Good Reads...

As December starts and we break into advent calendars and gather together with food, family, friends, and fun, the book “Hungry for More” by Dr. Adrienne Youdim, resonated on multiple levels and in multiple ways. The insight we here at GrooveMD have gained from this book has continued to reverberate daily since finishing it, and we believe will continue to do so probably for the rest of our lives. And for that, we are grateful. 

 

This gem of a book is a beautiful rendering, via individual stories, of how what we often misinterpret as a craving for a certain meal or food; is in actuality a craving for so much more - more like a spiritual hunger. 

 

In most cases, when we start a book, especially if we are enjoying it, we finish it quickly, but with “Hungry for More,” we slowly read it over 3 weeks, a bit at a time. As this was very unusual for us, we intentionally thought about why it might be the case, and quickly realized that it wasn't because it wasn’t a good read but because it was an excellent read.  We wanted to savor every word, sentence and paragraph, and story. And savor we did, for as long as possible, because not only could we relate from a physician standpoint but also from a personal and from being a patient standpoint! 

 

Each chapter is titled “Hungry for...” something. The “somethings” include thoughts and concepts such as belonging, connection, ritual, and acceptance, to name just a few. Each story is illustrated by an encounter with a patient including their breakdowns and breakthroughs which is then threaded with a personal story of something that Dr. Youdim went through. She then reflects on how what the patient thought he or she was “hungry for” on the surface was really something totally different when she helped them dig deep down.

The stories resonated on a deep level and brought clarity to us as readers when it comes to these concepts. The stories also helped us remember, as physicians, how important it is to take the time to carefully excavate to see what’s truly underneath the surface when it comes to patients and what they “hunger for.” And the same goes for us.