Dear Friends:
Tomorrow I need to take my car
for regularly scheduled service. It needs an oil change, lubrication, tires
rotated, and a check to see if all hoses and fan belts are in good running
condition. I keep a regular diary of these "check-ups" very
carefully. I am a "compliant car carer". Since I am so good at
this, why do I sometimes delay in going to the dentist for a cleaning or
even the necessary blood test I need to monitor medications that I take? I
guess it is just human nature.
There is no way to tell what a
person's blood pressure is without measuring it. Is the airflow responding
to bronchodilators and corticosteroids? Is cholesterol under control? Is
the blood sugar in the proper range? Are anticoagulants achieving the
desired therapeutic target? All these tests require scheduled monitoring.
This is very similar to the
preventive maintenance we do on our cars. We want our cars to last as long
as possible and avoid breakdowns. Should not this be the goal for
ourselves? It needs to become a way of life and integrated into our regular
daily activities. If we are going to give good preventive maintenance to
our cars, why don't we do it for ourselves?
I'll be in touch next month.
Your friend,
