My presentation at IgniteHealth2 at OHSU in October 2014. Video of the event at https://youtu.be/CngROztvxX0

1. The Light Bulb Moment
How I'm Beating Diabetes and
How YOU Can (and Should)
Attack Any Chronic Disease
Charlie Levenson
@CharlieLevenson | CharlieLevenson.com | #IgniteHealth

2. “Chronic Diseases” are
conditions that can't be
“cured” but only managed
and controlled.

Diabetes

COPD

Asthma

Heart Disease

Cancer

Osteoporosis

Smoking

Alcoholism

RSD

…and many others

3. I have a chronic disease:

High fat, high carb,
high sugar diet

High Stress
I am a diabetic.

Diagnosed in 1999
with A1c of 13.5

Weight of 230 lbs.

Sedentary lifestyle

4. My responses went
through cycles
for me, for 14 years, it went like this...

A1c usually around 7.5 to 9.5

Weight high, between 235 and 245+

Attitude between mildly positive and depressed

Dealing with it a bit then ignoring it

5. Responses to a Diagnosis
Immediate and
Ongoing Action, or
Minimal Response, or
Intermittent Response
or
a very common
option…

6. Providers try to present
“The Facts” to patients

Usually in isolation
from each other.

And from their individual
medical perspective.
Usually it's...

If you don't do THIS
then THIS WILL HAPPEN.

7. Diagnosis often comes
as a surprise to the patient.
If patient is
in shock,
it's not
a good time
to educate them.

8. What patients need
Patients need
to know they
can
have an
impact
on their
condition.

9. The treatment for my disease
is simple.
Eat a balanced diet
and get regular exercise.

10. What gets a patient to move
from denial / inaction to the
right path?
Threats? Bribes? Intervention?
Bossiness? Pleading?

11. How many psychologists
does it take
to change a light bulb?

12. The Light Bulb Moment

13. When the patient is ENGAGED
the whole team is stronger.
Before engagement,
everything was a series
of unrelated encounters
with relevant but random
information.
When engaged, every
new fact and every
potential strategy has
traction and value.

14. What can the provider do to
prepare the patient for the
light bulb moment?

Make information available.

Provide non-judgemental suggestions.

Show the possibility of success.

15. And most importantly...

Show them that
it's incremental.

Remind the patient
that the battle is
never lost
…or won.
Image used with permission of Emily Steffen.

16. The healthcare team is
flipping the circuit breaker
to prepare the patient for
the light bulb to go on.

17. What the patient can do
to prepare themselves
for the light bulb moment.

Know what's important to them

Know what they want out of life

Take an inventory of their support network

18. My light bulb moment...

October 7, 2013, 7:30am

A1c of 8.7

Weight of 245 lbs

Bad diet

No exercise

Low energy

Sedentary

19. One Year Later

A1c of 6.5 and trending down.

Below 200 lbs (loss of 45+ lbs).

Exercising 10+ times a week.

Eating well.

Misbehaving only occasionally.

Planning to live and work to 90.
With the support of Melissa Ho, M.A., R.N.,
C.D.E., a Diabetes Nutritionist at Providence,
and many others...

20. Thank You.
Charlie Levenson
Writer & Media Strategy
CharlieLevenson.com
@CharlieLevenson
CLL2001 @ gmail . com
503.449.3376
All images used with creator's permission or under Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).