Shame: Secret Ally of Illness Experts tell WebMD how shame can
have an impact on health. By Daniel DeNoon Reviewed By Brunilda
Nazario Think positive. Eat good foods. Be healthy. It's good
advice. Sadly, it has a dark side. "You can be healthy!" shout
the covers of magazines and health books. The promise is that
all it takes for good health is good exercise, good diet, and
good hygiene. But what does it mean if we aren't like those good
people on the covers of health magazines? What if we aren't slim
or young or fit? What if we're at risk of illness -- or actually
ill? We all have an ideal self we feel we should live up to,
says psychologist Lawrence Josephs, PhD, a professor at Adelphi
University. And we feel ashamed when we don't live up to this
ideal. "Everybody believes they should be healthy and fit and
youthful and live to a ripe old age," Josephs tells WebMD. "But
people do get weak and vulnerable and depend on others and need
help. So that ideal of being a strong, healthy person who can do
everything