep. These are the various possible conditions for the headache given in a textbook of Medicine. A reasonably qualified Physician, worth his qualifications can easily diagnose with proper history and clinical examination the cause of headache to one or two possibilities. Tests should be confined to his provisional impression. Why should there be in this case, involvement of an ENT specialist, an Ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, an Orthopedic Surgeon, a Neuro-physician, a Neuro-surgeon, a general Physician and a Psychiatrist?”

To improve the quality of life after the age 60, efforts have to start at least from the age of 30. Preventive maintenance is wiser and less expensive than crisis management. Right mental attitude and a sound physical health in adult life and middle age period are the keys for enjoying the fruits in old age. Health systems need to take a life course perspective that focuses on: Health promotion, Disease prevention, equitable access to primary health care and long-term care. It is often less costly to prevent disease than to treat it.

“Man runs after money neglecting his health till the age of 40 and then runs again to seek medical help in corporate hospitals exhausting everything he earned but never regains Health!”

Children to be made aware of their responsibilities

Children of the elderly individuals have to have the responsibility to extend care. Some elders are of the view that if sons and daughters cannot take care of them then why should one have children at all and have the hassles of raising them to face a traumatic situation at the twilight of life. They seem to be absolutely right:

“When we talk of fundamental rights of every individual, should it not go along with some mandatory duties and responsibilities towards the family, society and the country where one lives? This has to be put into the minds of children right from primary school onwards”

In Indian culture parents and teacher have been equated to God and this is taught from the childhood. It is sad that these teachings and values are being forgotten for the past two to three decades particularly in urban areas.

About 80% of all the diseases can be diagnosed fairly and accurately by a proper history and clinical examination. This was the practice until 2 decades ago, passed on to us during British rule in India and is quite reliable and highly cost effective. But a new trend of going through all the high-tech investigations even before a physician examines, is the order of the day in all corporate hospitals in most of  the countries today. This is neither in the interest of the patient nor economical. More than 60% of medical laboratory tests are either irrelevant or unwarranted.

The physician should examine the patient only after taking proper history of his/her ailments, examine him/her clinically and then only order for minimum number of required simple tests, to confirm his clinical impression. Referrals to specialists should arise only when he is not able to diagnose or treat.

Spiritual & Philosophical Approaches To Life

Ethical and moral values in personal, professional and social life have been taught in all religions of the world. Parents and teachers have to set their own examples and emphasize these values at home, in schools and in colleges. This will help people in imbibing ethical values and developing professional and domestic commitment, contentment, a positive approach to problems and a non-egoistic approach in life. This will also reduce stress in people of all segments of the society about which a lot of hue and cry is going on all over the world.

Institutions teaching management to various levels of executives are concerned about increasing stress. Medical field relates many a health problem to stress. In adult and middle age life, changing “self” for better is the most important aspect. Otherwise even medication or meditation will not work in maintaining health and reducing stress. In this context a spiritual and philosophical approach in life becomes very important.

Excerpts of Dr. B. Bapuji’s speech at 8th Global conference on Global Ageing at Copenhagen, Denmark 30th May – 2nd June 2006
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‘We try many and varied ways to be happy. We look to money and material possessions, to environment, to human relationships. Will Durant, the well-known historian, writes how he looked for happiness in knowledge and found only disillusionment. He then sought happiness in travel and found weariness, in wealth and found discord and worry, and finally in writing but was only fatigued. He discovered that every normal function of life holds delight. The simple, homely, unpretentious things of life can make us happy.’