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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.
"You don't want there to be this tyranny of positive thinking that ends up blaming the victim, the person with cancer who can't manage to keep the positive thoughts," Mo-skowitz said.
But there are clear upsides to being hopeful.
Keeping a good attitude meant "everything" to Stafford County resident Mary Kay Jones when she underwent treatment for breast cancer earlier this year.
"When you have cancer, it's going to take its own journey," Jones said. "But I think when you can have that positive attitude, it's easier to deal with what you do have to face."
harnessing hope
Some people, like Jones, are naturally more inclined to stay upbeat in the midst of a health crisis. But attitudes aren't stagnant, and there are a multitude of ways in which people can seek out and harness positivity.
Prayer, meditation and yoga are three practices commonly thought to promote good health by providing a sense of well-being.
Their direct effects on physical health are tough to gauge--that's especially so with prayer, as religious practices are so personal.
But for those who believe in its powers, prayer can provide a soothing boost during a health struggle, Moskowitz said.
"It gives people sort of a sense of control--'I'm praying as hard as I can,'" Moskowitz said. "At least when there's absolutely nothing else you can do, you can pray."
For Jones, prayer helped carry her through the "woe is me" days when she felt zapped of energy.
"It's just that inner resource that is there," Jones said.
Mind-body practices like meditation and yoga can also lift a person's mood and provide protection--if not an impenetrable shield--against sickness.
Studies indicate that the practices can improve the health of those with heart disease and reduce pain in arthritis patients, though an analysis prepared for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department says "firm conclusions" about the health benefits can't be drawn.
The practices are considered effective at minimizing stress, whose negative effect on health is well-established.
crowding out stress
Stress can give you a headache, a stomach ache, a stiff neck and tight shoulders. It can make you irritable, interfere with your sleep, even mess up your heart rhythm.
"The research on stress and its deleterious effects on health is very strong," Moskowitz said.
So whether people are sick or well, finding a balance between stress and moments of joy has proven advantages.
"We're trying to give equal time to the positive," Moskowitz said.
People tend to get caught up in worries and negative emotions--fretting about the one present they haven't bought rather than the five they have.
Moskowitz advises making a list of things you're grateful for--things as simple as a cup of tea, or the train coming on time, or the Christmas photos turning out lovely. Folkman advises taking time to celebrate small victories--completion of a task at work, for instance.
"Take 10 seconds and say, 'I just did a good job with that,'" Folkman said. "It gives you a breather in your day, and it restores you."
Want to hold on to the feeling? Tell a friend. In talking about good things you experience, you get to relive them, and get a second hit of positivity.
"Positive emotions can be quite ephemeral," Folkman said. "But we believe even those momentary appearances are salubrious."
Janet Marshall: 540/374-5527|
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. |
