What makes you tick?” said the clock to the man. The clock said, “I have cogs and wheels and springs. What’s your secret?”
This statement epitomizes the complexity of most of our lives. Let’s face it: time waits for no one. How do you optimize your potential, have fun, stay healthy and make a difference in everything around you?
A few years back, I was living what I thought was the perfect balance. I had achieved many of the goals that I had set for myself: I was a successful Cardiovascular and Thoracic surgeon taking care of good people. Late one night, after finishing my last case, the thought crossed my mind that even if I operated at my peak, my heart surgery practice could accommodate at most 2000 patients a year between OR and consults. However, it quickly dawned on me that there are seven billion people on the planet. As I tossed and turned in bed, I searched for a means to attend to the world and make life better for everyone. Eventually, the answer came in the form of combination therapy.
Much like we treat diseases, we must attend to people on several different levels: mind, body and soul. Ultimately if we could construct a system that would aid in prevention, early recognition and early treatment, we could potentially change the staging and treatment of disease and save lives and lifestyles. The repercussions would be immense to the individual patients and their families. As a society, the impact would include increased productivity and decreased cost.
We are now trying to build a system of medicine that will close the gap between patients and doctors. By empowering the patients to take care of themselves while at the same time scaling the reach of the doctor to attend to more patients, we effectively change the balance. My hope is, through this project, we can share some of our experiences together, and start the journey toward better health in India, and on the planet.
Here’s to your health!
