Over the past 30 years, scientific evidence has been mounting towards the potentially huge mental component of health and disease. Once thought to be entirely separate, the mind and body have now been acknowledged as intimately connected to the extent that they share the same ‘messenger chemicals’.
Those who do regularly attend social events, or have a stream of visitors, from family or friends tend to have a longer life and, basically, a reason to live
Mind-body research is one of the most exciting new areas in modern medicine. It opens up a whole new understanding of how to recover from illness as well as how to stay healthy. Among the most important findings are that connectedness to other people is crucial for maintaining health. Studies show that people who have social networks and a support system are healthier and live longer than those who are lonely and socially isolated.
Isolation from others appears to have serious adverse consequences on health, and not just the obviously mentally related psychosomatic conditions, but also objectively diagnosable physical illnesses such as cancer and heart attacks.
Who do you know who lives alone, or is socially isolated? How is their health? Many older people, who have lost their life partner, could be isolated socially and therefore have no regular contacts in which to speak about things that are worrying them, or just chat in general. Those who do regularly attend social events, or have a stream of visitors, from family or friends, tend to have a longer life and, basically, a reason to live.
In a study in San Francisco and another in Eastern Finland, of the 20,000 people observed for up to nine years, those who were lonely and lacking in relationships were two to three times more likely to die from heart disease or all other causes than those who felt connected to others. These results occurred regardless of risk factors such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, smoking or family history (Am. J. Epidemiol., 1979, 1988).
A recent US study found that older people who are lonely are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (Arch. Gen. Psychiatry, 2007). The researchers suggested: “It may be that loneliness may affect systems in the brain dealing with cognition and memory, making lonely people more vulnerable to the effects of age-related decline in neural pathways.” In other words, loneliness has a physical impact.
Conversely, having social networks and social support can protect people against diseases such as heart and lung disease or diabetes and cancer (J. Aging Health, 2006).
In one study which included a controlled trial of 400 elderly patients with severe depression, those who were assigned a ‘depression coach’ were far less likely to die over a five-year period.
Inexplicably, the benefit seemed to be almost entirely attributable to fewer cancer deaths – from 20.6 deaths to 8.9 per 1,000 person years (Ann. Intern. Med., 2007). Having someone to talk to, it appears, may prove to be a lifesaver.
Connectedness can even help us fight off infectious disease. Among 276 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55, those who had more diverse social networks had a greater resistance to the common cold.
Those who had the fewest social roles (such as being married, a parent, a friend or a colleague) were four times more likely to develop a cold than those with the widest variety of social ties (JAMA 1997). I must just add here that you could be a grandmother with grandchildren, children, nephews and nieces, but if they don’t visit you your social role is worthless.
Despite all this, it is still unclear how it works. One possibility is that social isolation and the feelings that come with it such as loneliness, alienation, low self-esteem, can lead to chronic stress, which has known physical effects on the body. Not only can stress promote coping responses such as smoking, alcohol abuse, drug use or sleep loss; these are also harmful to health. It can also trigger the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortical axis. Prolonged or repeated activation of these systems can place people at risk of a range of physical and psychiatric disorders (Am. Psychol., 2004).
Some ideas regarding getting connected are:
• Work on not being disconnected from your own feelings, from other people and from a higher being. Making friends, volunteering, expressing your feelings, praying or developing your own spirituality can help to establish a sense of connectedness.
• Avoid having negative relationships and social interactions. Studies show that relationships characterised by conflict and stress can be just as deleterious to health as social isolation.
• Learn a relaxation technique such as yoga or meditation; this will also help you get in touch with your own spirituality.
• Pet ownership has been linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and better physical and psychological well-being (BMJ, 2005). Pet-owning, older individuals had lower blood pressure than those without pets. Interaction with pets, as well as the pleasure derived from stroking them was thought to be responsible.
Keeping connected includes cultivating a sense of forgiveness – of your friends, family, parents, enemies, but most important is to forgive and love yourself.
kathryn@maltanet.net