How having a positive outlook effects our bodies.
Hi There,
This article came across my blogreader the other day, and I felt it was just too important not to pass along. Most of the references in this article are about how a positive attitude effects us in disease. But just imagine how much better we would feel if we tried to keep out attitudes positive when we are healthy!
I hope you all find some aspect of this article helpful ;-)
Light and Love
Sister Bridget
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Studies show that having a positive attitude could make you less likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes, and pain from conditions like arthritis.
But what if you have already gotten the devastating diagnosis?
Can an upbeat outlook make a difference?
"It's hard sometimes when the doctors come in because they look at my scans, and I know they don't look good," explains Kristin Kettle.
This 36-year-old mother of two has stage-four, metastatic colon cancer.
"I've been through 13 rounds of chemotherapy within the last seven months, I think," Kristin says.
Instead of crying, she laughs with friends at her "chemo parties." Each one has a theme, and it has nothing to do with cancer.
But can a positive attitude affect the outcome of disease? In a
Johns Hopkins study, researchers followed nearly 600 people with a family history of heart disease. Those with a positive outlook were half as likely to experience a heart event.
"Attitude is all the difference in the world, and think about it: attitude is a choice," explains Dr. Robert P. Shannon, an assistant professor at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
While scientific studies on cancer show mixed results, one found breast cancer patients with feelings of hopelessness are less likely to survive.
Marilyn Wattman-Feldman says her upbeat outlook may not cure her stage-four breast cancer, but it's made her physically and emotionally stronger.
"I had to look at everything, even the chemo treatments, and find something funny about what was going on, as hard as that was," she says.
They are strong-minded women who haven't forgotten how to have fun, even during the fight of their lives.
A recent study of healthy women found optimistic women had a 14-percent lower risk of death from any cause after eight years compared to those who were more pessimistic.
More cynical women had a 16-percent higher risk of dying than more trusting women.
OPTIMISTIC HEALING
REPORT #1576
BACKGROUND:
Many medical experts believe that positive thinking and a positive attitude are beneficial when it comes to your health. While it has long been conjecture, in recent years, scientists have been gathering statistical proof that the mind-body connection can improve more than just mental health.
Once the purview of New-Age books that claim to show the path to healing, the evidence rests in the rise in clinical trials.
GENERAL HEALTH:
Women who are optimistic about life live longer and are healthier than those who are pessimistic, according to a new study presented at the American Psychosomatic Society's annual meeting.
Another report in the Boston Globe reports that women who tend to be more trusting of others also live longer than those who are cynical. The study conducted by the Women's Health Initiative looked at more than 97,000 healthy women ages 50 to 74.
Optimistic women had a 14-percent lower risk of death from any cause after eight years than those who were more pessimistic. More cynical women had a 16-percent higher risk of dying than more trusting women. The study does not prove that attitudes affect health or cause illness, but researchers say the association is worth further study.
HEART HEALTH:
A study shows optimism is good for heart health, at least among men. University of Rochester Medical Center researchers found men who believed they were at a lower-than-average risk for cardiovascular disease actually experienced a three-times lower incidence of death from heart attacks and stroke.
Another study out of Johns Hopkins finds people with a good attitude were half as likely as their less optimistic counterparts to experience a heart event such as sudden death, heart attack or chest pain that required surgery.
Researchers observed the power of positive thinking even after adjusting for traditional risk factors for heart disease, including cholesterol, weight and cigarette smoking.
"It's possible that the people with the positive attitude produce lower levels of stress hormones, which helps protect them from disease, " Diane M. Becker, Sc.D., M.P.H., senior author of the study, was quoted as saying.
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