20 Shame and Guilt.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix
20 Shame and Guilt.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.
Speaker1:
Welcome to the Cancer Secrets podcast. Changing the Cancer Paradigm. Hosted by Dr. Jonathan Steagall, a medical doctor and cancer specialist practicing in Atlanta, Georgia, deeply affected by his grandmother's death from stomach cancer, as well as patients he cared for in medical training, he realized there has to be a better way to treat cancer. Dr. Stegall has a unique and innovative approach to treating cancer called integrative oncology, combining modern medicine with alternative therapies personalized to each patient. This podcast is designed to educate, support and give you a positive voice you can trust. We invite you to join us on this journey as we seek to change the cancer paradigm.
Speaker2:
Hi. This is Dr. Stegall. I'm so glad you're enjoying the Cancer Secrets podcast. Do you have a question you would like answered in a future episode? If so, please go to Cancer Secrets dot com and click on podcast at the top of the page. Look for the tab on the right side of the page that says Send voice mail. You can record your question straight from your smartphone or computer with your question. Be sure to tell us your first name, where you're from, and why you listen to the show. I will choose from the best questions and answer them on the air. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Hello and welcome.
Speaker3:
Back to the Cancer Secrets podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Jonathan Stegall. This is season two and episode number 20. In today's episode, I'm going to discuss the shame and guilt many people feel on their cancer journey. If you're new to this show, please go back and listen to my introductory episode to learn more about me and my vision for this podcast. As always, we encourage you to listen with a loved one or friend. Learning and enjoying the show with a community will be more impactful than alone. Today's show is going to be a great one as we address the negative emotions of guilt and shame many patients experience on their cancer journey. We understandably talk a lot about the fear and anxiety associated with a diagnosis of cancer. Many people vividly remember the time they were diagnosed and they heard those three words You have cancer. They remember the flood of emotions. They felt the fear, the stress, the worry. But they probably don't remember feeling guilty or ashamed. To be honest, we don't talk nearly enough about the guilt and shame which often accompanies a cancer diagnosis. And honestly, those feelings often persist as patients go through treatment and even recovery. If you have cancer, do you feel guilty? If you're a cancer survivor, do you recall feeling guilt during your journey? If so, please know that guilt is a very common emotion to feel.
Speaker3:
This is especially true for patients who have done a lot of research and know that a large majority of cancers are due to lifestyle. For this reason, I believe that we must be very careful, especially when talking about the importance of taking responsibility for our health, that we don't sound critical or judgmental. The reality is that cancer ultimately occurs due to genetic mutations, which are the result of years of insults and stressors on our cells. Remember, we have approximately 100 trillion cells in our bodies. Most researchers agree that we all have cancer cells develop at one time or another. Currently, one in three Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, and that number is quickly approaching one and two. There is no shame in getting cancer. However, it's certainly understandable to ask, Is there something I could have done differently? Did I make decisions that resulted in cancer? This is a hard question to answer. In fact, it's impossible to answer this question. The reality is that we live in a toxic world. Now we all know that the quality of our food and the quality of the soil that much of our food is grown in is not nearly what it was even ten or 20 years ago. Our grandparents and great grandparents had much healthier food than we have today. And we all know the importance of eating organic and avoiding genetically modified foods and avoiding processed foods.
Speaker3:
But the reality is that we can't completely avoid these food sources. Sometimes we're going to have to eat out, sometimes we have to travel. And so we can't always eat a perfect diet. So we know that our food provides toxic exposures. Let's also talk about our water. Our water is not nearly as clean as it used to be. It's easy to think about dirty water in third world countries. But the reality is we don't have very clean water in the United States either. And that also goes true for many other developed countries around the world. The reality is that we have dirty water. Water even, which has been purified by local municipalities or even home water filtration systems, will still contain contaminants. Our air is much more polluted than it used to be. The restrictions on companies who manufacture and produce products are sometimes stringent, but I would argue that there's still not enough. As a society, we're as stressed as ever. We have more anxiety and depression than we've ever had throughout our history of human civilization. In addition, we have to think about exposures we have in our homes and in our office environments. More and more chemicals are released into the environment and into products we use every day. And to be honest, most of these chemicals that are added are not tested for safety, especially over the long term.
Speaker3:
We are literally bathing in toxic soup. It's no wonder we have more cancer now than ever. I remind you of all these exposures not to scare you or to depress you, but to remind you that we're all exposed. All we can do is our best. And that means taking steps to reduce our exposures as much as possible. And even still, it doesn't guarantee that we won't get cancer. And although you know a lot now because you're smart and because you research and because you listen to this podcast, you didn't always have the knowledge that you have now. It is neither fair nor productive to hold yourself accountable for past decisions or even mistakes. Based on what you know now. All you can do is move forward from now. We can all look back at our past and regret some decisions we made or acknowledge that we could have done things better. So please don't beat yourself up and feel guilty for having cancer. Yes, there absolutely are things you could have done better, but there are also things you're exposed to that you had no control over. So decide now to move forward with your new knowledge and with good, healthy goals and focus on the things you can control and do your best to let go of the things that you can't.
Speaker3:
Shame is another emotion I want to talk about. Now, guilt and shame are closely related, but guilt is more inward facing and shame is more outward facing. I view shame as being the result of guilt. So if you feel guilty that you have cancer and you're upset with yourself and you blame yourself, then you're also likely to develop shame because you're afraid that other people are going to view you the same way. It's very common for cancer patients to feel shame and embarrassment. Maybe you've wondered if other people think you're a bad person because you have cancer. Maybe you're concerned that they view you as someone who made bad decisions. This is especially true for patients undergoing conventional treatment, and they lose their hair and maybe they lose weight and maybe they feel like they look sick. There's a lot of shame associated with that potentially. And I want to caution you against feeling that way. If you do, all that does is distract you from your mission, which is to beat cancer. There was a really interesting study a few years ago which looked at cancer patients and their feelings of guilt and shame and self-blame. And what they found is that having these feelings was significantly linked to poor adjustment in worse health in all patients. So they concluded that such emotions are risk factors for negative treatment outcomes in cancer patients.
Speaker2:
Now, this is significant.
Speaker3:
This is reinforcing our knowledge that there's great connection between our minds and our bodies, that our emotions have a significant impact on our health.
Speaker2:
Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the information you've received from your oncologist, chiropractor, nutritionist, herbalist, acupuncturist, guru and friends as well as what you've read online? If you're like most people, you are more confused than ever when it comes to cancer. Hi, this is Dr. Jonathan Stegall, medical doctor and specialist in integrative oncology. And I want to tell you about my new best selling book, Cancer Secrets. This book is packed with valuable information you need to know about. I'm an open minded skeptic, which means that I'm open to any potential treatment, but also have a healthy level of skepticism when it comes to the latest greatest treatments in cancer secrets. I've applied my clinical experience with patients, as well as a scientific knowledge I've obtained over the years to share the tests and treatments. You should be focusing on treatments which are most likely to work. Everyone needs an expert in their corner and with this book I can be yours. Please go to Cancer Secrets now and buy your copy today.
Speaker3:
So let's talk about some strategies for addressing these feelings and concerns. The first thing I recommend to patients is to come up with daily habits for self care. So the place I like to start is with prayer. Making prayer a daily part of your life is so empowering. You can always know that when you pray, God listens, and when you trust in Him, He moves. He will help you heal from your emotions of guilt and shame. So I encourage you to make prayer a part of your daily habits. Another way to address this is through being very aware of our words. Using words of affirmation, which are short phrases of positive statements can have a dramatic impact on our mood. Studies have shown that positive statements said daily or even two or three times a day actually change the makeup of our brain chemicals or neurotransmitters. And of course, we know that neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine actually change our bodies physiology. It's easy to get caught up in negativity, especially when it comes to something like cancer. Forcing yourself to say positive statements regularly throughout the day is a great place to start. I recommend typing out a list, a list of positive statements, including positive phrases, as well as inspirational quotes and Bible verses. Print out your own words of affirmation and keep them in front of you throughout the day. Another excellent tool is to surround yourself with family and friends that love you.
Speaker3:
Having a strong support system makes a significant difference. And if after incorporating these strategies, if you still need help, please seek the assistance of a professional counselor. This can be a Christian counselor. This can be a therapist. This can be a psychologist or even a psychiatrist. But if you're dealing with significant guilt and shame, especially if it's also causing you to feel depression and anxiety, please seek help. I hope you found the information in this episode to be helpful. As I mentioned earlier, guilt and shame are very common emotions when dealing with a cancer diagnosis and when navigating treatments. You're not alone in feeling that way if you do. Please know that there are a lot of people in your life who love you and care about you. And we love you and care about you too. And we're honored that we get to spend this time together for every episode as a friendly reminder. Please subscribe to the Cancer Secrets podcast to be notified when new episodes are released. If you're enjoying these podcasts, please take a minute and provide a review on iTunes. And finally, please share this podcast with your family and friends. As you know, all previous episodes are available for free on our website. Cancer Secrets. Thank you so much for listening and I look forward to next time. Bye bye.
Speaker1:
Thank you for listening to the Cancer Secrets podcast. If you were encouraged by this show, please share it with a loved one or friend. Help support the show by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. The more reviews, the more friends like you can find the show. Finally, to learn more, visit us online at Doctor Stay Google.com. The Cancer Secrets Podcast. Changing the Cancer Paradigm.
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