Have you seen a picture of Keith Richards lately? You know The Rolling Stones guy. The rock star who created the stereotype of rock stardom by living each moment like it was his last. I have a life principle named after him. I came up with this principle one day after work. I had had a pretty usual day for an acupuncturist, I saw patients whose needs ranged from needing a tune up, to preparing for childbirth, to a chronic pain patient whose only relief is lying on my table for 45 minutes. With many of my patients I offer simple suggestions for better health: take a probiotic, find an exercise that you love, meditate for 10 minutes a few times a week. With each suggestion I am adding to their equation of health.
My patients and I talk about health all the time; if you eat right, exercise, & work with healthcare providers when necessary then you will live a long and happy life. There are so many means to this end. Some people eat a vegan diet, do yoga, get massage. Some people enjoy crossfit, eat paleo, and go to their chiropractor. The idea that if we consume this, or participate in that we will live longer and avoid pain is comforting, motivating, and in many ways true, but this simple equation (exercise + the right food + the right health care providers = longevity) does not take into consideration The Keith Richards’ Principle.
On the particular day I came up with this idea I was relaxing at home after work, flipping through a magazine, and there I saw it, Keith Richards had just published a children’s book with his daughter. Keith Richards is old. He has made it to old man-ness. And it hit me. I thought of the people I know who have done it all right, yet they still got cancer, or lyme disease, or chroni
c fatigue, or some other thing that made their life really, really, hard. Even though these people didn’t smoke, or eat fast food, or work around bad chemicals they became ill, yet here is Keith Richards who has publicly done a dozen things that should have killed him, but he is an old man smiling up at me from the pages of a People magazine.
I put down the article and thought of patient who I had been seeing for months who had a laundry list of issues: pain, fatigue, digestive issues, depression. She was losing hope, “I don’t know what else to do, I eat right, I exercise, I’m working really hard to take care of myself and I’m not getting any better.” She was so disappointed in herself and felt completely betrayed by her body and mind. Why couldn’t she fix what was wrong? What was happening to her was not fitting into the equation she had so nicely worked out, but that is because her equation was flawed.
All of our equations should add in one more variable and come out with a more realistic sum: exercise + the right food + the right health care providers + Keith Richards’ Principle = life. Sometimes we don’t know why our bodies do certain things. It is maddening, and it is scary for our brains that love patterns, but it is true. The body is more complex than we like to admit to ourselves. Sometimes things happen that we cannot foresee because we don’t know what to look for, and many times we become ill for reasons we can’t explain.
On that day with my patient I wish I had already come up with The Keith Richards’ principle, but I hadn’t, so I suggested my she be gentle with herself and try to stop blaming herself for her illness. She did start getting better. Not because of my advice, but because she continued to do what she was doing and things started working for her, but we don’t know why. We’re just grateful they did.
Sometimes the equation works: quitting smoking + exercise + eating better = healthier & better feeling you. But other times the Keith Richards’ Principle kicks in and a non-smoker gets lung cancer. At that moment I suggest to my patients to go easy on themselves, but also, to not give up. Somewhere in these complex bodies there is an answer, and many times if we just keep moving in the right direction, we get it right without ever knowing why.
