√ The final stressor that pushes the body into illness can be just one more thing too many, even something very minor that you used to handle with ease before--the “straw that broke the camel’s back.”

√ Stress can come from  poisons in the air, i.e., inside or outside pollution, “sick building” syndrome, smoke, dry cleaning chemicals, household cleaning chemicals, perfumes, synthetic pillows/mattress poisons from what touches your skin--chemicals or dyes in hair, nail, skin products, cosmetics, clothing allergens foods that are difficult to digest or food combinations that make digestion more difficult poisons in the water--chloride, fluoride, bacteria, pesticides, heavy metals, waste, chemicals    poisons in food--sugar, additives, coloring, preservatives, pesticides, medicines fed to food animals    medicines and medical/dental treatments or procedures    time stress and multi-tasking    frustration    unhealed emotional issues    worry, fear, anger, grief, and other upset    negative beliefs and judgments, i.e., “this shouldn’t be happening”, “people should/shouldn’t ___,”        “this is bad/wrong/awful”    too much or too little of anything: sleep, food, water, silence, sunshine, time alone, recognition,                 money, responsibility, activity, play    too little meaningful interaction with people or with use of your abilities    lack of meaning or purpose in life    lack of balance between work, rest and play, being alone versus being with people, sound versus         silence, mental versus physical, material versus spiritual, inside versus outside

√ The body knows how to heal itself. When given what it needs, it always moves the body towards health.

√ The body needs energy to heal. Whatever you do to relieve stress frees up energy for the body to stay healthy or to heal. 

√ The body breaks down at it’s weakest link. The weak link may be genetic, but  also may be from emotional/ mental issues or personality/family patterns. 

√ You are not upset by what happens to you, but by what you think about what happens to you. 

A ctivating event, that which you think is stressful,       

B eliefs about what happen, which are the real cause for       

C , the emotional consequences. BASIC RULE: Emotions follow thought! Change a belief, and you change the emotion.

√ Hard work doesn’t kill you. Frustration does. 

√ There is a close relationship between work, stress and aging. Work that provides meaning, purpose, and an outlet for one’s gifts, talents and creativity energizes. Work that is just a paycheck without providing recognition, usage of one’s abilities or creativity, or a way of learning or developing further, drains energy.

√ Stress on one system helps to relax another. If you are consistently working your muscles, do something mental as a hobby. For example, do crossword puzzles or quiz games, take a class, read a book. If your work is primarily mental, do something physical to relax--hike, garden, build cabinets, ride horses, ski, golf, etc.

The Three Stages of Stress   

1. The Alarm Reaction: symptoms appear--sweaty palms, perspiration, butterflies in the stomach, anxiety, rapid heart, etc.    

2. The Stage of Resistance: symptoms of stress may disappear and resistance rises above normal. The person appears to have control of the situation. He is “handling” things.  The person is coping.   

3. The Stage of Exhaustion: the original symptoms of the alarm reaction may return irreversibly with exhaustion of the body and death may result. The person cannot get rid of the symptoms, but must wait to heal, and replenish himself as much as possible in the meantime. The breakdown may be caused by just one more thing, no matter how insignificant that one thing may be, it is too much to bear--”the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

The person is unable to cope, and can only rest and wait to build up his reserves of energy again.Basic Rules   

1. Find a way to bring more energy in--sleep, good nutition, clean air, being in beautiful surroundings or nature, being with people you love and care about, doing what you love, happy music, fun, laughter, sunshine, exercise, Reiki or other energy work, prayer and a deep spiritual life.       

2. Find a way to stop energy leaking out--eliminating the stressors, healing your pain pile, getting rid or reducing the energy draining activiites or people in your life.

√ The positive benefit (Secondary Gain) that a person gets from illness may be either the cause for that illness, a contributing cause or influencing factor, or it may be complicating, slowing down, or even preventing healing.

√ Food for Thought: ”Disease is both self-created and self-cured....Illness is the ...result of unresolved needs...We give ourselves illness in order to ‘take care of ourselves’ psychologically...The client is needy, rather than sick....People get ill to get what they want...People do not get what they want...so they become ill...Illness and relationships are like motor cars: you choose the one you want. When one has served its purpose, you trade it in for another more suited to your current needs.” John Harrison, M.D., Love Your Disease

√ Disease may be goal directed. It may meet the needs met of the patient, i.e., love, attention, compassion, company, financial assistance. It may provide an excuse to get out of a stressful situation, i.e., a party you don’t want to attend, a job you hate. It may meet the needs of caregivers to provide a purpose for them, or fulfill a family function for a sick or dysfuntional one.

√ Disease may reflect a family injunction, i.e., don’t exist/feel/think/grow up/be a girl or boy.√Disease may reflect a family life script, i.e., all the men/women in the family get ___(arthritis ). 

√ Disease may give permission to be released from a family injunction, i.e., “be strong, be a man, take care of others without thought for yourself.”

√ Disease may come from the soul’s desire to heal. It may be a positive opportunity to stop and examine one’s life, to get rid of an addiction or toxic lifestyle, to turn from focus on strictly material matters to relationships, or to seek spiritual help or growth. If there is a positive intention for the disease, what might that be?

√ Disease may come from a desire for self-mutilation, self-punishment or limitation, which may have been set from early feelings of guilt, blame, criticism and fear.

√ Current trauma reawakens past trauma that was never healed, creating an overload thus setting up illness.

√ The will to live is crucial to health. Lose the will to live and the body follows. Nurture your zest for life!

√ Personality types may influence which disease a person gets, i.e., explosive or hard-driving Type A personality  tends to get heart attacks, while Type C that tends to get cancer.

√ Fads and acceptibility of particular diseases in the culture or family may influence which disease you get.

√ Unresolved, trapped negative feelings cause disease because they are a continous drain on the system. It takes more energy to deny or not  remember past upset than to confront and deal with it

Roxanne Louise is available for private consultation in person or by phone, or for traveling for sufficient students/clients anywhere. Call (434)361-1969 for information, or see www.roxannelouise.com . Permission given to post article at MDjunction, but all other copyright privileges retained.