Readiness To Change Scale

One interesting question I learned to ask patients before starting any treatment plan was, "Where do you feel you are on a Readiness To Change Scale that goes from one to ten?" If a person is not ready to change, they are not going to. My fellow physicians got very frustrated by this fact. Patient compliance to treatment plans runs around fifty percent. That means half the people a Doctor sees do not follow his advice and take their medications as directed. Pretty grim results, right? I found though, by asking first, I got a far higher rate of compliance. You can't force issues with people, so it is better to wait until they decide they are ready to go with you. This is especially true with dieting and weight loss. Most people fail on diets, because they are not fully ready to make that change. It "feels" different to be thin. You also get treated differently because you are no longer in the overweight crowd. Most people are not ready for these subconscious changes, and are not even aware that they have to make them.
It is only because of our limiting beliefs that we do not make the best choices for our lives. Research goes on that could dramatically improve our lives, but the thoughts of our culture prevent us from implementing these new ideas. Things can often drift to go worse too. Childhood obesity is now being considered more often as a surgical problem. I personally think no child should never have their stomach surgically altered to manage their weight. If they have a weight problem, they and their families need psychological help and counselling to create a new lifestyle of eating that prevents them from being overweight. It is not the surgery that cures obesity. It is the fact that people throw up easily after the gastric bypass surgery that makes them eat a lot less and control their intake. The same results can be achieved by learning how to eat right, which few people know how to do.
So ask yourself where are you on the readiness to change scale? I know many people are pondering buying my book, but somehow they are afraid it might change them. Well, it will, but only for the better. I would say buy the book and read it. Then see how you feel afterwards. You may discover you are more ready to be healthy and long lived than you ever realized before!
www.webmd.com www.cdc.gov www.nasa.gov www.lifeextensionbooks.net
Dr. Doug Ikeler