Earlier this year, we did a great deal of work defining our brand as Atticus Health. After being in business for 9 years, we thought it was time to reflect on what the point of our existence really is. After many sessions and hours, we didn’t get all the way, but we did get so far as honing in on three values – Kindness, Empowerment and Creativity. These guide what we do. I’d like to focus on Empowerment as far as it relevant in our current environment.
To digress for one moment, have you ever thought about your DNA – what is it? It is really a code, containing information. How amazing it is that you can take a substrate, in this case the nucleotide bases adenine, guanine, thiamine and cytosine that are the building blocks of DNA, order them in the correct sequence and create various lifeforms depending on that ordering. There is an intellect captured in your DNA. Some even fathom that intellect may be derived from outer space, since meteorites are similarly found to contain amino acids. So, you could say that information and intelligence is quite literally what we are made of – it IS our DNA.
Moving on, as a company that provides primary health care services, we view a key part of our mission as optimising our patients’ health and well-being, with prevention of illness being a large part of this. That’s real empowerment. Vaccination is an integral form of preventative healthcare. Now, this is where it gets intriguing. A vaccine works in part by inoculating our body with a substance that ultimately sends messages to our DNA to create an immune response in the form of antibodies to that target disease, in this case COVID-19. I just find this so mind boggling and interesting that we, as a human species have learnt how to communicate directly with our very own innate intelligence – our DNA which could be derived from the stars. Sorry to be obscure, but WOW.
From a practical standpoint, the more information your body has, which is what a vaccine provides, the more power you have. And, by being vaccinated, you prepare your body for any dreaded potential negotiation with COVID-19. Information is power.
If vaccination is one important way to increase the power you have over COVID-19, consider the other preventative health activities – typically diet and exercise to be important others. They sound simple, but since the rare metal of motivation is the key, they’re not so. Yet, if we can muster up sufficient motivation to care about such things, without a doubt, our lifestyle stands to have a profound impact on our immune system. And so take heart, that along WITH vaccination, by caring about your lifestyle and adopting an educated approach to hygiene and social distancing, you will maximise your power to make it through these times.
Let’s turn now to a saying that springs to mind – “live and love like it’s your last day, learn like you’ll live forever”. What I think that means is that randomness is still a bigger part of life than we ever give it credit for or are able to accept. We need to realise that we’re not guaranteed anything, not even tomorrow. Still, education and intelligence, down to our very core, our DNA, is critical to our being. If there’s something immortal about life, it’s that – learning – the continual acquisition and capture of knowledge.
On that note, I’d like to congratulate my esteemed colleague Dr Shishir Malgwa (Shish) for accepting a position as a University Lecturer within the faculty of General Practice at Monash University. There is a short video below featuring Shish and one of his medical students here you may care to watch.
Shish will continue to work at Atticus Health four days a week, with his commitment as a lecturer occupying one day where he’ll be based at The Alfred Hospital. Professor Leon Piterman, who works at Atticus Health William Street, has also been significantly involved with education and Monash University over the years, having previously been the Vice Chancellor of the Frankston and Berwick campuses.
Once again, I implore our readership that addressing lifestyle factors and education, delivered in all its forms, including by vaccination, is a major pillar towards the empowerment we all collectively seek to make it through COVID-19.
