During my training in medical school and residency I often heard well meaning friends and family members mention that the specialty of Pediatrics should be easy because, after all, children are just little adults. The assumption was that kids and adults have the same set of problems. In reality, kids have their own unique set of illnesses and health concerns. They need their own unique approach to health. Through my work in the ICU, the emergency room, and in outpatient clinics I have seen time and again that children are not just little adults.
The corollary to that statement is also true: adults should not be big children. We are continually faced with a culture who tells us anything we choose is okay and anything we want can be ours. Rarely do we hear the truth that our choices have consequences both natural and otherwise. We cannot expect good outcomes from bad decisions. We try to teach our children this but sometimes fail to grasp it ourselves.
I want to encourage my adult patients to stop saying things like “I can’t” or “I don’t like”. We won’t accept our children telling us “I don’t like broccoli, being outside, taking my medicine, or going to bed on time” when we know that they need it for their own good. We won’t allow our children to say “I can’t do my homework, go for a walk, or eat an apple.” We tell them “You can and you will.” Then we encourage them and teach them how to choose wisely. We want our children to grow up and mature in order to make wise decisions for themselves.
Here at Trinity Medical Associates we aren’t going to accept those excuses either. We are going to challenge you every time we hear you say “I don’t like” or “I can’t”. We know you CAN be better than that and that you ARE better than that. We aren’t going to just call you out and tell you to grow up. We are going to encourage and teach you how to make those decisions. We are going to walk with you through every step and hurdle. We have built our wellness division, VitalSigns, to do just that.
Come talk to us about VitalSigns or go check it out on your own. There is no other place in Knoxville that offers the community a chance to learn how eat and exercise in a way that truly cures disease. We have Nutritional Counselors, Personal Trainers, an Exercise Physiologist, Nurses, and Physicians all working together to show you that “You can and You will!”