They say courage is what we do in the face of fear. I think courage is what my physical therapy patients show me everyday when they come in to our clinics.

Often our patients come to therapy after a life-changing event, and of course it was never something they thought would happen. Like the motorcycle accident, where their leg was crushed or the fall off a ladder at home painting, or the 25-year-old who just had breast cancer surgery, or the mom who got her hand caught in a dunk tank volunteering at a school function. Whatever the reason, their faces are full of courage. They have choices to make. To stand up and fight and live with the change or give in to the bitterness that can often destroy their lives.

Our body and our mind are directly connected. You cannot change one without the other being changed. They have to be dealt with together. And you have to be brave to do it. Recently, a longtime friend of mine sent me an article with information from John Hopkins University regarding this very issue. It was a Cancer Update and it said that, "Cancer is a disease of the mind, body and spirit." A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life."

Interestingly a lot of my patients tell me that they realize this very thing. They realize their body is unable to heal if they are not in the right place mentally. So in walks the idea of visualization. Years ago Dr. Gerald Epstein studied visualization. He realized that patients had better outcomes when they visualized their success. My father, a dentist, had his own visualization technique he decided to use when he was diagnosed with oral cancer. First off he made a conscious decision to stand up and fight this thing called cancer and second he decided he would try visualization as a way to make sure his mind and body were in agreement. He would tell his body to mobilize all of its fighter cells. He imagined them as an army of cells out to destroy the invaders. It took courage and much determination and almost nine years later he is still alive and well.

In physical therapy we see our patients having to decide this everyday. Will they step up and take charge of their physical challenges or will they let them determine the quality of their life? They may never be pain-free, but they can decide to live as fully as they can everyday in spite of it. What will you do? Will you fight or will you let your physical issues destroy your spirit? It takes courage to decide. Courage, that even though we may not like what we uncover, we may just have the chance to live better than we did before. I encourage you to step forward, see your MD and come to therapy; it is never to late to make your physical health a priority.

Sheree DiBiase, PT, and her staff can be reached at Lake City Physical Therapy (208) 667-1988. Be courageous and take care of your health. We challenge you to do it and we are here to encourage you in your endeavor.