Dr. Betsy Olberding, 51, internal medicine specialist, St. Luke’s Internal Medicine About Dr. Betsy Olberding She and her husband have two grown children and two dogs. She  often works 12-hour days, and keeps a gym bag with her so she is ready to exercise whenever there’s a break in her schedule. She is a firm believer in cancer screening, especially in families with a history of certain types of cancer. She was diagnosed with early colon cancer when she was 47, has frequent colonoscopies and has been fine since. About Dr. Olberding’s practice: She sees hospitalized patients and does not take office appointments.

1. Do you or have you ever used tobacco? I have never smoked anything. I have been active in athletics my whole life, and being able to breath was far too important to consider smoking anything.

2. Alcohol abuse? I see far too many young women in their 40s and 50s who are dying of cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol use. Women cannot drink as much as men, and many of these women have been happily partying since their college days in the ’70s and ’80s, and now are going to die, even though many of them do not drink as much as you would think to cause the degree of liver damage. I like a glass of wine or beer, but I limit it to no more than three or four drinks a week.

3. Do you eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight? Ah, weight issues after menopause. I have always eaten a diet that is high in fiber, with lots of vegetables and fruits. I limit sweets, and I never eat fast food. With all of that I am dragging around five pounds that appeared at menopause, and I may never get rid of it.

4. Do you have any health struggles? My health is pretty good, but I have hypertension and have been on meds for a number of years. My work is very stressful, with long hours, and I have to stay in shape to be able to do it.

5. Do you exercise enough? The most important part of my life is physical activity, and I do something almost every day. I belong to the YMCA, and it is the thing that keeps me sane. I do anything, but I walk, bike, do weights, do spinning classes, ski, whatever, but I try to move almost every day. 

6. Do you agree with the experts who say you can control 60 percent of the factors that lead to early death? What about the 40 percent genetic factors? Most illnesses that we deal with in America are due to smoking and obesity. If you could get people to not smoke, watch their weight and glucose, and treat their cholesterol and hypertension, you could change the face of health in America. The genetic stuff you deal with.

7. Do you get enough sleep? Sleep is the cheapest, most wonderful thing you can do for yourself. Experts say we need eight hours. I strictly enforce bedtime in my house at 10 p.m. because I am up at 5 a.m., but I get more on the weekends, and I am a serious supporter of nap time. Brains love to sleep.

8. How do you talk to patients about the need to control their weight, stop smoking or exercise more? Are those conversations awkward but necessary? I talk to patients all the time about smoking, weight issues, exercise and diabetic control. It really requires commitment on the part of the patient to make changes, because me talking doesn’t lead to change. These conversations are not hard for me, but very few patients make changes. Those who do make my day.

9. How do you unwind at the end of a busy day? Exercise, sleep.

10. Who do doctors see when they get sick? Doctors usually have a primary MD that they see. Most of us are insightful enough to know that only a fool treats himself. I like having insight from colleagues.