In this short video excerpt from my recent conversation on the “Exploding Human” podcast with Bob Nickman, I review the value of physical assessment – the power of touch to understand the human condition. As my mentor, Karel Lewit, wisely said, “the hand is the best diagnostic instrument we have.”
In her wonderful book, The Age of Diagnosis, Suzanne O’Sullivan says, “We are all as unique on the inside as we are on the outside.” O’Sullivan, a neurologist, states, “Diagnosis is an art and science. The quality of the doctor ordering a test is as important, if not more important, than the test itself.”
Over the years, in some talented environments, I would often hear this comment repeatedly, “We have a really good team” or “We will have a great season” or “We have a really good chance of winning IF we stay healthy?” Or also spoken by individual athletes as well. “I should have a really good year, or I think I can have a good year IF I can stay healthy?”
This always captured my attention as it seemed that staying healthy had been identified as a critical factor. A difference-maker in whether someone or a team would have success, joy and/or triumph. And in contrast, rarely would I see the team or individuals place relevant attention and/or proportional emphasis on this area: staying healthy.
There would usually be discussions and implementation of new ideas. “We should have a better nutrition program.” “I am trying a new exercise approach.” A good deal would be said and tried.
However, the amount of time and resources spent would not be representative of the suggested significance of staying healthy. It was fascinating.
My 7-year-old granddaughter, 4-year-old grandson, and I often work on batting practice in the back yard. It consists of one of those oversized yellow bats and an oversized wiffle ball. My daughter grew up with my excitement about baseball and has prepared them for my enthusiasm and desire to work on these activities.
Some of you may be familiar with the images above. They represent the two glasses exercise titled Hold on Loosely in the book, The Power of Doing What Matters.
In most individuals, lightening your grip on the glasses allows you to feel the difference in the glasses more easily. The same is true in most physical sports activities: the lighter you hold the racquet, bat, or ball, the more you feel and the better your performance.
In the hustle of modern medicine and our modernized world, a simple truth is often overlooked: our bodies hold wisdom that only our minds can access. Too often diagnosis, treatment, and exercise are being determined and prescribed from images, labs, and computer screens.
I recently read an article by David Warren, a Canadian writer and journalist who spoke to the importance and value of feeling pain. In it, he quotes Joseph Ratzinger and his address on this same topic. Ratzinger said, “There is no human life without pain, and whoever is incapable of accepting pain excludes himself from that purification, which alone can make us mature.”
