Health Matters

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No one knows how to truly recover from illness

By Rachel Sonis

Editor, Ideas

I broke my wrist this summer, and the road to recovery was tough in ways that really surprised me. Sure, it was physically painful, but what made my recovery the most challenging was the fact that it was anything but swift. The slowness of it has been the biggest hurdle to cross.

The truth is no one really knows how to recover from illness, and as Dr. Gavin Francis—author of Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence—points out is his new piece for TIME, our productivity culture has overshadowed our bigger need to respect the healing process. Among his most intriguing points:

Guidance from medical professionals through the process of recovery is of the utmost importance to patients. Sometimes people need to be granted permission to take the time they need to recuperate.
A 2014 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Europeans take two to three times more sick leave than Americans, pointing to signs of an ingrained pressure to be maximally productive in the U.S—even when sick.
Health is a balance, not a destination. For all of its annoyances, illness can actually teach us something valuable about self-compassion, expectations, and the pursuit of true wellness.

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Prostate cancer screening comes too late for some men

When prostrate cancer tests were first introduced in the 1990s, there was a rash of over treatment, leading to damaging side effects, and doctors eventually corrected course. But now, as Brianna Abbott reports in the Wall Street Journal, doctors may not be testing early enough, as more patients are being diagnosed with late stage cancers, often too late to treat.

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Today's newsletter was written by Rachel Sonis and Oliver Staley, and edited by Oliver.