Counterclockwise

Counterclockwise is a critical look at current perspectives on health with a particular focus on how we can improve our own when we shift from being mindless to mindful.

It is not the intention of this book to prevent you from seeing your doctor. There are times when we require expert medical intervention. But submitting yourself to the prescribed treatment shouldn’t be synonymous with giving up the responsibility for your own health.

The reason for this is simple: your body is yours alone, which means that only you have access to first-hand information about your health. A doctor does her best to formulate a diagnosis and treatment plan based on what she knows. But you should keep in mind that what she sees is by no means complete.

A health diagnosis is an attempt to define a patient’s general condition, symptoms, and potential to get better. While these variables are infinitely personal and complex, a label like bronchitis originates from a statistical average. This means that a part of your condition is not included under that designation.

Langer argues that, because of the imperfection of the medical system, we should each take charge of our own health. It starts with recognizing that the doctor can’t possibly have all the relevant information. She bases her work on probabilities, rather than certainties.

Acknowledging this may lead you to ask additional questions, share information about your condition that you were not asked to share, or consulting another doctor to cross-check the diagnosis. All of this can contribute to more personalized – and therefore better – healthcare.

It is not a new concept that as much as societies create language, the language shapes the people in turn. Langer shows that this idea is profoundly important for our health. Consider the difference in the way we talk about cancer and a cold. In the medical world, it is common to say that a patient after successful cancer treatment is in “remission.” This is almost akin to saying that we are waiting for cancer to return. If it does, we see it as “the same” cancer that was there before the treatment. When we catch a cold, however, we assume that it is separate from the last time we had it. A cold is never “in remission,” it simply gets cured. If we have it again, we treat the illness as a “new” one. Langer argues that the language we use to talk about health and disease matters a whole lot. According to the study she did on cancer survivors, there is a strong correlation between whether a patient sees herself as “cured” or “in remission” and her overall well-being. Other than verbal language, the symbols…