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A good attitude can help your health, but it won't necessarily cure you

Date published: 12/23/2007

BY JANET MARSHALL

Hope, resolve and optimism. They're emotions of the season. Do they have anything to do with your health?

A recent study knocked some oomph out of the theory that a positive attitude can play a seismic role in healing. The study showed a good attitude doesn't increase a person's odds of beating cancer (though it can make life with the disease more bearable).

Yet a separate study several years ago showed that having a good attitude does help fend off the common cold. Other studies indicate that upbeat people are less likely than pessimists to show signs of frailty as they age, and that a positive attitude can minimize pain, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

So in this season of busyness and good cheer, is it worth it for all of us, sick and well, to resolve to be more hopeful?

Yes, says Dr. Susan Folkman, a professor of medicine and director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, where she researches positive emotions and the stress process.

"If you are upbeat, you are more likely to engage in healthier behavior, and we know for sure that's good for you," Folkman said. "You're less likely to drink. You're less likely to use drugs. So I think it's safe to say that being upbeat can be protective of your health."

cautious optimism

Upbeat people also are more likely than downcast people to seek out and stick with treatment when they're ill, Folkman said. And they're more apt to be surrounded by helpful loved ones.

"You're more likely to have someone who says, 'Would you like some chicken soup?'" Folkman said.

But Folkman cautions that science has a ways to go before establishing a clear, widespread connection between upbeat moods and healing.

"People want to know that if they think positively about something, they will be all right," Folkman said. "You can't make that prediction for everybody. People vary in their susceptibility to infection, and people vary in the intensity and duration of their positive moods."

They also differ in the virulence of their disease. It's "ridiculous" to suggest that a patient's survival depends on his or her ability to be upbeat, said Dr. Judy Moskowitz, an assistant professor of medicine at the Osher Center.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has a wealth of information on alternative practices such as acupuncture and meditation, alternative treatments such as echinacea (above), and insight into the links between mental and physical health. The agency is part of the National Institutes of Health. To learn more, visit nccam.nih.gov/health/ or call 888/644-6226

Date published: 12/23/2007