Physician Heal Thyself

Our bodies are designed to heal themselves, but not without our help. Unfortunately most of us do not know what’s causing the illness or don’t know what to do to assist the healing process. And we get sicker and sicker as is evidenced by the fact that 86-95% of our population suffers from long-term exposure to unresolved stress. That was true for me up until about 7 years ago. The nineties were an extremely stressful period in my life and slowly my body starting to show the ravages of all that stress as I experienced symptoms (high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol, unexplained weight gain, depression) that if not checked could lead to serious, even life-threatening illnesses. Even though I was a Performance Psychologist helping people overcome performance issues related to stress I did what most people do when they experience stress. I ignored, suppressed, and repressed it. I kept a stiff upper lip as the British would say.

My physician prescribed medications to deal with the symptoms without ever telling me what their cause was. At the suggestion of a friend I sought a second opinion from an M.D. who also had a Ph.D. in Natural Medicine, Dr. Rita Ellithorpe. After an exhaustive battery of tests she told me that my symptoms were all stress related. I raised my eye brows, shook my head, and smiled, then told her that I was a Performance Psychologist and helped people deal with stress-related performance issues. She shook her finger at me and said, “Physician heal thyself.”

After that I began doing all the things I prescribed for my clients as well as all of the interventions (no pills) suggested by Dr. Ellithorpe. In Less than six months all of my symptoms had abated and was told by my traditional physician that I now had the blood chemistry of a healthy 25-year old. Since then I spent several years researching all the causes and ramifications of exposure to unresolved stress. My academic education only taught me about performance issues related to stress, not health issues. From this research I have put together plans to not only assist my clients perform better but to help them live healthier and happier. The plans include all the actions referred to in my last blog like deep breathing, exercise, and rest. These actions help remove the toxic by-products of the hormones released into your bloodstream to help you survive the threat. Remember, your body thinks your life is in danger and releases these hormones to save you. However, in social situations, the hormones interfere with your performance and remain in your body until you deliberately remove them.

There are other actions you can take at the time of any stressful event which will help remove the hormones from your body. I will describe these in future blogs. If you’ve been exposed to unresolved stress for any length time these harmful chemicals have already began accumulating in your body. And if you’re not yet experiencing illness or symptoms of more serious conditions, you will be. So it’s imperative that you take actions that alter your physical, psychological, and emotional responses to stress. You must also eliminate the build-up of toxic waste resulting from all these hormones accumulating in your body. In addition, there are environmental factors and lifestyle choices adding to the stress you may experience in your everyday life that need attention. Don’t worry. You don’t have to completely change your lifestyle or live on some secluded mountain top and meditate all day, but you will have to make some changes. It could be fun.