Love, Laughter, and a Positive Attitude!

Still not feeling well.  Oddly enough I think that the Prevention web site is now reading my mind!  It's sort of eerie, but there you are!

How is the website reading my mind?  As my email was coming in this morning I noticed one from Prevention titled "10 Worst Habits for Your Immune System".  How did they know I was sick?  Yup, it's a mystery to me too!

Some of the things mentioned in the article are pretty interesting and have nothing to do with covering your mouth and washing your hands.

Friendship may be Miracle-Gro for your immune system.
Research shows that the fewer human connections we have at home, at work, and in the community, the likelier we are to get sick, flood our brains with anxiety-causing chemicals, and live shorter lives than our more sociable peers. In one study, researchers who monitored 276 people between the ages of 18 and 55 found that those who had 6 or more connections were 4 times better at fighting off the viruses that cause colds than those with fewer friends.

I like this much better than those boring articles that tell you to avoid contact with people!  If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.  If you are feeling loved, and connected to people you care about, you are bound to feel better.  I knew love was the cure for everything!

Studies show that glass-half-empty types don't live as long as those who look on the bright side.  When pessimists put a more positive spin on the calamities in their lives, they have less stress and better health. A classic UCLA study found that law students who began their first semester optimistic about the experience had more helper T cells mid semester, which can amplify the immune response, and more powerful natural killer cells, than students who had a more pessimistic perspective. One reason could be that optimists take better care of themselves. It could also be due to less stress-related damage to the immune system, such as killer cells that suddenly become pacifists.

Get out those rose-colored glasses!  I am so loving this article!  Who doesn't like an article that tells you that you are the type of person who will be healthy.  So what has gone wrong this week?

A constructive argument with your spouse can actually increase immunity, say UCLA researchers.  They asked 41 happy couples to discuss a problem in their marriage for 15 minutes. The researchers detected surges in blood pressure, heart rate, and immune-related white blood cells, all of which were similar to the benefits seen with moderate exercise. But you still have to play nice: Couples who frequently use sarcasm, insults, and put-downs have fewer virus-fighting natural killer cells, have higher levels of stress hormones, and take up to 40% longer to recover from injuries than those who manage to stay positive and affectionate during their quarrels.

Okay, this may be a problem.  Anyone that knows us well will tell you that sarcasm runs rampant in this household!  We never put each other down or insult each other; and we all know that the sarcasm in this household is done out of love, so maybe we are okay on this one!

One in four American women doesn't exercise at all—and that's an easy way to set yourself up for sickness.  When researchers compared inactive people with those who walked briskly almost every day, they found that who didn't walk took twice as many sick days in 4 months as those who strolled regularly.

What to do: Experts say that it takes a 30 minutes of aerobic exercise—a brisk walk counts—to sweep white blood cells back into circulation, making your immune system run more smoothly.

Man!  We just knew that exercise was going to come into this somewhere along the line!  I guess the gym is good for lots of things!

Consider this a doctor's note to troll YouTube on your lunch break... 

Researchers have found that the positive emotions associated with laughter decrease stress hormones and increase certain immune cells while activating others. In a study conducted at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, healthy adults who watched a funny video for an hour had significant increases in immune system activity.  What to do: Um, laugh more. You know how: Watch your favorite comedies, have lunch with a pal known for her funny bone, and read those silly forwards from friends before you auto-click "delete."

  Okay so what do we know now?  Love, laughter and a positive attitude and are the cure for all ills!  I always knew it!