The term "hero" often conjures images of Hollywood action movies and killers of bad guys. However, the etymology of the Greek term "hērōs" has a meaning more consistent with "protector" or "defender." In other words, a hero is someone with strength for two.
In late 2019, we began a wellness program for our clinic team in Guatemala with the goal of helping our team members become more heroic. My oldest daughter, Andrea, and I became certified health coaches that same year and shared our new knowledge regarding the importance of eating, sleeping, and moving with our clinic team. Last year I completed a fellowship in genomics based precision medicine. We subsequently analyzed our team members' DNA and provided them with specific actionable recommendations based on their unique genetic makeup.
This year we are beginning to see the fruits of our efforts. We follow several metrics over time to objectively monitor improvements in health. One such metric is hemoglobin A1C (a measure of average blood glucose over the last three months). At the the beginning of 2022, our team had an average A1C of 5.96 - falling squarely in the "prediabetes" range. Our most recent round of labs revealed an average A1C of 5.10 (i.e. normal). While that numeric difference may not seem terribly impressive, it actually is quite significant. That change is illustrative of the positive effect our wellness program is having on the health of our local team.
As we optimize the health of our individual team members, we are improving both present vitality as well as longevity. We are cultivating "strength for two."
We are building a team of HEROES powered by LOVE to SERVE our patients.
Photo by Esteban Lopez on Unsplash