Buy•ology Part 2 of 5: Smoking, NASCAR, & Subliminal Messages
February 10, 2009 by dr. lam · 12 Comments
How effective are the anti-smoking campaigns we see? The answer that Lindstrom argues in Buy•ology is not very. He actually found that smokers craved more smoking when they were shown an advertisement in which a group of smokers were engaged in the activity of smoking but instead of smoke, caterpillar-sized wads of fat emanated from the end of the cigarette as representing the artery-clogging effect that smoking can have on the body over time. He found that the smokers were more focused on the convivial atmosphere that the smokers were sharing rather than the absurd and sickening effusion of fat wads that was the more obvious element in the commercial. In fact, he found using fMRI that smokers shown advertisements without a warning were less inclined to smoke than those who were shown the anti-smoking warning. The effect of the written ban that accompanied an advertisement served to elicit the craving center in our brains, the nucleus accumbens, which is very fascinating to me.
However, interstingly, he found that the only thing that tended to make the smokers want to smoke more was the absence of any reference to smoking, whether bad or good. He found that when images featured Marlboro-red Ferraris and camels riding into the sunset or other cues that have been linked as images with smoking brands, that the craving center would light up even more. Reportedly, NASCAR generates one of the most fiercely brand-loyal fans of any out there. He found that when smokers watched Marlboro-red jumpsuited men who did not have any explicit logos celebrating the company, the smokers responded even more fervently in their brain’s craving center for smoking even more so than when watching the anti-smoking commercials and certainly more than your average smoking commercial in the past, free of such bans. The thought is that this kind of subliminal advertising lowered the guard that a smoker might have regarding the commercial aspect of an advertisement and instead only stimulated them to make all the wonderful mental associations that NASCAR represented: danger, masculinity, excitement, speed, and competition.
In a Harvard University study, the author reports that a group of seniors improved their walking gait when they were exposed to positive stereotypes of the elderly including such words as wise, astute, and accomplished as opposed to those who were fed the opposite words senile, diseased, and debilitated. The effect that these seemingly sublimal advertisements can have on us is strikingly powerful and covert. It is important that when we as consumers evaluate our purchases before we purchase that we evaluate how much a component is our subliminal brains influencing us.
During consultations with me, I actually engage your logical brain to override the emotional component of a buying choice with me. I know that my before and after photographs can elicit a favorable response from you, which is perhaps one of the most important reasons that you choose me as a surgeon. However, I told a patient on Friday that if you do not think I am the best surgeon to do your work I don’t want you as a patient. I also explicitly said that I also want for you to know why that is the case in great and exquisite detail. I am a very focused and elaborate educator and take pride in making you an educated consumer and overcoming irrational emotional responses that might cloud your ability to understand what I have to offer. I go the extra mile in education because I do not want you to choose me based on emotion but based on intelligently infused education. That is what this website endeavors to do and that is what I attempt to do every day in my practice.
The Power of Now Part 3 of 5: Clock Time vs. Psychological Time
January 28, 2009 by dr. lam · 4 Comments
This is perhaps one of my favorite ideas that Tolle presents. Sometimes if we live so far into the current moment, we fear that we are not planning for the future or have goals that we want to set. Tolle distinguishes between clock time meaning we put a certain event on our calendars or plan to do work tomorrow for a certain project. But setting that time down for clock time should not force us into constantly thinking and worrying about that event, which becomes what he calls psychological time.
Psychological time is how we live with our egoic mind/pain-body in the past (regret, sadness, hate) and our future (fear, anxiety) rather than being fully alive in the current time, right now. It is living our life unconsciously as he says. We are living far from a level of consciousness and peace when we fail to leave our mind and live right now. By living psychologically at another time, we subscribe to many of the negative emotions that grip us, all driven by the egoic mind.
Clock time is not bad if put into context, and it doesn’t have to do just with future events. When we learn from our past mistakes not to repeat them, then we are using clock time. However, when we sit in deep regret about our past and it begins to color our current perception so that in fact we are living in the past then we are beholden to psychological time.
Living deeply within the framework of the current time allows you to be free of the egoic mind and the related pain-body. If you truly sense everything around you: the food you taste, the person you are with, the work you are doing, the music that surrounds you, the breath that you take, you are treating time as one of the most precious of commodities. We oftentimes think time is so precious so that we must not waste it by planning so and so. However, by engulfing ourselves in the future, we fail to live in the current and so we therefore waste the most precious of all time, which is now.
Is it not true that the only real time is the now? Have you ever experienced the past or the future? Only in your mind perhaps but not in reality. We can only experience the now. There is no other time than the present so if we waste that precious time by living in the past or the future, we are truly wasting the most precious part of time, which is the now.
By the way, I was chosen surgeon of the month by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. For those who are interested, here is the link to the article. Also, in the next few days, my webmaster is creating several indices for those who would like to easily access past blogs. This was an excellent request by one of the readers of this blog last week. Check out the top menu bar of this blog, and you will already see an index by category. I have asked him to make an index by date and other functional improvements as well.
Story of the Week: Healing
January 23, 2009 by dr. lam · 3 Comments
It’s been close to a month since my last story of the week, but finally here is another story. I believe all of my patients’ stories are real and worthy. That is why I have created a section in the forum of this website for patients to tell their own story: the story of how LFP has affected them (patient submitted testimonials) and what they love in life (tell me about your passions). This is a story that has profoundly shaken me and reinvigorated me.
I had one of the nicest ladies come to me a couple of weeks ago who was going through a divorce and other major life changes. She told me that she had kept an ad of mine for quite some time before deciding to come in. She was clearly shaken a bit and nervous. I reassured her that she would be fine and that I would not waste her money or time and would do the right thing for her whatever her decision might be. She said she trusted me, and we talked a bit about life philosophy and healing. I truly felt compassion for her as a human being first without the imposed barriers of gender, race, etc.
She decided on some Restylane treatments, which were within her budget, and I was able to focus on small areas of aging to get her tear troughs, anterior cheek, and anterior chin balanced and looking good. I saw her as I usually do a week later to photograph the improvement and to make sure I could answer any of her questions. In the photography room, her hands were shaking and she had multiple post-it notes and note cards where she was composing her testimonial about what I had done for her. She apologized that English was not her first language so she needed time to compose her thoughts. I said the words did not matter as much as her expression of them. I was in tears as she was during her reading of her testimonial to me. I showed her the before-and-after photograph comparison, and we were both elated with the improvement.
She then told me the most profound words that I have heard in a long while. Paraphrasing a bit, she said, “I was about a year from entering medical school to become a doctor when a mentor of mine whom I respected said these words to me, ‘A doctor heals bodies, and a teacher heals souls.’ So with those words, I became a teacher of little children, which I have never regretted. However, Dr. Lam, you have shown me that a doctor can heal both, and you have done that for me.”
I can say that I was on a very high cloud for the entire day and for several days thereafter. It gave me back once again a profound mission of why I have been put on this earth, and it far exceeds what I do as a plastic surgeon. That is why if you wonder if there is some kind of incongruity in a surgeon writing a lot of blogs on self-improvement, life philosophy, and life psychology, there really isn’t. I am not here just to fix faces. I am here hopefully to touch a life. Thank you Sylvia for touching mine.
Story of the Week!
December 26, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
I don’t think I’ll have a new patient story for you every week, but this one really touched me a lot. I had a patient who was looking for lip enhancement and had called around town. After Marcy worked her phone magic that she does so well, she really believed that I was the best suited to help her out (which I not so humbly believe to be true). She enjoyed most of the day at my spa then came over to my office for some fillers. I explained to her that fillers could also be used in the face, and I discussed with her the merits of Botox for long-term wrinkle reduction. She decided to do the fillers for facial rejuvenation, lip enhancement, and Botox.
I always see my patients back a week later to make sure that they are doing okay and to show them their before and after photographs. When I was taking her photos in the photo room, she said, “Dr. Lam, I know you don’t know this about me, but my daughter suffered anaphylactic shock when she was 15 years old and died in front of me. I got very close to my second daughter, my only other child, but who was then killed with my sister in a car accident 2 years later.” She then said, “Dr. Lam, you have given me my face back as it was before all this happened to me. You have erased 15 years of grief from my face.”
I can tell you it was hard to hold back my tears when I heard that. I told that story to all my staff. Even something “small” like Restylane can have a profound impact on people’s lives. I always say to my staff we are not in the business of plastic surgery but in the business of “taking care of people and transforming lives”. I can think of no better incidence than this one. I am so proud of performing such a small thing that had such wonderfully unintended benefits. I always remember that every person that I treat is special no matter what the motivations they have or the treatments that I perform. You never know when a small thing can mean a lot to the other person you were so blessed to encounter. Wishing all of you a special holiday season, and I hope this story touched you as much as it did me and my staff!
Thanking My Team
December 24, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
For those of you who keep up with my blogs, you will remember that 2 weeks ago I did a series of blogs on Malcolm Gladwell’s phenomenal new book, Outliers, in which he talks about how successful individuals come from a product of their environment. With that spirit, I would like to thank each and every one of my staff members who have made LFP a true success with doubling percentage growths every year.
Constanze- Thank you for helming my ship and getting rave reviews from patients about your wonderful stewardship of my practice. Your organizational skills, phone skills, and educated knowledge of LFP make you an indispensable part to what LFP is all about. Your honesty and integrity define my opinion of you. Your work ethic is unmatched. You don’t leave until the job is done and done right. You are truly a rare and precious gem. Thank you for all that you do.
Marcy- Miss Flipper, the co-pilot, you are an intelligent and passionate individual whom I hear every patient walking through the door who has spoken with you that you have blessed them in both your delivery and content. I appreciate your Internet and technology savvy and all that you have done for my business on that end. You are a remarkable individual who has made everything that I do easier and more streamlined.
Dianne- Despite some health issues this past year, you have triumphed in both spirit and form and you look like a new person coming back from Italy. That has made me smile inside deeply since you are part of our family. Your stepping in during this critical holiday time has been so appreciated that I cannot speak what I feel in words. Your raw intelligence exceeds mine and your leading my surgical team and surgical center is unparalleled. I don’t think I need to tell you that.
Beth- You are just a radiant jewel that shines like a beacon to my patients. As I say all the time, you singularly get more compliments from my patients than any other staff member. You garner that praise because it is well deserved. Your perioperative work to help my patients during a time that can be scary alleviates them of that fear and gives them a warm family touch that I am confident they would never receive in any surgery center or hospital. You define the patient experience and serve as an exemplar to all around you for your care, compassion, and selflessness.
Emina- You are one of a kind not in the U.S. but in the world. Your knowledge in hair restoration from the front end, back end, surgical side, leadership, staff training, staff inspiration gives you the deserved nickname, Yoda. You are such a precious asset to me that I cannot even begin to thank you enough for how you literally bleed for our patients. We deliver a singular experience and result and I am so appreciative of your vital component to that success.
Darla- You are so very very smart. I appreciate that intelligence and being as a worthy co-pilot during surgery. You lead my MAs very well, and your graft dissection skills are tremendous. I don’t know how to thank you for your stepping up whenever duty calls where you needn’t do that but you do. You just are a tremendous team player and focused on what we give our patients. I can’t simply thank you enough.
Vassilka- I love seeing you every day. Your kind heart and generosity of spirit are unmatched. I know you do so very many things for me that I can’t even begin to thank you for. Your delicate hands during hair restoration, your great number sense and graft calculation, and your impassioned dedication to be always the best even during your pregnancy not only means so much to me but to our deserving patients as well. I have a smile that goes deep to my soul each and every time I see you. You bring a light to my world and to LFP every day you are there. We all missed you so much during your maternity leave. You are simply a beautiful person.
Stephanie- Although you have been with us only for a few months, you have proven your salt in a relatively short time. Your dedication to excellence and your innate intelligence have won me over. I hope that you can envision a long career with us because I am so very deeply proud to have you on my team at LFP. Keep up the tremendous work and continue to dazzle me with your massive brain power! I am also keen on seeing your talented hands at work on some of the things we have you training to do.
Donna- You bring beauty and intelligence to the team. Even though you are only here a day a week, I think my entire team looks forward to your coming. You are truly very very bright and I admire that (I don’t just mean your movie trivia skills). Hopefully, as LFP grows, you can come on board more. I really love seeing your smile and your helping me so effortlessly navigate the preoperative waters in a thoughtful, unrushed, and warm-hearted way.
Linda- You have won my respect. Your leadership skills now going from MA to Spa Director are amazing. You lead by example, passion, and work ethic. You have done so much to take a disparate team and make it follow in sync behind you. I am so appreciative at your creative energy because you never cease to amaze me at all you do. Thank you for becoming my newest and extremely strong leader. I am so very proud of you and when I look at you every time you give me a wonderful sense of almost parental pride that I gave the keys to the right person.
Philip- You are truly a gem to my mom and me. I know that I do not even have to look at the accounts because you are truly one of the most honest individuals that I have met. You are an individual of high moral worth and you are also one that gives everything you got. Thank you so much for making LFP run like clock work. Your presence is always felt and your love for our family is profound as ours is for you.
Richard- Richard, you are so rare a person that I don’t think God ever would make another like you. You give, give, give, give, give, give, give and never take. You give so much that I feel this deep guilt of calling you. The reason that WBW was built so well was because of you but well beyond that the reason that it still runs owes EVERYTHING to you, and I mean everything. You are the great Atlas holding up the world of WBW. If you were not here, there would not be a building. You give my mom and me peace of mind and a warm heart. I simply love you and Catherine like family because you are. Thank you for being such an amazing individual. I don’t want to fill two pages here otherwise my other staff might get a bit jealous in how I feel about you.
Mom (Carol)- Last but not least, thank you for building this building, acquiring this land, and having blind faith in my skills and risking everything we have on my practice and me. Thank you for giving me life, and thank you for being a mom to all my staff who look to you for moral guidance, love, compassion, and leadership. You are such a rare mother that I could not even imagine anyone that would come close to you. Your business acumen, math sense, and salesmanship make WBW and LFP not only successful but fully thriving. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thanks to all my dear patients, clients, and patrons who frequent WBW, and I give back a touch of warmth and good spirit during this wonderful holiday season. All of you brighten my life and inspire me to be a better person and a better surgeon for you! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate Christmas and whatever religious persuasion you follow, I wish you the merriest holidays this season!