Our bodies need a variety of proteins, calories, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, trace elements, enzymes, and antioxidants to help in metabolism and more importantly to enhance the immune system against diseases, make us feel energized and strong. To get the optimum health benefits, experts recommend we eat a variety of fresh (organic if possible) fruits on a daily basis in order to furnish our bodies with the essential nutrients required for the most advantageous functioning.

To read about the top 10 highly nutrient rich fruits, click here: http://su.pr/2gn5b5

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My Dear DOCintheBiz Readers,

I have added another column to my writing and I now write three (3) columns for the Examiner, one (1) column for Huliq and I have been blessed to have been hired to write freelance (for now… working towards full time) for a major hardcopy national magazine! Would you please click here: National Mind and Body Examiner and subscribe to my column? The subscribe button is located at the top, to the right of my picture. You only have to enter your email address and you will receive daily notifications of the articles I post. My other two columns there are not health related, so I will not mention them. If interested, please email me and I will direct appropriately.

I will be sharing relevant articles here at DOCintheBiz from Huliq for you to enjoy. I hope you will all take advantage and click to the links provided to read my stories. Thank you so much for all your continued support. I truly appreciate each and every one of my readers.

Most Sincerely,

Dr. KC Kelly

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“Strawberries are the angels of the earth, innocent and sweet with green leafy wings reaching heavenward.” ~Terri Guillemets

According to a study shared on MSNBC, the consumption of pesticides by children have been linked to possible Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. The National Academy of Sciences shared that many common foods and snacks that children eat on a daily basis, including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery are coated with chemicals and this has been found to be a major source of pesticide exposure in children which leads to ADHD.

Maryse F. Bouchard, a researcher at the University of Montreal in Quebeca published her latest research on this topic in the journal Pediatrics. Bouchard’s study has been said to be the largest one to date which looked at the effects of pesticides on child development and behavior, including ADHD. She and her colleagues measured levels of six pesticide metabolites in the urine of 1,139 children ages 8 to 15 and concluded that kids with a 10-fold increase in the kind of metabolites left in the body after malathion (the most common chemical found) exposure, were 55 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children who were not exposed to the chemicals.

Bouchard suggested to parents, “I would say buy organic as much as possible. I would also recommend washing fruits and vegetables as much as possible.” The Food and Drug Administration suggests that when washing fruits and vegetables, one should run them under cold running tap water and scrub firm-skinned produce with a brush. Be sure to rinse frozen fruits and vegetables, too and do not use soap when washing, as this could leave behind residues of detergent and add more chemicals to the food.

ADHD affects an estimated 4.5 million U.S. children. About 2.5 million of these children are prescribed medication for the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their behaviors are often what get them in trouble in school due to the inability to concentrate, pay attention or listen to directives. When children cannot concentrate and stay on task, they tend to get reprimanded and their grades suffer.

There are some easy ways to avoid exposing your children to pesticides. Besides washing foods, The Environmental Working Group, a consumer advocacy organization, advises to buy organic versions of a dozen fruits and vegetables that grow in the ground or are commonly eaten with the skin because these organic versions will most likely not be contaminated.

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The former Local Mental Health Examiner, Dr. KC Kelly is now credited as a Nationally Syndicated Mind and Body Columnist for the Examiner beginning April 2010. Dr. KC writes on the newest breaking news stories and how they relate to mind and body health, along with articles on mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health topics as you would see here at DOCintheBiz.

In a former article entitled Dr. KC Kelly Writes for the Examiner: Find Links Here, you will find a list of the topics that are covered. Please check back as this list is constantly expanding.

If you have an idea that you would like Dr. KC to write about, please feel free to let us know here in the comment section.

Thank you so much for your continued support. It is truly appreciated.

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Grief is the normal process of reacting to either physical (i.e. death) or social (i.e. job, divorce) loss. All people cope differently with the emotional pain of losing anything they have treasured, and losing a loved one to death is no exception, but probably the most powerful of all losses. The grieving process gives people time to reflect and find new strength that can hopefully enable them to continue living.

Grief may be experienced mentally (i.e. anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and despair), physically (i.e. sleeping problems, changes in appetite, physical problems, or illness), socially (i.e. taking care of others in the family, seeing family or friends, or returning to work), or emotionally (i.e. depression, anxiety, fear).

There is no right or wrong way of coping with death. Everyone has a different personality and different cope skills to deal with tragedy. The way people grieve or cope with death will depend on who they are, their cultural and religious background, their mental history, their support systems, their financial status and what kind of relationship they had with the person who died.

If you have someone in your life who is going through the grieving process, there are ways to help them.

Ways to help people who are grieving:

• Encourage them to express their feelings
• Encourage them to feel comfortable crying or venting in front of you
• Help them stick to routines or schedules
• Help them to remember good times
• Urge person to look to their faith community and/or a grief professional including possible online counseling
• Encourage person to consider a support group for others who are grieving the loss of a loved one
• Makes plans/prepare for difficult times such as holidays, birthdays or anniversaries
• Help clean out loved one’s things and use time to reminisce
• Suggest writing a letter to the loved one or keeping a journal
• Encourage laughter without guilt
• Share words of encouragement
• Encourage person to take care of their health
• Help with everyday chores

And most importantly:

• Be patient. Grief takes time and all people grieve in their own ways and time. Avoid saying things like, “You should be getting on with your life.”

If you are personally dealing with the death of a loved one or have other related issues such as depression or anxiety, etc., please reach out for help. Online counseling is a great way to get confidential, convenient and affordable help. Please know that you are never alone.

All my best,
Dr. KC

www.DOCintheBiz.com

www.GLCzone.com

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To my loyal and new readers here at DOCintheBiz:

Mid December, 2009 marked the beginning of a new venture for me. I began to write for the EXAMINER, which is an online tool for writers and readers to share wonderful information. I write an article a day on mental/emotional health topics or on current event topics and how they relate to mental/emotional health.

In the short time period that I have been writing for the EXAMINER, topics have included, but have not been limited to:

• Self esteem
• Love
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Fear
• Attitude
• Hope
• Suicide
• Affects of unemployment
• Chemical imbalances
• Domestic violence
• Relationships
• Online counseling
• Smoking
• Many current event topics such as the 911, al Queda, Haiti Earthquake, etc.

I always welcome questions and depending on the kind of questions asked, I will either answer them here (where the articles can be longer) or on my Examiner page (where articles are a bit more brief). As time goes on, my topics on the EXAMINER will grow as they have here.

Please visit my MENTAL HEALTH EXAMINER page, share it with others and subscribe (button on top to the right of my picture on home page or below picture on article pages) to receive notifications of my daily publications. You may feel free to leave comments there as well.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support in my writing. I appreciate each and every one of you! And always remember that online counseling is always available for those in need of small “tune-ups” or larger life changes. Click here for professional, confidential, and affordable online counseling with me.

All my best,

Dr. KC

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Personality has been described as a person’s emotions, moods, temperament, actions and responses to certain events or circumstances that happen in his or her daily life. I have heard other experts talking about the idea of nature versus nurture in the development of one’s personality from birth and I have agreed with their consensus. The majority of experts have said that one is indeed born with innate personality traits (nature); however, as the person grows and learns, these traits can be altered (nurture). Environmental or extrinsic factors, such as outside influences from others and society can lead a person to behave in certain ways, but his or her inherent instincts will still remain intact.

Think of it this way: A child is not born saying, “I am not worthy” or “I am not good.” Children come into this world with a certain kind of innocence and set individualistic qualities (or personalities). The way children are raised by the people who care for (or not care for) them is what will influence their thoughts, feelings and actions, the way they view the world, and what they believe to be right or wrong. As they grow and learn into adulthood, they will be influenced by more than just their initial caretakers and be able to see some of the ways they may have been skewed in their thinking. This is the time they can revert back to their originally inherent character and act in ways in which they feel most comfortable.

This example may help give some more understanding to the nature versus nurture debate: Scientists have assigned genetic and prenatal influences to the reasoning behind why two babies, both given the same amount of love and attention as infants, might behave so differently. One craves cuddling and human touch while the other is independent and would rather discover on his or her own than be held and touched. The way they are, is innately how they were born.

To make a clear distinction between a “difficult” person and one with a personality disorder, I define personality disorders as extended and extremely inflexible, pervasive, dysfunctional and maladaptive behaviors that impair social and occupational functioning on a daily basis. We all possess characteristics of all the DSM personality disorders; however, this does not mean that we would be classified as having a personality disorder.

In conclusion, being in a long-term abusive relationship, for example, may cause an otherwise loving and affectionate person to feel as though they are not deserving of another’s love. The abusive treatment they endure may be the catalyst for them to behave in ways in which they are not proud, feel angry, withdrawn, skeptical, suspicious or afraid of any future relationships or simply unhappy with the person the think they have become. This does not mean that this is their personality, but it is instead, a part of their current persona, which does not qualify as having a personality disorder. People in these instances need to free themselves from the unhealthy relationship or circumstance, unlearn certain behaviors and learn new ways of relating to others and to themselves.

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“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

During the holiday season, whether surrounded by friends and loved ones or finding yourself alone… Whether bringing new life into the world or mourning the passing of loved ones… Whether in a happy relationship or without a significant other… This time of year can be very difficult for many. During the holiday season, many feel as if they have to be merry, happy, excited, jolly… and feeling the need to be this way, when in many cases one is not, can lead to sad and scary feelings or even depression. We want to avoid allowing ourselves to get down, despite our situation.

What is important to remember is that you are never really alone. What does this mean? You are never alone because you have yourself. Each and every one of you is strong, wise, and powerful beyond measure! If you can love yourself and find happiness within, the rest will follow. If there are things in life that you want and do not have, this is probably the time of year when you will feel this loss the most. And so, this is the time when you will have to work extra hard to not allow yourself to feel the voids.

Do something kind for yourself every single day, keep yourself busy, and all the while, truly feel what you want, truly believe what you want, and truly envision what you want. If you do this daily, eventually, what you want will be yours. Have faith and believe that things have a way of working themselves out.

If you feel as though you don’t want to celebrate the holidays this year… instead, celebrate yourself, your life and your future… for your future can be bright if you believe! Remember how truly special you are because when you feel alone, you sometimes forget. Happy holidays to all and always remember to love yourselves!

For more information on this and other like topics, please visit DOCintheBiz.

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by KC Kelly, Ph.D.

www.DOCintheBiz.com

I can understand when people understand the terms “self esteem” or “self worth” (words which I use interchangeably) to be rather vanilla, simple and over-generalized. “Self-esteem” belongs at a level of the subconscious that is intangible and difficult to explain. This is why people often view the idea of “self esteem” to be “less than useful”. I will; however, stand strongly to my conviction, that how one feels about him/herself is the key to the way they think, feel and act. Please allow me to shed some more light on what I mean when I talk of self-esteem and self-worth.

Defining self esteem beyond the surface level can become quite complex, for it takes moving into an entirely new epistemology and possibly considering a new belief system that may not fit for all. Self esteem is a bit more profound than one would initially think. Feelings can be described in words; however, one person’s feelings can never truly be felt by another. Many times, the acts of arrogance or jealousy, for example, are believed to be directly correlated with low levels of self esteem. The act of being confident: higher levels of self esteem.

I suppose the question, “Do I have self esteem?” should be categorized with the questions, “How do I know if I’m in love?” or “When will I know I’m ready to be a parent?” The latter questions are ones my mother always told me, “You’ll just know.” Simple? Yes. True? I have always found it to be so. Feelings of love or readiness for life events are innate feelings, such as is self esteem; inner feelings that cannot be touched. How do you truly define the words love, readiness, or self esteem?

Let’s move on.

We really haven’t any need to “measure” the level of our self esteem. The answer to “how much” will eventually become apparent in the ways in which we act when faced with adversity, criticism, condemnation or disparagement. The ways in which we act are a direct result of how we think and feel internally. The ways in which we think and feel internally, can often be influenced by outside sources.

Many times, one finds him/herself stuck in negative patterns of thinking, feeling, and emoting. We often call this “stinkin thinkin”. Doesn’t one need a strong drive or desire to want to make positive changes or to learn how to think differently? The way we think affects the way we feel which can determine the way we act. This is a cycle worth looking into more closely when we find ourselves stuck in a rut or a pattern of self-destructive or unhealthy behavior. Where does one get this strong drive needed for change? Where does one get this strong desire to be able to own positive perceptions of actions, events, or happenings? The answer to this is self esteem. The way we allow something to affect us, is directly related to the way we feel about ourselves. If we feel that we are unworthy, bad, or undeserving, our actions will reflect this. On the other hand, if we feel as though we are valuable, admirable, and worthy, we will often be able to push past negative events and see the good in them or learn from them.

The process of finding contentment independent of external circumstances or external validation is, in my opinion, directly associated with the way we feel about ourselves. Isn’t the way we feel about ourselves, the fuel that lights our inner contentment? If we have a great sense of self, we are less likely to need validation from others for our thoughts, feelings or actions. We will be able to feel content or even proud of the choices we make.

Often times, when one feels a strong sense of self and is proud or content with their decisions, he/she will most often be more open to outside constructive criticism or simply be able to handle critique, disagreement or even outward defamation. People who are insecure with their choices, can plummet into self-degradation or even depression when put in a circumstance where they are faced with discontentment from others due to their actions or shared beliefs. Think of the child who barely believes in himself. If he raises his hand in class, answers a teacher’s question, and gets laughed at by his fellow classmates, is he likely to raise his hand again? What about a person who has a high sense of self and finds his/her actions or beliefs being criticized? He/She may be more apt to attempt to understand other points of view and learn from them. In addition, if this person who owns a high self worth finds that he/she can improve their knowledge bank, they will be able to find the correct resources to go out and build, learn, and grow.

I have found, throughout my study and practice, that if one has a high sense of self, he/she will more likely have the strength to see when a poor choice has been made and begin to understand what can be done differently the next time to get more desired results. If one does not have a good sense of self, he/she may just wallow in the negative, “I’m not worthy.” “Everything I do is wrong.” “I cannot do anything right.” The more appealing outcome of the poor choice would be to find the power to see beyond the negative to the positive: “What have I learned from this?” “What can I do differently next time?”

Another way to view the idea of making mistakes is to understand the possibility that there aren’t any mistakes in life. When one has a high sense of self, it becomes clear that every act we perform (whether the outcome is positive or negative), as well as what we call mistakes are not really mistakes, but what we should rename as learning experiences. As humans, we are constantly learning from the things we do and the choices we make independently of whether we desire to or not. In other words, we haven’t any choice in the matter. Determined by the choices we make, we set a chain of events into motion. What those events are, may most often be out of our control.

Finally, a person without much respect or value for his/herself will be more likely to remain stagnant or fail to try to expand or progress any further than where they are in their lives. They are usually afraid of failure or rejection in a way that prevents them from even attempting to develop their skills in any realm. However, a person with a high sense of self worth is constantly seeking to improve their intellectual, emotional, and physical being.

Self esteem is the foundation as to how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. The words self and esteem are just words. If you can look past the over-used terms to see the deeper meaning, you will understand that the way a person feels about him/herself directly affects their psyche.

Defining Self-Esteem: Is it Possible? And What Does it do for Us?

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KC Kelly, Ph.D.

www.DOCintheBiz.com

My Dear Readers,

I have the need to once again thank you for your kind emails of “Where are you?” and “Why have you not been delivering the articles that help us, inspire us and motivate us? Where are the articles that do not judge us, but normalize us and allow us to ask questions and get solid and meaningful answers?”

I promise that I have not deserted you and wish to explain that I am in the process of writing a book. The book is sparked from the grand idea of finding purpose, meaning in life and unleashing the great creative juices from our inner beings in times of blockage.

If you are a writer, (not to exclude any kind of artist or creator) you will know that writing comes from the heart, soul and subconscious. It often does not give the writer the opportunity to decide when it is going to free itself and spill across the keyboard. And so, I have not forgotten about those of you who are waiting for my next article, but I am here to promise something grand and powerful to be available to you soon. Due to reasons that are out of my power and control (the creative process and the publication process), I cannot predict when this creation will reach completion; however, please be assured that I am working on it very diligently so that I can share it with the world sooner than later.

I will be back soon and write here when I can. I still invite anyone with personal issues in need of psychotherapy services (online) to feel free to write in and talk with me privately. Just visit the home page of my website, DOCintheBiz, and write to me. I will never abandon any of my present clients here and always invite new ones.

All my best,

Dr. KC

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