\u201cLook at a patient lying long in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What a pathetic picture he makes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The blood clotting in his veins,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lime draining from his bones,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scybala* stacking up in his colon,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flesh rotting from his seat,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The urine leaking from his distended bladder,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the spirit evaporating from his soul.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This blunt but enlightening poem was written by Dr. Richard Asher (1912-1969), a renowned British endocrinologist who is remembered today for his articles that challenged the medical establishment, such as\u00a0The Dangers of Going to Bed<\/em>\u00a0which he wrote in 1947.\u00a0\u00a0Maybe he was inspired by the revelations during World War II that the sick and injured (who were released early from hospitals due to lack of beds) actually fared better than those who remained bedridden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent years you have probably heard the claim that \u201csitting is the new smoking.\u201d This is often asserted in the context of selling some product to keep you moving. In fact, the doctor who coined the phrase, James A. Levine, MD, PhD. also invented the treadmill desk for the purpose of helping office workers be more physically active and thereby avoiding health risks linked to long-term sitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While inactivity is linked to health problems, comparing the effects of sitting with those of smoking is probably a stretch. However, the fact that physical activity is important to overall better health is affirmed by research and medical professionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout history, bed rest has been considered the proper treatment for many ailments and is still necessary in some cases today. Modern doctors are realizing that since our bodies are made to move, there are many negative side effects to remaining inactive for long periods of time. These consequences are referred to as \u201cdeconditioning.\u201d The theory \u201cuse it or lose it\u201d certainly applies to body function. Caregivers should be mindful of this and encourage activity on a daily basis \u2013 after checking with the recipient\u2019s health care provider for any recommended limitations. Here is an overview of common effects of extended bed rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is interesting to compare these findings of modern medical professionals with the poem Dr. Asher wrote almost seventy-five ago. He seems to have been a man ahead of his time. While doing research for this column, I found another version of his poem which included these last two lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTeach us to live that we may dread unnecessary time in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get people up and we may save patients from an early grave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: scybala<\/em>* is a medical term that means \u201chardened masses of feces\u201d \u2013 thought you might want to know. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cLook at a patient lying long in bed. What a pathetic picture he makes. The blood clotting in his veins, The lime draining from his bones, The scybala* stacking up in his colon, The flesh rotting from his seat, The urine leaking from his distended bladder, And the spirit evaporating from his soul.\u201d\u00a0 This blunt but enlightening poem was written by Dr. Richard Asher (1912-1969), a renowned British endocrinologist who is remembered today for his articles that challenged the medical…<\/p>\n