NMP (“Not My Problem”) Medicine and The World that’s Learning to ❤️ better

2018.03.04 Low Carb Breckenridge, Breckenridge, CO USA 3750
With Georgia Ede, MD (@GeorgiaEdeMD) 2018.03.04 Low Carb Breckenridge, Breckenridge, CO USA 3750 (View on Flickr.com)

This is a companion to my just posted Now update (June 2018, What Am I Doing Now?), which is always a fine time to reflect (which I’m allowed to do, it’s my feed 🙂 ).

It’s almost two years since the death of 29 year old Jess Jacobs, where I described “NMP”, which stands for “Not My Problem” in health care (see: Remembering Jess Jacobs). Which is a problem. For a lot of people, and touched on in this tweet by our sage colleague Gregg Masters (@2HealthGuru).

I am incurably 🥛 3/4 full & we need to be accountable to the Jess’ of the world, who don’t get to be here to do what’s needed.

I’m also still here and I’d like to mention places where the world is learning to ❤️ better, to honor her contribution to our understanding of what’s needed.

The LGBTQ, and specifically, the Transgender human revolution

This is arguably the most successful civil rights movement in our generation. We won. And we were right.

Jess was there when I started on this journey, by the way, and I still remember to this day how accepting and open she was, in a world that was closed. She completely “got” that love always wins. This is her at a table with Ruby Corado (@CasaRubyDC), who is now an internationally recognized humanist, activist, leader.

Capital Pride and Kaiser Permanente Present Build Your Best Life Total Health Festival 42506
Capital Pride and Kaiser Permanente Present Build Your Best Life Total Health Festival 42506 (View on Flickr.com)

To put a finer point on this, when Jess knew we were working on this, virtually no human in the United States was afforded access or even compassion from our health care system. Now, as I can attest, transgender and gender nonconforming person centered care is very much our problem, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Metabolic Health Revolution

This is the social movement waiting in the wings, and it will impact all humans. If there’s going to be a flag bearer of “this is our problem” medicine, it’s going to be Dr. Tim Noakes (@ProfTimNoakes), who was (this month) exonerated of all charges of attempting to subvert nutritional dogma in South Africa.

Watch this interview of Tim and his wife, Marilyn Noakes, by Nina Teicholz (@bigfatsurprise).

Pay attention to what Marilyn says, about the physicians she encountered, who were persecuting her husband. She spoke about doctors that she couldn’t imagine taking care of patients, in the way they behaved. I always hesitate to say that anyone lost on here (I focus on winning), however, those doctors lost, this doctor won.

After that, we’ll embark on a new era of diabetes reversal, unfathomable previously in our lifetimes, and yet, it’s here.

Dietary fat and cardiometabolic health-466
Dietary fat and cardiometabolic health-466 (View on Flickr.com) See this blog post: Just Read: Dietary and nutritional approaches for prevention and management of type 2 diabetes, via #Food4Thought18

And this is no longer as scary as we once thought, because I’m meeting physicians all over the country who are bouncing into their medical offices with the confidence and joy that they are doing something real for their patients. Believe me, the future is their problem.

2018.03.02 Low Carb Breckenridge, Breckenridge, CO USA 3671
2018.03.02 Low Carb Breckenridge, Breckenridge, CO USA 3671 (View on Flickr.com)

Did I mention – the patients and the citizen scientists, too (now, one and the same)

The General ‘this century is the best century’ Revolution

Society is changing, and the people in health care are changing too. In some places in society, there is an active movement to change not the people in health, the things they learn and do in health.

We’re All Still Here, and Problems Still Exist

I have had some conversations with people recently about what the people we serve expect from us. Some of the people we serve are no longer here with us. I imagine they expect us to be future focused, steady, deliberate in helping the 🌎 learn to ❤️ better, because they don’t have time or the ability to worry about our problems. And why should they.

Yes, Healthcare Is HILARIOUS! June 7 2018 edition – TED EYTAN! | Mighty Casey on Patreon as @MightyCasey says. At the same time, as I page through my Instagram feed since Jess’ death, I am really overwhelmed with positivity. I know, selection bias. It’s what we came to medicine for, though – to change everything.

Hope this reflection is useful. As I state in all of my Now updates, feel free to evaluate what I’m doing and suggest additional activities.

The only thing we need now is a transgender pride emoji symbol and we’ll be set. If you can help us with that…. (June 2018 update: Why isn’t there a Transgender Pride Flag Emoji?)

Ted Eytan, MD