The doctor is in

Second Black History Month forum features a physician’s perspective on ‘rest, restoration and reconciliation’

by Gail Strange | Presbyterian News Service

Dr. Giavonne Rondo

LOUISVILLE — “Consider this a time when you’re able to just sit down and talk with a doctor about anything. We’re going to focus on the topic of holistic health in the African American community and why it’s so vitally important,” was the opening statement from Dr. Giavonne Rondo as she addressed participants of the second of three forums to be hosted by the African American Intercultural Congregational Support Ministry during Black History Month.

“Rest, Restoration and Reconciliation for Holistic Health in the African American Community” was Rondo’s topic in support of the theme for the month-long celebration, “Resiliency to Recovery.”

According to Rondo, the first step toward rest, restoration and reconciliation is recognizing the importance of the topic.  “For our community, just being aware of the importance of rest is truly vital,” said Rondo.

“The story of the African American in the United States is absolutely beautiful, but complex,” she said. “We have a history within the African continent that focuses on the beauty, strength and the greatness of Africa that has been overshadowed by the middle passage, slavery, lynching, Jim Crow, inequality, injustice, poverty, mass incarceration, drugs, fights for freedom, riots, redlining, gun violence, predatory tactics, voter suppression, police brutality, microaggressions. And now COVID.”

“I get tired just thinking about and talking about these different topics,” said Rondo.  “It’s so negative. And as a physician, I think of how it increases the cortisol in my system, my blood pressure and heart rate, and it suppresses the immune system as well. It’s really not beneficial to the body.”

Rondo says these health issues make rest vitally important to our overall health and well-being. “The ability to have time away and for solitude where you can recharge is essential for thriving in life, not just merely surviving,” Rondo said. “We want to thrive.”

According to Rondo, most people consider rest as the act of going to bed and going to sleep. She identified the various types of rest including time away, solitude to recharge, a break from responsibility, connection with art and nature, stillness, time alone, alone time at home, and the permission one gives oneself not to be helpful. “These are the different things we can do to rest, and they are vitally important for us to restore ourselves,” she said.

Rondo next addressed restoration. “By definition, restoration is the act of repairing or renewing something, the action of returning something to an owner condition or position,” she said. “As African Americans, we may not be going back to exactly the way our worlds were many centuries ago. But where we are now is a mixture of African, with other races by genetics, culture and history in America, and by land familiarity. Just imagine what that’s like when we really know what our people have done and what we’ve been through … good and bad.”

Rondo told forum participants we [Black people} can be restored fully by knowing more of our history. “But at the same time, it’s a little bit complex,” she said. “All the negativities can be mentally and physically draining in a lot of ways. I think a healthy balance is vitally important for us to be restored truly to a healthier aspect of our wellness.”

Turning her attention to the third point of her presentation, Rondo said reconciliation is the act of groups or two people becoming friendly again after an argument or a disagreement.

“We are reconciled to others, but most importantly to God, to what he has for us and for our lives,” Rondo said. “But it starts with rest. It starts with the awareness of the importance of getting rest that allows us to be restored, and then that eventually will allow us to be reconciled.”

When asked about some of things we should consider when we think of holistic health and wellbeing, Rondo replied, “Holistic health is looking at the whole person. You’re not just focused on the physical body, but also being aware of the mental and spiritual needs people have as well. It’s really taking into account all those different aspects of someone’s overall well-being.”

“I think 90% of our focus is on the physical body … what you’re eating, what you’re drinking and the level of activity,” Rondo said. “Those things are definitely important, but I think far too little attention is given to the mental aspects of health and definitely too little attention is given in terms of the spiritual aspects of health and wellness overall.”

“That’s why these kinds of conversations are very important,” she said. “We must talk about those other aspects of health and wellness.”

Watch the entire conversation here.