By Mian A. Majeed, MD
Hello, my name is Majeed. I’ve been practicing medicine for over 40 years and have had a wide range of experiences in healthcare. From managing an ER to starting a private practice to working at hospitals and urgent cares. I’ve been practicing medicine in New York State for over 30 years. I am excited to start writing this column for the Black Car News and want to thank Neil for this opportunity. It’s a privilege to be part of the NYC for-hire transportation (TLC) community and I hope that I will be helpful.
I’ll be focused on writing about health issues that drivers face related to work (occupational health risks). We will discuss these issues and make recommendations to minimize or prevent these health risks from getting worse. I’ll try to keep the recommendations simple, practical, and cost-friendly (inexpensive). These recommendations can be followed easily.
TLC driving is tough and stressful work, with long hours and unpredictable events (e.g., misbehaving passengers, fender benders, car breakdowns).
Stress can be divided into four categories:
- Money-related stress
- Work-related stress
- Health-related stress
- Family-related stress
There is also a fifth category “NOT MY FAULT.” We will save this category for future discussion.
In addition to dealing with stress, TLC driving includes sitting and driving for long hours, decreased rest and sleep, unhealthy food (e.g., eating out) and decreased physical activity. This can lead to a less than desirable work-life balance and health issues, including:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Obesity (excessive weight)
- Heart problems
- Diabetes (high blood sugar)
- Lower back pain
- Leg weakness & joint problems
- High cholesterol
- Anxiety and depression
- Undesirable health behaviors (e.g., smoking, excessive alcohol use, substance abuse)
- Stress (e.g., anger issues, excessive risk-taking behavior, social isolation)
- Sleep deprivation
Many of the health issues related to TLC driving can be prevented or be minimized. We will write about these issues and how to manage them in this column. Our plan is to discuss one issue every month. Small bites at a time. So, you can understand and make necessary changes to improve your health. By changing and modifying a little bit every month, you will be in much better and healthier shape by the end of the year.
Philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.
Modifying health issues and improving work-life balance needs planning. Our recommendations in this regard are:
- Start a paper or digital diary, whichever is easier
- List all your concerns, problems, issues, etc.
- Categorize (label) these according to the issue (money, work, health, family, do not know)
- Also label each item on this list as (1) very urgent, (2) should be done soon, (3) whenever I have time and energy
- For very urgent and emergent categories, put a date when you plan to get it done
Initially, visit this list weekly. Cross off the done items. Add new items as they arise.
Making an organized list will take a significant load of stress off your mind. You can see future obligations and can make logical decisions in a timely fashion.
Next month, we will be exploring nutrition and physical activity.
Mian Majeed, MD has been practicing medicine for over 40 years and is licensed in NY. He also speaks Urdu/Hindi & Punjabi. You can email him at info@click2md.healthcare
