- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." — Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's health information websites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the website) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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Feb. 23, 2011
Make your health your top priority
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
The email from the CEO swept through the company and the industry like a tsunami. An iconic character and a charismatic visionary, the CEO announced that he was stepping down at zenith of his career to focus on his health. The decision was hardly simple. He knew that his departure would have a dramatic impact on the company's fiscal health. But he also recognized that if his health continued to deteriorate, he wouldn't be able to help the business.
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A prominent attorney from a big city underwent serious heart surgery. The surgery had been recommended two years prior, but because of an inflexible and demanding schedule, the attorney put it off in favor of professional and corporate interests. Although the surgery went well, it would have been far less complicated had it been done when it was first recommended.
A revered professional "let himself go" after retirement, gaining weight and neglecting health issues such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. While working in the garden, he suffered crushing chest pain. His devoted spouse called for help. The retired gentleman ended up undergoing a multivessel bypass.
These three individuals offer a powerful lesson. You need to take care of yourself. Ignoring your health and well-being, no matter what the reason, can be disastrous to you and to those who depend on you. I particularly like the language the CEO used in his email. He wasn't stepping down because of "health issues" but rather he was taking preemptive action to focus on his health. A subtle distinction but an important one.
4 comments posted
May 11, 2011 5:18 p.m.
I wish that this was a value I was able to put more focus on but in a world where health is not a priority it is hard to adjust mine alone. What are the steps I can take before it is too late? Know you should do something and taking the steps to actually do it are two different things, and I am much better at the former.
- Marie
March 6, 2011 1:52 p.m.
hey Bob-good for you and best wishes
- reno
February 27, 2011 5:28 a.m.
We find it amazing that people take better care of their cars than their bodies. Without your health you cannot work or do anything but tend to your body.
- Ken
February 24, 2011 8:07 a.m.
Qigong—Chinese mind/body exercises--helped me immensely in my successful battles with four bouts of supposedly terminal bone lymphoma cancer in the early nineties. I practiced standing post meditation, one of the most powerful forms of qigong--as an adjunct to chemotherapy, which is how it should always be used. Qigong kept me strong in many ways: it calmed my mind--taking me out of the fight-or-flight syndrome, which pumps adrenal hormones into the system that could interfere with healing. The deep abdominal breathing pumped my lymphatic system—a vital component of the immune system. In addition, qigong energized and strengthened my body at a time when I couldn't do Western exercise such as weight-lifting or jogging--the chemo was too fatiguing. And it empowered my will and reinforced it every day with regular practice. In other words, I contributed to the healing process, instead of just depending solely on the chemo and the doctors. Clear 14 years and still practicing! Bob Ellal Author, ‘Confronting Cancer with the Qigong Edge’
- Bob
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4 comments posted