Your health portfolio: Creating a plan for wellness

by Lorraine Hurley, MD

Health is not the mere absence of disease, anymore than wealth is the absence of poverty. To cultivate abundant health across the span of your life you will want to consider proactive creation of a health portfolio.


1) Take an inventory of your health risks

• Lifestyle risks (Do you know your weight, body mass index, the metabolic and structural age of your body, nutritional status and the nutritional adequacy of your diet? Do you smoke, drink to excess, exercise, have a daily stress-management, creative and/or spiritual practice? Are there toxic exposures you can reduce or eliminate?)

• Family history (illnesses, diseases and conditions of family members)

• Medical risks (as determined by laboratory testing and readiness to change)

• Existing medical conditions (Are you currently using medications or experiencing chronic symptoms?)


2) Decide on your goals

• To be free of medications?

• To be free of symptoms?

• To be free of disease?

• To experience vitality and abundance?


3) Create your team of health professionals

• Professional health mentors and educators (consultants, workshops, seminars, retreats)

• Change agent (relationship with an individual who will hold you accountable for, and encourage you to achieve, the changes necessary to reach your goal)

• Medical professional (physician, nurse practitioner)

• Professionals in area’s of individual need (physical trainer, chiropractor, meditation coach, nutritionist, etc.)


4) Determine the standards to measure progress

• Traditional lab testing (as performed by medical professionals)

• Functional evaluations (specialty testing such as nutrition, adaptive reserve, cellular regeneration potential, stress, toxicity, markers of aging, etc.)

• Indices of lifestyle risk (objective)

• Indices of quality of life (subjective)


5) Develop a scheduled report on your health progress

• Determine a report card period with each member of your team Depending on what you are trying to change or what you are working on, this will vary

• Medical lab work (usually every three to six months initially and less often as changes are confirmed; it is a good idea to have basic work done every year or two)

• Functional testing (as above)

• Motivation, determination, quality of life (weekly, biweekly, but at the very least monthly)


6) Reevaluate and reallocate periodically

• Risk stratification will determine what an individual addresses first and with whom. As changes are realized, you will move to other practices and professionals to support ongoing growth and achievement.

• If a method or relationship has not yielded positive results within six to 12 weeks, reconsider this method or relationship.

• Deepen and expand the practices that are working. Let the pursuit of health be a pursuit of maximum potential.

• As you achieve and maintain your health goals, consider new ideas and practices that challenge your comfort zone.


Dr. Lorraine Hurley is a family practice physician and founder and principal of Health for Life, a health and self-healing consultation and education service in Brewster. She can be reached at drlorrainehurley@gmail.com.


Published in Cape Business November/December 2007

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