TED Tuesday– Dr. Abraham Verghese: A Doctor's Touch

"I will always, always, always be there. I will see you through this. I will never abandon you. I will be with you through the end." ~~ A Doctor's Message

Good Morning Folks,

Our quest to build a healthy company and to achieve of our 2016 goal begins with each of us. Our employees are our number one asset. So, as I screened TED talks last weekend in hope of finding one to share today, it occurred to me that being "healthy" is more than measurements in profits and cash flow, but also with regard to the health and wellness of all of our associates. "A Doctor's Touch" seemed like the perfect share.

Modern medicine is in danger of losing a powerful, old-fashioned tool: human touch. Physician and writer Abraham Verghese describes our strange new world where patients are merely data points, and calls for a return to the traditional one-on-one physical exam.

In short, it is just good medicine. Moreover, it is what most patients want.

I think this Ted talk touched on an interesting trend. With an increase in the technology available to treat disease, it becomes all to easy for physicians to take a step back from physical examinations and patient care. I thought Dr. Verghese it the nail on the head when he started talking about an IPatient because in a way that is what medicine as evolved into. Doctors sometimes care more about the images they get from their scans then the actual patient themselves. This isn’t their fault, or necessarily a bad thing. A doctors job is to treat a patient the best they can, so sometimes that does mean spending less time on things like a physical exam, and instead focusing on getting as many scans as possible. I do believe though that while we should be grateful of our technological advances, doctors shouldn’t neglect some of the foundations of modern medicine.

Dr. Verghese explains, "And the real tragedy was, if you look through her records, she had been seen in four or five other health care institutions in the preceding two years. Four or five opportunities to see the breast masses, touch the breast mass, intervene at a much earlier stage than when we saw her. And the message, which I didn't fully understand then, even as I delivered it, and which I understand better now is this: I will always, always, always be there. I will see you through this. I will never abandon you. I will be with you through the end."  Have a look:


Dr. Verghese says: “I still find the best way to understand a hospitalized patient is not by staring at the computer screen but by going to see the patient; it's only at the bedside that I can figure out what is important.” In our era of the patient-as-data-point, Abraham Verges believes in the old-fashioned physical exam, the bedside chat, the power of informed observation.

"The truth is, I love and embrace technology, and have no desire to return to the pre-CAT scan and pre-MRI days of old. But I see no reason to let new technology make us lose the abilities we have had for over a hundred years to make sophisticated diagnosis at the bedside. Indeed, it should make us so much better."

I thoroughly enjoyed this video and all the ideas that were presented within it. I hope that you did too.

Have a GREAT day, be happy and…

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

*TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference on the West Coast each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.  More at TED.com

TED Tuesday: How Blood Pressure Works

Good Morning Folks,

If you lined up all the blood vessels in your body, they’d be 60 thousand miles long. And every day, they carry the equivalent of over two thousand gallons of blood to the body’s tissues. What effect does this pressure have on the walls of the blood vessels?

In this informative TED Lesson, Wilfred Manzano gives the facts on blood pressure while answering almost 7,000 questions on the subject.

It goes without saying that lowering stress improves blood pressure. That in mind, I hope that you find comfort and peace in some quiet time-out with your friends and families later this week.

Enjoy!


Cheers,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

See a brief video portrait of who we are and what can can do for you, HERE

Ted Tuesday: Is the obesity crisis hiding a bigger problem? - Peter Attia

"This guy remembers what medicine is all about: treating people. That should always guide the conversation, never politics, money, or government. There are many skinny 12 year olds that have diabetes.. We live in a world..where looks matter..and fat is ugly and gross..if it was vice versa..doctors and the media, would be talking about a SKINNY Epidemic.. And how were going to be dropping dead by 35..."

Good Morning Folks,

We are a company that moves, innovates and constantly (re)Imagines. 

We are also a company that cares about its people. We're growing faster than any of our competitors, so it's more important than ever that we encourage our employees to take pride in their health and happiness.

Many people spend their lives waiting to be happy. You may think, “if only I had more money,” or “could lose weight,” or you fill in the blank, then I would be happy.

Well here’s a secret: you can be happy right now. It’s not always easy, but you can choose to be happy, and in the vast majority of circumstances there’s no one who can stop you except for yourself.

That's why I am so excited to present Dr. Peter Attia's very different take on diabetes, a subject many of our talent force are facing firsthand.

As a young surgeon, Peter Attia felt contempt for a patient with diabetes. She was overweight, he thought, and thus responsible for the fact that she needed a foot amputation. But years later, Attia received an unpleasant medical surprise that led him to wonder: is our understanding of diabetes right? Could the precursors to diabetes cause obesity, and not the other way around? A look at how assumptions may be leading us to wage the wrong medical war.



Here is a clip from the transcript that really hit home for us: 

“This is a really subtle distinction, but the implication could be profound. Consider the following analogy: Think of the bruise you get on your shin when you inadvertently bang your leg into the coffee table.

Now, imagine we thought bruises were the problem, and we evolved a giant medical establishment and a culture around treating bruises: masking creams, painkillers, you name it, all the while ignoring the fact that people are still banging their shins into coffee tables.

How much better would we be if we treated the cause — telling people to pay attention when they walk through the living room — rather than the effect? Getting the cause and the effect right makes all the difference in the world.”

Proactive vs. Reactive Health Awareness 

What if we treated our personal health the same way: working to prevent sickness and disease, rather than reacting when it’s already too late?

ou should watch this even if you don't care about diabetes. Peter Attia is a doctor who has developed a deep, empathic humility. It is motivating him to question how we currently view diabetes and obesity. The story is personal, but also clinical, and it may change the way you see doctors.

Back to diabetes, Attia has found that insulin resistance causes obesity, rather than obesity causing diabetes. This is a huge difference and it turns our conventional wisdom about obesity upside down. Fat people are becoming obese and diabetic because of another process that is going on - NOT because of overeating and lack of exercise.

This other process, the cause of insulin resistance, may be the consumption of processed sugars and grains. It may be due to consuming too much corn syrup and our over-glutenized wheat. These are both relatively new foods for us, popularized by convenience foods that emerged in the 1950's and have now come to dominate our food supply. Fortunately for us, Dr. Attia has stepped up and is working on a research team that is looking into different aspects of this problem.

Said one commenter on the Ted site, "Wow - incredibly powerful - His theory definitely needs more consideration - the obesity crisis is destroying humanity. I for one haven't been able to figure out why my diet of 1500 to 1800 calories a day of whole foods - and exercising at least an hour or two strenuously every day keeps me at 270 pounds - at 6 feet tall - and I'm 62.  Three slices of pizza causes me to gain 4 to 5 pounds."

According to the Kaiser Foundation, the cost of employer-sponsored health coverage for families has increased nearly 100% during the past decade. In addition, total health spending accounted for approximately 18% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2010.

Bottom line: Staying healthy not only costs a lot of money but requires an investment of time. The investment pays off in employee productivity, morale and high performance. Smart companies are starting to direct energy to educating employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It's good for employees, and it's good for business.

We are a company that moves, innovates and constantly (RE)imagines. We are also a company that cares about its people. We're growing faster than any of our competitors, so it's more important than ever that we encourage our employees to take pride in their health. 

But the benefits of health no longer have to be restricted to FSO employees only. What better way to encourage employees to take care of themselves than by using social tools? After all, we have our phones and tablets with us all the time. Here is a link to 5 Social Apps To Encourage Employee Health and Wellness so you can take full advantage of the connectivity to improve your health and well-being. 

My commitment to my employees and their future is paramount, hence why we are continuing make to these types of investments in our talent.

Thanks to you for “caring” (and sharing!).

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

A Healthy Lifestyle Enhances Happiness

“Happiness doesn’t come from wealth, perfect looks or even a perfect relationship. Happiness comes from within”

Good Morning Folks,

We are a company that moves, innovates and constantly (re)Imagines. 

We are also a company that cares about its people. We're growing faster than any of our competitors, so it's more important than ever that we encourage our employees to take pride in their health and happiness.

Many people spend their lives waiting to be happy. You may think, “if only I had more money,” or “could lose weight,” or you fill in the blank, then I would be happy.

Well here’s a secret: you can be happy right now. It’s not always easy, but you can choose to be happy, and in the vast majority of circumstances there’s no one who can stop you except for yourself.

The truth is, happiness doesn’t come from wealth, perfect looks or even a perfect relationship. Happiness comes from within. This is why, if you truly want to be happy, you need to work on yourself, first.

You may have also noticed that some of the habits of happy people are one in the same with those that are essential for leading a healthy lifestyle – exercising and eating right, for example. Once you adopt a happiness mindset, and even before you do, embracing healthy habits will help keep your mood elevated naturally even in the midst of stress. 

Happy people tend to be healthy people, and vice versa, so in addition to healthy food and exercise, the following lifestyle strategies can also help to support emotional wellness

==> 22 Positive Habits of Happy People by Dr. Mercola

What’s the secret to being happy? You can learn how to do it, just as you can learn any other skill. Those who are happy tend to follow a certain set of habits that create peace in their lives; if you learn to apply these habits in your own life, there’s a good chance you’ll be happy too.

Here are 22 such behaviors that you can use to enhance your life and your happiness.

1. Let Go Of Grudges
Forgiving and forgetting is necessary for your own happiness, as holding a grudge means you’re also holding onto resentment, anger, hurt and other negative emotions that are standing in the way of your own happiness. Letting go of a grudge frees you from negativity and allows more space for positive emotions to fill in.

2. Treat Everyone With Kindness
Kindness is not only contagious; it’s also proven to make you happier. When you’re kind to others, your brain produces feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters like serotonin and you’re able to build strong relationships with others, fostering positive feelings all around.

3. Regard Your Problems As Challenges
Change your internal dialogue so that anytime you have a “problem” you view it as a challenge or a new opportunity to change your life for the better. Eliminate the word “problem” from your mind entirely.

4. Express Gratitude For What You Have
People who are thankful for what they have are better able to cope with stress, have more positive emotions, and are better able to reach their goals. The best way to harness the positive power of gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal or list, where you actively write down exactly what you’re grateful for each day. Doing so has been linked to happier moods, greater optimism and even better physical health.

5. Dream Big
Go ahead and dream big, as you’ll be more likely to accomplish your goals. Rather than limiting yourself, when you dream big you’re opening your mind to a more optimistic, positive state where you have the power to achieve virtually anything you desire.

6. Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
If the issue you’re mad about will be irrelevant a year, a month, a week or even a day from now, why sweat it? Happy people know how to let life’s daily irritations roll off their back.

7. Speak Well of Others
It may be tempting to gather around the office water cooler to get and give the daily gossip, but talking negatively about others is like taking a bath in negative emotions; your body soaks them up. Instead, make it a point to only say positive, nice words about other people, and you’ll help foster more positive thinking in your own life as well.

8. Avoid Making Excuses
It’s easy to blame others for your life’s failures, but doing so means you’re unlikely to rise past them. Happy people take responsibility for their mistakes and missteps, then use the failure as an opportunity to change for the better.

9. Live in The Present
Allow yourself to be immersed in whatever it is you’re doing right now, and take time to really be in the present moment. Avoid replaying past negative events in your head or worrying about the future; just savor what’s going on in your life now.

10. Wake Up At The Same Time Every Morning
Getting up at the same time every day (preferably an early time) is deceptively simple. Doing so will help regulate your circadian rhythm so you’ll have an easier time waking and likely feel more energized. Plus, the habit of rising early every day is one shared by many successful people, as it enhances your productivity and focus.

11. Don’t Compare Yourself To Others
Your life is unique; so don’t measure your own worth by comparing yourself to those around you. Even regarding yourself as better than your peers is detrimental to your happiness, as you’re fostering judgmental feelings and an unhealthy sense of superiority. Measure your own success based on your progress alone, not that of others.

12. Surround Yourself With Positive People
The saying “misery loves company” is entirely true. That’s why you need to choose friends who are optimistic and happy themselves, as you will be surrounded with positive energy.

13. Realize That You Don’t Need Others’ Approval
It’s important to follow your own dreams and desires without letting naysayers stand in your way. It’s fine to seek others’ opinions, but happy people stay true to their own hearts and don’t get bogged down with the need for outside approval.

14. Take Time To Listen
Listening helps you soak in the wisdom of others and allows you to quiet your own mind at the same time. Intense listening can help you feel content while helping you gain different perspectives.

15. Nurture Social Relationships
Positive social relationships are a key to happiness, so be sure you make time to visit with friends, family and your significant other.

16. Meditate
Meditation helps you keep your mind focused, calms your nerves and supports inner peace. Research shows it can even lead to physical changes in your brain that make you happier.

17. Eat Well
What you eat directly impacts your mood and energy levels in both the short and long term. Whereas eating right can prime your body and brain to be in a focused, happy state, eating processed junk foods will leave you sluggish and prone to chronic disease. My free nutrition plan is an excellent tool to help you choose the best foods for both physical and emotional wellness.

18. Exercise
Exercise boosts levels of health-promoting brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which may help buffer some of the effects of stress and also relieve some symptoms of depression. Rather than viewing exercise as a medical tool to lose weight, prevent disease, and live longer – all benefits that occur in the future – try viewing exercise as a daily tool to immediately enhance your frame of mind, reduce stress and feel happier.

19. Live Minimally
Clutter has a way of sucking the energy right out of you and replacing it with feelings of chaos. Clutter is an often-unrecognized source of stress that prompts feelings of anxiety, frustration, distraction and even guilt, so give your home and office a clutter makeover, purging it of the excess papers, files, knick knacks and other “stuff” that not only takes up space in your physical environment, but also in your mind.

20. Be Honest
Every time you lie, your stress levels are likely to increase and your self-esteem will crumble just a little bit more. Plus, if others find out you’re a liar it will damage your personal and professional relationships. Telling the truth, on the other hand, boosts your mental health and allows others to build trust in you.

21. Establish Personal Control
Avoid letting other people dictate the way you live. Instead, establish personal control in your life that allows you to fulfill your own goals and dreams, as well as a great sense of personal self-worth.

22. Accept What Cannot Be Changed
Everything in your life is not going to be perfect, and that’s perfectly all right. Happy people learn to accept injustices and setbacks in their life that they cannot change, and instead put their energy on changing what they can control for the better.

23. A Healthy Lifestyle Enhances Happiness
As you know, we’ve partnered with Vital Advantage Consulting for an annual ten week wellness program that offers our award-winning company's nearly 5000 employees access to health, nutrition and exercise experts as they need it. 

You can refer to my post on health that gives you links to APPs for your phone and tablet to help you promote a healthier lifestyle on the job and off.

Thanks to Dr. Mercola who dispenses great daily briefings on his Facebook page that I highly recommend you like and follow. And thanks to you for having made it through this long list. It's proves you are ready to rock.

Have a GREAT Day,

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Wellness: It Is Good To Stay Healthy and Focused.

 “We are a company that moves, innovates and constantly (RE)imagines. We are also a company that cares about its people.”

Good Morning Folks,

Health care is a huge subject right now, regardless of your views on the Affordable Care Act. 

And for good reason. 

According to the Kaiser Foundation, the cost of employer-sponsored health coverage for families has increased nearly 100% during the past decade. In addition, total health spending accounted for approximately 18% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2010.

Bottom line: Staying healthy not only costs a lot of money but requires an investment of time. The investment pays off in employee productivity, morale and high performance. Smart companies are starting to direct energy to educating employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It's good for employees, and it's good for business.

There are endless studies today that link unhealthy lifestyle choices to high levels of lost production and revenue at work. Few owners and CEO's are paying attention to these alarming results, but we are.

You may remember when in 2008 on vacation in Italy, I was critically injured in a motorcycle accident that left me with dozens of broken bones and in a wheelchair for nine months. Once I was discharged from the hospital, I became a relentless “health nut” whose healthy outlook on life, living and work got me though. As former marathoner, I resumed daily running. My complete recovery was and remains “all about attitude.”

That’s why we’ve partnered with Vital Advantage Consulting for an annual ten week wellness program that offers our award-winning company's nearly 5000 employees access to health, nutrition and exercise experts as they need it. 

We are a company that moves, innovates and constantly (RE)imagines. We are also a company that cares about its people. We're growing faster than any of our competitors, so it's more important than ever that we encourage our employees to take pride in their health. 

But the benefits of health no longer have to be restricted to FSO employees only. What better way to encourage employees to take care of themselves than by using social tools? After all, we have our phones and tablets with us all the time. Here is a link to 5 Social Apps To Encourage Employee Health and Wellness so you can take full advantage of the connectivity to improve your health and well-being. 

My commitment to my employees and their future is paramount, hence why we are continuing make to these types of investments in our talent.

Thanks to American Express Open Forum, Mashable and thanks to you for “caring” (and sharing!).

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer