Feb 16, 2009 10:15 pm US/Eastern
New Wellness Test Measures Your Overall Health
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
You try to eat healthy, you exercise and you take vitamins. But you may not be as healthy as you think. A
new test is putting your life and your health under a microscope and you may be surprised to learn what it takes to be healthy.
I found out first-hand that this is not your ordinary check-up. It takes just about every aspect of your life into consideration when calculating how healthy you really are. "It's the industry's first 'Wellness Quotient," explained Lynnfield Chiropractor Dr. Peter Martone.
This series of tests is designed to measure your physical, biological and your emotional health. Patients are then given a score from 0 – 200. "If you score below 100, it' means you are older than your age. If you score above 100 it means you are younger than your age," Martone explained.
To find out exactly how it works, Dr. Martone put me to the test. It starts with about 100 questions asking me about everything from what I eat to my personal relationships at home and at work.
Then the test turns physical, starting with a test that is designed to detect tension in my neck and back. Dr. Martone didn't have to look hard. "Do you get headaches?" he asked me.
"Yes," I replied, shocked that he knew that within minutes of starting the tests.
Dr. Martone also did many of the more traditional tests like measuring my blood pressure, pulse, and weight.
He also did several I've never seen before, like measuring my lung capacity and my arm and leg strength.
The final test was one that measures just how well you handle stress. In my case, that meant counting backward from 100 by 7's. I did the best I could, but stumbled after my first few calculations.
Dr. Martone explained the test measures how your body reacts to stress and how your body comes down from stress. "You did not react too well," he told me.
Massachusetts General Hospital Physician Dr. Ron Dixon isn't endorsing the test, but he agrees paying attention to stress and your emotions is critical for good health. "I think it's often neglected in current medical practice," he said. "Remember, we have a sick care system instead of a health care system."
Dr. Martone hopes the $200 test will change that. It motivated Connie Miranda of Wakefield to take a hard look at her lifestyle. "My score was around 64," she said. The below-average results prompted Connie to change her diet and exercise routine. She also learned how to manage her stress.
Within a few months, her score jumped 21 points to an 86. "Overall, I feel great," she said.
Despite my issues with stress, arm strength, headaches and embarrassingly, numbers, my wellness quotient was a 129. That's a good score but there's still plenty of room for improvement and now I know where to start.
The entire test takes about an hour to complete. There are three
Creating Wellness Centers in Massachusetts and 300 nationwide.
Dr. Peter Martone
A Creating Wellness Center
Lynnfield, MA
781-224-0202
Dr. Kevin Perry
A Creating Wellness Center
Bridgewater, MA
508-697-0050
Dr. Kevin Lowey
A Creating Wellness Center
Orleans, MA
508-255-5866
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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