Olga Velikova, Volkovysk
The health and longevity of any person depends directly on what emotions accompany him or her throughout their life. With this fact, it is possible to ascertain that emotions have a huge influence on our health, both physical and psychological.
Moreover, there is a theory about psychosomatic diseases where, under the influence of negative emotions and the inability to beat stress, people have severe chronic diseases.
Psychosomatic diseases (from Greeek ψυχή — soul and Greek σομα — body) are a group of disease states appearing as a result of interaction of mental and physiological factors. Psychosomatic disease is one of the most difficult problems in modern medicine, despite of the fact that strong interrelation of the mind and the body was observed as far back as Hippocrates and Aristotle. At the heart of psychosomatic illness lies the initially corporal reaction to conflict worries, acompnied by changes and pathological abnormalities in the organs. Corresponding predisposition can influence the choice of affected organ or system. Historically this group includes classical psychosomatic diseases (the ‘holy seven’): bronchial asthma, ulcerative colitis, essential hypertension, neurodermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis and gastroduodenal ulcer. Now these diseases also include ischemic heart disease, psychosomatic thyrotoxicosis, diabetes and obesity. One can also add radiculitis, migraine, intestinal colic, irritable bowel syndrome, gallbladder dyskinesia and sterility, when pathology of the reproductive system is excluded.
Considering the negative influence of emotions on health, the majority of authors of scientific works on psychosomatics note the important role of positive emotions which can help people to recover from an illness and strengthen their health. It was known long ago that positive emotions improve the condition of sick people and can even lead to recovery. While negative emotions worsen the general state and promote an advancement of the condition. Happy people fall ill less often and, if they do fall ill, they come through the illness easier. The wounds of the optimist heal faster!
In big cities, people are under a lot of pressure. They do not know how to relax, they feel more anxious, they have worries, stresses and, as a result, they fall ill more often. It is necessary with patience and desire to learn how to cope with difficult situations which, of course, happen in our uneasy life.
A good mood and the right attitude to a situation will help to cope with stress. Positive people have a lower level of chemical substances causing inflammation and emotional tension. Possibly, positive emotions mobilise the internal resources of people, helping them to cope with disease. In this way, there is an opinion that laughter prolongs life. A case exists where one doctor cured a terminal patient by means of laughter. For days, the patient watched comedies and funny cartoon films, laughed to exhaustion and finally recovered! Medical practice describes also many cases of full treatment of seriously ill patients, using only the help of belief in this healing.
Adult people, pressured by daily cares, often forget how happy they were in childhood. But to be healthy, it is necessary to become an optimist, to learn how to rejoice, to always present a smiling front to the world and to pay more attention to people close to you, bringing pleasure to them and to yourself. Someone who is positive in any situation, not only improves quality of life, but also exudes a positive aura.
Try to get only positive emotions, and they will always have a positive influence on your health. Visiting theatres, concerts, sporting competitions or even a hobby can also be sources of positive emotions. Be optimists! Please yourself and your relatives, smile to them each day — be happy and healthy!
By Tatiana Zhukova, doctor of higher category, D.M. Ph.D.
