FEATURES
Paging Dr. Travis Stork
By Mia Evans-Saracual
The 700 Club
CBN.com
–Hollywood is home to the Emmy-winning talk show, The Doctors. We caught up with the man who doubles as host and emergency physician, Dr. Travis Stork.
Mia: The Doctors has already won an Emmy. Congratulations on that!
Dr. Travis: Thank you very much.
Mia: What’s next for the show and for you personally?
Dr. Travis: When you talk about Emmys it’s nice to be recognized, but what I love about our show is each and every day it’s about the information. I feel like by continuing hopefully for many years to come to share great health information to our viewers. That’s where our success will be. When people at home will no longer say ‘Doc, I have no idea what to do to improve my health.’ Instead they’ll say ‘Hey, after watching your show for all these years I finally understand my health.’ That’s what our show does that none other does as well, I think.
Mia: Last time I went to the doctor, I had a laundry list of questions. What is your advice on getting the most out of your time at the doctor’s office?
Dr. Travis: As far as getting the most out of your doctor’s visit, mornings tend to be easier as far as not having to wait as long. So morning is great, but go prepared. You mentioned bringing in questions. So go prepared with the questions that you have and don’t be shy in terms of if your doctor’s explaining something to you and you don’t fully understand it, just say ‘Hey, doc, can you say that again?’ And bring someone with you, whether it’s a good friend, a parent, whoever it may be, because sometimes you’re hearing things differently than them. They can help you after you leave to put together exactly what you need to do based on what your doctor prescribed, because nowadays it’s not always just about a pill. It’s about things that you can do to improve your health.
Dr. Travis says planning a getaway should be at the top of your to-do list.
Mia: Why do you prescribe taking a vacation for better health?
Dr. Travis: The crazy thing about vacations is we don’t realize how stressed out we are until we get away on that vacation. Vacations have been shown to reduce your stress levels. That can reduce your risk of heart disease. And people who never take vacations are at increased risk for heart attacks. It’s a crazy concept, but we need to step away sometimes. Part of it also is just the planning process. Planning a vacation is very therapeutic as well.
Mia: Name a few ways to beat stress, other than vacation.
Dr. Travis: I think the most important thing with stress is to acknowledge that stress will be a part of your life. You can’t live every day stress-free. But you also to some extent have to compartmentalize it. And one of the most important things that I recommend to people nowadays in this busy life that we live is set aside time at night when you go home. Make it a cell phone free zone, computer free zone, TV free zone, just to spend some time alone, with you, with your family. Take some deep breaths and put everything in perspective, because if we fail to do that it can just get overwhelming.
Since the Doctors can’t answer every viewer’s question in a one-hour show, they compiled dozens of key health tips in their book, The Doctors 5-Minute Health Fixes.
Mia: I was surprised by how many health fixes involve relationships. For instance there was a health fix that said give your sweetheart two hugs a day, and there’s really a health benefit to that.
Dr. Travis: There is such a huge health benefit to quality relationships. Number one, we know that people who are married and in a good relationship actually live longer. When you’re in a relationship and you’re open and you communicate it lowers your long-term stress levels, it gives you a partner in crime in life, and it really does, it gives you someone to believe in. When you don’t have that, it’s tougher. The data doesn’t lie. Married couples, strong couples, they do better in terms of their health.
Mia: I can vouch for that!
Dr. Travis: Yeah, it’s true.
Mia: Research shows that acts of kindness can actually affect your emotional health. That was interesting to read in your book.
Dr. Travis: I think when you perform an act of kindness, you’re doing it for others, but the crazy concept is you’re also doing it for yourself. That act of giving and doing something nice for another person who’s in need does pay dividends for you when it comes to your health. Sometimes we go through life and we’re so busy we sometimes forget. We’re so busy taking the kids to school, making dinner, whatever it may be, but if you can take that time out of your life to occasionally do a random act of kindness, it will prove to have huge health benefits for you as well
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