Self Esteem is the Foundation of True Health

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.