I have just returned from a magnificent 5 days in Western Australia speaking at a Conference on Emergency medicine. I gave a keynote address to about 200 rural doctors on the importance of attitude and how it can affect our health. In the audience was the Deputy Premier for Western Australia, Dr Kim Hames who is both the Minister of Health and Aboriginal Affairs.
Following the conference I had an email from a Paeditrician, Associate Professor Christine Jeffries-Stokes thanking me for my presentation and reinforcing our message of “It’s not necessarily your diabetes that will kill you, but your attitude towards it that will!”
Professor Jeffries-Stokes is based in Kalgoorlie, a Gold town in Western Australia with a high indigenous population. As with most indigenous populations, the incidence of diabetes is huge. Having worked in Fiji I heard a claim that up to 40% of hospital health care costs are related diabetes. The pain, suffering and loss of quality of life is immeasurable.
What Dr Jeffries-Stokes and her amazing team are doing is changing peoples attitudes towards diabetes by using a mix of modern and traditional techniques. Titled Wanti Sugarba it talks about the sugar monster through things like puppet shows for children, and involves practical workshops in growing fruit and vegetables and how our attitudes toward food and nutrition affect our health.
I was so impressed with the program and what they are trying to achieve in a remote and difficult environment that we are looking at a sponsorship arrangement where 50% of our profits from books sales, corporate training and our e-development in Western Australia can go to their mission of raising another $3 million.

We see many of our attitude profiles that relate to lifestyle diseases related to smoking, type 2 diabetes and obesity. The Denialist (I only smoke socially), The Justifier (you have to die of something) and the Extremist (I CANT stop) cause cognitive blocks to behavioural change.
Stress can be a huge part of diabetes and poor sugar control and is backed up by Professor Jeffries-Stokes research. When we feel stressed we secrete cortisol which elevates our blood sugar to cope with the fright and flight response. Our pancreas produces insulin to counter the high blood sugar, putting it under stress and our cells with their pumps and channels are working harder.
Sometimes we eat more in response to stress, thereby fuelling the insulin resistance cycle. It seems fitting that our stress reducing software and e-development can benefit those that need it but dont have computers and access to our Healthy Thinking tools via the web.

Speaking of stress it is Good Friday and I have just returned yesterday from Australia. Hosted by the team at Rural Health West I had a fantastic time 24 hours post conference. I managed to surf epic waves at Yallingup and then free dive for monster crayfish and abalone south of Margaret River with a doctor I met at the conference. Crystal clear warm water with lots of fish it was awesome. I was very impressed with the coastline, the hospitality and the people, not to mention the SEAFOOD. I will be back and have had many offers to work!
Somewhere along the way I sat next to someone sneezing and unwell. Unfortunately its Good Friday, the sun is shining, I feel like crap and am armed with a box of tissues, facing starting work at 10.30pm tonight and a 10 hour shift at Auckland City Hospital Emergency Department, not to mention Saturday and Sunday night as well.
As my sinuses squeak and body aches I hope it passes quickly. Its times like this that one really needs the right attitude. It is not an easy environment to be in, 3am in the morning with a waiting room of intoxicated people, while through another unseen entrance multiple ambulances with multiple trauma, heart attacks and strokes flood the department.

I find it useful to immunize myself (along with Vitamin C and paracetamol) with certain COGNITHERAPEUTICALS or therapeutic thoughts before I go to work. If at any stage I start to feel sorry for myself I can choose to think, At least I only have a minor cold, and am not in that Ambulance.
It is interesting as many people have asked me “What are you doing over Easter?”. When I reply, working nights in the Emergency Department I often get “Poor you” “Rather you than me” or “I couldnt stand that”.
Call me weird but I think its a privilege to do so and actually look forward to it (maybe not so much with a cold). Whats the point of me not? No fun for me, no fun for the staff and no fun for the patients. While fun is probably not the right word, enjoyment of what you do is important. As I often say, if you cant change your attitude, change your job.
Having just had epic waves and diving and then as of Easter Monday I have 5 days off with the family in the school holidays, I cant complain!
Bring on the COGNITHERAPEUTICALS AT 3am as I reach for the tissues!
Lets hope it works, I will keep you posted!