Getting To Know Your Doctor
An interview with Shreveport Direct Care’s lead physician Ricky Bass.
In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has improved your life?
Over the last 5 years I have attempted to start a meditation habit. I became interested in meditation when reading and listening to podcasts where entrepreneurs and CEOs saying that meditation helped them professionally. Ray Dalio, leader of the world's largest hedge fund, as well as other successful CEOs say meditation is the single largest contributor to their success. Other reasons included increased productivity, decreased stress, increased happiness as well as developing more empathy and compassion. While there have been fits and starts I generally feel that I am a better person when meditating regularly. My mood is definitely better and the little hassles of the world seem to bother me less.
There are also certainly health benefits of meditation. It can lower blood pressure by increasing nitric oxide levels that helps relax and widen blood vessels. Mediation can improve attention and sleep. Finally, meditation is associated with decreased anxiety, stress and a more positive general outlook.
What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?
I was a runner in high school and ran throughout my adult life. I never really did much in the way of strength training and never learned much about it in med school. However, we all begin to lose muscle beginning in our 30s. I now more fully understand the importance of strength training as you get older. I like the analogy of retirement savings. Just as you want to save enough money for a happy retirement, you need to do enough strength training to ensure you have enough muscle to protect you from injury and allow you to continue to pursue the activities that you enjoy.
I recently discovered band training. With this resistance training technique I started with a single band that I could throw in a bag and get the benefits of strength training no matter where I was going. Additionally band training has balance benefits that traditional weight lifting does not. With one $25 band I could do 10 or so great exercises to help improve strength and stability.
I started with a purple band and some of resistancebandtraining.com's free youtube videos. This is a 1 band workout that I do regularly. Resistancebandtraining.com also has pre built programs that Dave, the owner and an experienced Physical therapist, has built. His programs are very affordable and maximize impact and your time.
What book would you be most likely to give as a gift?
The Leadership Challenge. The Leadership Challenge is a field guide for becoming the kind of leader that other people want to follow.
What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you've ever made (could be an investment of time, energy, money, etc.)?
Exercising regularly. Since I was a freshman in high school I have run, walked, gone up a huge flight of stairs or gone to the gym most days. If regular exercise could be bottled, it would be a miracle drug. Basically, everything in your life gets better if you find time to exercise regularly. I am definitely feel better, am a better person, and happier on the days I exercise.
What unusual habit or absurd thing do you love?
For years I have for some reason referred to myself in the 3rd person. I will say something like "Well Ricky Bass says/ thinks/ does ..." and my family just rolls their eyes. It apparently is something that many friends and family have said they love/ find quirky/ relatable about me. An unusual habit I have though is that I talk to myself. You do not have to worry that your future doctor is crazy. I sometimes find myself having full-on conversations with myself, especially when trying to figure something out or making decisions. If you also do this it's ok. I think that It's a sign that you're an independent thinker and comfortable with your inner thoughts. Who better to debate with than yourself?
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint chocolate chip
Favorite cocktail?
I love both wine and bourbon.
I am a bourbon on the rocks person. I am a particular fan of Weller 12 and E.H. Taylor from Buffalo Trace Distillery. I also love a New Orleans traditional Bourbon Milk Punch. The Bourbon House Restaurant's frozen version is a favorite.
My favorite wines come from Blue Farm and Spence Vineyards.
Favorite drink, in general?
I love water and have become a fan of water flavored with different fruits. I stayed at a fancy hotel with my wife several years ago and the day we arrived there was water with lemon. The next day it was water with cucumber and then water infused with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. It is a great way to stay hydrated but have something more refreshing than plain old water.
Favorite meal?
I grew up in New Orleans and still love its food culture, so it is really hard to pick just one. I will split this into 5 questions- my favorite restaurant meal, my favorite things cooked by my wife, mom and dad, and the favorite thing I cook.
By far my favorite restaurant meal of all time is the trout meuniere amandine topped with crab meat and a side soufflé potatoes at Galitore's in New Orleans. If you are ever in New Orleans on a Friday lunch at Galitore's is quite the experience.
My wife makes a dish called smokehouse spaghetti. It was one of the first things she ever cooked for me and I love it to this day.
My Dad used to make the best shrimp remoulade. NOPSI (New Orleans Public Service Inc.) was the local power company in NO where I grew up. NOPSI used to put an insert in with your monthly bill and it included many recipes to try. He used this recipe and you can download a copy of the newer version of the NOPSI cookbook here for free.
My Mom makes the best turtle soup, but I don't think it has ever had any real turtle meat. Her recipe comes from the Plantation Cookbook and substitutes stew meat for turtle. This cookbook was given to us as a wedding gift and it now has all the stains from nearly 30 years of cooking with my wife. We have given Plantation as a gift dozens of times hoping that it would bring the same joy and good eats we have experienced.
My own favorite, Turkey Gumbo, also comes from the Plantation cookbook. The day after Thanksgiving you will nearly always find me in the kitchen chopping and cooking this wonderful dish and watching an LSU football game.
Favorite vice?
Would have to be Friday afternoon lunch in Galitore’s in New Orleans with friends and family.
Favorite superhero?
To be honest I am not much of a super-hero fan, but I loved watching my kids grow up loving the Marvel movies. If I have to pick I would say Iron Man- Engineering/genius as a superpower is pretty hard to not love.
Spirit animal?
Wolf. Wolves may face many challenges and obstacles, but they persevere and find ways to survive and thrive. Their resilience encourages us to be persistent and to never give up, even when things get tough. Developing resilience helps us to find the strength and courage to face challenges and to keep going.
Wolves are also know for their strong social bonds. Their strong sense of community and connection can serve as a reminder to cultivate and nurture our own relationships and to be there for those we care about. It reminds us that we are never alone even in our darkest moments of solitude.
Favorite documentary?
I have always loved hiking, camping and the outdoors but have never been a climber. On the other hand I have devoured books (like Into Thin Air by John Krakauer and Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Rolston and movies on climbing and other extreme mountain sports. My favorite documentary is Free Solo. It is a 2018 documentary film profiling rock climber Alex Honnold on his quest to perform the first-ever free solo climb of a route on El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park in California in June 2017. I think that what I love about all of these books and movies is that they have a strong protagonist struggling to over come something big in their life and the trials and tribulations they must go through before ultimately succeeding or not. You can check out the Free Solo trailer here and it is often on one of the streaming services.
What advice would you give to a driven, young person about to enter the "real world"?
Always be kind- to others especially and also to yourself. When we have an interaction with someone we have no idea what sort of life circumstances they have been in or what their story is. A kind word may make someone's day, improve their outlook or even change a life course. It is just a good mantra to live by.
We also need to be kind to ourselves. We are often our own worst critics and need to give ourselves the same slack that we give to others.
What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?
"Wait for things to get better." I see this both in work and relationships. You might see this when a colleague quits and you are asked to take on additional responsibilities "temporarily." You are told that help is coming, management is working on it-- but you end up doing two jobs for a prolonged period. I think that we often stay in positions because we want to hope for the best, trust the people we work for and that things will get better, despite evidence to the contrary. Whether in business or personal relationship my best advice is to look at what people, companies and organizations do and not just listen to what they say.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what to do you do or what questions do you ask yourself?
To people who know me well this is going to be surprising because no one would refer to me as 'neat and tidy.' However, the phrase "outer order, inner calm" is popular for a reason. if you're feeling overwhelmed, try tidying the area immediately around you. This restores order to a little corner of your universe and allows you to move forward.
I'm not telling you to go all Marie Kondo on your office- this is something my wife might do. Restrict yourself to things within arm's reach. Stacking loose papers wiping away dust or grime and organizing loose pens etc. The resulting order will help you feel like you've accomplished something and allow you to to get back the task at hand, and not the clutter.
If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say and why?
Movement is Medicine!
In one study by Ball University, scientists looked at three groups of people; active 65 plus individuals, inactive 65 plus individuals, and a group of people in their 20's. They found that the active group of senior individuals had muscles as capable as those of people in their 20's. Those muscles also showed physical similarities, with equally healthy capillaries and enzymes (indicators of healthy muscle build). However, the inactive group showed a 40% reduction in muscle capabilities.
Simply put, science backs up the old expression use it or lose it. So, the idea of movement as medicine indicates that the more active you are, the fewer health problems you will have.
If you are coming to see me as a patient you are going to hear me talk about this alot.
In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to? What new realizations and/or approaches have helped?
Just being able to say No! In the early part of my career I said yes to nearly everyone and every thing. Saying no to certain things can be an act of self-care by creating time or energy for things that help you feel better about yourself, your relationships, or your overall experience. For instance, by saying no to an invitation to speak to a group (I loved to do speak to groups when I was in academics but it meant more time away as my kids grew) when I was stretched thin, gave me more time and energy with my family. Later in my career I almost always said no to meetings and phone calls outside of work hours so that I could protect time with my family and their activities. Developing the ability to say 'No' is a way to set boundaries and improve your health.
Mountains or beaches?
I actually love both. For years my family spent a good bit of the summers in and around Breckenridge, Colorado. We love the hiking trails, fly fishing and the cooler weather the mountains bring.
I grew up going to the beach with my mom, dad and sister. I am perfectly content to just sit under an umbrella with my feet in the sand and just read all day long. Had my wife not insisted we try some other alternative vacation I may have never done anything else.
Coffee or Tea?
Definitely coffee and the stronger the better!
What is your ideal Saturday?
Personal and family time. I am generally an early riser and usually get up early to exercise most days before work. But on Saturdays I love to just get up, make coffee, grab a good book and watch the sunrise. It is generally peaceful and gives me time to just be present and think. Most Saturdays usually involve me as a spectator of some sort of sporting activity for my kids. I always find time to do some sort of outdoor activity when the weather is nice. My day is usually capped off with our family cooking and eating together. Either my wife and I trying out something new or trying out some recipe my daughter wants to cook off Tik Tok, or grilling with my son.
Are there other things that you would want people to know about you?
As long as I can remember in my childhood, I wanted to be a doctor. I am not really sure why but I loved my pediatrician and I had some great role models that were friends of our family growing up. I went into primary care because of the relationships I develop with patients and the ability to change their lives. I want all of my patients to get the same advice I give my family and close friends. Unfortunately, that's really difficult in the current environment of 15 minute appointments. When doctors get to know their patients like family it is easier to guide them through life's difficult decisions as well as the easy ones. My patients know that I wouldn't ask them to go on a medication unless I felt like they needed it or without a good explanation as to why I was recommending a particular course of action. Given the personal nature of my practice, I am much more comfortable trying lifestyle changes initially and instead of jumping right to medication because of the access my patients have. That idea of prevention really stems from actually knowing your patients and then looking out for their best interest.