Being Nice Can Be Hazardous To Your Health by Vicki Rackner MD

Word count: 1001

***Permissions***

You have permission to publish this article in its entirety

electronically, in print, in your ebook, or on your web

site, free of charge as long as no changes to the content

are made and you include my byline, copyright, and resource

box. Please notify me of publication by sending an email

with a copy of your publication to:

mailto:DrRackner@medicalbridges.com Thanks!

===Article Follows===

Being Nice Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

by Vicki Rackner MD

"Mom, what did the doctor say about your liver function

tests?" Martha and her mother Leah spent plenty of time on

the phone the days before the follow-up doctor visit talking

about what this abnormal blood test could mean. With a heavy

sigh Leah said, "Well, the doctor looked like he was having

a hard day, and there were lots of people in the waiting

room and they looked very sick, so I didn’t ask." Martha

said, "If you took care of yourself with just a fraction of

the nurturing you give to everyone else in the whole world,

you would be in great shape."

Leah’s life is guided by two words: "Be nice." In her

perfect day, everyone gets along, she anticipates and meets

the needs of others and goes to sleep knowing she’s a worthy

person because people tell her so. Leah avoids conflict and

she would never dream of making a scene. When she gave the

cashier at the grocery store a $20 bill for a $7 item and

got back $3 she didn’t say a word. Her perfectionism usually

heads off criticism, but sometimes it backfires. She tried

to help her adult son, who said with annoyance, "Mom, stop

being such a people-pleaser." Leah’s darkest fear is that

she will not give enough and wind up all alone, abandoned by

her friends and family.

While being nice sounds like a good idea, there’s a problem.

It doesn’t work. People pleasers often take care of others

at the expense of themselves. Activities that promote

health, like the daily walk and a good night’s sleep are

sacrificed when someone else is in need. Trying to avoid or

ignore conflict and anger is like trying to hold a beach

ball under water. Unexpressed feelings can pop up as

physical ailments, such as heartburn or depression or back

pain. When your value as a person is defined by what other

people think about you, and you don’t measure up, food or

alcohol medicate the emptiness.

If you’re a people-pleaser who gets sick, the same behaviors

that got you to the doctor in the first place may stand in

the way of getting good health care. You might not want to

"trouble your doctor" with your problems. If you have side

effects from a medication, you might simply stop taking the

pills rather than tell your doctor that you want to try a

different medication. A cross look from the front office

staff when you ask for a copy of your medical record may be

all you need to decide that you’re not doing that again.

The bottom line is that being nice can be hazardous to your

health. It erodes your health and impairs your ability to

get better if you’re sick.

I invite you to examine how being nice is working for you.

Serving others offers great rewards. Serving at the expense

Go to Page 2

BIO:

Vicki Rackner, MD, president of Medical Bridges, is a board-
certified surgeon who left the operating room to help
employees become active participants in their health care.
She is a consultant, speaker and author of the *Personal
Health Journal*, and author/editor of *Chicken Soup for the
Healthy Heart Soul." Dr. Rackner can
be reached at http://www.MedicalBridges.com or
(425) 451-3777.

Some Aditional Articles you may enjoy

Weight Loss Hypnosis by Paul Gustafson RN BSN CH

Can Western Medicine Accept Chinese Medicine? by Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc

FAT BURNERS: THE SHOCKING TRUTH by Jeff Lugeanbeal

Divine Food for Divine Beauty by Tonya Zavasta

Exercise the right way - barbell shrugs by Rick Mitchell

Click a Number to go to an article index page
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39