—Gil Bashe, “Global Marketing Strategies” and “Emotion: The New Brand Integrator,” Pharmaceutical Executive, 2000

Twenty-five years ago, in a series of articles for Pharmaceutical Executive that may have seemed radical at the time, I argued that successful marketing wasn’t built on features but feelings. Back then, people were skeptical. “Emotion?” they responded. “We’re here to sell solutions.” Yet, as I revisit that article from the perspective of today’s fractured health landscape, I realize just how prescient that core message was.

In 2000, I wrote, “A brand must reflect the soul of the company. It must reflect its leadership and people’s beliefs, philosophies, and practices.” That truth remains, but in today’s health sector—beset by cost crises, consumer distrust, and system complexity—the soul of the brand must go even deeper. It must speak to human experience. It must unite the head (facts), heart (feelings), and gut (intuition) to unite the five pillars of the care community: patients, payers, product innovators, policymakers and providers.

The brands that do this don’t just survive, they lead.

The Head: Anchor in Truth, Lead with Clarity

We live in an era of data deluge. The health industry is drowning in numbers, from EMR systems to clinical trial dashboards. Yet many brands still mistake data for direction.

Yes, the head—facts—matter. Health is a science of logic, science, and proof. But it is also an art.

In my original article, I noted that the “hallmark of a strong brand is clarity—a clear promise, consistently delivered.” In health, clarity is more than a brand virtue; it’s a money and mission obligation. Patients need clarity in order to make life-altering choices. Providers need clarity in order to correctly apply new technologies and administer novel treatments. Payers need clarity so that they may judge value and outcomes.

A brand that leads with the head communicates what it does and why it matters. The science, the evidence, the safety profile: these aspects of health products are essential. But they are not enough.

I wrote in 2000, “Even the most successful product will not remain so without continuous reaffirmation of its value and identity.” It’s still true today, but that reaffirmation must be human, not simply clinical.

The Heart: Where Value Becomes Meaning

A quarter-century ago, I argued that “emotional connection” was key to global brand success. In 2024, I echoed that idea, stating that empathy is a strategic imperative, not a “soft skill.” Writing in Medika Life, I asserted that “Empathy—the ability to sense and connect to another’s experience—has clinical consequences.”

Health isn’t delivered in abstracts. It’s experienced in human moments: a nurse’s tone of voice, the wait time for an appointment, a doctor’s bedside manner. Patients remember how they felt, not what was said.

The same is true of brand impressions. A health brand’s heart is measured by its humanity: how it listens, responds, and affirms the lived experience. Consider the rise of narrative medicine, patient-centered care design, or trauma-informed policy. These are not trends. They are a return to what medicine truly is: a human endeavor.

In 2000, I wrote that “People buy brands because they trust them and because those brands represent a relationship.” It’s never been more true. That relationship must be emotional. If we don’t move hearts, we will never move health.

The Gut: The Compass for Courage and Change

If the head is what we know, and the heart is what we feel, then the gut is what we sense. It’s instinct informed by experience. It’s the courage to take a stand when the data is inconclusive. It’s also the discipline to say no when a decision doesn’t align with the brand’s soul.

In 2000, I observed that “Global brands are built not just on strategy, but on intuition—on understanding the culture and values of the people they serve.” That same intuition now guides how we engage health audiences. Do we sense distrust? Fear? Exhaustion? Our gut tells us when a message is too technical, dense or transactional to resonate. It urges us to simplify and re-center on the human.

Great leaders trust their gut because it helps them detect the intangibles: tone, timing and truth. In brand leadership, that same sense keeps us authentic.

Reuniting the Quintet: Patients, Payers, Product Innovators, Policymakers and Providers

Today’s health ecosystem is fractured along functional lines. Patients seek access, providers seek time, and payers seek value. Too often, they work in silos, leaving innovation and empathy at the margins.

But brands can be bridges. When built with head, heart, and gut, they become platforms for unity.

I wrote in 2000 that the “challenge is to ensure that everyone in the organization consistently communicates the brand through behavior, not just brochures.” That principle is now essential in aligning care delivery. Health brands must operate across disciplines, sectors, and even continents, but always with a singular message: we see, hear, and serve you.

Whether you’re a Medicaid insurer, a diagnostics company, or a telehealth platform, your brand is a promise. And that promise must connect the person in the exam room with the person writing the policy.

The ROI of Human Experience

In 2025, health leaders face dual pressures: cut costs and elevate care. This seems like a paradox, but it’s not. Investing in human experience is not a detour from efficiency; it’s the gateway to it.

Empathy reduces readmissions, clear communication improves medication adherence, and trusted brands drive engagement. When we center on people, we improve systems.

Put simply, mission and money must align. One cannot exist without the other in sustainable health ecosystems.

Final Thought: A New Brand Equation

As I wrote in Global Marketing Strategies 25 years ago, “A brand is the product of what people feel, not just what they see.” That message, once contrarian, is now the compass.

The future of health brands is in the hands of those willing to embrace complexity with clarity, wield emotion with discipline, and make instinct an asset, not a liability. In short, the best brands will speak to the head with intelligence, the heart with empathy, and the gut with courage.

In an age when trust is currency and gaining attention means cutting through the information jungle, this is not just good branding. It’s savvy mission-centered business leadership.

The post Beyond Data: Why Human Decisions Are Shaped by Facts, Feelings—and the Fire Within appeared first on Medika Life.

The man, sensing our concern, turned and said with a smile, “My wife sees your friend isn’t well and is sitting with her to give her strength.” I hadn’t thought much about it, but recent research is pointing to the power of human touch and how it is vital that we incorporated it into not simply our lives but even our healthcare. I don’t know if there is a psychic component, such as the Mexican woman sitting next to my friend, but that has yet to be explored and, perhaps, it will also offer new insights.

The pandemic brought attention to the idea of touch, and we need a deeper understanding of the ways in which physical touch, and the absence of it when we withdraw socially, can impact our psychological and physiological health.

From aiding development and growth to buffering against anxiety and stress, the most common touch interventions — like kangaroo care for newborns or massage for adults — have a broad range of mental and physical health benefits that persist throughout the lifespan of both animals and humans.

Although there is a great deal of evidence in the literature supporting the benefits of touch, there is also variation in the studied cohorts, the type and duration of applied touch, the measured health outcomes, the type of person applying the touch (e.g., a partner versus a stranger), and the outcomes such as a one-time hug versus repeated 60-minute massages.

During the pandemic, people were anxious about breathing and physical touch, which caused them to withdraw socially and experience emotional pain. It provided a brilliant illustration of our need for touch. Some people may not get the non-sexual physical touch they need, which is known as tactile deprivation.

According to studies, physical touch positively affects health at all life stages, including reducing anxiety and strengthening emotional bonds. Isolated people can find comfort in self-care, pets, or soft touch. But as individuals, we still rely heavily on the desire for physical touch and human connection to thrive. One graphic illustration that shows how lack of human touch is important for the maintenance of life and development in infants was the research of Rene Spitz after World War II in orphanages.

The children were provided with everything that they needed in terms of food, clothing, and medical care, but the one thing that was not provided was human touch. The result was that the children developed poorly and failed to thrive (aka hospitalism and anaclitic depression) and some died within their first three years.

Another important series of research experiments was carried out by Harry Harlow with rhesus monkeys and lack of attachment for infant monkeys. Considered both controversial and inhumane, it nevertheless supported the idea of tactile comfort being necessary for the young.

No one has to tell animals about the need for touch, and you can readily see it if you watch kittens together who were sleeping or, as I’ve recently seen on the Internet, dogs and cats slubbering together. I’ve even seen a hen who had been used to hatch duck eggs, lovingly care for her ducks and try to cover them beneath her at night as they all slept. It was genuinely touching.

One Touch Impediment

Unfortunately, the pandemic and other easily spread diseases have made people less likely to connect with each other in person. Not only are handshakes not accepted anymore, but other forms of touch may not be enough to have the same positive effect. Because of this, our society has been affected by our need to be careful about touching, closeness, and physical interactions.

We must wonder if a caring or interested look can make up for some of the fact that we cannot touch as before. Is there another way to achieve the same kind of biological process that has an impact on our mental and physical health? Future study is the only way to find out what factors were at play and how to move forward.

Touch treatments are suitable for your mental and physical health. And touch interventions have been shown to help reduce depression and worry in adults, children, and newborns. They can also help newborns gain weight. These results agree with those of earlier research on this subject.

Researchers found that more touch sessions correlated with better results, such as reduced depression, anxiety, and pain in adults. Chronic illnesses that make people sad and anxious often happen at the same time as loneliness. It is possible to ameliorate this through touch. Knowing the toucher did not change the health benefits for either adults or children. On the other hand, newborns’ general health benefits were affected by familiarity, with a touch from a parent being better than a touch from medical staff.

One more thing about touch that study papers talk about shows how important it is for kids’ intellectual growth. Students who had their teachers gently touch them seemed to do better in school than students who did not get this kind of physical support. But, in a world concerned about inappropriate touch, it can be assumed that teachers and other mentors of children would be more unwilling to engage in any type of touch.

Overall, how it can be suitably engaged in touch remains one of our most basic and primitive forms of attachment, belonging, and safety. It also engages specific, healthy hormone production, as well as helping to maintain our immune system. Therefore, touch cannot be dismissed since it is a potent form of health maintenance.

The post Simple Touch Mandates a Significant Place in Health Fostering appeared first on Medika Life.

It encouraged me to not only accept, but to normalize, and even embrace a cancer diagnosis. I counted how many times the word cancer was repeated as I waited.

Twenty. The words “your cancer” was repeated so many times, my head was swirling.

For cancer treatment to get an ok with the patient, it must first get the patient to be ok with the presence and word cancer; to even give it a home in the thoughts, body, and present awareness.

There is nothing about an adverse health condition that merits giving it permission to take up residence in your body. Disease comes and goes in our lives, but to remain healthy and to stay in perspective of the value and length of life we want, even with the worst physical diagnosis, never do we simply accept a diagnosis and NEVER do we call it our own.

Whether chronic or acute, sickness is not a natural state of the body and does not belong in it.

I have read many a breast cancer patient post on “supportive” websites vehemently owning a breast cancer diagnosis, at the behest and example of their medical providers.

Breast cancer patients are not taught by and large that breast cancer is an unwelcome enemy.

Rather, it is inundated into society for women to expect a diagnosis of breast cancer and then accept it and “fight” it. This is a propaganda technique designed to perpetuate an illness mindset.

Truthfully, there is only ONE fight to be had when it comes to illness, terminal or not and that is the fight to convince your mind that that disease process does not belong in you.

Disease is a separate, dangerous enemy from your body.

As a woman who is still feeling the effects of subsequent treatments and undergoing surgeries post treatment for breast cancer, I can say firsthand that I have lived this truth since diagnosis. I have refused to allow myself to call this attack on my life and purpose my own. It is not from God, so it is not mine.

Our healing is in the unseen, supernatural realm, not in the unseen physical, natural realm. Complete healing is brought into the natural realm through our realizing and believing in the Unseen. The Unseen truths are materialized in the Seen realm through our holding firm to that faith that we possess cancer-free, pain-free and complication-free bodies, spirits and souls (mind, thoughts, emotions, will and all things) in this realm where God our Father lives and has manifested this miraculous freedom from (all) earthly symptoms and diagnoses. Healing is every one of our’s destiny, through faith in His powerful healing desires for us.

No one was destined to be born to die from cancer, addiction, chronic illness, sudden tragedy or ANYTHING else. The Lord, our God, designed us to live long, beautiful lives.

His gentle, but firm command is for us to align ourselves, our thinking and beliefs, with HIS diagnosis of LIFE…not with the enemy’s of Death.

Let every ache and pain be crushed under your feet, under the weight of His promise of complete healing, but stand as a reminder that what we feel (fear, fright, apprehension, ruminations, death visions) is not what we are or where we are going.

Believe this moment that you will live. Looking over your shoulder only in expectation to see great Love running toward you, not to cringe with fear. See your long and healthy life in front of you and begin planning for it.

He has you. He has us.

Believe HIS prescription for health, not Oncology’s for death.❤️

The post Stop Owning a Cancer Diagnosis appeared first on Medika Life.

Teenagers and young kids use their smartphones a lot to browse social media, particularly Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The average age of first use is decreasing to 12 to 13 years, indicating the necessity of establishing a personal social identity before using social networks. Due to their screen size, interactive features, and capacity to stream information like video games, films, photographs, and applications, smartphones are gradually replacing desktop computers as the devices of choice for younger people.

When we consider that the brains of children are not fully formed until about the age of 25, we can appreciate that teens and younger children are not equipped to see the risk of excessive media devices like smartphones. If parents discourage this abuse, especially around bedtime or in the morning when they arise or during school hours, it may not address the “addiction” to the media. And the word “addiction” is being used, but is it really the proper word to use?

The risk factors of excessive use of social media are numerous. They include overuse, uncontrollable behaviors like checking for alerts all the time, mental health issues including sadness and anxiety, and physical issues. Even the physical problems are a result of this behavior. When using cell phones, youth with smartphone addiction had considerably flexed cervical posture and reduced cervical range of motion, according to measurements made using an inclinometer.

10,000 questionnaires in total in Italy were filled out for a study on cell phone use. Youngsters reported using their phones for more than 3 hours (41%), more than 2 hours (29%), more than 1 hour (21%), and less than 1 hour (9%) per day. Children using the devices right before bed (38%), during class (24%), and right when they wake up in the morning (21%), were found to be using them problematically.

Fourteen percent of teenagers had addictions that had been recorded. Low academic results, impaired concentration (24%), neck and back pain (12%), insomnia (10%), and mood changes (7%) were among the effects that were noted. The results, therefore, confirmed that there are both psychological and physical issues associated with the excessive use of these digital devices. This was true in other European countries where research has been initiated, such as Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Serbia, where over 80% of children aged 9–16 use a smartphone to access the Internet at least once a day. One problem with most of these studies, however, is that they are based on self-report, a potentially highly biased means of research.

Is there any positive use of cell phones by adolescents? Teenage boys and girls are nearly equally likely to say they use their gadgets frequently or occasionally to interact with others (85% vs. 83%, respectively), pass the time (both 90%), or learn new things (79% vs. 87%), according to a survey. But it may also be a means of avoiding face-to-face communication, and we have to wonder what might be behind that. Fifty-four percent of the girls in this survey said that they use phones to avoid physical interactions, while boys use the phone in this way a bit more than thirty percent. Half of the sample believed they used cell phones too much and wanted to cut back. But in a culture that is heavily geared toward their use, is it possible to cut back? When more than half of the teens said they used the phones to avoid feeling lonely or anxious, especially girls, it presented challenges for them.

University students, too, expressed heavy use of cell phones. They, too, have both physical and mental difficulties associated with it, complaining of chronic neck and back pain, eye strain, weight gain, depression, and loneliness. The alternatives recommended were more physical activities planned for students and activities that could cut down on the use of phones. In a world of more than 6.5 billion users, one has to wonder how the decreased use of phones might play out when stress and loneliness appear to drive their use.

How can parents, guardians, or schools help to offer solutions to excessive cell phone use? Hobbies, social interactions, and physical activity can all influence a more balanced lifestyle for teens and younger children. Urge the young person to take part in social activities, make genuine connections with friends, and spend time with family in person.

A cell phone can be an important tool in our worldwide culture, but it can also disrupt lives in negative ways in terms of mental health, isolation, and physical problems, too.

The post Unhappy or Depressed Teens and Social Media’s Involvement Isn’t So Simple appeared first on Medika Life.

Children need to empathize with their pet’s feelings and experience what it’s like to be in their shoes to provide the best care possible. Also, they develop this talent early in life, which serves them well throughout their early development and beyond.

Pets are a great way to teach kids about compassion, another valuable character trait. When children see their pet in pain or ill, they frequently develop strong empathy for the animal. Teaching kids to feel this emotion will serve them well as they mature.

Finally, having a pet may teach kids a lot about responsibility. Feeding, walking, and cleaning up after a pet are all responsibilities that children can take on. This teaches kids they need to put in the effort to care for their pets properly if they want them to be healthy and happy. And pet ownership expands into later life factors, including cognitive development and social aspects of their lives.

But there are important considerations before choosing an appropriate pet for a child. Do your homework to choose the best pet for your family and children.

Hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and fish are all good pets for kids. Children can learn responsibility, patience, and how to care for another living thing by caring for one of these pets. Animal bonding may be more important than you think.

The company of both children and pets is invaluable. Having a pet is a great way for kids to make friends and learn about responsibility and the value of hard work. Because taking care of a pet requires a lot of exercise, pet owners are more likely to be active themselves.

Consider a few things before bringing a pet into your home. Find a pet that is a good fit for you and your family by doing some homework first. For example, if you’re thinking about a dog, what will its size be at maturity and during its early life stages? A small dog may be injured, causing emotional distress in the child. One that is too large at maturity won’t be a good choice.

After settling on a pet, it’s important to make time in your schedule for the basic care of your new companion. Finally, be ready for some more clutter and noise in your home, but it will all be worth seeing the delight on your child’s face.

Yes, bringing a pet into your home for your child will mean your schedule and normal activities may be disrupted for a time. But think about the benefits instead of the few bad things that can happen when kids have pets.

The post Pet Ownership for Children Can Help Them Develop Important Values appeared first on Medika Life.

All pain is real, and all pain is generated by the brain.” — Dr. Howard Schubiner, author of 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘯⁠
⁠
“The brain processes emotion, memory, and pain in similar regions.” — @curablehealth⁠

We live in a culture that normalizes emotional invalidation.⁠

Emotional invalidation is like: If someone slammed your finger in a door and then told you that it shouldn’t hurt because they didn’t do it on purpose.

They may well have slammed your finger unintentionally. But the absence of acknowledgment and care for your hurt can injure you more deeply than the slammed door. It may lead you to feel “crazy,” to doubt yourself, to abandon yourself by rejecting your own feelings…

And emotional invalidation can have negative consequences to our health.⁠ Emotional and physical health are equally important — and they’re inextricably intertwined.⁠

All pain — both physical and emotional — is created in the brain. And all pain — both physical and emotional — is real. So all pain — whether physical or emotional — needs acknowledgment and care so that it can heal. 💗

We can’t adequately address the epidemic of chronic pain without addressing the cultural epidemic of emotional invalidation.⁠ But here’s something to consider: Each and every one of us has the power to contribute to a real cultural shift by starting with ourselves and validating our own emotions. Seriously.⁠

If the person who hurt you — whether emotionally or physically — won’t offer acknowledgement and care, then make it your mission to find acknowledgment and care elsewhere. And most importantly: Give acknowledgment and care to yourself.

Your healing demands it. And you are worthy of healing.

This healing work is so worth it, because WE are worth it collectively.⁠ And we’re in it together. 💖

With love, solidarity and care,

Anna

The post Did You Know There’s a Connection Between Emotional Invalidation and Chronic Pain? appeared first on Medika Life.

Simply put, when we approach our emotions from a place of fear, emotions tend to respond with fear — which can amplify pain. (If you identify with this, please know that it is not your fault. We’ve all been steeped in generations of social conditioning to be afraid of our emotions. This is a journey of learning and growth, and we are in it together!)

By contrast, when we approach our emotions from a place of love, emotions are soothed — which can reduce pain. (Again, we are all a work in progress when it comes to this. And wherever you are on the journey is exactly where you need to be right now!)

Here are some common strategies we tend to use when we’re approaching our emotions from a place of fear:

👉 Getting angry at your emotion

👉 Shaming your emotion

👉 Judging your emotion

👉 Ignoring your emotion

👉 Panicking about your emotion

👉 Trying to silence your emotion or make it go away

👉 Interrogating your emotion (“Why am I feeling this way? Whyyyy?”)

I’m listing these out not to say that these strategies are “wrong” or “bad,” but to help you recognize the patterns. (We all tend to do these, including me!)

And here are some strategies you can play with to practice approaching emotions from a place of love:

👉 Acknowledge the feeling

👉 Accept the feeling

👉 Empathize with the feeling

👉 Reassure the feeling that you’re on its side and you have its back

👉 Take action on the feeling’s behalf (for example by setting a boundary to protect the feeling or by nurturing the feeling with care)

A journaling exercise

Here’s a journaling exercise that I use to practice approaching my emotions from a place of love. It’s a dialogue between two parts of the self: Your “wise self” and your emotion.

Wise self: I’m right here, emotion. What are you feeling?

Emotion: [Let the emotion answer in a sentence or paragraph; whatever spills out onto the page]

Wise self: It totally makes sense that you feel that way. I love you. Is there more?

Emotion: [Let the emotion answer in a sentence or paragraph; whatever spills out onto the page]

Wise self: it totally makes sense that you feel that way. I love you. Is there more?

Etc. etc. until your writing timer chimes or until the emotion has said its piece for now.

If you try this out, I’d love to hear how it goes!

Sending lots of encouragement and compassion your way,

Anna

➡️ If you need support with chronic pain and anxiety, take my FREE QUIZ called “Why the *bleep* am I still in pain?!” so I can help you get some clarity.

The post How To Handle Difficult Emotions appeared first on Medika Life.

Insufficient research exists on crying in general, but on men, in particular, and it’s long past time for that to be corrected. Men cry, should be allowed to cry and need not be ashamed of crying when they do; it’s a normal human reaction.

Humans are the only animals that cry, so said Darwin in his extensive research into animal life. If crying is intrinsically human, what purpose does it have in addition to providing an overt expression of some emotion?

Researchers tend to believe that crying serves two purposes; to help us recover from emotional distress and the other to promote social bonding. The release of internal emotional pressure is, logically, a good thing because we know that retained and unreleased stress is dangerous to our physical and mental health.

What price do men or women who cannot cry or refuse themselves that normal release pay for this inaction? We can only suppose because of the limited research. One research project included 475 people who indicated they had lost their capacity to cry, did have less connection with others, showed less empathy, and, as a result, had less social support. However, they reported no problems in well-being. This is where we have to ask another question.

Self-report is notorious for underrating one’s self when it might have a negative effect on how others perceive us. Therefore, researchers tend to look with some concern on self-report measures. Unless there are valid instruments or other reports to support what the individual said, we take this with a grain of salt.

The particular research to which I refer noted that “additional clinical and therapeutic investigations into tearlessness may lead to clarifications.…between psychiatric disorders and tearlessness.”

You can see that the researchers were indicating they were somewhat skeptical that there wasn’t another reason for tearlessness and, in their opinion, it could have resulted from psychopathology. I tend to disagree with this because there is research that indicates cultural constraints on emotional expressions, such as crying, especially in males, prevents them from crying.

How many of you have heard the expression, “Big boys don’t cry,” when a boy cries because he’s fallen or failed an exam or anything else that caused emotion? Yes, big boys do cry and should cry. It’s normal.

Crying is a normal, self-soothing behavior noted in research in the past. The self-soothing also has an action of relief the person feels following crying. It is as though we opened an emotional rescue valve and allowed the pressure to return to normal.

To prohibit anyone, but particularly males, from crying when it is appropriate could be seen as punishment for being an emotional human being. Do we want to punish our boys and men? Indeed, we want them to be happy and healthy, but we may also be encouraging unhealthy behavior, which can result in less empathy toward others. Is that the kind of world we want to live in?

We hear a lot about being our authentic selves, and yet here is an example where we suppress that authenticity to create a world with less emotion in it. If men cry, it can be seen as negative. We want them to be strong and almost unemotional. Such a stance does not enhance a world of caring, closeness, and love.

Yes, we did see the “summer of love” in the 1960s, and some of that behavior needs to be returned to the world we live in today. No, not the anything goes type of behavior, but loving of everyone in our world, both male and female.

Crying need not be exclusively in times of separation, loss, and helplessness where we are overwhelmed by extreme emotion. It can also be in times of intense joy and relief when we see others after extended periods, or something extraordinary happens in our life, such as the birth of a child, accomplishment in school, or our profession. All of it is a relief and an emotional outpouring of what we are experiencing psychologically. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

Do big boys cry? I certainly hope so.

The post Big Boys Do Cry, and It’s a Normal Reaction, Not Weakness appeared first on Medika Life.