Health and Emotions; Is There Really a Link?

This is a guest post.

Attitude is everything, so they say.  Is a good attitude really enough to fight and even conquer disease?  Anecdotal evidence tells us that yes, those patients who have a fighting spirit and are determined to survive continue despite illness.  The ones with the defeatist attitudes are more likely to succumb to disease.  Science is now finding that there is a true link between emotions and illness, but it is not as simple as just “wishing it so”.

Emotions determine actions

People with a determination to stay healthy probably will, since they will take the physical steps necessary.  This of course means eating properly, getting enough exercise and avoiding health destroying habits.  But it also means avoiding stress, maintaining healthy social relationships and maintaining a positive outlook on life.  People who have this positive outlook will be more likely to do whatever is necessary to stay healthy and to get back to health when sickness strikes.  Why bother taking your medications when your negative of things tells you they are probably not doing any good anyway?  This is how healthy emotions effect well being.

Mind over matter

Everyone knows of at least one story of a dying person who held out until that one last person was there to say goodbye: the child who had to fly in from a distance, a long lost sibling, a grandchild waiting to be born.  If our minds have so much control over our bodies so as to stave off death for another day or week, how much more can they have over mere illness?  And indeed, numerous cases have been cited where, by sheer determination, individuals have overcome the odds and survived devastating illness.  The incredible example comes to mind of Lance Armstrong, who, according to some, should have succumbed to cancer at least three times, but fought with all his might and is still fighting today.

Psychosomatic illness

Have you ever been so emotionally upset that you actually have become sick to your stomach?  How about people who can break out into hives when confronted with a phobia?  The mind has such a powerful effect over the body that emotions, experienced only in the mind, with no physical manifestations whatsoever, can actually trigger a physical reaction in our bodies.  In this way, the opposite is also true, that powerful emotions, when channeled towards overcoming a physical liability, can yield a physical change that heals.

The lesson to be learned is that we need to use every resource at our disposal to fight disease and illness, and one of the most important of those resources is our will.  

Having peace of mind can also put your body at ease. If you have any doubts about the people around you, you may want to invest in a criminal background check. Your health may depend on it.