The Mind's Gift to Your Immune System
Maud Morgan has beaten the odds. In her nineties, the legendary Boston oil painter, whose works adorn galleries nationwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is spry, mentally alert, and eager to begin each day. And while age has brought some health concerns and slowed her pace and energy level somewhat, Morgan has never had a heart attack, stroke, or cancer, unlike many people her age.
Good genes? Maybe. Healthy diet and lifestyle? Perhaps.
Optimism? Absolutely, Morgan says. "I've always instinctively seen the optimistic side of everything, and I think that helps keep me healthy," she says. "When you're optimistic, that usually leads to action, and anything that keeps you alive and active increases your health."
If you don't believe it, just ask George Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and chief of the nutrition/metabolism laboratory in the Cancer Research Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center West in Boston, who has known Morgan for years.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, her philosophy of life has had an impact on her survival. When you look at her risk factors from a statistical standpoint, she should have been gone long ago. She confounds all predictions because like many in her generation she abused cigarettes and everything else that we now know isn't good for you," says Dr. Blackburn, who owns a dozen of Morgan's paintings. "There is no Western medicine that I practice that can explain her."
Attitude Matters
As with the fabled Fountain of Youth and mythical Atlantis, the search for the connection between mind and body has been an elusive one. But researchers are discovering that the link between positive feelings and health is neither a fable nor a myth. Compelling research is beginning to show that a positive outlook on life can magnify the health-protecting powers of diet and exercise and can help dampen a multitude of ailments, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Even if you develop one of these three diseases, experts say joy, hope, and optimism can improve the quality of your life and enhance your chances of recovery.
"Most illnesses have a lot of psychological underpinnings. A person's lifestyle, character, and the way they cope with life have a big influence on what diseases they get, how long they live, and how they survive in their older years," says Roger Thies, Ph.D., professor of physiology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.
Unraveling the Mystery
Although physicians and researchers had long suspected that negative emotions influenced our health, it was the late Norman Cousins, the former editor of the Saturday Review, who created a sensation when he claimed that laughter helped him overcome a heart attack and a rare life-threatening collagen disease—an illness of the fibrous tissue that binds cells together.
"A patient's attitude is very important," Cousins said. "If he approaches the illness with confidence and purpose—if he remains committed to a high quality of life—then he can enhance the effects of his medical treatment."
What's going on? No one is quite sure yet. In fact, your doctor probably would have an easier time explaining why your golf partner insists on wearing a polka-dot shirt, plaid pants, and fluorescent orange shoes than describing precisely how emotions affect your health.
"Positive moods, optimism, and good mental health are underrated and under-studied as a helpful factor in health, particularly in terms of cancer prevention and treatment," says Karl Goodkin, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry, neurology, and psychology at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
Many researchers believe that positive feelings indirectly help to prevent heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Healthy people in their sixties, seventies, and eighties who are optimists, for instance, likely took better care of their bodies when they were younger and continue to exercise regularly, eat a balanced, low-fat diet, avoid smoking, and drink moderately, says Christopher Peterson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and author of Health and Optimism.
| How Optimistic Are You? Cheer up," a wit said in the 1920s, "the worst is yet to come." An optimist? A pessimist? Maybe a little of both? It depends on what he said next, says Christopher Peterson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and author of Health and Optimism. Generally, optimists have a better sense of control over their lives—at any age—than pessimists, Dr. Peterson says. "An optimist would say, 'I expect good things to happen in the future because I can make them happen,' while a pessimist might say, 'I expect bad things to happen in the future because I'm powerless to do anything about them happening,' " he says. Unlike pessimists, optimists seem to have an internal break that somehow helps them stop worrying about what they can't change (like the weather) and focus on what they can do (build a fire to keep the house warm, for instance), Dr. Peterson says. So which are you? To find out, answer the following questions on a scale of 1 (I agree a lot) to 5 (I disagree a lot) as honestly and accurately as you can. Remember that there are no correct or incorrect answers and that this is merely a rough estimate of your optimism or pessimism. Scoring follows. This profile was developed by Charles Carver, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and Michael Scheier, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. 1. In uncertain times, I usually expect the best. 2. If something can go wrong for me, it will. 3. I always look on the bright side of things. 4. I'm always optimistic about my future. 5. I hardly ever expect things to go my way. 6. Things never work out the way I expect them. 7. I'm a believer that every cloud has a silver lining. 8. I rarely count on good things happening to me. 9. Overall, I expect more good things to happen to me than bad. Add up your score on group A—questions 1, 3, 4, 7, and 9—and group B—questions 2, 5, 6, and 8—separately. Low scores in group A (5 to 10) and high scores in group B (16 to 20) suggest that you are nurturing a healthy optimism. Conversely, if you have high scores in group A (16 or more) and low scores in group B (less than 6), you may want to find more reasons to let a smile be your umbrella. |
How the Mind Heals
The physiological aspects of emotions themselves—beyond prompting people to be more active—are more uncertain. Some researchers suspect that a small portion of the brain called the insular cortex may be the key. The insular cortex regulates the autonomic nervous system, which controls such automatic functions as breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure. But it also has a role in higher functions of the brain and helps process emotions like anger, fear, joy, happiness, and sexual arousal.
Could this be where emotions merge with the body's physiology and ultimately affect health? Maybe, says Stephen Oppenheimer, M.D., assistant professor of neurology and cardiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. In a long-running series of experiments on rats, Dr. Oppenheimer determined that stimulating the insular cortex for hours at a time causes damage to the heart muscle that is strikingly similar to that found in people who succumb to sudden cardiac death.
In other experiments involving people with epilepsy who were undergoing brain surgery that exposed the insular cortex, Dr. Oppenheimer found that stimulating the area with mild electrical pulses changed the person's heart rate and blood pressure.
So years or decades of persistent sorrow, hostility, and other negative emotions may cause a malfunction of the insular cortex and subject an aging body to a steady stream of stress hormones, such as cortisol and norepinephrine, that constrict blood vessels, raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, and may increase vulnerability to stroke, heart disease, and cancer, Dr. Oppenheimer speculates.
But whatever happens in the brain, many doctors believe that optimism, glee, laughter, love, and other positive emotions can counteract many of these harmful effects—even in your sixties, seventies, and eighties—by triggering the release of hormones such as endorphins that relax the cardiovascular system and cytokines that make the immune system more vigilant for abnormal cells like cancer cells.
"We don't know for a fact that what I call born-again optimism will help keep you healthy in your later years, but there is every reason to believe that would be the case. It certainly wouldn't hurt and will clearly improve your quality, if not the quantity, of the years you have left," Dr. Peterson says.
But it's important to remember that positive feelings are just one of many factors that hinder the development of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. If you rarely exercise and are overweight, smoke, drink heavily, or eat high-fat foods, your risk of these three diseases will still be considerable, no matter how optimistic or hopeful you are, Dr. Peterson warns. With that in mind, here's a glimpse of what influence just a few common feelings can have on your risk of the big three killers and what you can do to cultivate positive emotions and tame negative ones.
Happy Days Are Here Again
We face down death by daring to hope, according to poet Maya Angelou. And, in fact, several studies suggest that people who cling to faith, optimism, and hope—particularly after age 60—may be less susceptible to the big three killers than those who feel hopeless, pessimistic, or depressed.
After analyzing the moods of 2,400 Finnish men ranging from ages 42 to 60, for instance, and following their health for the next six years, researchers at the Western Consortium for Public Health in Berkeley, California, found that those who said they were hopeful were two times less prone to heart attacks than men who were frequently depressed.
"I can't say that depression or hopelessness causes heart disease. But evidence is accumulating that suggests something is going on," says Robert Anda, M.D., a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
In Canada, researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute tracked 222 men and women ages 24 to 88 who had had heart attacks. They found that those who had the most symptoms of depression during hospitalization, such as sadness, apathy, and appetite and sleep disturbances, were at greater risk of dying of heart problems.
Depression may increase the likelihood of heart-damaging clots forming in the arteries, speculates Nancy Frasure-Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal. It's also possible that depressed people are less motivated to stick with preventive treatments. "They may be more inclined to go back to smoking and avoid making other lifestyle changes," she says.
Hang On to Hope
The blues also may be linked to cancer. In a study of the same group of 2,400 Finnish men mentioned earlier, those who strongly agreed with the statements, "The future seems hopeless to me, and I can't believe it will change for the better" and "I feel that it is impossible to reach the goals that I would like to strive for," were about 2½ times more likely to die of cancer than men who were upbeat.
Johns Hopkins University epidemiologists, in a study that included 360 men and women age 65 and older, found that nonsmokers who were relatively cheerful were 2½ to 4½ times less likely to develop cancer than depressed people who smoked more than 15 cigarettes a day.
"Although further research needs to be done to confirm this finding, it makes sense that both quitting smoking and getting out of your depression would be good for you," says George W. Comstock, M.D., professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore, and co-author of the study.
Among 208 women up to age 65 at the University of Miami School of Medicine, researchers found that women who felt hopeful and optimistic or coped well with stressful situations like divorce, retirement, or unemployment were up to two times less likely to have precancerous growths in the cervix than those who felt stressed out or hopeless. Stress, depression, pessimism, and hopelessness also may promote several types of leukemia and other lymphatic cancers, malignant melanomas, and breast and prostate cancer among men and women in their sixties, seventies, and eighties, Dr. Goodkin says.
Smile When You Say Longevity
Other positive emotions also may contribute to disease resistance and longevity. Since 1921, for example, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have been following the aging process of 1,528 people who were preteens when the study began. With those study subjects, the researchers concluded that positive attributes such as dependability, trust, agreeableness, and open-mindedness were associated with a two- to four-year increase in life expectancy.
"Although common wisdom might argue that a selfish, self-indulgent boor may prosper by stepping on others, this does not seem to be the case. Nor do we find a triumph of the lazy, pampered dropout. In terms of the rush toward death, the encouraging news may be that good guys finish last," according to Howard Friedman, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the university.
Here are some tips for developing a happier vision of the world.
Listen to yourself. Many of us have habitually put ourselves down since childhood. Over a lifetime, those negative messages can turn you into a pessimist and ultimately may affect your health, says Mike Magee, M.D., a motivational speaker and professor of surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
For a week, write down the phrases that you say to yourself like "I'm too old to do that anymore," or "I'm such a jerk." You'll probably end up with a list of 5 to 10 phrases that you repeat over and over again. Now practice stopping those thoughts and replacing them with something more positive. So if you find yourself saying, "I'm too old to dance like that anymore," cut off that thought and replace it with something like, "I'm older now, but I can still dance if I allow for plenty of rest between songs."
Write a letter to yourself. Writing about how you feel can help resolve problems and subdue negative feelings, says James Pennebaker, Ph.D., psychology professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
"If the issue isn't resolved, your body is essentially reliving that experience every time you think about it," Dr. Pennebaker says. "That's very stressful on the body because it constricts blood vessels, raises blood pressure, depresses the immune system, and could exacerbate your risk of stroke, heart disease, and cancer."
Set aside 20 minutes a day for four days and write about how you feel. Don't worry about grammar or spelling. Once you begin writing, don't stop until time is up. That will encourage you to have a free flow of thoughts and feelings. If you like, throw out the paper at the end of each day, Dr. Pennebaker says.
"Writing will help you organize your thoughts and help you get them out of your system," he says. "By the end of the fourth day, most people feel a lot better about themselves."
Check out a miracle. Religious texts are filled with miraculous feats, but there are plenty in modern life to ignite your hope, says Alan Epstein, Ph.D., a relationship counselor in Rome, Italy, and author of How to Be Happier Day by Day. Dr. Epstein, for instance, lost a valued ring on three separate occasions six years apart, only to find it each time when it seemed certain to vanish forever.
Investigate something that has happened in your lifetime that seems to defy logic and piques your interest such as a man falling off a 100-foot cliff without breaking a bone. Write it down and carry it with you in your purse or wallet. When you feel despair, pull it out and look at it for inspiration, Dr. Epstein says.
Seek new challenges. "I have new projects ahead of me all of the time," says Margaret Rawson, in her nineties, a Frederick, Maryland, educator and an internationally recognized dyslexia researcher. "There's a lot that I want to do and find out about, so I guess I'll just have to live another 100 years.
She took up flying at age 72, learned to use a computer at 80, published her third book on dyslexia in 1995, and is working on her autobiography.
"I'm not my age, I'm myself," Rawson says. "If you have a negative attitude, you're apt to say, 'No, I can't do that.' But if you have a positive attitude, you say, 'This is something that interests me, and I really want to try it. How can I do it?' " she adds.
Try to do at least one new thing a month. Go to a museum, sneak into a lecture at a local college, eat at a new restaurant, or walk through a different neighborhood. The bottom line is that monotony destroys optimism and your health, says David Bouda, M.D., assistant professor of oncology at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha.
"If you don't use your brain and body in different ways occasionally, then you will get old very quickly," Dr. Bouda says.
Look for the end of the rainbow. Spend a moment each day to take a fresh look at something in nature and marvel at it. "When you look at a rainbow, I've never heard anyone say, 'Gee, I wish it had more blue and a little less red,' " Dr. Bouda says. Observing nature will help you get in touch with your spirituality—that you are part of a larger whole—and can spark hope for the future.
Find the hope within you. Meditation or prayer can help you release from your body anxiety, hopelessness, depression, and other negative emotions associated with heart disease, stroke, and cancer, says Patricia Norris, Ph.D., a psychophysiologic psychotherapist at the Life Sciences Institute of Mind-Body Health in Topeka, Kansas.
To try a simple meditation, sit in a comfortable chair and take several deep breaths to help you relax, Dr. Norris says. When you feel serene, close your eyes and slowly repeat, "Let my heart be like the sun and shine without judgment on everyone." Be sure to include yourself. If your mind starts to wander off to concerns like whether your Social Security check will arrive today, focus your concentrations back on the phrase. Do that for 5 minutes at least twice a day or at times when you feel bitter, angry, or sad. It's not to repress the sadness but to hold it out to the sun's light, she says.
"The sun is a symbol. When you go outside, the sun doesn't ask, 'Are you good enough to receive my light today?' It just shines on everyone no matter who you are or how you feel. That's how I think we should envision ourselves," Dr. Norris says.
Find an abundance of happiness. Keep a journal and write down at least 50 wonderful things that happen to you every day, says Susan Jeffers, Ph.D., a 60-year-old Los Angeles-based psychologist and author of End the Struggle and Dance with Life. Include even small things like finding a quarter on the sidewalk or watching a gorgeous sunrise. "Make the ordinary extraordinary. After awhile, you'll realize that most things that happen are positive and you don't have to dwell on the negative," says Dr. Jeffers, who credits positive thinking with helping her to survive breast cancer 14 years ago.
Plant hopes in a garden. Houseplants make people feel calmer and more optimistic, says Bruno Cortis, M.D., a Chicago cardiologist in private practice and author of Heart and Soul, a psychological and spiritual guide to preventing and healing heart disease. In addition, Dr. Cortis says that at least one study has shown that hospital patients whose windows faced a garden recovered more quickly than those who faced a wall. So starting a garden or tending to a houseplant may help you forget problems and improve your health, he says.
Pamper a pet. "For many people over 60, a cat, dog, or other pet truly can mean the difference between life and death. Studies show that people in this age group who have pets live longer and have stronger immune systems. There is always some animal that people can connect with," says Dennis Gersten, M.D., a San Diego psychiatrist in private practice and publisher of Atlantis: The Imagery Newsletter.
Cherish those compliments. If someone shows appreciation for you, don't let go of it. Take a 3- by 5-inch card, write down the date, who the person was, and what they said about you. Put that in a place like the bathroom mirror where you'll see it at least once a day. It will help you fend off negative feelings about yourself, Dr. Magee says. You also may want to keep a list of inspirational quotes from famous people like Abraham Lincoln, Will Rogers, or Helen Keller that are meaningful to you.
Go ahead: Gripe. Surprisingly, an optimist may be the loudest complainer in your neighborhood.
"If you passively go along with everything, you have absolutely no sense of control, and that would foster pessimism. So the person who is moaning, complaining, and demanding might not be very pleasant to be around, but they may be optimistic," Dr. Peterson says. "They believe that everything they are saying is going to make a difference, and it probably does have an effect since they probably get attention."
So if you feel strongly about a problem and truly believe that complaining will make a difference, don't hold your feelings in—let someone know about it, Dr. Peterson urges.
Imagine your joy. Using your imagination to stimulate your inner-healing resources can help boost your self-esteem, happiness, and cancer-fighting immunity, says Dr. Gersten.
This process, called guided imagery, is a powerful tool that can help prevent and alleviate many diseases, Dr. Gersten says. To try it, take a couple of deep breaths, then picture yourself as the spiritual elder of a clan or tribe. You are revered by all of your fellow tribe people for your knowledge and life experiences. You are useful and have a great deal to give to your tribe and the world. See yourself as being much happier now than you were at any other time of your life because you can share your wisdom and joy with others.
Do that once or twice a day for 5 minutes, Dr. Gersten suggests.
Eat smart. It's hard to keep your emotions in balance if you're not eating right, Dr. Gersten says. Although no specific foods will boost your mood, he recommends eating a balanced diet that includes at least six servings of fruits and vegetables and five servings of grains a day to help fend off depression and other unwanted emotions.
Make Me Laugh
He who laughs, lasts.
"You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. It's that simple," says Lila Green, in her sixties, speaker, author of Making Sense of Humor, and a guest lecturer at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. She speaks on the topic of lighthearted physician-patient communication styles.
Although the evidence isn't conclusive, scientists are discovering that Green may be right: Laughter is the best medicine, particularly after age 60.
When 33 men and women, ages 66 to 101, for example, were asked to compare their sense of humor with siblings who had died of natural causes, researchers at the University of Akron found that the survivors recalled laughing more in their youth than their decreased brothers and sisters.
"It doesn't hurt to laugh. This study supports the prevailing consensus that people who enjoy humor and get a kick out of things may live longer," says Richard Haude, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of Akron in Ohio.
Laughter strengthens the immune system, decreases the production of stress-related hormones, relaxes tense muscles, keeps your mind engaged, and boosts oxygen flow and blood circulation to all parts of the body, says psychiatrist William Fry, M.D., associate clinical professor emeritus at Stanford University School of Medicine.
"The relationship between humor and cancer, stroke, and heart disease is still questionable, but all indications are that they must be linked somehow," Dr. Fry says.
Here are some quick ways to hone your funny bone.
Make farce a habit. Mundane routines can kill laughter, but doing something wildly different can be joyous, Green says. Sit in the bath the opposite way that you normally would, reverse the way you hang toilet paper, wear a funny mask to a friend's house, or serve dessert first at dinner. "You can't cope with change in this fast-paced world unless you're a little bit silly or zany. This will help you do that," she says.
Create a humorous spot. Instead of cluttering your refrigerator or bulletin board with reminders of doctor's appointments and meetings, reserve a spot for cartoons, funny pictures, or sayings, Green suggests.
Think like a comic. If you have had a particularly rough day, imagine how your favorite comedian would describe it, Green says. It will help you laugh it off.
Learn to laugh at yourself. "When you laugh at yourself, you don't break—you bend," Green says. "It gives you new perspectives about yourself. It helps keep your mind flexible and prevents what I call hardening of the attitudes." Instead of getting angry or embarrassed, laugh with others, and you'll probably feel better about yourself.
| How I Did It: An Insurance Agent Keeps His Faith Luther Hahs wanted to pray, but he couldn't remember how to do it. Hahs, a 79-year-old retired insurance agent in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, had a stroke while undergoing coronary bypass surgery in 1973 that paralyzed his right arm and leg. For weeks, he lay mumbling incoherently in a Memphis hospital. Grimly, from his standpoint, the stroke also destroyed his ability to pray. "I was very despondent. I couldn't pray because I had lost the words," he says. "I sat there looking at the cross, and I just cried. To me, that was my religion, but I couldn't get it out. It seemed hopeless. I had so much brain damage that the doctors didn't think I'd walk or talk again." But hope and faith would help Hahs through the next few years. Hahs began physical and speech therapy. At first, a speech therapist told him they could only understand three of every ten words he spoke. The rest was unintelligible. By Christmas he could call his wife, Catherine, "Mommy." On Easter Sunday, 1974, he managed to utter a three-word prayer. "I got up, looked at the cross and said, 'God.' Then I looked at my wife and said, 'Mommy.' Then I said, 'Amen.' That was my first prayer," Hahs says. His speech improved, and he gradually regained some use of his right arm. He also learned how to walk and even drive a car. He still has difficulty reading and writing—it takes him more than 30 minutes to jot three to four sentences in his journal each day. But he has produced a book called God, Mommy, Amen, which describes his comeback. The book is available by writing to Southeast Bookstore, 388 North Henderson Street, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. "I attribute all of my recovery to my faith and determination. God, my wife, and family mean everything to me," Hahs says. "My advice to others is be an optimist, have faith, ask for help if you need it, and keep trying different ways of doing things if something doesn't work out for you." |
Grief: Let It Out, But Don't Let It Linger
"Grief is a totally normal part of life. It's as important to survival as eating and breathing," Dr. Gersten says. "If you block dealing with a death, your emotional life dies, and that can affect your physical well-being. So don't run away from the pain of grief. Realize that it is okay to be sad. You don't have to tough it out. In fact, if you try to fight it off, your grief may last forever."
Some acutely bereaved people age 60-plus who lost a loved one 35 years ago have levels of complicated grief that are as high as a person who lost someone two months ago, says Holly Prigerson, Ph.D., a researcher and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In her studies Dr. Prigerson is discovering that the grief of loss can result in considerable health problems.
For two years, she tracked the health of 150 men and women in their sixties, seventies, and eighties after the death of a spouse. Dr. Prigerson concluded that those who mourned the most severely were more susceptible to lingering nightmares, insomnia, feelings of profound guilt, hallucinations involving the deceased, and other symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder—a condition that often affects soldiers, firefighters, and police officers after a catastrophe.
Significantly, these men and women were up to seven times more prone to develop cancer and five times more likely to have heart problems. Although only two people had strokes, Dr. Prigerson suspects deeply rooted grief may be a contributing factor to that disease as well.
"Most people who have these complicated grief reactions describe their marriages as wonderful. We suspect that part of the problem is that they may have been overly dependent on their spouses," Dr. Prigerson says. "So they need to start thinking about their own personal needs apart from the spouse and begin to establish a new life."
Here are some ways to mourn your loss and re-establish a positive and healthy lifestyle.
| How I Did It: The Tax Man Stares Down Death When Richard Bloch found out he had lung cancer, he didn't dwell on death and taxes.He clung to hope. Given 90 days to live, Bloch, the co-founder and former chairman of the board of H & R Block—the nation's largest preparer of income tax returns—decided to fight back. "The doctor took my hope away, and for five days I lived without hope. It was the worst week of my life, but I wasn't about to quit," Bloch says. That was nearly 20 years ago, and the tax guru, now in his seventies, credits much of his recovery to his attitude. He sought out a second opinion, began radiation and chemotherapy but also never gave up on life. "Terminal is a place where you go to catch a bus," he says. "I had too much to live for to die." In addition to traditional cancer treatments, Bloch practiced deep breathing and other relaxation techniques. He also used visual imagery to picture his body fighting off the cancer. Humor helped, too. "Laughter has always been a big part of my life, and I had heard that humor helps activate the immune system. So while I was receiving treatment, I watched funny videos and listened to recordings of old radio programs like 'Fibber McGee and Molly,' " Bloch says. Within two months his "inoperable" tumor had shrunk enough that it could be surgically removed. Throughout the ordeal, Bloch's wife, Annette, kept him focused on the future. "She was always planning something for us to do—vacations with the kids, going out to dinner," he says. Today, Bloch operates a nonprofit organization that distributes free cancer-treatment information. For more information, write to R. A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, 4400 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111. "Doctors don't cure cancer; patients cure themselves with the help of their doctors. That I believe in fully," Bloch says. "You can't cure a person of cancer who believes that he's going to die." |
Take time to relax. Progressive relaxation and other relaxation techniques such as deep breathing may help to elevate your mood and give your immune system a vital boost while you are coping with grief, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia.
In a preliminary study of nine grieving widows up to 70 years old whose husbands had died in the previous two months, the researchers found that the women who practiced progressive relaxation three or four times a day for four weeks had increases in immune cell activity, which may be beneficial in maintaining health.
"Relaxation is one of many very valuable skills that you can use to deal with grief," says Arlene Houldin, R.N., Ph.D., associate professor of psychosocial oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Practice the following technique at least three times a day, 10 to 15 minutes a session, she suggests.
Get into a comfortable position, close your eyes, and concentrate on the rhythmic and natural flow of your breathing, Dr. Houldin says. Inhale and exhale slowly, feeling yourself becoming more and more calm and relaxed. Gradually allow yourself to become aware of the muscles in your forehead and scalp. Feel the muscle fibers uncoil and relax, more deeply and fully with each breath. Slowly let that relaxation flow down from your forehead across your temples, through your eyelids, cheeks, nose, lips, chin, and jaw. As the relaxation gently drifts through the rest of your body, follow the same instructions for your neck, arms, elbows, hands, lungs, heart, thighs, calves, feet, and toes. Before you open your eyes, say slowly to yourself five times, "I am alert, refreshed, yet deeply relaxed." Now slowly count to five, open your eyes, and take a couple of deep breaths before resuming your day.
| Wise Words for a Brighter Day Here are some uplifting quotes to help you start your own list of inspirational sayings. "Nothing is worth more than this day." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German author "My hopes are not always realized, but I always hope." —Ovid, Roman poet "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it." —Helen Keller, blind and deaf lecturer "No matter what happens, keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you find that you have accomplished a purpose—not the one you began with perhaps, but one you will be glad to remember." —Anne Sullivan, teacher of Helen Keller "A clown is like aspirin, only he works twice as fast." —Groucho Marx, comedian "Frame your mind to mirth and merriment, which bar a thousand harms and lengthen life." —William Shakespeare, poet and playwright "To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children . . . to leave the world a bit better . . . to know one life breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded." —Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and poet "It is something to be able to paint a particular picture or to carve a statue. . . but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which we morally can do. To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of the arts." —Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher "I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." |
Keep it at arm's length. Try this: Close one eye and hold an arm out in front of you. Then slowly move your thumb toward your open eye. What happens? The thumb dominates your view and you can't see around it. The same thing can happen with grief. If you become overly consumed by grief, you'll stop seeing the joys of life, says Michael A. Zevon, Ph.D., a psychologist at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York.
"People who can still find meaning and joy in life when they are grieving do better than those who focus all of their attention on their loss," he says.
Get back into your normal routine as soon as it feels comfortable and give yourself a break from your grief every day, Dr. Zevon says. Spend time doing things you enjoy, like playing with your grandchildren, working in the garden, or walking in a park just marveling at the beauty around you.
Talk it out. Sharing your feelings will help you accept the loss, says Mark Berman, Ph.D., a Phoenix psychologist in private practice who specializes in issues of the aging. It also will give others a chance to reassure you that your reactions are normal or suggest that you seek grief counseling.
Get some help. After six months, if you are still grieving and also have a noticeable deterioration of personal hygiene, depression, chronic fatigue, insomnia, weight loss, or feel withdrawn and isolated, consult a psychiatrist, grief counselor, or other mental health care professional, Dr. Gersten suggests.
| Reach Out and Touch Someone Sharing your thoughts with others may have a positive impact on quality of life and your chances of survival, says Elizabeth Maunsell, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at H?pital du St. Sacrement in Quebec City. In her study of 224 women with breast cancer—the majority over age 50—Dr. Maunsell found that those who confided in one or more people within three months of treatment were 40 percent less likely to die in the next seven years. Ask yourself a few questions such as: Who would listen to me no matter what? Who notices my health? Who would come to me in the middle of the night just to talk? If you're not satisfied with those answers, you may need to seek out more social contact, says Bruno Cortis, M.D., a Chicago cardiologist in private practice and author of the book, Heart and Soul. "It's important for 60-plus people to know that they can dare to connect, because there are a lot of others in the same situation," says Susan Jeffers, Ph.D., a Los Angeles-based psychologist and author of End the Struggle and Dance with Life. At a party, recreation center, or other gathering place, focus on making other people feel good about themselves. Introduce yourself to someone and consciously make an effort to keep the conversation focused on that person's interests. The result? You'll probably feel better about yourself and may make a new friend, Dr. Jeffers says. If you have difficulty getting out, call your local geriatric social service agency and ask for a list of others who are interested in developing a network of phone pals. |
Alleviate the Anger, Heal the Hostility
Most of us have heard of the type A personality—driven, fast-talking, competitive, distrustful, impatient, aggressive. For a long time, researchers thought that all of those traits combined to increase the risk of heart disease and other killers. But while those characteristics aren't particularly charming, scientists now consider most of them fairly harmless. Instead, researchers are zeroing in on what may be the real dangers of being type A: hostility and anger.
"We know that people, including those over 60, who have negative feelings in their relationships are less healthy. In terms of the killers like heart disease, stroke, and cancer, the mortality rates are higher among those who say that they get angry frequently," says Redford Williams, M.D., director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and author of Anger Kills.
In fact, it is becoming clearer that comic Woody Allen was brushing up against the truth when his character in the movie Manhattan quipped, "I can't get angry. . . . I grow a tumor instead."
In a preliminary study, for instance, researchers at the Institute of HeartMath in Boulder Creek, California, a biomedical research center that examines mind-body connections, asked 30 men and women to think for 5 minutes of either a compassionate moment in their lives or a time when they were upset or angry.
"We found that simply recalling one episode of anger depresses the immune system for up to 7 hours—and that's pretty interesting considering how many times the average person gets upset in a typical day. But one episode of feeling compassion or caring enhances the immune system for about the same amount of time," says Jerry Kaiser, the Institute's director of health services. Since the immune system is the body's first line of defense against emerging cancers, a finding of this type may be an important step toward understanding the possible role of the mind-body connection in the development of tumors, Dr. Williams says.
After following 972 medical students for up to 40 years—many now in their sixties and seventies—researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that those students who were considered loners who suppressed their emotions beneath a bland exterior were 16 times more likely to develop cancer than a group that vented their feelings.
At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, researchers examined 70 men and women in their sixties and seventies. Researchers concluded that not only were those people who had high levels of hostility, anger, and frustration also more likely to have myocardial ischemia (reduced blood flow to the heart that can cause angina or a heart attack) but also their episodes lasted longer than in people who were less easily provoked.
After studying 1,871 male employees at Western Electric Company in Chicago for more than 25 years—until the youngest men were 65—researchers concluded that cynicism can elevate the risk of heart disease by 40 to 60 percent, says Richard Shekelle, Ph.D., former professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston and co-author of the study.
Japanese researchers who examined negative emotions in 34 men and women concluded that anger and aggression were associated with stroke because these hostile characteristics lead to increased plaque formation and narrowing of the carotid artery, the main artery leading to the brain.
In some cases, anger and hostility associated with type A personality naturally diminishes a bit after age 60, but it still can be a problem for many people in this age group, says Bart Sparagon, M.D., director of the Meyer Friedman Institute, a type A treatment center in San Francisco.
Make it your best day. Pretend that the world will end tomorrow. What would you do? Get angry and seek revenge against your enemies? "I know of no one who has ever done this exercise who said they'd go out and do nasty things," Dr. Williams says. "People usually say they'd go out and smell the roses or get in touch with family and friends. It's always something positive and upbeat."
Now take a step further, write down what you would do, and then do it. You'll probably do something constructive with your day, be more tolerant of others, and have a more hopeful outlook on life, Dr. Williams says.
Talk yourself out of it. Listen to what you're telling yourself about a situation. If, for instance, the fellow at the front of the buffet line seems to be holding up everyone else, is your inner voice allowing you to objectively analyze the facts—he must be hungry—or is it leading you to jump to conclusions—he's doing this on purpose? Then reason with yourself, Dr. Williams says, even if you think your anger is justified. Ask yourself why you are making a big deal out of a short delay. After all, there is still plenty of food left. Once you take control of your feelings, your anger will probably subside.
Counter it with curiosity. If you're in a situation that normally triggers rage, like standing in a long line at the grocery store, take a time-out. Practice observing other people or read a magazine rather than focusing on your anger. You can also recollect a very pleasant event that made you feel calm or peaceful, Dr. Sparagon suggests.
Make time a friend. At the beginning of each week, write down what is the most precious thing that you want to accomplish in the next seven days. That way, if you accomplish nothing else, you can feel good about yourself because you did that one precious thing. You'll also be less apt to see time as an enemy and get upset that you didn't complete everything that you set out to do, says Meyer Friedman, M.D., a pioneering researcher of type A behavior and founder of the Meyer Friedman Institute.
Be Your Own Best Friend
Although experts can suggest many paths to happiness, ultimately, hope and optimism come from within you, says Frosty Westering, Ed.D., a 69-year-old educational psychologist and head football coach at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.
"The biggest opponent you have in life is yourself. You're either your own opponent or your own friend," says Dr. Westering, author of Make the Big Time Where You Are. "So be the best friend that you can be to yourself. So many people put themselves down. They're constantly telling themselves what they can't do or how bad they are. That forces them to jump through hurdles that they really don't need to.
"After games, for instance, we never talk about what we didn't do as a team. We always talk about the things that are good about this team. So win or lose, we leave the field feeling upbeat about ourselves. That's a lesson we all can learn at any age. It is what's inside that counts. If you feel good about yourself, if you feel young at heart, if you feel as if you're the best you can be every day, then that can make all the difference in the world in your mental and physical well-being."
Prescription for Prevention
Joy, hope, and optimism can improve the quality of your life at any age, doctors say. Intriguing research indicates that positive feelings can enhance the health-protective powers of diet and exercise and can help suppress many diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
Do:
* Jot down at least 50 terrific things that happen to you daily.
* Laugh often. It heals both the mind and the body.
* Find one new challenge each month. Try new projects and hobbies. Fulfill a lifelong ambition.
* Meditate for 5 minutes, twice a day. It will help you purge depression, anxiety, and other negative feelings from your body.
Don't:
* Dwell on negative thoughts. If your mind is saturated with glum feelings, write down those feelings and find positive thoughts to replace them.
* Neglect good foods. Your emotions can spiral downward if you don't eat right. Eating a balanced diet that includes at least six servings of fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots can help fend off depression and other unwanted emotions.
DISCLAIMER:
This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.
