Author: dailydoseofhumanities

HEALERS

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To look up, to memorize, to know

provides not for the patient

but for one’s dignity, pride, and ego

To listen, to empathize, to heal

are not expertise actions,

but shows that we too can feel.

He told me he had to become blind to finally see.

How profound a statement,

I learned that the voice of a patient is key.

Our encounter, though not long,

is invaluable and I promise

to provide an environment you feel you belong.

My progression

from student to doctor one day will reveal

that my dedication

will be to help others like you heal.

Irfan S. Habib, OMS3

10 Tips for Naturalistic Sleep

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Submission by: Farwa Feroze, OMS IV

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“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” – Irish Proverb

Do you feel like you don’t get enough sleep, that there isn’t enough time in the day, or that you’re up late night just staring at the ceiling? Well, you’re not alone; it is estimated that 70% of adult Americans report insufficient sleep for least one night a month and 11% report insufficient sleep every night. (1)

Not only is insufficient sleep detrimental to your health, it can affect every aspect of your life. Many studies have shown a clear link between a lack of sleep and many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and many more. When we don’t sleep for an average of eight quality hours every night, we decrease our body’s ability to fight pathogens, repair and heal itself, regulate our hormones and blood sugar, as well as many other essential functions. To make matters worse, when we’re sleep-deprived, we’re more likely to make mistakes, be involved in car crashes, and have poor mental health. (2)

Simply put, sleep is preventative medicine. The solution seems simple, just get enough sleep! Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it seems. But here are ten tips from the American Cancer Society to help work towards restful naturalistic sleep. (3)

  • Go to sleep at the same time each night, and get up at the same time each morning, even on the weekends.
  • Don’t take naps after 3 pm, and don’t nap longer than 20 minutes.
  • Stay away from caffeine and alcohol late in the day.
  • Avoid nicotine completely.
  • Get regular exercise, but not within 2-3 hours of bedtime.
  • Don’t eat a heavy meal late in the day. A light snack before bedtime is OK.
  • Make your bedroom comfortable, dark, quiet, and not too warm or cold.
  • Follow a routine to help you relax before sleep (for example, reading or listening to music). Turn off the TV and other screens at least an hour before bedtime.
  • Don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, do something calming until you feel sleepy, like reading or listening to soft music.
  • Talk with a doctor if you continue to have trouble sleeping.

References:

Image retrieved from: https://images.app.goo.gl/zPdEkzmZ79hg36mDA

(1) “The State of in America.” SleepHealth, 24 Sept. 2018, http://www.sleephealth.org/sleep-health/the-state-of-sleephealth-in-america/#:%7E:text=In%20America%2C%2070%25%20of%20adults,report%20insufficient%20sleep%20every%20night.&text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%20sleep,all%20ages%20and%20socioeconomic%20classes.

(2) “NPR Cookie Consent and Choices.” National Public Radio, 20 July 2018, choice.npr.org/index.html?origin=https://www.npr.org/2018/07/20/630792401/sleep-scientist-warns-against-walking-through-life-in-an-underslept-state.

(3) Simon, Stacy. “10 Tips to Get More Sleep.” American Cancer Society, 5 May 2020, http://www.cancer.org/latest-news/how-to-get-more-sleep.html.

Choose Your Side

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Submission by: William Qin, OMS III

Branch, Branch Point, Split, Fork In The Road, Choice

Image accessed from: https://pixabay.com/vectors/branch-branch-point-split-1290017/

Here at Daily Dose we encourage originality and engaging with ones creative side to reset and rebalance during stressful times.

Here is one such original piece, a rap written by 3rd year osteopathic medical student William Qin.

Choose Your Side

You’ve gotta choose your side,
Who you gonna believe?
You’ve gotta choose your side
With the people you wanna believe.

Choose your bubble, snuggle up close
And don’t let them go.
More than friendship, it’s ideological.
And you’ve gotta choose your people,
Pick the ones you’ll call home.

Some tools say you’ll lose your soul
Just cause you won’t toe their line
But we all know that ain’t right.
Saying you’ve gotta choose their side
Else you’re gonna have a fight.
And they’ll tell you, “you need to lose your pride
If you want to be on my side.”

You’ve gotta choose your side,
Who you gonna believe?
You’ve gotta choose your side
With the people you wanna believe.

~William Qin

How Life Passes

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Submission By: Kwabena O.M. Adubofour, MD, FACP

Image Obtained from: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/dew-drop-rose

Here at Daily Dose of Humanities, we strive to share content that can engage our humanity, our compassion, and our resilience. In our goal to prevent burnout, we cannot forget about the lives we touch on a daily basis. Our patients remind us how valuable life, and all the little moments that make it up, can be. Life may be short, but its vibrancy is so precious, and can never be forgotten.

This poem written by one of our founders, Dr. Adubofour, is honoring the life of one of our many inspiring patients. 

Death in the ICU

For this life,

This once vibrant life hangs precariously.

A drop of morning dew

Shimmering,

Brilliantly, 

Bright

An array of fading rainbow colors

At the edge of a rosy thorn.

For this life hangs precariously

Only to falter,

To drop and disappear 

At the whisper of the passing breeze. 

–Kwabena O.M. Adubofour, MD, FACP

Hope is the Thing with Feathers

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Submission by: Daniel Pacitto, OMS3

I was searching the internet and found a nice poem by Emily Dickinson, which I think perfectly illustrates how far hope can bring people in their journey to reach any destination. It exemplifies how we rely on hope during any challenging time in order to stay on course and keep our heads high. However, at the end of the day, we never ask anything back from it.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me

-Emily Dickinson

An Amazing Recovery

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Submission by: James Chacko, OMS III

Seeing this dog’s recovery reminded me how we all need to be patient with patients.

We cannot expect patients to get better overnight. Through extreme care and compassion, we can give them the groundwork for getting better.

For that adorable dog to be able to walk again, it required teamwork.

Life isn’t about going through things alone, you need your own crew.

A crew that you can rely on when you need a little push. So if there’s anyone out there that needs the push, don’t be afraid to reach out to somebody.

In this world where everyone has their own obstacles and struggles, let’s push each other up to do great things and just like this dog, to walk freely.

Be Patient With Me

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Image source: https://images.app.goo.gl/2B33jvaqFTAymy71A
I am your patient
be patient with me.
I come to you to ease
my discomfort with this disease.
So be patient with me.

I come seeking your understanding
and empathy.
Above all else, I come asking
that you compel your compassion
into action and be patient with me.

Come to me eager to sit down.
Eager to cradle my palms in your skilled hands and be patient with me.
As you really listen — just to listen to me without interruption.
Be patient with me.

If the eyes be a window into my soul,
then do please peer into my being.
For how can you tell of my disease without looking into my eyes - patiently.
Be patient with me.

- Poem By Kwabena Adubofour M.D

Conscious Breathing

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Submission by: Priya Singh, OMS III

stones, meditation, balance, relaxation, gartendeko, garden design, rest

Image accessed from: https://www.hippopx.com/en/stones-meditation-balance-relaxation-gartendeko-garden-design-rest-98391


This breathing exercise is meant to give you a quick mindfulness break between your busy day at work or otherwise.

For this exercise, finding a quiet place would be ideal but it can be performed anywhere.

You can do this laying down, sitting or reclining. You do not need to force any breaths but just simply observe your breath with mindfulness.

A Quick and Simple Meditation Technique

● Start with closing your eyes
● Focus on each breath you take, try to not let your mind wander and refocus whenever
that happens.
● As you inhale, feel the air enter your nostrils.
● Focus on the temperature of the air entering your body.
● Feel the air inflate your lungs, and chest.
● Feel the air as it makes your stomach rise.
● As you exhale, feel your stomach flattening.
● Feel your lungs and chest deflate.
● Feel the air leaving through your nostrils.
● Focus on the warmth of the breath that you are exhaling.
● Also, as you are inhaling, feel all the positive energy, peace and calm enter your body.
● As you exhale, feel all the negative energy leave your body.
● Continue to do this for 8-10 breaths.
● Then slowly open your eyes, and go on with your day with renewed energy

Flavors in Transition

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Submission by: Anil Harrison MD

Image accessed from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/visionwithin/149553091

While sitting on my patio one late evening, I mused on the flavors of life akin to the changing seasons…

       Flavors in Transition

Sitting in the dark

the flow of a gentle breeze, the sound of crickets and a distant train 

The early morning calm, it’s freshness and a yearning for music of rain.

The summer has passed me by, I feel a wisp of cool around the bend

The leaves dazzle with colorful radiance,

And pretty petals near their end.

Soon the cold shall turn nature bare 

Though festivities and cheer will fill the air

With gloomy grays, the soul might despair 

Sitting by a fire, there’ll be warmth to share.

Flavors of spring shall blossom next

With changes….at the creator’s behest 

New beginnings, some a challenge while others a pretext

The soul never fails to rise, nor lose its zest.

The sound of crickets and birds, the heart shall miss

Moments in the thicket and abyss, and much more to remiss 

The seasons share beauty, with musings of bliss.

With every passing night, a day shall follow

To turn despair into cheer and wallow

Akin to a ray of hope that kindles one’s hollow.

 Life in ways takes turns in showing

The overcast skies aren’t done a glowing 

A story it tells without an end, an intent sublime and growing

Sitting in the dark, the breeze gentle and time’s aflowing…

My dawn has broken through and cherishes a’ glowing.