November 12, 2009

Affirmation: My thoughts support and strengthen my immune system
(Affirmation from "Meditations to Heal Your Life" by Louise L. Hay)

One of the issues of the current day that we are all discussing and/or worrying about is H1N1 (aka Swine Flu). A vaccine has been made but is debatable at this point and not everyone is eligible for it. We can take precautionary measures by diligently washing our hands, getting plenty of rest and eating healthy. But I want to talk about using our thoughts as another method of strengthening and supporting our immune system.

Carol Ryff, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says that there is a link between what’s going on in the brain and the body. She says that “positive people have stronger, more robust, immune systems, which means they can fight off colds, flus, infections and more.” The Mayo Clinic notes that while it is hard to measure happiness, there are several studies that link positive thinking with reduced illness and disease. In an article from the Mayo Clinic staff entitled, “Stress relief from laughter? Yes, no joke,” they affirm that “negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can impact your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.”

Have you ever gone through a stressful period of time and then when it was over you got sick? You look forward to some vacation time or a few days off at home and you end up with a cold? Perhaps that’s because stress has weakened our immune system. While it is not entirely possible to avoid all stress, it is possible to change our thoughts on the situation at hand. It is also equally important to make sure that we are eating healthy and getting plenty of rest. It is very difficult to work on our thought patterns or think positively when we are exhausted and undernourished.

We read and hear so much in the news, usually about the deaths or bad reactions to the vaccine, so it’s hard to remain positive about the flu virus. Louise L. Hay reminds us that “the media wants to sell their products, and they dig up the worst scenarios to catch our attention.” I’m not saying that there haven’t been some horrible cases or that we can’t take preventative measures. What I am saying is that reducing our stress and keeping our negative thoughts in check is just as powerful a precautionary measure as any other. Reducing stress and anxiety in our homes and bringing in more laughter and encouragement will also help our children to fight off illness. Our mental health is important to maintain during this flu and cold season. It could be the best defense we have!