ACHIEVING PERSONAL HEALTH

Dan Gerber, ED.D., M.P.H.

My Body/My Health

If you were born before the turn of the

century you were LEAST likely to develop:
ppolio
ddiphtheria
ssmallpox
ccardiovascular disease

The concept most consistent with

today s definition of wellness is:
a measure of physical well being
absence of disease
being without symptoms
overall well-being

THREE MODELS OF HEALTH

The Medical Model
The Environmental Model 1970 s
The Holistic Model

Major Causes of Death in 1900 USA

Tuberculosis
Influenza /Pneumonia
Diarrhea; Enteritis
Cardiovascular Disease
Cirrhosis
Accidents
Cancer
Bronchitis
Diphtheria

Leading Preventable Causes of

Death
Tobacco
Diet and activity habits
Alcohol
Microbial agents
Toxic agents
Motor vehicle crashes
Firearms
Sexual Behaviors

435,000
365,000
85,000
75,000
55,000
43,000
29,000
20,000

Holistic Health

Traditional Medical Model

Holistic Health

Focus: Disease
Emphasis: Unhealthy

- Wellness
- Meaning and

Support
Motivation: Fear

- Happiness

Primary Assumption:
People are bad

- People are
Good

Traditional Medical Model Holistic Health

Professional Roles:
Expert

- Ally

Change Process:
Controlling Behavior

- Creating

Consciousness

Banking Approach to Education

Teachers seen as possessing all essential
information.
v.s.

Adult Learning Theory

Adults Learn:
20% of what they see,
40% of what they see and hear and,
80% of what they discover for themselves

Biomedical Focus
Blood Pressure
Cholesterol
Smoking
Drinking
Cardiovascular Fitness
Abdominal Strength
Flexibility
Weight
Fiber, sugar, sodium
intake, etc..

Holistic Focus
Purpose in life
Social support
Meaning in work
Ability to express
emotions healthy
Optimism
Restful sleep
Time alone
Play, laughter
Spiritual Connections

What Kind Of Shopper Are

you?
Do you "take off for the stores when you've
experienced a setback or a disappointment, or
when you fed angry or scared?
Are your spending habits emotionally disturbing to
you and have they created chaos in your life?
Do your shopping habits create conflicts between
you and someone close to you (spouse, lover,
parents, children)?
Do you buy items with your credit cards that you
wouldn't buy if you had to pay cash?

When you return home after shopping, do you feel

guilty, ashamed, embarrassed, or confused?
Are many of your purchases seldom or never worn or
used?
Do you lie to your family or friends about what you
buy and how much you spend?
Would you feel "lost" without your credit cards?
Do you think about money excessivelyhow much you
have, how much you owe, how much you wish you
had-and then go out and shop again?
Do you spend a lot of time juggling accounts and bills
to accommodate your shopping debts?

When you shop, do you feel a rush of euphoria mixed

with feelings of anxiety?
Do you fed you re performing a dangerous, reckless,
or forbidden act when you shop?
The experts say if you checked more then three of
the answers as yes you need to think about are
you heading towards a shopping addiction.
(Shopping addiction usually goes into full swing in
your mid-life.)

Mental Models are the

images and deeply ingrained
assumptions about how we
understand the world.

Mental Models are powerful because we

think our beliefs are THE truth

The strategy claimed to be the

most effective against
current-day health threats is:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

prevention
open heart surgery
antibiotics
genetic testing

A therapist helping a person deal

with death is: (Choose the best
answer.)
(1) The traditional expert
(2) An ally in holistic health
(3) Focusing on the disease of death
(4) Helping them with their unhealthy
behaviors

The following are a biomedical

focus for health except:
(1) Total cholesterol
(2)Sugar intake
(3)Social support (friendship)
(4)Blood pressure

Even among subjects as young as 15,

there were significant differences
between the arteries of those who
ate fatty diets and smoked and
those who didn't.
(1) True
(2) False

Dr. Gerber began teaching MB/MH in other

countries before coming to UMass.

(1) True
(2)False

DIMENSIONS OF HEALTH AND

WELLNESS

PHYSICAL HEALTH
EMOTIONAL HEALTH
INTELLECTUAL HEALTH
SPIRITUAL HEALTH
SOCIAL WELLNESS
ENVIRONMENTAL WELLNESS

Six Dimensions to Holistic

Health
Dimension #1 - Physical Health

Current Mental Model "/ am physical

healthy if I am not sick or
handicapped."
New Possible Mental Model "/ am
physical healthy if I can take care of
myself."

Dimension #2 - Emotional
Health
Current Mental Model - "/ am emotional
healthy if I do not show my emotions
in public."
New Possible Mental Model
"I am emotional healthy if I express
my emotions in a healthy way."

Emotional Intelligence
- the capacity to understand your own
and others' emotions, and to motivate
and develop yourself while supporting
others to motivate and develop
themselves.

Five Components to Emotional

Intelligence:
Personal Motivation
Self-awareness
Altruism
Empathy -(sympathy, understanding,
compassion)
The ability to love and be loved

Dimension #3 - Intellectual Health

Current Mental Model - "/ am
intellectually healthy if I have a high
IQ."
New Possible Mental Model - "/ am
intellectually healthy if I can think
critically and problem solve real life
problems"

Dimension #4 - Social Health

Current Mental Model - "I am socially
healthy if I popular."
New Possible Mental Model "I am
socially healthy if I friends that care
about me."

Dimension #5 - Environmental Health

Current Mental Model I am environmentally
healthy if I recycle plastic bottles. "

"Earth was made for us humans. "

New Possible Mental Model - I am environmentally
healthy if I understand how my life is connected
to making earth a better place to live for all of
living beings. "

"Earth was created for all living beings"

Dimension #6 - Spiritual Health

Current Mental Model - "/ am
spiritually healthy if I go to a
religious services once a week."
New Possible Mental Model - "/ am
spiritually healthy if I believe or feel
I am part of something greater then
me alone."

_______________________
Organized
Religion

Feeling
connected

Holistic Health

THE TOP LEADING

PREVENTABLE CAUSES OF
DEATH
Tobacco
Diet and activity habits
Sexual behavior
Alcohol
(1) True
(2) False

Health Issues of College

Students

What are the health issues for today s

college students?

Health Issues of College Students

Sexual Health
Substance Abuse
Food and Weight
Mental Health

What do you look for in a romantic

partner?
This is not in order. Which one is the highest rate?

Adaptability
Kindness &
Understanding
Religious orientation
Creativity
Physical
attractiveness
Good health

Desire for children

Good housekeeper
College graduate
Exciting personality
Good heredity
Good earning capacity

For Women
Kindness &
understanding
Intelligence
Exciting personality
Good health
Adaptability
Physical
attractiveness

Creativity
Good earning capacity
College graduate
Desire for children
Good heredity
Good housekeeper
Religious orientation

For Men
Kindness &
understanding
Intelligence
Physical
attractiveness
Exciting personality
Good healthy
Adaptability

Desire for children

College graduate
Good heredity
Good earning capacity
Good housekeeper
Religious orientation

Finding your purpose in life

From Dr. Peter Senge of M.I.T.
Personal Mastery and Personal Vision

Personal Mastery (PM) is the

discipline of personal growth and
learning. Mastery in this sense is not
dominance over something, but a
special level of proficiency (i.e.
Master craftsperson.)

Characteristics of Personal Mastery

Live in a continual learning mode.
Approaches life looking to be creative
v.s. reactive.
PM gives you a sense of why you are
alive.
PM integrates reason (or logic) with
intuition.

Characteristics of Personal Mastery con t

PM helps us see the connectedness to

the world.
PM helps us feel what it is like to be
in someone s shoes.

Personal Vision (PV) - is something you desire

for its intrinsic valve.

Takes time, Reflections, and thinking

about it.
It helps us answer the question:
What do we want out of life?
The What is the picture of the
future you seek to create.
It makes you feel alive!
Most people do not have a PV.

Points from the video:

Self-esteem
Low self esteem
Use Affirmations
Don t except PUTDOWNS
Positive thinking and speaking
Learn to deal with worst-case scenarios
Positive long and short term goals.
Assertive about expressing your feelings.

Building Self Esteem:

Reward yourself
Avoid people who are bad for you.
Have at least one good friend.
Laugh more.
Keep a journal.
Learn something new (that you want to

learn)

 Take more risks.

Take care of yourself.
Do something for someone else.