Killing yourself with kindness
Nice guys finish last? You have heard that one, but what about nice people die first? It’s true. According to Dr. Gabor Mate’, a palliative care physician turned addiction specialist, noted that in his many years of practice, those people who died young of chronic diseases were people who could not say no; those who went out of their way to be helpful, accommodating etc.
I’m not saying be a jerk. It was not those who helped their fellow man, it was those who had a pathological need to be validated. They usually had a psychological or emotional trauma in their life that left a hole in their soul that needed to be filled. Sometimes they turned to addiction, other times to self-loathing.
Physiologically, what happened to them, and what happens to all of us is the same-just more grand. What we have come to think is normal, is actually stress. Getting 3 girls out of bed, dressed (and keeping them dressed and somewhat happy in their outfit and hairstyle), finding something for breakfast, getting them to eat it; getting them to school on time; driving down the colossal mess that is Wheel Rd; getting to work, finding a parking spot, hoping staff makes it on time, dealing with insurance companies; repeat. This facilitates my sympathetic nervous tone (think fight or flight), increases cortisol production, creates tissue anoxia (no oxygen in organs and tissues) and creates central nervous system sensory disturbances (jacks up the nerves). Well, all that lowers immunity; degenerates the joints, eats muscles and shuts down the liver; raises blood pressure, cholesterol formation, abnormal hormone function, and promotes inflammation. In other words-disease; name a disease, any disease and at its core is inflammation.
Other than regular chiropractic care to reset the nervous system, reverse catabolic hormone production, undue stress on the joints and make you better looking; what can you do? Massage. The physical, chemical and emotional effects of massage are proven to fight stress and prevent disease.
