Bad Patient

Hiding from the sun under a floppy hat with a pouty scowl,       

then later being buried by a toddler.       

What is it about being told you can't do something that makes it that much harder to resist? In the deep recesses of the human psyche, everyone has a primal urge to bend rules. I don't have any formal research to prove or disprove this, other than the anecdotes of others and my own experiences, but I'm guessing most people can relate.

Having no history of skin cancer in my family, or even that many moles to speak of, I assumed my overall risk was fairly low. In any event, I decided this year I would finally go for a screening. It felt like something I should do as a responsible adult, along with recycling, investing, and backing up files to the cloud.

To my surprise, I had one case of mild dysplasia. Since its a very low risk this type of mole would ever evolve into anything more serious, the dermatologist gave me the option to excise it, or to leave it alone and monitor for changes. Not wanting to risk the wrath of future Carla if this thing ever became an issue, I went ahead with the excision.

The whole procedure lasted all of 9 minutes, with an added 10 minutes spent sparring with the dermatologist about activity restrictions that would follow for the next 2 weeks. This is where the struggle begins between the rational, educated, healthcare provider, evidence based part of my brain and the defiant, fitness enthusiast, autonomous, stubborn part - the part that I try to keep in check.

Its true that you don't always appreciate all the things your body is capable of until a restriction is placed upon it. The most distressing part of every injury I've sustained has always been the immediate realization that my life (which is happiest when active and in motion) will be put on pause for any given number of days or weeks to heal. I'll survive the next 2 weeks, and can certainly appreciate how trivial this whole ordeal is compared to the restrictions one might face with a more complex procedure.

All the same, its going to be a cranky couple of days around here until I'm back on my grind. Though, after reading a few disturbing posts on the #livestrong message board relaying the horrors of burst stitches and delayed healing time, I'm going to try and be a good patient.

Not All Talk Is Cheap

This was part of an ad posted in the subway. It was eye catching, not only because I had a 17 minute wait for the G train to peruse my surroundings, but also because it speaks a certain truth.

Early Morning Motivation

Great ad. Definitely made me push a little harder in the gym this morning as I spotted it for the first time on TV.

Coaching Communication

I was drawn to OpenIDEO's recent design challenge which asks the question "How might we all maintain well-being and thrive as we age?"

While a little late to the party, I managed to draft up a concept to submit with 46 hours left on the clock. There are some kinks to work out, but overall I was happy to be part of the project and am looking forward to seeing how it evolves.

I highly recommend getting involved in an OpenIDEO challenge to any of you reading. You'll find it rewarding, I promise.

In a nutshell, my concept proposes crowdsourcing the valuable advice of subject matter experts in a wide variety of health & wellness disciplines. Its called, Braintrust. Anyone from a cardiologist to a tai chi practitioner would be part of the network. Similar to the TaskRabbit model, these experts would be vetted through formal channels, and paid, to provide objective information to users which in turn could better equip them for future communication with their doctor, therapist, social worker, etc...

How many times have you left the doctor's office and kicked yourself for forgetting to mention something that worried you, or frustrated by the limited time you had to engage in a discussion? Its often about asking the "right questions"when attempting to get the most of an interaction with a health care professional. Having worked in health care, I now find myself coaching my parents before appointments with their physicians to make sure they exhaust all avenues.

Below is a quick mock-up of what the site could be.

Ergonomics For New Parents

This month you can read an article in the print edition of Fit Pregnancy (in which I was interviewed) which emphasizes ergonomics in the home and nursery following the birth of a new baby.

I'm not a parent, so I do admittedly feel a bit sheepish telling my friends (who are parents) how to do anything related to child care. However, it just so happens that when confronted with a huge new responsibility, the last thing a new parent is thinking about is themselves. This is where I'm able to offer some insight as someone who understands the necessity of ergonomics in any context.

Here is a preview of the article below. Enjoy!

Art in an Unlikely Environment

Untitled 2012
NYC

Would you buy this piece? I would.
Would you believe its actually a series of drawings produced by a bored hospital patient on paper napkins? You should, because this is exactly what I encountered this past weekend while working. Even though I was wearing my therapist hat that day, the quality of this effort was not lost on me.

It immediately caught my eye upon walking into the room. The artist was humble about the work, unwilling to admit that their wall treatment had added significant value to an otherwise 'artistically-bankrupt' room.

This seemingly simple statement was a way for the patient to exert some influence and possibly even minor control over their environment. This is understandable, in a place where your sleeping, bathing, socializing, eating and elimination are controlled and monitored at all times. When I asked the patient about the work, they confessed that they are an artist by trade and that they found doodling to be an enjoyable way to pass the time. The more I probed, I found out that the patient also found this practice comforting.

The infusion of individual influence on the immediate environment has a therapeutic value, and is an inherent psychological response. Whether adding artwork, arranging items in space, or changing the color of a wall, its evident that we all have preferences that resonate in our personal space, even if that space is only temporarily personal. In the case of my patient/artist, there was something calming and enjoyable about being surrounded by visually interesting stimuli. For others, it could be a certain type of music, or quality of light.

Promoting and encouraging this phenomenon in healthcare settings is entirely feasible and seems like a worthwhile venture, especially in a place like NYC where artists are possibly our best natural resource. In addition, allowing personal influence over space would likely impact quality indicators such as patient satisfaction scores. 

Pinking & Shrinking: Design For Women Gone Wrong

Many of you undoubtedly read about Honda's newest woman-focused car "She's". Honda replaced the apostrophe in the name "She's" with a heart, because they realized that secretly all women would prefer that their vehicles were designed by Lisa Frank.

Honda Fit 'She's'

After getting past the name, which was a bit of a struggle, I took the time to learn more about it before passing judgement too early. Then I read about the features that made She's a truly feminine vehicle according to Honda:
"available colors: pink and eyeliner brown"
"UV protective windshield to prevent wrinkles"
No mention of She's performance, fuel efficiency, engine power, or safety features (beyond the ones that maintain facial beauty).

Judgement passed.

Its been a tough couple of months for us women, between all of the 'legitimate rape' rhetoric of late, 'women in binders', and now a car geared towards women that touts superficiality over actual performance and reliability. Its become exceedingly difficult not to become frustrated as a woman who was raised to expect so much more from society and herself.

Honda is not releasing She's in the US, because they're familiar enough with the market to know it may not go over so well in a country where female subservience is less acceptable.
Maybe that's a small victory in disguise, but the fact that they've still manufactured a vehicle under the assumption that She's (with all of its cosmetic treatments and superfluous features) is what women would prefer is disturbing on many levels.

Not to say that automotive design shouldn't consider the needs and interests of female consumers, because there are differences between men and women...but also between women, and between men. Human factors including height, weight, reach, grip strength, reflexes, and reaction rates, apply to every human that operates a car. Also, why is UV protection only touted as a feature in the She's? Don't men like protection against skin cancer too? And are gender roles still really so separate that the color of a car defines whether a man or woman drives it?

When "pinking & shrinking" effects the quality or performance of a product, its not only often poorly done, its bad business. 

Honda isn't the only company guilty of pink washing products in an attempt to woo women. Maybe some women do feel more feminine and beautiful when holding a pink rifle, and that's fine. Just don't insult that woman by selling her a rifle designed to double as a handbag, that improves her ability to attract men,
when all she's really trying to do is shoot with accuracy.