During ALL of our lives we will be hit with medical/health issues. These can range from simple coughs and colds to life-threatening conditions such as cancer. No matter how healthy we think we are, unfortunately we will all need to confront medical problems at a number of points in our lives.
It is important to distinguish between “managing” diseases vs. “curing” medical problems. There are some situations when a “Cure” is not possible and the best we can do is “Manage” those problems. As an example, over 65 million Americans suffer from back pain. Despite the use of prescription medications, physical therapy, injections and even surgery, the overwhelming majority of these back pain patients will NOT be “cured”. At the very best, the back pain is “managed” to the point where the pain is tolerable and does not significantly impact the person’s quality of life.
Chronic headaches, mood disorders such as depression, arthritis related pains, heart disease and many other conditions that afflict people are NOT curable, but rather, need to be managed. Why is it important to distinguish between “managing” vs. “curing”? People need to sometimes accept the concept of disease management and not become frustrated/despondent that they will need to confront the problem(s) for the rest of their lives. The feelings of despondency will often translate to depression that further diminishes the quality of life.
Managing medical conditions as best as possible is a goal, as we all want to continue to enjoy quality time with our loved ones, still purse our hobbies, remain active professionally, etc.
And I am trying to “manage” my writer’s block that has cut back my blog writing from daily to intermittently….anyone have a cure for me???
And I recently “managed” to stay awake past 12 am one night to watch both episodes of the HBO special on Billy Joel. The was an EXCELLENT documentary. And being from New York, how could I NOT post this song…New York State Of Mind.
