The Light Bulb MomentHow I'm Beating Diabetes and How YOU Can (and Should) Attack Any Chronic Disease

Charlie Levenson@CharlieLevenson | CharlieLevenson.com | #IgniteHealth

“Chronic Diseases” are conditions that can't be “cured”

but only managed and controlled.

Diabetes COPD Asthma Heart Disease Cancer

Osteoporosis Smoking Alcoholism RSD …and many others

I have a chronic disease:

High fat, high carb,high sugar diet

High Stress

I am a diabetic. Diagnosed in 1999

with A1c of 13.5 Weight of 230 lbs.

Sedentary lifestyle

My responses went through cycles

for me, for 14 years, it went like this...

A1c usually around 7.5 to 9.5 Weight high, between 235 and 245+ Attitude between mildly positive and depressed Dealing with it a bit then ignoring it

Responses to a DiagnosisImmediate and Ongoing Action, or

Minimal Response, or

Intermittent Response

or

a very commonoption…

Providers try to present“The Facts” to patients

Usually in isolationfrom each other.

And from their individualmedical perspective.

Usually it's... If you don't do THISthen THIS WILL HAPPEN.

Diagnosis often comes as a surprise to the patient.

If patient is

in shock,

it's not

a good time

to educate them.

What patients needPatients need

to know they canhave an impacton their condition.

The treatment for my diseaseis simple.

Eat a balanced dietand get regular exercise.

What gets a patient to move from denial / inaction to the

right path?Threats? Bribes? Intervention?

Bossiness? Pleading?

How many psychologists does it take

to change a light bulb?

The Light Bulb Moment

When the patient is ENGAGEDthe whole team is stronger.

Before engagement, everything was a seriesof unrelated encounters with relevant but random information.

When engaged, every new fact and every potential strategy has traction and value.

What can the provider do to prepare the patient for the light

bulb moment? Make information available. Provide non-judgemental suggestions. Show the possibility of success.

And most importantly... Show them that

it's incremental.

Remind the patient

that the battle is

never lost

…or won.

Image used with permission of Emily Steffen.

The healthcare team is flipping the circuit breakerto prepare the patient for

the light bulb to go on.

What the patient can doto prepare themselves

for the light bulb moment. Know what's important to them

Know what they want out of life

Take an inventory of their support network

My light bulb moment... October 7, 2013, 7:30am A1c of 8.7 Weight of 245 lbs Bad diet No exercise Low energy Sedentary

One Year Later

A1c of 6.5 and trending down. Below 200 lbs (loss of 45+ lbs). Exercising 10+ times a week. Eating well. Misbehaving only occasionally. Planning to live and work to 90.

With the support of Melissa Ho, M.A., R.N., C.D.E., a Diabetes Nutritionist at Providence, and many others...

Thank You.Charlie Levenson

Writer & Media Strategy

CharlieLevenson.com@CharlieLevensonCLL2001 @ gmail . com503.449.3376

All images used with creator's permission or under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).