Rescue Page: Recent Episodes
Monee & Meredith
Being a well physician is hard! Like you, we can’t hear another wellness lecture without feeling horribly inadequate. We are here to give you a practical framework to achieve the state of being well.
Hard to believe, but covid invaded our consciousness almost exactly a year ago. Monee and Meredith take a reflective trip down memory lane and realize that is has not been all bad. Plus! Not-so-subtle nods to The Lion King and Charles Barkley. Also, Monee gets a little greedy and gives herself 3 Midnight ICEEs.
There are no articles referenced in this week's episode.
Our Twitter handle is @rescue_page
Our email is mmrescuepage@gmail.com
Meredith and Monee open up the closet to Dr. Amy Miller to discuss gratitude. It seems to be a low hanging yet high yield fruit in the realm of wellness. Together, the three are able to put "thank you" in the larger cultural context. Plus a return to definitions and data!
Sources referenced in this episode:
breathe. Gratitude edition
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
**Buetow SA, Aroll B. Doctor gratitude: a framework and practical suggestions. CMAJ. 2012 Dec 11
Rao N, Kemper KJ. Online Training in Specific Meditation Practices Improves Gratitude, Well-Being, Self-Compassion, and Confidence in Providing Compassionate Care Among Health Professionals. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017
Kelly JD 4th. Your Best Life: Breaking the Cycle: The Power of Gratitude. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2016 Dec
Riskin A, Bamberger P, Erez A, Riskin-Guez K, Riskin Y, Sela R, Foulk T, Cooper B, Ziv A, Pessach-Gelblum L, Bamberger E. Expressions of Gratitude and Medical Team Performance. Pediatrics. 2019 Apr
Huang CH, Wu HH, Lee YC, Li L. What Role Does Patient Gratitude Play in the Relationship Between Relationship Quality and Patient Loyalty? Inquiry. 2019 Jan-Dec
Melnyk BM, Kelly SA, Stephens J, Dhakal K, McGovern C, Tucker S, Hoying J, McRae K, Ault S, Spurlock E, Bird SB. Interventions to Improve Mental Health, Well-Being, Physical Health, and Lifestyle Behaviors in Physicians and Nurses: A Systematic Review. Am J Health Promot. 2020 Nov;34(8):929-941. doi: 10.1177/0890117120920451. Epub 2020 Apr 27.
Fogarty CT. Compassion, gratitude and awe: The role of pro-social emotions in training physicians for relational competence. Int J Psychiatry Med. 2020 Sep**
SPOILER ALERT: No data this week! Meredith and Monee talk their treks around the world. Their conversation leads to some revelations about their childhoods. Monee reminisces about a time in a simpler setting. Meredith recalls family travels with purpose. Midnight ICEEs this week include some sentiment and some sick beats (guess who has which...)
Life needs a soundtrack. Meredith and Monee discuss the importance of music in their lives. Elsewhere: Learn the origin story of DJ Money! Dude what?! is the most embarrassing song in Meredith and Monee's music collections??? Some hints: a prepubescent rapper and a prepubescent boy band.
Articles referenced in this episode
A rapid review of home-based activities that can promote mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33270755/
The impact of relaxing music on prisoners' levels of anxiety and anger
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24265309/
Promoting wellbeing and health through active participation in music and dance: a systematic review
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32267216/
Book referenced in this episode:
This Is Your Brain On Music by Daniel Levitin
Diet! Everyone knows we "should be better" about it, but how exactly can we be better? As usual, Meredith and Monee don't necessarily have all the answers, but they recall their food journeys. Plus! A new segment! Dude what?!
Articles referenced in this episode:
While we did not reference any specific articles in this episode, we recommend that you review that sixth grade food pyramid we all loved.
That's right, two women are talking about their love of sports. Not just any sport, though. Just the pure, unadulterated bliss of watching college football. Amidst the football madness, Meredith dares Monee to pick between her two greatest loves in life. If you can't guess at least one of those, you haven't been listening.
Articles referenced in this episode
Understanding the positive social psychological benefits of sport team identification: The team identification-social psychological health model.
https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F1089-2699.10.4.272
The team identification–social psychological health model: Sport fans gaining connections to others via sport team identification.
https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2010-23158-001
Monee finds her inner zen but probably not the way you think. Sometimes a girl just needs a minute. Elsewhere, there's data! Maybe. Plus this week's Midnight ICEE harkens back to its roots and also involves a heated discussion about Rory Gilmore's romantic endeavors. Yup. We went there.
“Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” course
Abbreviated Mindfulness Intervention for Job Satisfaction, Quality of Life, and Compassion in Primary Care Clinicians: A Pilot Study. Fortney, et alhttps://www.annfammed.org/content/annalsfm/11/5/412.full.pdf
Meredith and Monee welcome one of their wisest friends! They discover friendships that span generations aren't all that rare. Plus, they concoct the perfect app for finding friends that don't know your pop culture references.
Articles referenced in the episode (links not provided for space reasons):
"The Importance of Intergenerational Friendships"-AARP
"The positive impact of intergenerational friendships"-AARP
And a few words from Dr. Julie Jackson-Murphy
We keep talking about wellness as if it's a trademarked commodity, but, like much in medicine that's overly high falutin' when it doesn't need to be, I think we're just talking about happiness. How can I purposely build a happier life and what are the benefits of friendships with people of all ages in that pursuit.
Well, there's the benefit of perspective. That's the beauty of intergenerational friendship. If my pendulum is swinging a little too far for my good on the fear to apathy or despondency spectrum, an older, more experienced friend can let me know it's going to be alright, and a younger, less experienced friend can fire me up and let me know I don't have as much to lose as I fear I might. Those sorts of friendships help me to cope better with reality, rather than being too afraid to approach it or just opting out of dealing with it by denial or whatever other method. Those relationships can help me accept life's realities and create a different outlook, swinging my pendulum closer to a middle state where the goal is to be happier.
For some, it may require broadening your imagination of who you call a friend. When you think about it, for example, there are people, young and old, who make music, or write, or generally do inspiring things in this world that move us and we imagine what it could be like to know and talk to that person. Why shouldn't the same be true in our real lives with real life people we actually have a chance to know?
When I was a tortured soul about which direction to take my life, before the med school decision, there were literally 2 people at work, one a 20 yr older superior and the other, an intern almost 15 yrs younger, who told me I should be a doctor. I can't recall what it was I shared with them exactly, but I can recall being honest about being at a crossroads about where to invest whatever passion I felt I had to offer. And I remember to this day where I was sitting and how I felt when they told me so precisely to be a doctor in a way that seemed so unimaginable at the time.
Likewise, it makes me happy to think that I could possibly be that same soul whisperer for someone else, you know. Because that's the other benefit. It teaches you that you have something to offer as well and that when you figure whatever it is you have to offer it can make both of your lives feel more satisfying.
The other benefit is that intergenerational friends reveal something about us. Esther Perel, and I'm sure many other wise people, says we know who we are in the presence of others. Friends of all types can provide a mirror, reflecting aspirational traits, calling you out on your nonsense, and just provide a table for the potluck you want to add your dish to in life. So it's as much about what you want to offer in the friendship too. What can you add that enriches both of you.
Monee is always searching for friends. And not the "on Wednesdays we wear pink" kind of friends. She apparently has a method to the madness. Listen and find out what her master plan is. Are friends good for wellness? What does the data show?! Plus, the usual dose of Midnight ICEE.
Articles referenced in this episode:
Howick, J et al. “How empathic is your healthcare practitioner? A systematic review and meta-analysis of patient surveys.” BMC medical education vol. 17,1 136. 21 Aug. 2017, doi:10.1186/s12909-017-0967-3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5563892/ Dyche, Lawrence. “Interpersonal skill in medicine: the essential partner of verbal communication.” Journal of general internal medicine vol. 22,7 (2007): 1035-9. doi:10.1007/s11606-007-0153-0
Meredith tries yoga! Did she survive? Is Monee secretly a guru of the ancient art? Find out on this episode of Rescue Page! And as always, there are midnight ICEEs to go around.
Articles referenced in this episode:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30969208/
Babbar S, Renner K, Williams K. Addressing Obstetrics and Gynecology Trainee Burnout Using a Yoga-Based Wellness Initiative During Dedicated Education Time. Obstet Gynecol. 2019 May;133(5):994-1001. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000003229. PMID: 30969208.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7230658/
La Torre G, Raffone A, Peruzzo M, et al. Yoga and Mindfulness as a Tool for Influencing Affectivity, Anxiety, Mental Health, and Stress among Healthcare Workers: Results of a Single-Arm Clinical Trial. J Clin Med. 2020;9(4):1037. Published 2020 Apr 7. doi:10.3390/jcm9041037
Meredith's yoga recs
I pretty much just searched youtube videos for yoga when I started and found her videos to be the most down to earth, so I did her 30 day intro to yoga challenge. She's also from ATX which gave me a taste of home during quarantine which was very welcome as well.
https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
Then, I switched to the Peloton app, which is not free. It's 12.99 a month, but I liked the app because it was not just yoga. It included strength, outdoor running, indoor cardio, etc. I felt like during quarantine where everyday is the same, it was nice to have some options outside of yoga.
Last resource I will say (which I have not tried), is that some studios are offering virtual class options. If yoga is something that you think you might like, but are overwhelmed by the number of studios and which one might be a good fit, then quarantine is the time to try. You don't have to leave your home, and it is pretty easy/judgement free to try different places, until you find one you like! When we all feel safe to return, you will have a good idea of the place that you would like to go to, which is a huge step in the process!
Meredith and Monee set out to tell you who the heck they are. And to answer a few burning questions: What exactly IS wellness? There's a Richmond, Texas??? What is a pager? What is an ICEE?
Articles referenced in this article:
Brady, K.J.S., Trockel, M.T., Khan, C.T. et al. What Do We Mean by Physician Wellness? A Systematic Review of Its Definition and Measurement. Acad Psychiatry 42, 94–108 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-017-0781-6