Reflections On Health
“The excellence of the body is health; that is, a condition which allows
us, while keeping free from disease, to have the use of our bodies; for many
people are 'healthy' as we are told Herodicus was; and these no one can
congratulate on their 'health', for they have to abstain from everything or
nearly everything that men do.” - Aristotle
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Allow me to share the words of two doctors who I greatly admire. Dr. Harold
Wirth was a visionary in the middle part of the 20th century. Dr. Michael
Schuster is one of my mentors and writes extensively on practice and philosophy
in health care.
Reflections
Healthy, attractive mouths are found in all walks of life, rich and poor,
highly educated and not. These mouths are seen in people who think well of
themselves and have come to appreciate the deep physical and psychological
roles their mouths play in their life. They know that teeth can make or break
careers or inter-personal relationships.
The mouth, in its entirety, is an important and even wondrous part of our
anatomy, our emotions, our life; it is the site of our very being. When an
animal loses its teeth, it cannot survive unless it is domesticated; its very
existence is terminated, it dies.
In the human, the mouth is the means of speaking, of expressing love,
happiness and joy, anger, ill temper, or sorrow! It is the primary sex contact;
hence it is of initial importance to our regeneration and survival by food and
propagation. It deserves the greatest care it can receive at any sacrifice.
Psychiatrists have found that the improvement of unhealthy or unattractive
mouths produces a profound emotional response in oneself and when others
observe unattractive or unhealthy mouths. On the other hand, they are often
baffled by the occasional person who becomes emotionally disturbed as a result
of the loss of teeth. This emotional castration is not easily treated by the
psychiatrist. And it is not easily undone by an accomplished dentist.
A sensible approach seems to be learning about one’s mouth and overall
health. Thus, preventing disease and creating a customized plan for optimum
health, function, beauty and longevity. Intelligent action consistent with
personal values for health, function, beauty and a long healthy life will
follow.
- Drs. F. Harold Wirth and Michael Schuster
As our nation continues to wrestle with issues of Health Care delivery and
Cost Management, I'm inclined to ask what we, the patients and consumers of
treatment, are asking of ourselves. If "personal values for health,
function, beauty, and a long life" are truly deciding factors, I suspect
the answer to our national conundrum lies closer to home than Washington DC.
Dr. Sandlin | Sandlin DDS Lawrenceville, Ga
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