Meet Dr. Marcus

“You’ve got to be kidding!” These were the words of dismay uttered by my husband when my 16-year-old son announced he’d like a puppy for his birthday. During our twenty years of marriage, we’d never had a dog. We’d spent our first 10 years in apartments while we put ourselves through school and began medical practices. We’d briefly entertained getting a dog when the boys were young, but saw how our friends were tied down with their dog responsibilities and unable to enjoy the frequent and extended traveling our family appreciated. The last few years had been monopolized with our sons’ school, Boy Scouts, and after-school sports activities. Now that the boys were just a couple of years away from heading off to college, did we really want to saddle ourselves down with a dog?

My husband grew up in apartments in New York City, where dogs were not welcome. I had grown up with dogs – my dad was an avid pheasant and quail hunter, while my artist mother painted portraits of show dogs. When I was born, my parents decided to get an English springer spaniel puppy for my 2-year-old brother. Skipper and I grew up together and he became my constant friend, companion, and confidant for the next 12 years until my dad filled our house with pointers. Like most dogs in my country neighborhood, mine left the house early each morning, spent his days running and hunting in the woods, and then returned home exhausted each evening. His life was quite different from that of the suburban dog who is often adopted as a pampered member of the family rather than a worker.
So after years of having fish, salamanders, and birds in the house, we finally took the plunge and found a perfect little puppy. In the pet world, fish often appear bored, cats aloof, and gerbils busily anxious. But the dog is the pet who has the air of contentment. The dog is at peace with himself and his home. As new owners, we often marveled at how quickly our little pooch adapted to new adventures in the country, city, or suburb.

When we welcomed a soft-coated wheaten terrier pup into our lives, he soon accompanied us on frequent weekend trips to our sons’ sporting events, camping, and college tours. Whether finding himself in the North or South, tent or hotel, sun or rain, the little terrier remained satisfied, with a wag in his tail and a bounce in his step. While, we humans grumbled about long drives, uncomfortable temperatures, and unfamiliar surroundings, the little dog enthusiastically embraced each new situation as a novel adventure to enjoy.

As a doctor, I spend most of my days listening to people’s problems and helping them to modify their lives to reduce symptoms. Although medical school focused on the miracles of modern medications, my practice taught me that a bottle of pills is usually only a small part of each patient’s necessary prescription package. In order to truly improve one’s health, most patients need changes in their physical activity, eating habits, sleeping patterns, and approach to stress and social situations. Being in charge of a pet as an adult, I soon discovered that the same lessons I preached to my patients could be mirrored by training practices with my wheaten pup. He was a star pupil when he ate, slept, and exercised adequately and on schedule – and a terrier terror if I got lazy and allowed him to get into my own bad habits. I also discovered my own health improved, once I followed the training regimen my son and I had posted on the refrigerator for Wheatie. Eating, sleeping, and exercising with him helped me develop practical tips on how my patients might better adopt healthy lifestyle habits.

Living with a contented terrier provides a welcome contrast to the high-stress, road-rage, enough-is-never-enough encounters one meets daily at home, work, shopping, or even dining out. There’s a lot one can learn from man’s best friend about approaching life with a positive attitude and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Your dog can become a terrific role model for better living.

Fortunately, learning from a dog is easy. The Humane Society estimates that about 65 million dogs are owned as pets (www.hsus.org). This means that almost 40 percent of all homes in the United States have a pet dog. If you’re looking for a dog, there’s great advice about choosing the breed that’s best for you from the American Kennel Club (www.akc.org), the Humane Society (www.hsus.org), and the website selectsmart.com. Once you’ve found a breed that might be right for you, contact experts at your local shelters and breed-specific rescue organizations to get more detailed information to ensure this will be the right fit for you and your family.

Fit As Fido is designed to help motivate you to learn from your dog to improve your health. Dog owners taking advantage of the possible health benefits of having a canine in their lives can experience improved physical and mental fitness. So welcome instruction from your canine personal trainer – learn to live the dog’s life and enjoy better health and happiness.

More about Dr. Marcus
Dawn A. Marcus, MD is a board-certified neurologist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. While spending two decades managing patients with chronic pain complaints, she soon learned that treatments required more than simply improving the physical status of damaged joints, muscles, and nerves. These patients really required a holistic approach – treating their diet, sleep patterns, exercise habits, mood, and social concerns. Substantial improvements generally occurred only after patients had received necessary attention to their physical, psychological, social, and family problems. Lessons learned through years of successfully treating patients with chronic patients have been condensed into practical, easy-to-read resources for both doctors and patients.

Dr. Marcus is a nationally and internationally recognized speaker and educator of doctors, nurses, and lay people. She has published over 100 articles in medical journals and is the author of nine medical books, including 10 Simple Solutions to Migraine, Headache and Chronic Pain Syndromes: The Case-Based Guide to Targeted Assessment and Treatment, and Headache Simplified. Two new books on migraine in women and fibromyalgia will be published next year. She has been the lead investigator for numerous research studies, including studies investigating the benefits of exercise, relaxation therapy, and biofeedback in adults and children. You can find a number of educational materials she has designed for patients on her website: www.dawnmarcusmd.com. Dr. Marcus welcomes comments from readers visiting her website, where you may post your book reviews and comments.

Dr. Marcus grew up on a beautiful, wooded 40-acre plot in upstate New York, surrounded by enthusiastic and well-trained hunting dogs. After settling with her family in Pittsburgh, a delightful wheaten terrier entered her home, resulting in health benefits for her, her husband, and her teenage boys. The little terrier soon became instructor to the professor, teaching many valuable lessons about healthy living and a positive attitude. Through terrier training, she’s more active, happier, and 20 pounds lighter!

You can read more about Dr. Marcus in Charlotte Sutton’s column about her in the August St. Petersburg Times.