The Winds of Évoluer
Above: A beautiful Fall photo captured by Dr. Pfister at Kendal Lake
Wow, what a difference two weeks makes in Northern Ohio… with a 20-degree drop in daily temperatures… and the annual parade of colors, as Autumn changes the dominant green chlorophyll coloring of our summer foliage to the vast array of reds, yellows, and oranges of our Fall leaf pigmentation that so vividly decorates our area.
Hopefully, you were able to get out last week and enjoy Nature’s splendor and rejuvenate your soul. I was hiking last weekend in Peninsula around Kendal Lake with my lab Mocha. The colors weren’t at their peak, but the array of colors reflecting in the lake was truly an inspiring vision for the soul!
Another photo captured by Dr. Pfister showcasing the changing leaves at Kendal Lake
Fall, in Ohio, just seems to be the epitome of change and the most natural backdrop for this, my 100th blog!
And no matter what language you say it in, évoluer (in French) or cambio in (Spanish), change is definitely one of the most constant entities of human life, for good or bad. I started writing this blog series during March of Covid 2020 as a means of communicating with my patients and as a way to break up the quarantine boredom. Little did I realize I’d still be writing and totally enjoying the process of blog production some two and a half years later.
Everyone knew I could chat endlessly, but some were surprised I’ve found so much to write about over the past 31 months. Over the course of a year, I read sooo many different medical and dental journals, attend numerous lectures, have access to a lot of health-oriented data, and come across some simply cool-to-know stuff, so I feel obligated to share my good fortune with those around me.
Granted, every blog isn’t a home run or everyone’s cup of tea…
But hopefully you get a pearl, every now and then, that will cheer you up or help increase the quality of your life! That has been my mission in my practice and in my personal life.
So let’s look at some of the changes that have occurred over the past 31 months - changes that, if five years ago someone would have told us were going to happen, we’d all probably say “Nahhhh… no way!”
This past Browns’ off-season, Baker Mayfield got traded to the Carolina Panthers and the Browns acquired the much-hyped dream quarterback, Deshaun Watson (who is suspended for 11 games due to a significant number of allegations), resulting in backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett becoming our starter. As of this week, our record is 2 and 4 which, compared to other years, does not represent much change (but probably a need for change higher than the quarterback… like maybe the owner).
Sorry, this is not a sports rag! Though, look what change did for our Cleveland Indians. New name and new logo, the Guardians also boast new young talent who truly enjoy each other and bring a rejuvenating, youthful passion to the game of baseball. Like everything else in life, in pairing passion and a positive attitude (with a little synergy thrown in for good luck), the Guardians showed us the fun in baseball and earned themselves the AL Central title, the first in four years.
Since the start of this blog, nothing has changed more than healthcare in America and the awareness of our own fragility in life. Let’s take a closer look…
When did we ever think we would be quarantined in our own homes in America, separated from our friends and loved ones? Surely, we thought, this will last two maybe three weeks and we’ll get back to normal life in the world, as we knew it prior to Covid. I had sensitive relatives that we didn’t see for nearly two years and then it was only with masks on!
Before March of 2020, I had no idea what a PPE was…
Worse yet, how do I order it in bulk for my staff and family? What do you mean by an mRNA booster? This isn’t the flu, so what is it? And so the discussions raged on. Never have I had patients ask me for my opinion on a medical issue that there was so little agreement on, because heck, most doctors are only human and nobody saw it coming. (Maybe some did, but once here it was a whole different rodeo!)
One of the unsettling thoughts of Covid is that there wasn’t always a definitive reason why a person died from the virus…
In fact, some of the systems used in the past to treat this viral outbreak may have actually killed the infected individual. I truly feel if Covid taught us anything, it was that we are stewards of our body and we must do our homework on medications, as well as weigh out the pros and cons of treatment plans. Second and even third opinions are more the order of the day.
Covid has brought a change to healthcare and the mode of its delivery like we have never seen before. No longer can you just call up and get a procedure ordered… it almost takes a Supreme Court decision to get surgery today!
As mentioned in one of my early blogs, I had just returned from a conference in LA, where I had met a life extension guru. While there, I had attended his lecture on the Four Pillars of Life. During the quarantine and aftermath of Covid, his sage advice has been a constant source of strength for me and my family. The pillars can be termed as cornerstones to build your life around - Nutrition, Exercise, Hydration, and Sleep. These are key for the physical body. I would also add religion, yoga, and meditation for the health of your soul.
Prior to Covid, I feel most of us thought when we heard of some disease outbreak in a foreign developing country, it was because of the way they live, including sanitation programs (or lack thereof). We thought it could never happen here in America!
Covid proved for the first time in many of our global-pandemic virgin minds that we are vulnerable and we need to take a new assessment of the way we live.
Our lives are our responsibility! Covid proved to me, good health is not just in a pill or a shake. It’s a way of life. This is a tough change for many of us; but I have to admit I lost ten pounds, shaved two minutes off my Race with Grace 5K time this year, ate less red meat, and took more vitamins than ever.
Inactivity kills. If Covid taught us anything, it was to get outside and hike, jog, build a fire… just do something inhaling good, fresh air. Since the quarantine, we have seen significant changes in society and the way we live.
The last area of Covid concern is one that I never thought I would write on, but today it seems the topic of many of my consultants’ and friends’ discussions — our financial health.
No, I am not a CPA or trained financial planner, so whether you invest in gold, stocks, antiques, or stuff cash in your mattress like my grandmother did, you might want to sit down and review your current savings plan (while you’re also tackling improvements in your overall health). I just did because it took me seven years to recover from the 2008 crash or recession. Call it what you want, we all lost money and, depending on what decade you are in life, your comfort with risk in investing does vary with age.
And if you are not pro-retirement, then you can keep working and stay away from what really scares me about retirement… fixed income!
Remember, this blog is all about change and if all living expenses are going skyward and your income is fixed, you sure better have investments that can go the distance and continue the life-style you and your family currently enjoy.
Diversity of a financial portfolio is probably one of the better strategies, along with moderation in return on investment, ROI… not trying to make a killing in one big buy, but pacing yourself for the long run. As one investor once told me, “It’s not a sprint, but a marathon.” He also said, “Pigs live, hogs go to slaughter.” The best advice that I’ve been given is not to be complacent about investments, but to do your homework and stay in communication with your investment team.
So there you have my 100th blog!
Yes, I’d like to put Ben Franklin’s face on it, just like the 100-dollar bill. Because I truly feel Ben had the best advice to be applied to Covid, our health, wealth, and happiness — “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
I would personally like to thank each and every reader who has put up with my writing and who has followed along for the past 31 months…
As a biology major in college, without much formal training in writing, these blogs have been a learning exercise and an outlet for data that I feel needs to be put out there and not kept in the confines of my mind and desk. I would also like to personally thank Chris Benninger, my publicist, who literally, pun intended, cleans up my act! Chris is a great friend who knows my mission and passion and helps me put it all into print, hopefully in an entertaining fashion.
In the beginning, when I told my wife I planned to write like I speak, she said “We’re all in trouble.”
I wish all of you a safe and meaningful Fall and I hope to find data and topics to educate and entertain all of my readers for another hundred blogs!
God bless and stay warm,
Dr. Pfister