Radio Interview: Living Well With Dr. Mari

Follow this link to my interview with Hope Matters on Monday, May 26 at 7pm. I will share about hope, healing, and wholeness as well as an update on my books, projects, and recent speaking and mentoring opportunities.

 
I've been blessed to serve as copyeditor and Spanish translator for Hope Matters since 2009. Its founder, Maryann Makekau, is the author of the Little Pink Book series that includes When Your Teacher Has Cancer and When Your Grandma Forgets, among others. These books help ensure that children are not forgotten when adults walk through tough journeys like cancer and Alzheimer's disease. They inspire and equip families during life's challenges in a whimsical and thoughtful way.

Maryann's co-host, Rob Harris, is the author of We're In This Together: A Caregiver's Story. This touching book will soon be followed by a caregiver's guide I was blessed to review. His perspective as a husband and caregiver provides practical help laced with compassion and understanding.

I look forward to another interview with my friends at Hope Matters and RobCares. Join us and call in with your questions and comments, and have a blessed and safe Memorial Day celebration!

Live well!
Dr Mari

For information about my book to inspire and equip caregivers and healthcare professionals, check out my book site.

For a recent interview about the book for girls I coauthored (The Ultimate Girls Body Book), follow this link.

Overloaded Lives are Powerless Lives: It's Time for a Change! (Part I)

This month I've been reading a book titled Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Written by Dr Richard Swenson, it addresses the many ways that modern progress has robbed us of our reserves and has contributed to a culture that drives us to hurried, frazzled living. Whereas much good has come out of the technological age, we are living  chronically overloaded lives as individuals and as a society. The author shares various manifestations of this overload syndrome; see if they sound familiar.

• Activity overload, which "takes away the pleasure of anticipation and the delight of reminiscence." 
• Change overload, with frequent moves, new jobs, new schools, new... everything, constantly!
• Choice overload: Just go to the supermarket or, better yet, visit one of the Superstores.
• Commitment overload: Have we learned to discern our commitments and feel good about saying "No" when we must?
• Debt overload. 
• Decision overload.
• Expectation overload. 
• Fatigue overload: In my practice of family medicine, at least half of the patients that come in with a chronic problem complain of fatigue. Most of them sleep less than 6 hours per night, drink too much coffee and consume alcohol in excess, all of which contribute to fatigue.
• Hurry overload.
• Information overload: "We are buried by data on a daily basis." 
• Media overload: In North America, the average TV set is turned on 55 hours a week!
• Noise overload: "True quiet is extremely rare."
• Possession overload: "Having first imprisoned us with debt, possessions then take over our houses and occupy our time... Everything I own owns me. Why would I want more?"
• Technology overload: "The average person must learn to operate 20,000 pieces of equipment."
• Traffic overload: "We now have more cars per family than drivers per family."
• Work overload: "Work is God-ordained. Work overload, however, was not part of the original plan. Yet every morning millions of Americans head drudgingly to an exhausting work schedule that leaves them stressed and worn out. The earlier predictions of shorter work-weeks and higher incomes have backfired. Instead we often find total family work schedules exceeding eighty hours a week - yet another family 'over-working and under-relating.'"

Such is life in our modern, advanced, developed world. The author relates meeting a man in Mali, West Africa, who said, "You Americans have all the watches; we have all the time."

Does any of this resonate with you today? If so, consider ways to help yourself on a daily basis beginning right now. You can redirect your life by making new choices and moving in the direction of greater sanity and true living. Overload syndrome is pervasive, but there's so much that we can do about it! The book speaks of the concept of "margin" as the opposite of overload. Margin builds our reserves, increasing the space between us and our limits. Margin = power - load. We can increase our power for abundant living by doing more of those things that increase our well-being, and we can decrease the load we carry through careful choices, too. This will bring back a margin of sanity, energy, peace, and contentment to our daily lives that will make all the difference.

One last thought. Are we measuring our progress by the world's definition of success, ours or God's? "What if... we were to begin measuring our progress not by our wealth but by our virtue; not by our education but by our humility; and not by our power but by our meekness?" What if?

Be free!
Dr Mari

For part II of this series, read Unloaded Lives are Powerful: Restoring a Margin of Sanity. For more on why the choices we make matter, read I Am Not My Own.

 Above excerpts are from Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson, MD.

*Photo by Manuel Díaz Photography. All Rights Reserved. *

A Solid Foundation

As I sit to write this morning, my mind is full and my heart, stirred. I have a loved one in prison and several others who are grieving the loss of parents and spouses. I treated a young woman yesterday who hasn't slept for days since hearing the news of her father's cancer. And I saw a beautiful lady with severe anxiety who's so afraid of doctors that she hyperventilated through the first fifteen minutes of our visit. Thankfully, I was able to reassure her enough to trust me for five minutes, long enough to do the labs we needed to begin treating her. It's a tough world out there, and I thank God that we don't have to face life's challenges alone.

As I began to get to know this woman with severe anxiety, I asked all the typical questions about her upbringing, family, friends, activities, and support system. Then I asked a question that many neglect but that I find critical as I care for hurting people. "Do you have any faith beliefs that help you in life?" The answer to this question helps me know what kind of a spiritual foundation has been laid in people's inner lives, and whether they attempt to walk through life's valleys on their own or hand-in-hand with God. This simple question opens the door to what often becomes the most important conversation I have with people. It marks a turning point.

The woman's reply came with a blank stare. She said nothing at all, searching her boyfriend's eyes as if to say, "What does that even mean?" I asked the same thing in a different way and got the same answer. "I get through life alone." Repeatedly wringing her calloused fingers and shaking her feet without pause, she said, "I can handle things alone."

In the seventh chapter of the book of Isaiah, the Lord says to His prophet, "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." (Isaiah 7:9) God Himself said this to Isaiah as he began to walk daily under His guidance. We either stand on the foundation of faith in the living God or we will fall. Period. This is God's word to Isaiah and to each of us.

I wonder - what ground are we standing on? Whether wrongly accused or grieving the losses of life, what helps us stand? Are we standing on a sure foundation or is our life built on quicksand?

Psalm 89:14,15 speaks of the hopeful and solid foundation of God's kingdom,

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; 

love and faithfulness go before You. 

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, 

who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord." 

I, too, have found great joy, peace, and comfort in learning to acclaim my God - our God. As we call on Him, He is here. As we ask for more of Him, He is faithful to reveal Himself more, showing us what we need when we need it most. The foundation of our spiritual life is critical, and the apostle Paul reminds us of the importance of the right foundation. "But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:10b,11)

With Christ as the ground we stand on, we never have to face life's challenges alone. God with us, our Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), stands with us as our Companion, our Savior, our Redeemer, and our Strength. If we build our lives on this Rock, when the storms of life come, we will stand. And as we remain there, firmly planted, we can reach out and help others rise, sharing the One who is our foundation that they, too, may stand firm on solid ground through the trials of life.

Who can we help stand today?
Dr Mari

Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner: A Spark of Hope - October 2011

Hope rises daily with each sunrise.

Follow this link to A Spark of Hope, a short read where I share sparks of hope and life I've discovered in the midst of losses. Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner is published monthly at Hope Matters - a small thing I do with great love, as Mother Teresa taught.

I will join the HOPE team this weekend to speak at A Taste of Wellness with a Little Pink Book, a breast cancer awareness and advocacy event. I will share what I've learned on my own journey to wellness - especially that, as a doctor, the one thing I can always share with those who come to me for healing is hope, which is a wonderful, healing gift in itself!

Enjoy this month's Health & Hope Corner and join our HOPE team by sharing sparks of hope with those in your life. It's a wonderful way to live!

Spreading Hope,

Dr Mari

Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner: Life's Extras - September 2011

Life's extras at Leu Gardens. Orlando, FL.

Follow this link to Life's Extras, this month's Health & Hope Corner, where I share about my husband's discovery of a bigger plan in the midst of suffering. This column is a "small thing" I do "with great love," as Mother Teresa taught. It is published monthly by Hope Matters, whose mission it is to spread hope to those walking through the stormy seas of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, or through the uncertainty and stress of military deployment. I have the privilege of serving as their translator, copy editor, and contributing author. Through books, workshops, special events, and advocacy efforts, Hope Matters provides tools, resources, and hope for tough journeys.

Enjoy this month's Health & Hope Corner, and may we all learn to rejoice as we discover life's extras in the midst of our struggles.

Blessed by sharing hope,

Dr Mari

Local Ministry Opportunity: Sanford, FL

Harvest Time International’s Medical Care Center will open in Sanford, FL this September, 2011. This Christian clinic will provide medical care to uninsured families with an income below 200% of the federal poverty level. The Medical Care Center seeks to bring glory to God by sharing His love with families in need regardless of their faith, race, gender or age. The free medical clinic needs volunteer doctors, nurses, clerical volunteers to qualify patients, medical supplies, and financial sponsors. For more information, visit www.medicalcarecenter.org or call Lena Smolinsky at (407) 328-9900 ext 135.

Healing Through Music

If you've considered taking up an instrument or getting your child into band, you may not realize that such exposures to music may even bring health benefits. This short review from HealthDay News reminds us of music's positive impact on anxiety, pain, and quality of life.

As we've incorporated music into our daily routines, we've become more patient and creative, and experience greater peace in the midst of mundane activities like sorting laundry and doing the dishes. A favorite in our home is when we play the Star Wars theme song to get our kids up in the morning. They spring out of bed with smiles on their faces, ready to start the day! But beyond fun and energizing, studies attest to music's powerful contribution to healing.

An article entitled Behavior Disorders of Dementia: Recognition and Treatment published in the American Family Physician Journal includes music therapy as a modality shown to help patients with psychotic behaviors, as can be seen in Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. "Music therapy and pet therapy, which create a homelike environment in nursing homes, seem to lessen behaviors associated with psychosis and enhance patients’ quality of life."* I experienced this healing power of music when I delivered my daughter with no pain meds at all, only the glorious Magnificat playing in the background.

I recently had the privilege of observing a wonderful friend minister to her dying mother over many months. Her mother loved the opera and, in her last days, my thoughtful friend decided to pay an opera singer to sing for her mother - at her bedside! No longer strong enough to go to the opera, imagine this mother's joy when the opera came to her. Now that's what I call living life to its fullest!

So, today, turn on the radio. Play an old song that brings back great memories, and sing to your heart's delight. And, then, when you wake up tomorrow, do it again, mindful of life and all its joys, including the wonderful gift of music.

Rejoice!
Dr Mari

*O’Donnell M, Molloy DW, Rabheru K. Dysfunctional behaviour in dementia: a clinician’s guide. Dundas, Ontario: New Grange Press; 2001.

Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner: A Cup of Joy - August 2011

Follow this link to A Cup of Joy, this month's Health & Hope Corner by Dr Mari. It is featured at Hope Matters and was written in honor of Titi Myriam, my beautiful aunt whose contagious joy continues to bless my life. Te amo, Titi!

* This column is a "small thing" I do "with great love," as Mother Teresa taught. It is published monthly by Hope Matters, a company that seeks to spread hope to those walking through the stormy seas of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, or through the uncertainty and stress of military deployment. I have the privilege of serving as their translator and copy editor. Through books, workshops, special events, and advocacy efforts, Hope Matters provides tools, resources, and hope for tough journeys. *

Changing the World ... One Person at a Time

Last week six doctors gathered at one of their homes to begin planning for the first Orlando chapter of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. These associations "exist to motivate, educate, and equip Christian physicians and dentists to glorify God by living out the character of Christ in their homes, practices, communities, and around the world." Now that's a mission statement I can internalize and resolve to live out!

As I contemplate the things we need in order to live out the character of Christ in our personal and professional lives, my thoughts turn to the patients I've seen this month. You see, for the first time in twelve years I'm working at a secular clinic. I recently met a young man with HIV and depression who feels spiritually and emotionally lost. Two weeks ago I met a man in his fifties who hadn't seen a doctor in over six years because of fear -- so he now has very advanced diabetes and heart disease. I met a woman with panic attacks who has no community to speak of, and a young man in the midst of a disappointing and painful divorce.

How can I possibly help restore wholeness to these broken lives while neglecting the emotional, relational, and spiritual elements that affect their health and well-being? It is not possible -- not if I want to really help them.

Twelve years ago, a simple prayer began a transformation in me whereby I stopped being one more doctor and started to grow into a Christian physician. To me, that means that I started living out my faith in every area of my life, not just my private prayer life. Although faith is intensely private and grows by leaps and bounds in the intimacy of personal prayers between an individual and God, faith that changes the world is often public. And I have chosen to go public in spite of my fears.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." What a shame that a man who stood for non-violence, peace, and unity had such an opinion of Christians. As followers of Jesus, we must not simply walk alongside Him passively or follow at a distance. Our calling is to become like Him, and that happens one day at a time, one action at a time, one thought at a time, and one prayer at a time - as we stay close to Him.

It is so critical to find mature Christian mentors who can challenge, encourage, and help to keep us accountable and on track. It is even more compelling to become one of those mentors. 

In modern, Western healthcare, it is so easy to become discouraged and apathetic by the challenges we face every day. Yet, we have the awesome privilege of being Christ to those in need, often during their most vulnerable and terrifying moments. It is my hope and prayer that, as I treat hurting people, they will leave thinking, "I like your Christ, and I'm starting to like Christians. You look so much like your Christ."

In Hope and with Joy,

Dr Mari

I published a devotional for healthcare professionals and caregivers in 2012. Visit my author website to read more about Walking with Jesus in Healthcare.

Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner (featured in Hope Matters)

Introducing Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner

 

Olympic athlete Eric Liddell said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

When I write, I feel God's pleasure.

I have worked as a family physician for over fifteen years while always nurturing my love of writing. I have written for the American Family Physician Journal, contributed to several devotionals, and gained editing experience through various projects over the years. Then, about eighteen months ago, I became involved in one of my favorite writing ventures. I joined the Little Pink Book™ team as their translator and copy editor.

Having lost my mother to breast cancer in my early twenties, I found Maryann Makekau’s When Your Mom Has Cancer and When Your Mom’s Cancer Doesn’t Go Away to be works of love. With compassion and endearing simplicity, these books conveyed what I wish someone had told me years ago. While translating them into my native Spanish, I was surprised by the showers of healing and hope that I received in the process. I experienced the words of Proverbs 11:25b, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

As a doctor, I strive to care for the soul and minister to the spirit while treating the body. While not impossible, nurturing wholeness can be difficult to achieve in the traditional medical office, and writing provides another way to share my message. Mother Teresa urged us to do “small things with great love.” Dr Mari’s Health & Hope Corner is one such “small thing” offered to encourage, inspire, and help others to find greater purpose, healing, and hope.

Be whole!

Dr Mari

Welcome to Dr Mari's Faith Stop

A simple, heartfelt prayer changed my life in the late 90s. When I asked God to reveal Himself, He did, and that changed everything. From that day on I've grown increasingly aware of God's unconditional love and goodness, and resolved to live for Him. As I share my faith journey, I find that life is abundant, as Jesus promised in John 10:10, 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; 
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

These words of Jesus are the source of my hope, joy, and peace, for His words are life. He further said in Matthew 11:28,  

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

 

Are you weary? Are you burdened? Welcome to Dr Mari's Faith Stop™. Here you will find inspiration and hope, helpful scriptures, resources, songs, and links to other life-giving sites. My hope is that this will be a rest stop on your busy travels through life to renew your soul and refresh your heart.

Here's to a full life for us all! 

Dr Mari

* Photo by Manuel Diaz Photography. All rights reserved.