Just Be There

I work in the cancer field and recently read a research article that intrigued me (1).  It has to do with how well people recovered after stem cell transplantation (getting their immune system replaced after theirs has been damaged/destroyed by chemotherapy and radiation). The article implied that the amount of close contact spent with a partner, close relative or friend improved the health outcomes of these patients.  This benefit didn’t occur with social visits; it appeared that the quality of the relationship mattered more than the numbers of friends coming by.

The question then arises as to what determines the ‘quality’ of a relationship, and how this may support our health and well-being.  The traits society glamorizes (beauty, wealth, power and fame) don’t hold relationships together and probably even contribute to their downfall.  Since these ‘desirable’ characteristics don’t sustain enduring, nurturing connections, what does?  Paradoxically, the foundation of relationship comes from beyond all external attributes, from what psychologist Carl Rogers termed ‘unconditional positive regard’.

This vision arises when we experience our own unconditioned awareness, which enables us to turn towards others with a space of quiet compassionate presence. When we recognize and affirm this, we can ‘just be there’ for our friends, relatives or partners. We then provide a comforting steady support for them, one that accepts them completely regardless of their personality or circumstances.  This connection reduces their stress and anxiety surrounding their illness. For these cancer patients, knowing they had someone there for them unconditionally may have boosted their immune system, leading to better health outcomes. Of course we can extend this to all of us, as ‘just being there’ for someone may be healing on many levels.

Foster, LW., Mclellan, LJ. Survival of Patients Who Have Undergone Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation: The Relative Importance of In-Hospital Lay Care-Partner Support. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, Vol 22 (2), 2004.

A Little Outrage, Please!

I just don’t know what to say.  In my last blog of December 13^th, I talked about chemical contaminants and their possible relationship to the recent increase in asthma and allergies.  Though I didn’t want to return immediately  to the issue of pollutants in our environment, a recent article just threw me for a loop:  Kids' Soup Cans Contain BPA Toxins : Discovery News.  For the past several  years I have made efforts  to avoid Bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic containers. Again, I’m not paranoid, as the European Union just banned BPA from baby bottles:  EUROPA - Press Releases - Bisphenol A: EU ban on baby bottles to enter into force tomorrow.  The EU prohited the use of BPA , citing concerns that the compound could potentially affect development and immune response in infants.

I have a doctorate in research and have studied epidemiology, so I believe we can’t determine the long term effects of exposure to hundreds of chemical compounds. For example, it’s even possible that BPA could be related to the recent increase in allergies, but it would take millions of dollars and years of research to try to establish such a link. Who would pay for this costly endeavor?   So I use the principle of ‘nature knows best’, trying to live as naturally as I can. I don’t like microscopic amounts of pollutants in my or my family’s bodies if I can help it. So imagine my distress when I discovered BPA commonly enters into our system through soup cans.  Now don’t tell me that food manufacturers didn’t know about BPA’s presence in their soup cans, but it must make sense to their bottom line, and since the government hasn’t outlawed it, companies haven’t been forced to change this practice.

Now that it has been uncovered, in all probability we will start to pressure these companies to remove BPA from their cans, and perhaps in a few years it will happen.  In the meantime, we should further investigate the extent of this contamination, and take measures to remove this from our food supply.  It may be that we’ll  not be having canned soups for some time!!

Here's a list of countries that already ban BPA from baby bottles.  

How will you personally respond to this information?

Rise of Asthma and Allergies

In recent years, asthma and allergies have increased in their prevalence in the US, as reported by MSNBC. Media outlets advertise any number of pharmaceutical solutions to alleviate these symptoms. However, the question arises as to the reason for this dramatic increase in these conditions, but the answer to this may come from our persistent exposure to varying levels of countless chemicals and pollutants in our environment. In essence we live in a chemical soup, one constantly challenging our immune system. 


In this context, our bodies undoubtedly have to work harder to combat these subtle and not so subtle chemical irritants. This job falls to our immune system, and thus it makes sense that we could develop sensitivities and over-reactivity to various substances, as our system gets stressed over time. Thus, even substances that may not cause any reaction to a healthy immune system now bring about an allergic reaction. While the use of medication may be beneficial, without attempting to address the underlying issues will only exacerbate the problem over time, as most medicine only covers up the symptoms. 


So what’s the best way to this? By removing, shifting and changing your life to make it as natural as possible. Then you can follow good health habits: a whole foods diet, regular exercise, ongoing stress reduction and use of regular and alternative health professionals to facilitate your health and wellness. If you have asthma and allergies you may notice a decrease in your symptoms over time; as your immune system strengthens some substances you were allergic to now will no longer trigger such responses. Of course, these changes may not eliminate all your allergies, but most importantly, as they follow proven principles of wellness they have no downside. So what can you do today to reduce your allergies?

Free Will vs. Your Environment

When we face health challenges and need to change our health habits, we must confront our own social situation, one which most frequently doesn’t support a healthy lifestyle. But we do need support from others walking this new path. I work daily with stroke patients, many from rural parts of our state. To prevent further strokes they must significantly alter their lifestyle, especially their diet and exercise routines. The problem for these people starts when they return to their homes; they have no support, role models or experience to implement these changes. My college aged son recently returned from a trip to a very poor part of rural America where he worked with Habitat for Humanity. He observed the poor people there seemed to fry everything they ate, even though eating lots of fried food almost certainly will have long-term negative health effects (especially for stroke patients). 


So returning to this type of situation for a person who has just had a stroke usually requires a monumental reversal of something as essential as food preparation. If all the food your family makes comes from the frying pan, this means upsetting the apple cart not only for yourself but for your friends and family.  So the level of available support for a healthy lifestyle will vary greatly depending on where you live. In certain areas of the country (almost invariably in more urban settings) you will find much more of a community attempting to live healthfully.  But if you live in a poor rural area, you will usually find far fewer individuals working consciously with their bodies. Therefore, it’s infinitely easier to make some small superficial attempts at changing your diet before slipping back into more familiar and comfortable (but poor) health habits.

Fortunately for those people isolated from a healthy lifestyle, new options for contact with like minded people have opened up through technology. The Internet offers low cost interaction with others through blogs, Face-book, Tweets, etc., where you can discuss with other people your efforts, successes and failures in moving forward with good health behaviors. These emerging venues for social interaction provide an opportunity for community at even a global level. While these methods of social support don’t have much research backing their effectiveness in assisting people change their lifestyle (they’re almost too new), their amazing growth almost certain validates their impact.  The Pew Internet Project reveals the power the internet already has in the United Sates to foster social interaction. Some data to consider:  78% of Americans use the internet (the digital divide is closing), 66% of users connect to social networks, 43% of which check social networks daily, and the primary reason people use social networks is to connect to family and friends (new and old) followed by connecting to people with shared interests or hobbies. 

While some people have tremendous ability to just will themselves through life change, they are the exception rather than the rule. For most of us, we don’t want to constantly face this by ourselves. While we can will ourselves to great heights temporarily, in the ongoing daily battle between our will and an unsupportive environment, the environment will usually win out by wearing us down bit by bit. To sustain ourselves we need ongoing support and now technology offers avenues for assistance for even the most geographically challenged. Trying these avenues of communication and support out will almost always be beneficial, making them well worth the effort. 


Please share interesting ways online social networks are being used to help people achieve greater wellness.