National Doctor's Day 2023: Doctors reveal mantra behind maintaining their health

Like any other person, it is extremely important for doctors to take care of themselves. Only if they take good care of themselves, will they be able to carry out their duties properly and do justice to their patients. Photo Courtesy: iStock

We cannot stress enough on the important role doctors play in society. From identifying and treating diseases to putting patients' minds at ease, a doctor's role is like none other. Attending to patients back-to-back for long hours is exhausting and yet, these heroes keep at it. But have you ever wondered how doctors take care of themselves alongside ensuring everyone else stays healthy and fit? On National Doctor's Day 2023, Mid-day online spoke to three doctors to get you all the details.

Dr Ashish Contractor, director, department of rehabilitation and sports Medicine, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai was inspired to become a doctor when he realized this profession would allow him to serve the community while also earn a living. Besides, his mother who is also a doctor was a role model who inspired him to pursue this career.

For Dr Aniket Mule, consultant internal medicine, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road, his inspiration to become a doctor was his doctor. He says, "As a child, I used to fall ill very often. My parents would take me to a general practitioner, Dr Ade sir. I was amazed by his personality. He inspired me to be a doctor at a very young age."

Dr Nilesh G. Satbhai, Sr consultant & head, department of plastic, hand & reconstructive m microsurgery, Global Hospitals, Parel, Mumbai though had no specific moment that inspired him to become a doctor, he says it was a natural career choice.

Why is it important for doctors to take good care of themselves?
Contractor: In my opinion, taking care of your health is not that challenging, if you prioritize it. Like every other person, it's important for doctors to take care of themselves, too. It is important that we practice what we preach and be role models to our patients.

Mule: It's very challenging to maintain work-life balance, work for long hours, travel frequently for work purposes, attend to calls at any point of time and constantly be on your toes. Nevertheless, we have to take care of ourselves so we stay in good health to take care of others.

Satbhai: Like any other person, it is extremely important for doctors to take care of themselves. Doctors are primarily exposed to an infectious environment. They deal with critical situations involving life and at times death. The stresses they deal with are both physical and mental. They are often multitasking with clinical, administrative, social and personal responsibilities. Only if they take good care of themselves, will they be able to carry out their duties properly and do justice to their patients. The lack of time and the lack of a fixed working schedule makes it very challenging for a doctor to follow a healthy routine on a daily basis. Medical and surgical emergencies often come at odd hours of the day or night. In India, it is quite common for doctors to be working even on the weekends. All these factors make self-care very difficult and irregular yet necessary.

What physical activities do they undertake to stay fit?
Just like we are told to exercise regularly in order to improve our strength and stay fit, doctors too require some sort of physical exercise.

Contractor: On average, I exercise 4-6 days a week. In the evenings I usually hit the gym or take a swim. My workouts in the morning involve endurance activities like running, cycling and swimming. I wish to do more of strength training, which at present happens only 1-2 times in a week.

Mule: I work out every day. I walk for an hour followed by circuit training or boxing for one hour. Boxing is my favourite kind of physical activity. It is intense and fun. It helps me increase my focus and stamina and also boosts my self-confidence.

Satbhai: I am always unsure of when and how my day will end. So, I make it a point to not miss my morning yoga class, which takes place thrice a week. Yoga is the most scientific and holistic approach to physical and mental health. In addition to this, I try to strike a balance between walking, running and weight training, as my work schedule permits. I also love to run for marathons and I do it at regular intervals. Training and preparing for these marathons keep me on my toes.

What do doctors eat to stay healthy?
Although it is hard to imagine doctors binge eating chips and indulging in sinful desserts, they too love to satiate their taste buds. However, they ensure to burn all the extra calories to strike a good balance.

Contractor: I don't have a particular diet in place but I focus on eating more Indian food. Eating from all food groups helps keep my calorie count under control. Like any other person, sweets and junk food are my weakness too. To stay from consuming unhealthy food, I avoid actively purchasing food items. When they are present at social events, they are hard to resist.

Mule: My diet is well-balanced. It includes lots of green leafy vegetables, chicken and eggs. To satisfy my taste buds, I do maintain a cheat day once a week mostly on Saturday. However, even on those days, I don't go overboard with it. On cheat days, I mostly eat non-vegetarian food that helps with my protein intake.

Satbhai: I am not too paranoid about my diet. I try to maintain a good balance of proteins, carbs and fats through a mixed diet. Fruits, dry fruits and eggs are an essential part of my meals. I avoid junk food at most time, except on an odd cheat day. While breakfast and lunch and the major meals I consume during the day, I try to have a light dinner. On days when I consume more unhealthy food, I ensure to always compensate for that with a good workout session. I believe in enjoying all foods we eat but it is essential to burn whatever excess or junk calories you eat.

How do doctors manage stress?
To be responsible for someone's life, in doctors' cases, numerous lives, stress is an inevitable factor. They adopt a number of healthy ways to cope with stress.

Contractor: My workout regime helps me manage my stress well.

Mule: Being a doctor is like having a constant stressful life. I resort to music and boxing when I have to reduce to stress levels. They act as great stress busters for me.

Satbhai: Yoga is my saviour. I strongly believe it is the solution to a lot of issues. Yoga not just helps one to improve physical strength but it also offers many mental health benefits. It helps me calm my mind, develop a positive approach to life and help me handle stress better. Yoga helps detoxify both the body and the mind.

How do they manage work when they fall sick?
Though we never want doctors to fall sick, they do. However, they are never off duty.

Contractor: I'm still on my phone all the time, even if I'm sick. Luckily, I've not been sick enough to be away from work for several years, except when I got covid.

Mule: When I fall sick, my colleagues are there to look after my patients. We are a good team.

Satbhai: I always feel that we all must maintain a certain level of fitness, so that we don't develop major health concerns that force us to be out of work. I do not remember a single occasion on which I have taken leave from work due to health issues or sickness.

Health advice to fellow doctors
On National Doctors Day 2023, doctors have some invaluable words of advice to share with all the doctors of India.

Contractor: All my fellow physicians, as the old saying goes, heal thyself. Make your own health a priority, too.

Mule: Recently we are seeing many young doctors suffering from heart diseases and even losing life due to it. It's very important to maintain your own health and keep yourself fit. Exercise regularly, avoid smoking and take too much stress. Take care of your own health. Jaan hai to jahan hai.

Satbhai: My advice to all my fellow doctors is to strive hard to maintain the dignity and nobility of the medical profession. We, doctors, are blessed with the opportunity to positively affect many lives. With hard-work, honesty and integrity, we must utilize this precious opportunity to serve humankind. At the same time, it is important to explore and enjoy life completely. Take good care of your health to pursue your interests and hobbies to enrich your life. Having a work-life balance will surely help us to prevent burnout in our careers. We just have one life. Let's make the most out of it.

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