Health is Wealth

What does it mean when we say that a patient is 'non-compliant' with his or her treatment plan? Usually, this refers to the fact that they are not following what they should be doing to manage their health conditions. Of course, we can see how frustrating this can be for healthcare professionals to deal with. After all, how can we make patients better if they aren't even doing what they should be?! The issue, however, is much deeper than what appears on the surface. T he key to working with a patient who is seemingly 'non-compliant' is to actually reframe the situation - and to understand that 'non-compliance' needs to be explored. First, let's consider the fact that 'non-compliance' means that the patient is not doing what we told them to. Well, this alone is problematic! Patients need to be at the CENTRE of our care . Therefore, if we prescribe them a treatment (this could be a medication, a lifestyle change, etc.), and they are not moti...

I love to write. When I wrote my first book a few years ago, it was a long and tiring process. But my passion for sharing information and my experiences in words drove me to continue to write, page by page, until I had an entire book! I also love to journal. Writing down about my vacations, school year, or even just my day is fun for me. I like to look back on my journal and read through what I did two or three years ago - it is quite nostalgic for me! We've talked before about how sharing or expressing our emotions is important. When we talk about our feelings and label them, we feel better. We are better able to cope with our experiences and to handle difficult emotions. What about writing down our emotions? Does this have any effect? Well, this study  is one example that shows that writing down our emotions can actually have important effects on our mood and functioning. In this study, participants were about to take a math test. Half the group were given a piece of p...