Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, health economist of THINK-Health and blogger at Health Populi talks about her personal health journey at the inaugural Body 2.0 meeting in San Francisco, October 2012, as part of the Health 2.0 Conference.

1. Healthcare DIY: It’s Personal
Body 2.0
San Francisco, 7 October 2012
Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, MA (Econ.), MHSA
THINK-Health and Health Populi blog
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THINK-Health

2. The Journey Toward Healthcare DIY
• Health = health care
• Meet The Parents: Participatory Patients v1.0
and v1.5
• Meet Their Daughter, Jane, v2.0
• Meet Your Personal Health Ecosystem.
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3. Listen to Dr. Benjamin, Surgeon General
• “We can't look at
health in isolation.
It's not just in the
doctor's office.
• “It's got to be where
we live, we work,
we play, we pray.”
Source: Surgeon general discusses health and community, Los Angeles Times, March 13, 2011 3
THINK-Health

4. THINK-Health

5. Polly and Chuck Sarasohn
Wedding Day, 29 November 1942
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THINK-Health

6. Meet Polly and Chuck, b. 1921
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7. Oak Park Schools
Health Council
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8. Polly, Chuck and Jane
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9. Meet Polly, Participatory Patient, v 1.0 (1971-1979)
• 1971: Diagnosed with lymphocytic
leukemia
• Six month prognosis
• Treatment: radiation and blood
transfusions
• Close relationship with
Internist/Hematologist
• Social network (offline)
• Key relationship: Richard, the school
librarian
• Information seeking behavior: Index
Medicus via microfiche (no Internet!)
• Food=health: Adelle Davis, Let’s Get
Well
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10. Meet Chuck, Participatory Patient, v 1.5 (1966-2007)
• 1937: Diagnosed with high blood pressure
• 1966: Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes
• Dieted per doctor’s instructions; lost
weight, managed diabetes via diet &
exercise, no insulin until 2005
• A+ patient: collegial with doctors, adhered
to Rx therapies
• Remarried 1982, becoming “parent” of a
dog (therapeutic relationship!)
• Resilient social network (offline and online)
• Lifelong history of heart disease:
pacemaker, quintuple bypass
• Worked full-time until 84 YO; developed
CHF
• 2-year revolving door to ER until his death.
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11. What’s changed since Polly & Chuck’s
versions of participatory health?
• We’re learning to be health consumers
• The New 2nd Opinion: checking Internet pre- and
post-physician visit and diagnosis
• Adopting mobile phones and tablets
• Acting like food = health
• Using social networks for health
• Learning to partner with clinicians
• > Participating in health  Body 2.0.
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12. DIY Life
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13. DIY Health
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14. Activation/Motivation: 25th Anniversary
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15. Meet Jane, Body 2.0 via HealthcareDIY
Source: Jane’s personal health ecosystem, adapted from Institute for the Future work on 15
THINK-Health Ecosystems of Wellbeing

16. December 2010 November 2011
Source: Jane’s scrapbook
THINK-Health

17. JSK Cholesterol, 2/11-1/12
Test Feb 2011 Jan 2012 Limits
Lipid Panel
Cholesterol, Total 188 178 100-199
Triglycerides 177 48 0-149
HDL Cholesterol 49 72 >39
Comment – According to ATP-III Guidelines, HDL-C >59 mg/dL is
considered a negative risk factor for CHD (chronic heart disease).
VLDL Cholesterol 10 mg/dL 5-40
LDL Cholesterol 96 mg/dL 0-99
Source: Jane’s PHR
THINK-Health

18. The 10 Commandments of
Health Engagement
Thou Shalt…
1. Find safe, decent health 6. Participate in treatment
care 7. Promote health
2. Communicate with health 8. Get preventive health care
care professionals
9. Plan for the end of life
3. Organize health care
10. Seek health knowledge.
4. Pay for health care
5. Make good treatment
decisions
Source: Snapshot of People’s Engagement in Their Health Care, Center for
Advancing Health, May 2010
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19. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, MA (Econ.), MHSA
Health Economist and Management Consultant
THINK-Health
jane@think-health.com
www.think-health.com
www.healthpopuli.com Blog
@healthythinker on Twitter
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