Hello and welcome to
"Health for a Lifetime"
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I'm your host Don Mackintosh
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and we're glad that
you've joined us today.
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We're going to talk about a
very interesting subject today
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...that being social support.
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And joining me
is Dr. David DeRose
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from the
Lifestyle Center of America
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He is a specialist
in internal medicine,
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and preventive medicine...
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That means he wants to
prevent you from getting
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any disease, or stopping
or reversing that disease,
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and he's also a researcher.
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Welcome Dr. DeRose!
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It's great to be with you, Don.
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Today, we're going to
talk about social support.
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This is kind of
not a hard science...
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So many times, we talk
with physicians and they're
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talking about objective facts...
this or that and the other
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But we call this a softer
science; why do we call it that?
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Well I mean, a lot of
people use those terms
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because they say, "Yeah, this
isn't getting in the laboratory
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and giving people a drug,
or measuring something"...
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But what we're doing,
Don, in the research literature
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...we're looking at
what happens to people
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when they are
connected with other people;
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when they get social support,
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when individuals are
strengthening one another
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and it's really contributing
to hard scientific endpoints.
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In other words, we're
showing that social support can
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raise HDL levels...
the good cholesterol.
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We're showing that
social support can DECREASE
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DEPRESSION! Wow!
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...and the risk of depression
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And these
things are measureable,
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so, what we're doing is
we look at this area that
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seems kind of
soft, and kind of fuzzy,
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and kind of, you
know, social science,
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not hard science as some of the
medical researchers like to say.
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What many people are
saying is social science
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is hard science, and we can
come up with hard end points
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when we come to social support.
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So you can have big problems
if you don't have social support
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Are there different dimensions
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to this whole
idea of social support?
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I mean there's
clearly many dimensions.
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A lot of times, people want
to look at social CONNECTEDNESS.
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That means how
many contacts you have.
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If you look
objectively at someone,
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you can say, "Well, they're
involved with maybe their
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church, or their
workplace, for age, right...
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this number of friends. Yeah
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That's a way of looking
at social connectedness.
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But the research
is suggesting, Don,
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that it's not just how
many connections you have...
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it's your perception of
whether you are supported,
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whether you have
individuals around you that are
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building you up.
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So, like for instance,
let's talk about someone who
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makes a significant
decision that seems to alienate
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the rest of his family...
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Can he have social
support and make it
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through that
kind of a situation?
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Well you can have social
support from other avenues
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besides your family.
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I think one of the great
illustrations of social support
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is in the
Scriptures themselves...
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You know, when I think of Jesus
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in his very closing
hours of His ministry,
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in the Gospel of John,
the curtain is pulled back
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on some of Jesus'
final moments there as He is
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approaching His crucifixion...
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And in John 13, to me,
there's a very telling incident
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that happens here...
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Jesus actually, instead
of getting out there on the
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streets of Jerusalem,
and trying to heal as many
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people as possible,
in those closing hours,
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He's alone there in the
Upper Room with His disciples
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and He's washing their feet.
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And in John 13, it makes
this very telling statement
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after Jesus has done
this, He says to them...
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"Know ye that I
have done to you"
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In verse 13, He says,
"Master and Lord, you call Me,
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"And you say, well; for so I am"
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"If I then your Lord and
Master have washed your feet,
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you also ought to
wash one another's feet. "
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Jesus isn't there just
setting up some ordinance.
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I believe He's
making a powerful statement
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about social
support in the church...
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And Don, the
research today suggests,
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when you look at heart disease,
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when you look at
blood pressure problems,
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when you look at
thyroid problems...
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look at a whole host of things,
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social support makes an impact.
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And Jesus, when He spent
that time in the Upper Room,
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instead of healing on
the streets of Jerusalem,
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in the long run, the message
He has given to the church
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is that we need
this social support.
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We need to PRESS TOGETHER
and I really think, Don,
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what Jesus did in
John 13 has healed
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more people in history through
His building up of the concept
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of social support in the
church than He could have healed
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if He was physically out there
on the streets of Jerusalem
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healing hundreds of people.
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In other words, His last
night, not going out with a bang
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doing that, but setting
in motion something that
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could really be healing
over a long amount of time.
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That's right! Powerful ministry.
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Now you work at the
Lifestyle Center of America;
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you do research there,
you work with people a lot.
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They come to your
program, and then they leave,
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and what do you say to them?
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How do they go back with
their new changes they've made
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and have social
support or connectedness?
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Well, you know, as
people go through our program,
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it's a 19-day intensive
program for many diseases...
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People dealing with
diabetes, or heart disease,
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or high blood pressure...
a host of other diseases
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and I like to think of
social support starting BEFORE
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people even come to our program.
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A classic example of
someone I recently visited with
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in his home environment,
Ray Littleturtle, is a
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Native American of the
Lumbee tribe, in North Carolina
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and Ray never would have come
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to the Lifestyle
Center of America
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were it not for social
support before he came...
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I think we have some
footage of Ray, don't we?
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We do... Ray is going
to give us some insights.
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Let's see how it goes.
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Well, my wife had been on me
for a long time about diabetes.
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Being a Native person, it's
very prevalent among the Indians
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for diabetes, and I knew
I had diabetes several years
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before coming
here, and I just really
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didn't address it.
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I really accepted the fact
that I had it and did nothing
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for a cure or anything for it.
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So, I came because I was asked.
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We were in an
Indian unity conference,
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and a guy, Fred Rogers, from
the Seventh-day Adventist Church
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happen to come to
the Indian gathering,
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and I was
speaking about diabetes.
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And after he finished, he
told me about Lifestyle Center
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and I said, "Maybe
this might be a chance
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that I can do a little better. "
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So I came really to EXPLORE
the idea, and to appease my wife
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because she saw the importance
of having diabetes under control
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What Ray is saying...
is that he would never
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have gotten the help he needed
were it not for social contacts.
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It was his wife encouraging him
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to get serious
about his diabetes.
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It was Fred Rogers, a
Seventh-day Adventist pastor
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who works as a Native
American himself... who told him
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about what we were doing at
the Lifestyle Center of America
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And, it doesn't mean he
had to come to our center...
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I mean, Fred is referring
people to other resources there
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in the
Southeastern United States
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but the exciting
thing is social support
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reinvigorated Ray's health.
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I just saw him
recently, and he's a new man!
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I was rubbing shoulders
with him at a Native American
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conference, and there
were people coming up to him
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and saying, "Yeah...
Ray, you look great!"
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"You're doing so much better. "
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It's just exciting to see the
IMPACT of what social contacts
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can do in helping us address
needed areas in our lives.
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So when they get to,
for instance, your center...
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I know in our programs,
when we do health programs
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and whatnot, and I've been
involved in quite a few as well,
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we try to help them learn
how to be socially involved
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or have this connectedness...
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Do you do that at the
Lifestyle Center as well?
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Don, actually...
this is interesting.
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Now you're
talking about the church,
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we're talking about the
Lifestyle Center of America
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in Oklahoma, and a
lot of people, they say...
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"Well, I don't live in
Wichita, Kansas, or in Oklahoma,
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how can I get the benefits of
this... What's going on here?"
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What you're doing on the level,
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what other churches are doing
when they have health programs,
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what we're doing at the
Lifestyle Center of America
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is saying... "Look, the
conventional medical system
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doesn't address
the social needs.
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You go into the doctor's office,
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you go to the hospital, but
there's no social connectedness
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that's built in. Right
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And Christ, Himself, in
instituting the church...
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and saying in Hebrews
that what we need to be doing
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as we see the end
of times approaching is
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encouraging one another.
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He's saying, "This is a vital
part of our whole person health"
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Don't forsake assembling
together. That's right!
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And so we can take in
all kinds of good material
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whether it's on 3ABN,
whether it's in video programs,
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whether it's reading...
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But if we're not getting
that social connectedness,
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we're missing something.
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So, you know, coming
back to your question...
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Well, what happens at the
Lifestyle Center of America?
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Well people
when they come there,
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they become
socially connected...
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because it's designed as
a program where people are
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going through an
experience together!
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So they stay in
touch with each other?
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They do... that's
after the program...
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But I want to focus on
what happens during the program.
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Pauline Barry and her husband,
Jerry, came through our program
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and they're going to join us by
way of a video clip right now...
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And Pauline shares with us
exactly what happened to her
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in this social support
dimension... All right!
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Each person here is
treated as an individual...
00:10:05.09\00:10:08.60
the staff, the doctors get
to know EVERYONE individually
00:10:08.63\00:10:13.51
And the nice thing is...
all the people here, we get to
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know each other, and
we're such a help to each other.
00:10:16.65\00:10:21.61
But some of the people
that came discouraged...
00:10:21.64\00:10:24.28
well, the other people just
rally around them and help them,
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and I think it's
just really great.
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It's really nice in that aspect.
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That's great, I mean, it sounds
like they're motively involved
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with one another;
they feel for on another.
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Does that
continue after the program?
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It actually does... You
know many guests tell us
00:10:46.73\00:10:49.60
I think of Ella, she's an
00:10:49.63\00:10:51.62
African-American
woman from New York.
00:10:51.65\00:10:53.82
She came through our
program, and she talked about
00:10:53.86\00:10:56.21
the marvelous social
support that continued
00:10:56.24\00:10:59.28
with her whole group.
00:10:59.31\00:11:00.84
They were sending
around a letter...
00:11:00.87\00:11:03.60
I guess you'd call it a
"round-robin" or something
00:11:03.63\00:11:05.69
where each one would
share what they were doing,
00:11:05.72\00:11:08.19
and they'd continue
to support each other
00:11:08.22\00:11:09.97
and encourage each other.
00:11:10.00\00:11:11.34
And the interesting thing is...
00:11:11.37\00:11:13.60
This dimension
of social support,
00:11:13.63\00:11:15.95
when you're touched, Don,
when someone is touched by
00:11:15.98\00:11:18.58
a program that makes a
difference in their life,
00:11:18.61\00:11:21.18
when they come
for a 19-day program,
00:11:21.21\00:11:23.29
and they lose 10 or 15 pounds...
00:11:23.32\00:11:25.68
and the average patient
that goes through our program
00:11:25.71\00:11:27.88
loses about 4-5% of
their body weight... in 19 days
00:11:27.91\00:11:32.61
And so for someone who has
been trying to lose weight,
00:11:32.64\00:11:35.05
they've hit a plateau...
00:11:35.08\00:11:36.34
I mean, they are excited!
00:11:36.37\00:11:37.39
They are energized by that.
00:11:37.42\00:11:38.90
But it doesn't just touch them;
00:11:38.93\00:11:41.22
part of what helped
them to be successful
00:11:41.25\00:11:43.92
was the social support.
00:11:43.95\00:11:45.31
Let me give you just an example
00:11:45.34\00:11:47.10
that Ella shared
with us some time ago.
00:11:47.13\00:11:49.70
She said... "One of the
things that made a difference
00:11:49.74\00:11:51.66
in the program is when she
was struggling in those 19 days,
00:11:51.69\00:11:55.64
trying to follow a
lifestyle-based program
00:11:55.67\00:11:57.80
controlling her diet better,
00:11:57.83\00:11:59.95
learning how to eat better,
00:11:59.98\00:12:01.41
learning how to cook
foods better... exercising. "
00:12:01.44\00:12:04.58
When she was struggling,
00:12:04.61\00:12:05.81
what do you think she said
was the thing that helped her?
00:12:05.84\00:12:07.82
Social support, people doing it
with her... That's exactly right
00:12:07.86\00:12:10.71
They would encourage her...
They'd say "ELLA, you can do it"
00:12:10.75\00:12:13.57
And this
dimension, we often forget...
00:12:13.60\00:12:15.86
But when you go to the doctor's
office, when you see a physician
00:12:15.87\00:12:19.32
who is there encouraging you?
00:12:19.35\00:12:22.02
Maybe the nurses... Maybe not
00:12:22.05\00:12:24.45
Maybe not... They
tell you to do something
00:12:24.48\00:12:26.91
Time and time again,
Don... People come to our center
00:12:26.94\00:12:29.94
and they say, "The doctor said,
lose weight, change your diet,
00:12:29.97\00:12:33.73
and then when they go back
the next time, what happened?
00:12:33.74\00:12:36.37
They don't
remember what they said...
00:12:36.40\00:12:38.94
or maybe they have to
start all over again...
00:12:38.97\00:12:41.63
Or they didn't have
the resources to do it!
00:12:41.66\00:12:43.96
Because they don't have
a supportive environment...
00:12:43.99\00:12:46.40
And so this is why I
get excited when I talk with
00:12:46.43\00:12:49.28
someone like you, or
when I visited your church,
00:12:49.31\00:12:52.27
and see how you're working
at a church level to enhance
00:12:52.30\00:12:56.81
this dimension of social support
have this mutual encouragement
00:12:56.84\00:13:00.28
And so that social support
in the disease process...
00:13:00.31\00:13:03.88
it's important at the beginning
because it helps people
00:13:03.91\00:13:06.29
get attention like we
saw Ray Littleturtle sharing.
00:13:06.32\00:13:08.71
It's important while you're
addressing problems like...
00:13:08.74\00:13:11.76
Pauline Barry was sharing...
00:13:11.79\00:13:13.07
And then it's
important when people go home
00:13:13.10\00:13:15.55
because it has
derivative benefits.
00:13:15.58\00:13:17.70
Do we have a clip of
Ella, of someone that
00:13:17.73\00:13:20.08
talks about what
happens when they went home?
00:13:20.11\00:13:21.72
Actually, I've got another
clip and this is from Gardenia.
00:13:21.75\00:13:25.36
Gardenia Montalvo... she came
through our program a while back
00:13:25.39\00:13:29.21
She actually felt she
was at death's door...
00:13:29.24\00:13:33.02
Now not everyone
comes to us that bad off.
00:13:33.05\00:13:36.39
Her family really
thought that their mother...
00:13:36.42\00:13:40.79
The kids, you know,
thought their mother, Gardenia,
00:13:40.80\00:13:43.69
was really not
long in this life.
00:13:43.72\00:13:46.53
In fact, after
Gardenia went through,
00:13:46.56\00:13:49.41
I think it was the
first program with us,
00:13:49.42\00:13:51.52
she has come
back for a few more...
00:13:51.55\00:13:53.34
But the daughter sent a
letter to all the staff saying
00:13:53.37\00:13:57.68
"Thank you for
giving us back our mother"
00:13:57.71\00:14:00.61
And Gardenia
shares, in this clip,
00:14:00.64\00:14:04.88
just what happened as a
result of her coming to the
00:14:04.89\00:14:07.99
Lifestyle Center of America.
00:14:08.02\00:14:09.37
Well let's go to Gardenia...
00:14:09.38\00:14:10.55
My family is absolutely ecstatic
because they love me very much
00:14:14.32\00:14:19.26
and they were sure I was
going to... like, pretty soon
00:14:19.29\00:14:23.27
get into very bad shape,
or pretty soon pass away...
00:14:23.30\00:14:27.05
So, they were very
worried about me and they kept
00:14:27.08\00:14:30.61
begging me to do
something about it,
00:14:30.64\00:14:32.44
and they are so happy...
00:14:32.47\00:14:34.84
And everyone has been
touched by my experience here.
00:14:34.87\00:14:38.55
I brought my youngest daughter
and she's strictly vegan.
00:14:38.56\00:14:41.81
She exercises daily.
00:14:41.84\00:14:43.39
And my oldest
daughter has my recipe book,
00:14:43.42\00:14:47.67
and she has put her
family on soy products...
00:14:47.70\00:14:50.28
And everyone that I've prayed
for... that it would touch
00:14:50.31\00:14:56.06
their lives... like my
sister-in-law, and my nephew
00:14:56.09\00:14:59.86
and godson, they
came through the program
00:14:59.89\00:15:02.35
and their health has
improved a thousand-fold.
00:15:02.38\00:15:05.90
So I've been
very blessed that way,
00:15:05.93\00:15:07.73
because not only my
health has improved,
00:15:07.76\00:15:09.86
I have touched some people, and
their health has improved too.
00:15:09.87\00:15:15.59
That's just
GREAT! I mean, you know,
00:15:15.62\00:15:17.33
coming back from death's door,
00:15:17.34\00:15:19.24
talking about how she has these
relationships with her family...
00:15:19.27\00:15:22.10
"We have our mother
back, we're cooking together"
00:15:22.13\00:15:24.79
And then she's
reaching out to other people...
00:15:24.82\00:15:26.39
I mean, this must
be... Is this gratifying?
00:15:26.42\00:15:29.18
Oh, it's exciting, Don...
00:15:29.21\00:15:30.28
That's why we're there,
and that's why we've got a
00:15:30.31\00:15:32.51
team of people that are
dedicated to helping people
00:15:32.54\00:15:36.52
in a concentrated way in
a context of social support.
00:15:36.55\00:15:39.35
Where it's the staff,
but not just the staff...
00:15:39.38\00:15:42.16
It's the other people going
through the same experience
00:15:42.17\00:15:44.75
that makes such a difference.
00:15:44.78\00:15:46.46
And it doesn't have to
happen in Sulphur, Oklahoma
00:15:46.49\00:15:49.98
at the Lifestyle
Center of America
00:15:50.01\00:15:51.73
It can happen in your own church
... in your own community.
00:15:51.76\00:15:53.27
I mean, you know
that with the CHIP program
00:15:54.13\00:15:55.88
you do there in Wichita.
00:15:55.89\00:15:57.01
You know, there are some
pitfalls sometimes to staying
00:15:57.04\00:16:00.14
in touch with one another.
00:16:00.17\00:16:01.14
You know, things that just
mitigate against social support
00:16:01.17\00:16:03.76
We're going to go to a
break right now, doctor,
00:16:03.79\00:16:06.78
but when we come back,
we're going to continue talking
00:16:06.79\00:16:08.85
about social support...
00:16:08.88\00:16:10.10
How can you make sure
you're getting adequate...
00:16:10.13\00:16:12.12
How can you make sure
that you're involved in the way
00:16:12.15\00:16:14.80
you should be...
Join us when we come back.
00:16:14.83\00:16:18.57
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00:16:18.60\00:16:21.10
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00:16:21.13\00:16:22.46
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00:16:22.49\00:16:25.27
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00:16:25.30\00:16:28.17
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00:17:16.40\00:17:20.41
Welcome back... We're
talking with Dr. David DeRose
00:17:20.44\00:17:22.92
We're talking
about social support.
00:17:22.95\00:17:24.81
Doctor, can we get
too much social support?
00:17:24.84\00:17:26.86
Can we get TOO MUCH?
00:17:26.87\00:17:28.55
Well, we can GIVE
too much social support.
00:17:28.58\00:17:31.95
One classic study is of
caregivers of Alzheimer patients
00:17:31.98\00:17:36.51
When these individuals
are the exclusive caregivers
00:17:36.54\00:17:39.85
where they're not getting
the relief that they need,
00:17:39.88\00:17:42.00
they are giving
too much, really.
00:17:42.03\00:17:43.99
They are not getting time for
the social support they need.
00:17:44.02\00:17:47.02
Now when I say, "social support"
from a spiritual perspective
00:17:47.05\00:17:51.22
...from a Christian perspective
00:17:51.25\00:17:52.42
I believe there's a
merging of 2 lines of
00:17:52.45\00:17:55.18
research literature that
we have to talk about today.
00:17:55.21\00:17:58.00
What do you mean... is it
like church, and there's like
00:17:58.03\00:18:00.79
what do you mean,
merging of the spiritual matter.
00:18:01.50\00:18:03.33
You know, a lot of times,
in the research literature,
00:18:03.36\00:18:05.79
we look at social
support as being one thing,
00:18:05.82\00:18:08.42
and then we look at
something else that we call
00:18:08.45\00:18:10.23
religious
well-being, or religiosity...
00:18:10.26\00:18:13.24
we use terms like this.
00:18:13.27\00:18:14.94
But I see the
spiritual and the social
00:18:14.97\00:18:17.64
as being very similar...
Let me illustrate this.
00:18:17.67\00:18:20.57
In the religious
domain, when we administer
00:18:20.60\00:18:24.58
questionnaires to
people trying to assess
00:18:24.59\00:18:27.24
the strength of their
religious commitments.
00:18:27.27\00:18:29.77
We often ask questions like...
00:18:29.80\00:18:31.62
"Do you believe
in a personal God?"
00:18:31.65\00:18:33.89
"Do you feel you have a
personal relationship with God?"
00:18:33.90\00:18:37.66
If you think about
that for a minute...
00:18:37.69\00:18:39.85
We're talking about
social support... if you will
00:18:39.88\00:18:43.25
on a divine level.
00:18:43.28\00:18:44.34
And some people will
say, "Well, that's not social,
00:18:44.37\00:18:46.32
that's God's support. "
00:18:46.35\00:18:47.93
But really it is, I
believe, another dimension
00:18:47.96\00:18:50.64
to the same area.
00:18:50.67\00:18:51.74
And what did Jesus do?
00:18:51.77\00:18:53.52
Yes, Jesus had social support.
00:18:53.53\00:18:55.54
He had intimate friends in the
disciples, or Mary and Martha
00:18:55.57\00:18:59.50
and Lazarus... But
what else did he do?
00:18:59.53\00:19:01.76
Early in the morning, He was
out there seeking His Father...
00:19:01.79\00:19:05.45
Getting that revitalization
from communion with nature,
00:19:05.48\00:19:10.04
and communion with God.
00:19:10.05\00:19:11.60
And so we need this
balance in our lives...
00:19:11.63\00:19:13.90
We need to be
receiving, as well as giving.
00:19:13.93\00:19:16.91
If we're all giving, like
those exclusive caregivers
00:19:16.94\00:19:20.49
for Alzheimer
patients, measureable decreases
00:19:20.52\00:19:23.45
in their immune system.
00:19:23.48\00:19:24.60
We can only GIVE so much.
00:19:24.63\00:19:27.05
So we have to be
recharging our batteries...
00:19:27.08\00:19:29.95
You know, in working
in healthcare myself,
00:19:29.96\00:19:32.14
I recognize that there
were those that seemed to be
00:19:32.17\00:19:34.75
pretty cynical... you
know, they'd be jaded!
00:19:34.78\00:19:37.49
They work with people
all day, and they just didn't
00:19:37.52\00:19:39.37
have anything to give.
00:19:39.38\00:19:40.60
But the ones that did have
the spiritual underpinnings,
00:19:40.61\00:19:44.32
like you're talking about, seem
to be excited, more buoyant,
00:19:44.35\00:19:46.94
and they could GIVE even more!
00:19:46.97\00:19:49.79
And it's interesting, if
you look at the literature
00:19:49.82\00:19:52.68
talking about social
support on a human level,
00:19:52.71\00:19:54.83
and you look at the
literature dealing with
00:19:54.84\00:19:57.39
religious
commitment, religious strength,
00:19:57.42\00:20:00.13
fellowship with
God, if you will...
00:20:00.16\00:20:01.96
You look at those dimensions,
and they have similar effects.
00:20:01.97\00:20:04.88
The strengths in both of
those areas helps to decrease
00:20:04.91\00:20:08.78
blood pressure in
stressful life situations.
00:20:08.81\00:20:11.73
Helps to decrease
the risk of depression
00:20:11.74\00:20:14.03
which is an enormous
problem in our society today.
00:20:14.06\00:20:16.87
So it helps us to be able to
00:20:16.90\00:20:19.83
give... when we're
willing to receive.
00:20:19.86\00:20:22.19
Now let's talk real
practically, doctor... okay
00:20:22.22\00:20:24.77
We talking... what do you mean
exactly by giving social support
00:20:24.80\00:20:29.22
I'm at home, I'm
sitting down and I go...
00:20:29.25\00:20:30.76
Well, how do I do
this? It sounds so great.
00:20:30.79\00:20:31.76
I want my blood pressure
to go down... not TOO low,
00:20:32.56\00:20:34.81
but I want it to be normal.
00:20:34.82\00:20:36.75
I want these things to happen.
00:20:36.78\00:20:37.85
What are you talking about
when you say, "social support"
00:20:37.88\00:20:41.29
What is it EXACTLY?
00:20:41.30\00:20:43.07
Okay, to make it
real practical...
00:20:43.10\00:20:45.31
If someone's saying,
"How can I be part of a
00:20:45.34\00:20:47.24
social support network?"
00:20:47.25\00:20:49.10
First of all, look at the
relationships you already have.
00:20:49.13\00:20:52.24
Are you enhancing
those relationships?
00:20:52.27\00:20:55.47
I mean, how do your
children relate to you?
00:20:55.50\00:20:57.35
How do your
parents relate to you?
00:20:57.38\00:20:59.02
Are you only a consumer?
00:20:59.05\00:21:01.01
Are you taking,
or are you giving?
00:21:01.04\00:21:03.32
That's the
first question to ask.
00:21:03.35\00:21:05.97
A second thing to ask is...
00:21:06.00\00:21:07.92
Can you facilitate
social networks in your
00:21:07.95\00:21:11.57
sphere of influence?
00:21:11.60\00:21:12.88
One classic way of doing
it is just being involved
00:21:12.91\00:21:16.94
in your church!
00:21:16.97\00:21:18.13
I mean, a lot of people
today have a spectator mentality
00:21:18.16\00:21:21.91
when it comes to worship.
00:21:21.94\00:21:23.81
It's very easy in a big church
to just kind of, you know,
00:21:23.84\00:21:26.44
sit back, and say,
"Well, that sermon today
00:21:26.47\00:21:29.37
was okay, but maybe if
I had gone across town,
00:21:29.40\00:21:33.29
there would have
been a better sermon. "
00:21:33.32\00:21:35.04
We get in this spectator
mentality... instead of saying
00:21:35.07\00:21:37.99
...The TAKE model instead
of the gift. Yeah... Right!
00:21:38.02\00:21:40.22
And you're saying instead
of doing that, you say...
00:21:40.25\00:21:42.52
"Hey, can I go out and
visit someone maybe at the
00:21:42.55\00:21:44.89
nursing home; can I
see who is a shut-in and
00:21:44.92\00:21:47.31
hasn't had a visit...
Can I make a loaf of bread?
00:21:47.32\00:21:49.09
Can I invite
someone to my house?
00:21:49.12\00:21:50.74
Can I do this, do
that... Can I watch your kids
00:21:50.77\00:21:53.63
because it looks like you're...
00:21:53.66\00:21:55.12
Well maybe you wouldn't say
that YOU'RE a little STRESED OUT
00:21:55.13\00:21:57.36
there, but I want to
help you out... in a nice way.
00:21:57.39\00:22:00.18
Is that what you mean?
00:22:00.21\00:22:01.27
All those are excellent examples
but it doesn't even have to
00:22:01.30\00:22:03.74
take any extra time.
00:22:03.77\00:22:04.84
You can walk into your
church, or a church that you've
00:22:04.87\00:22:07.24
never been to...
okay, and you say,
00:22:07.27\00:22:09.44
"I want to start getting
involved with the church"
00:22:09.47\00:22:11.13
I haven't been going to church.
00:22:11.16\00:22:12.37
I've looked at religion as just
something between God and myself
00:22:12.40\00:22:15.74
but I want to start
fellowshipping with people.
00:22:15.77\00:22:18.21
And, instead of
walking IN with the focus on
00:22:18.24\00:22:21.13
"What am I going to get,"
look around the congregation
00:22:21.16\00:22:24.32
...see if
someone is sitting alone!
00:22:24.35\00:22:26.27
At the end of the church
service or at the beginning,
00:22:26.30\00:22:29.04
if you see someone who
is just standing there,
00:22:29.07\00:22:31.35
or who is walking out alone,
00:22:31.38\00:22:32.94
make an effort to say, "Hello"
00:22:32.97\00:22:34.73
You know, I hope there
are a lot of people listening
00:22:34.76\00:22:37.53
because this is a real
big need, even in churches.
00:22:37.56\00:22:39.89
You know, I usually am
almost stationary up front
00:22:39.92\00:22:44.86
because I'm up front
as a pastor many weeks...
00:22:44.89\00:22:47.86
And I'll see people
that are sitting alone,
00:22:47.89\00:22:50.09
and I'll see that other
people don't even SEE them!
00:22:50.12\00:22:52.49
And it's like they
have tunnel vision,
00:22:52.52\00:22:54.30
so you know, sometimes I'll
say to someone sitting with me
00:22:54.33\00:22:57.63
on the platform... "Hey, would
you go mention to this person
00:22:57.66\00:23:00.20
to go sit by that person"
00:23:00.23\00:23:01.37
I try and facilitate that. Ah ha
00:23:01.40\00:23:03.28
But what you're saying
is just GO with this idea of
00:23:03.31\00:23:06.63
service DURING the service.
00:23:06.66\00:23:09.87
That's right... so it
doesn't have to take you,
00:23:09.90\00:23:12.33
and you don't have to plan a
meal for 37 people at your house
00:23:12.36\00:23:16.81
You can take little
interest, just taking an
00:23:16.84\00:23:19.46
interest in people, giving
them a call on the phone...
00:23:19.49\00:23:21.81
it can be simple things.
00:23:21.84\00:23:22.86
Let me switch channels
here, if you will, for a minute.
00:23:22.89\00:23:26.92
I used to work all the
time with mostly women.
00:23:26.95\00:23:30.27
I was working in
the nursing profession,
00:23:30.30\00:23:32.09
and there are, of course, many
men in the nursing profession
00:23:32.12\00:23:33.98
too, but where I
worked there was mostly women
00:23:34.01\00:23:36.09
and then there was ME... Ha, ha
00:23:36.12\00:23:38.17
My wife was working as
an architect with mostly men
00:23:38.20\00:23:41.35
and then there was her.
00:23:41.38\00:23:42.65
But, you know, I
noticed something...
00:23:42.68\00:23:43.92
As I went through 2
different courses of study,
00:23:43.95\00:23:46.38
I noticed that when I went
through the nursing program,
00:23:46.41\00:23:48.62
it was largely women
there; and then I went through
00:23:48.65\00:23:51.44
a theology program and degree,
00:23:51.45\00:23:53.54
and it was mostly
male teachers there...
00:23:53.57\00:23:56.05
I noticed that the support,
it seemed at least to me,
00:23:56.08\00:23:59.49
was GREATER in
the nursing program,
00:23:59.50\00:24:01.96
than in the theology program.
00:24:01.99\00:24:04.59
And, I don't
know, I'm just asking...
00:24:04.62\00:24:06.67
Is there anything to
this idea that a woman can
00:24:06.70\00:24:10.05
give better social
support than a man?
00:24:10.08\00:24:11.92
Well Don, you know, you
may say 2 guys talking here
00:24:11.93\00:24:14.85
we may want to own up to this...
00:24:14.88\00:24:17.18
but it's true
actually. Is that right?
00:24:17.21\00:24:19.42
Yes, there's some
very interesting research
00:24:19.45\00:24:21.57
through the years,
but one of the earliest
00:24:21.58\00:24:23.26
examples I know of was in
the Alameda County Health Study.
00:24:23.27\00:24:26.21
This is just a
monumental study as far as
00:24:26.22\00:24:29.67
public health and
preventive medicine.
00:24:29.70\00:24:31.64
First studies were
published like in 1970...
00:24:31.65\00:24:34.28
It's an old, old study now.
00:24:34.31\00:24:36.09
But, they found, when
they looked at the benefit of
00:24:36.12\00:24:39.12
marriage, for example...
00:24:39.15\00:24:40.55
You know, guys like to think
they're doing their wives a
00:24:40.58\00:24:42.55
favor when they marry
them. Ha, ha, ha, ha...
00:24:42.58\00:24:44.21
But the Alameda County Health
study showed that the ones
00:24:44.24\00:24:46.83
who really got the
dramatic benefit from
00:24:46.86\00:24:48.77
being married were MEN!
00:24:48.81\00:24:50.67
This was the first
study that I came across
00:24:50.70\00:24:53.75
that raised my attention to
the fact that the social support
00:24:53.78\00:24:57.41
from a WOMAN...
may be more valuable!
00:24:57.44\00:24:59.10
Now a more recent study
in the year 2000, I believe,
00:24:59.13\00:25:02.51
from the University of
California at San Francisco
00:25:02.54\00:25:06.84
I think I'm
quoting this right...
00:25:06.87\00:25:08.42
But anyway, it's
one of the UC schools
00:25:08.45\00:25:10.46
that did this research...
00:25:10.49\00:25:11.50
took over 100 individuals
and they looked at what happens
00:25:11.53\00:25:15.62
in a stressful situation.
00:25:15.65\00:25:16.96
They were having people
speak in front of an audience...
00:25:16.99\00:25:20.38
Now for some of us
that do that frequently,
00:25:20.41\00:25:22.23
that may not be THAT stressful,
00:25:22.24\00:25:24.57
but for most people, it's one of
the real HIGH stress activities
00:25:24.60\00:25:28.79
that you could imagine.
00:25:28.82\00:25:29.88
And when there were supportive
people in the audience,
00:25:29.91\00:25:33.16
the blood pressure response
to stress was decreased.
00:25:33.19\00:25:37.50
But here's the CATCH...
00:25:37.53\00:25:38.66
If the supportive
people were WOMEN,
00:25:38.69\00:25:41.11
that blood pressure
response was much less.
00:25:41.14\00:25:43.81
Women had a greater
stress-relieving effect
00:25:43.84\00:25:47.33
than men did...
00:25:47.36\00:25:48.65
And there's a lot of speculation
as to why this is the case,
00:25:48.68\00:25:52.57
but the research
is pretty clear...
00:25:52.60\00:25:54.40
That women have some
unique benefits as far as
00:25:54.43\00:25:56.77
social support.
00:25:56.80\00:25:57.88
Men have other
strengths and they have...
00:25:57.91\00:26:00.30
You know, I'm not
trying to give the message that
00:26:00.33\00:26:01.81
men can't be
socially supportive...
00:26:01.84\00:26:04.32
But what the point is, Don...
00:26:04.35\00:26:06.73
is that we've got to
get serious about realizing
00:26:06.76\00:26:10.21
that God has
called together a body.
00:26:10.24\00:26:12.47
This is why the church is not
just, an all-male social club,
00:26:12.50\00:26:16.88
or an all-women's church.
00:26:16.91\00:26:19.72
God pulls together the
genders because we have unique
00:26:19.75\00:26:23.07
strengths, as well
as unique differences.
00:26:23.10\00:26:25.88
And, it's exciting to see
what happens in this dynamic...
00:26:25.91\00:26:28.70
whether it's in the
church, whether it's at the
00:26:28.73\00:26:30.48
Lifestyle Center of America,
00:26:30.51\00:26:31.93
whether it's in a
community group...
00:26:31.94\00:26:33.51
the same dynamic can take
place in all those settings.
00:26:33.54\00:26:36.53
That's great, and you
know, I think that people today
00:26:36.56\00:26:39.73
were probably pretty
motivated to get involved,
00:26:39.76\00:26:41.86
but I have one last question...
00:26:41.89\00:26:42.96
We have about
1-1/2 minutes left.
00:26:42.99\00:26:44.30
And, doctor, in terms
of giving social support
00:26:44.33\00:26:48.24
we've said, "Hey, we've
got to be getting something
00:26:48.28\00:26:50.02
spiritually to give that"
00:26:50.05\00:26:51.07
What do you do day-by-day,
what is your secret for
00:26:51.10\00:26:54.06
giving social support?
00:26:54.09\00:26:55.63
Where do you get, and
how does that work for you?
00:26:55.66\00:26:59.68
I'll tell you, the
thing that's vital to me, Don,
00:26:59.71\00:27:01.54
is meeting with my Lord.
00:27:01.57\00:27:04.39
To open His Word, to
pray, to get counsel from Him
00:27:04.42\00:27:07.98
to get direction from
Him and encouragement...
00:27:08.01\00:27:10.01
That's what really inspires me,
00:27:10.04\00:27:12.65
and that's what really
gives me something to share.
00:27:12.68\00:27:15.66
You know, many times, no matter
what kind of background we have,
00:27:15.69\00:27:19.11
no matter what
kind of experience,
00:27:19.14\00:27:20.38
and in my personal
case, sometimes I seem like I
00:27:20.41\00:27:23.18
just don't have what it takes.
00:27:23.21\00:27:24.88
But when I meet with the
Lord, when He encourages me,
00:27:24.91\00:27:28.56
He gives me something to share.
00:27:28.59\00:27:30.34
Amen, and that's
really the key, isn't it?
00:27:30.37\00:27:34.40
We've been talking
with Dr. David DeRose.
00:27:34.41\00:27:36.43
He's a physician at the
Lifestyle Center of America
00:27:36.46\00:27:38.69
in Sulphur, Oklahoma
00:27:38.72\00:27:39.97
and we've been
talking about social support.
00:27:39.98\00:27:42.54
It's been fascinating to
hear what you've had to say.
00:27:42.57\00:27:45.64
We hope that you, as
you've been listening today,
00:27:45.67\00:27:47.83
have had a new
sense of what you can DO
00:27:47.86\00:27:50.63
to be involved socially.
00:27:50.66\00:27:52.20
But most importantly, that
you can have that connection
00:27:52.23\00:27:54.74
with the Giver of
life, the Master Physician.
00:27:54.75\00:27:57.56
Thanks for joining us today.
00:27:57.59\00:27:59.47