- 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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June 1, 2011
Look forward, not backward, when things go wrong
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
We live in a world driven by technology. Regardless of where we call home or what we do to make a living, we can't escape the digital world — or its frustrations. Let me explain.
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If the stress in your life is more than you can cope with, get help right away.
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Like most people, I have become completely dependent on my smartphone, which I sometimes think is smarter than I am. A week or so ago for reasons that remain unclear, my smartphone froze up. I was unable to send or receive calls, texts or emails. With a complex schedule and numerous commitments, I found the situation frustrating to say the least.
A superb tech specialist sat down with me and walked me through how to resolve the problem. My initial question was, "How did this happen and what did I do to cause it?" My wise colleague gently reminded me that we could spend a lot of time trying to sort out what happened, but the time might be better spent trying to fix the problem.
As I mused on his comment, it made me think about life. Rather than focusing on the past and who did what to whom and what went wrong, it's far more profitable to spend your energies on fixing the problem. Helpful advice, don't you think?
9 comments posted
April 17, 2012 4:35 a.m.
I'm a kidney tpalsrnant patient with The Mayo Clinic. Please email me when you know when this utility becomes available for use with mobile applications that support ANDROID Software and not just iPhones.Thank you
- Mateusz
June 24, 2011 2:21 p.m.
Sure both are important. At different moments though. I'll bring other situations to explain myself. Your boat is sinking, you're in the middle of the mess of a car crash, your life is a mess, ... What matters at that time? Fix or get an explanation? Even better, as I learned recently, don't focus on the problem, focus on what you want. It goes right into the matter, gives you a positive drive and, keeps you focused on the most important what you want (not the mess you're in), then you'll figure out what to do.
- Jose
June 14, 2011 5:01 a.m.
Fixing the problem? Yes, it's good. But there is a Chinese proverb, Cut the grass and clear the roots. By fixing the problem, you're only cutting the grass. The problem must be sort out and faced with. By doing that, the percentage of this kind of problems arising again will be lowered. Thus, both are important.
- Coco
June 9, 2011 9:44 a.m.
a wise teacher taught me to look at past events as "feedback" and not "failure"; this promotes learning rather than self-recrimination and regret.
- Lenore
June 8, 2011 2:59 p.m.
I have to disagree with the premise not to look back. How can you find out what went wrong that affects today? Your past most certainly is part of who you are today and can't be denied. Denial only worsens any situation. One must visit the past in order to know why this has happened. It's the only way to correct errors and move on.
- Janeen
June 8, 2011 2:30 p.m.
Very Helpful Thank You So Much.
- Muhammad Shadi al-Rajeh
June 5, 2011 11:46 a.m.
I always find it useful to learn from the past and in the future you can make yourself a better person. In my view, we cannnot be who we are today without the element of progression. Back in the day we all use to be cave men who have learnt how to make fire with sticks!
- Diane
June 2, 2011 2:52 p.m.
A wise person once told me not to beat myself up over the past. Expect to get off track sometimes. Just get back on and go again. We have the tools and people to help us do that without worrying about the past or future.
- carol
June 2, 2011 1:25 p.m.
It depends. If looking back at what happened can help the future (say, but teaching you something that will help you prevent your smartphone from freezing up again), it would be silly to not look back. At some point, you need to move on, but I'm not sure how you learn unless you look back.
- Mark
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