DR SUGAR 's Medical Inspiration: Depression

Self Esteem is the Basis of True Health
Hello, I am Doctor Sugar, your Internet doctor bringing you your dose of MEDICAL INSPIRATION for the day. I wanted to have a little heart to heart talk with you today about the subject of self esteem so lets get started shall we…

Not everyone realizes that self-esteem is the true core, the true barometer of how you act physically and mentally but I have seen it over and over again in my years as a physician and I feel strongly that self-esteem is the very FOUNDATION of True Health. Now when I say true health, you know I don’t just mean your physical well being but I am also talking about mental, spiritual and emotional health as well. If that self-esteem is so low you don't even recognize it any longer for what it is, then your health can certainly be drastically affected.

One of the most recognizable symptoms of low self-esteem is that one begins feeling like they have no energy or even the desire to do anything. Often this is called depression, but it directly relates to your own personal view of WHO you are and what you are – in other words how you view your "self." What usually happens in situations like this is that the lack of self-esteem causes you to do less, and the less you do, the less you feel like doing. A vicious cycle that needs to be broken or it can have damaging effects on your health.

A depressed mind causes negative feedback and negative feedback causes our bodies to respond to the negative side of our thoughts in a manner that promotes illness. You probably all have had experiences with this at one time or another. The best example of how powerful our mind, body and spirit connection happens to be is if we lose a loved one.

A death in the family is a gut wrenching experience and often severely impacts those left behind. The questions about what you could have done differently, about the lost time you never made up with your loved one, or about what else you could have done to prevent their illness or death. The "what if's" are killers, and those thoughts are set in a negative loop in our minds until sometimes we no longer recognize who we are or what we are doing – and what we are doing is running our immune system into the ground with stress.

I remember when my mom passed away after a 10-year battle with cancer. It was a devastating experience for me not only as a daughter but possibly more so as a doctor. Was there anything I could have done differently, what if we would have tried this chemo, or started that treatment sooner and why didn’t I consider the cancer had spread to her lungs when she got that nagging little cough that wouldn’t go away, what if I had figured it out a few weeks sooner, and why was I so busy maybe we should have seen one more specialist… Oh believe me when I tell you, I know what the mind can do. I was very fortunate to have had a many years to get used to the idea that my mom had a terminal illness and also fortunate that during that time we were very close - - but the mind can still ask so many questions and this coupled with the loss of the loved one can often lead to intense feelings of sadness and grief (called situational or bereavement depression) and all of this may literally cause a person to get sick. That mind-body-spirit connection is powerful indeed.

This is just an example but I think a very powerful example of the mind body connection and the powerful affects the mind can have on the body. So take this a step back and forget the loss of a loved one for a minute and now what if there is no reason for the mind to be asking all these questions and doubting every move you make – what if you are in this vicious cycle of negative feedback – how can you get out – what can you do?

I am Doctor Sugar and I want you to take a few minutes right now to think about your own sense of self worth – self confidence – self esteem … who are you? – who are you really? – and is the person on the outside the same as the one on the inside.

I will leave you with that thought for tonight but will be back very soon with much more information on this topic of Self Esteem as the Foundation of True Health. Thanks for checking in and when you have a medical question, simply click on my picture and check out my blogs and videos, which are available on a wide variety of topics. Thanks for your interest in Total Wellness. I’ll see you soon!

Giving You Your Dose of MEDICAL INSPIRATION,
Dr. Sugar
TO YOUR TOTAL WELLNESS!!

The information contained in this blog is not medical advice.
Please consult your medical doctor before making any decisions
or taking any actions on your health or the health of your family.

My BraveHeart Sisters - I am Doctor Sugar, your community doctor and I would like to take a minute to share with you my feelings about depression and antidepressants.

According to a government study done by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. Of the 2.4 billion drugs prescribed in Doctors visits in 2005, 118 million of those prescriptions were for antidepressants. They're prescribed more than drugs to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, or headaches.

This is an astounding increase in these drugs that affect brain chemistry. The statistics show that between 1995 and 2002 the use of these drugs rose by 48%. Are we really that depressed in this country? I have to ask the question – why are we prescribing so many drugs that affect brain chemistry? Are Americans really that depressed? Are we medicating unhappiness? Are we looking for the quick fix to feel good? Is it faster for a doctor to write a prescription than talk to their patients? Are physicians taking the time to get to the root of the problem? Are patients willing to take the time to look at their life and seek answers or is it easier to pop a pill?

There are no easy answers to these questions, so I will put forth some answers that come from my bold and brave heart – as a woman, as a mother, as a medical doctor, as a healer who is willing to ask the hard questions even when the answers may be hard to swallow – because as your community doctor – that is what you require from me – my BRAVEHEART VIEW.

There are certainly many people who have chemical imbalances and certainly many people who will require psychotropic drugs to assist with this. However, I personally find the numbers of antidepressants that are being prescribed to be shocking! For so many people, particularly women, I sincerely doubt that this is the right answer. In my opinion, this is not the solution – this is not what the future is about. This is a short-term quick fix that will, in many cases make you feel better. But what about the long term my sisters? What about next week, next month, next year?

The antidepressants most commonly prescribed in this country are called serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These drugs block the reuptake of the "feel good" neurotransmitter, SEROTONIN. When you have more serotonin in your synapses, you feel better. These drugs do work. The problem is that YOU never get to the root core of what it is in your life or in your past that is causing you mental, emotional, or spiritual pain. What is causing you to feel depressed? What are you doing to heal the pain? For so many, it is just about blocking, covering up and stuffing this pain and looking for an easier way to deal with it than look at it – an easier answer than to do the work required to heal the pain.

So lets say – a woman has started on an antidepressant – she now has more serotonin in her synapses - thanks to the drugs – and she feels better. The world is perfect - right? Wrong! – this feeling will not last because with this flooding of serotonin - that comes from the drugs – our body says, “what is all of this doing here?” Our body comes in, over time, and down regulates the number of receptors, which accept the serotonin. And over time you go back to feeling the way you did before you started the antidepressant in the first place. That is why anti depressants stop working and why your doctor will occasionally have to put you on a different antidepressant.

My sisters, from my braveheart view, I ask you to take a look at your life, to take a look at your past, to take a look at what has caused you to feel shame, guilt, abandonment, pain, and fear and be willing to take the time and do the work to heal these memories. Have an open mind to believe that everything you have been through has been ok – not right or wrong or good or bad – just ok and to know that our biggest challenges and painful times in life may have been our greatest teachers in becoming the BraveHeart Women that we are.

Be open to the idea that perhaps everything that has ever happened to you has been absolutely perfect and had to happen to you in order for you to learn the valuable lessons that have shaped your own BraveHeart View. Be willing to look at your past and heal the wounds and when those wounds have been healed, be willing to look deeper and see what was at the root of that pain and heal that as well and when those wounds have been healed, be willing to look deeper. It is a journey that is very rewarding if you are only willing to take the time to look and do the real work.

And for those of you who are on antidepressants – know that there is no shame in this. This is the answer that was right at the time. The choice you made at that time was the absolute perfect choice for you.... – it may not be the answer that will continue to be right for you.

I honor each and every one of you and I honor Ellie Drake and the ladies of the BraveHeart View for being willing to ask the hard questions and allow us to take the time to look deeper than perhaps is always comfortable. Thank you my friends and sisters!

Go to the discussion forum to post your comments to this topic and if you haven'/t already watched it be sure to watch todays episode of BHVIEW.

With Love, Wellness and Compassion,
Dr. Sugar

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