HEALTH - E - TALK: 20th edition.
Hi!!
Welcome to the twenteeth edition of "Health - E - Talk".
I always enjoy sitting down to put "pen to paper" each week when writing this newsletter. This week I am challenging each of you to start putting your own pen to paper!

 "DEAR ABBEY."

Ever felt the desire to write for advice from one of those magazine advice columns? Well research has suggested that it may not be such a stupid idea! Except that the process of you writing is probably just as therapeutic as the advice received!

It has been found that one way to boost your immune system is to write about deeply meaningful experience and feelings. Several studies have shown that subjects who are asked to "write continuously without regard for spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc." on "deeply personal topics" for "15-20 minutes a day for 3-5 consecutive days" are subsequently healthier than controls who write about "relatively superficial topics." Health benefits of deeply personal writing include: "a drop in physician visits", "fewer absentee days", "improved liver enzyme function", "enhanced immune function", and improved physical health."

Other benefits included "small but consistent improvements in grade point average" for university students after 2-4 months of personal writing, and the surprise benefit of having more success in finding a job. In a sample of 62 recently unemployed professionals, those who wrote about "their deepest thoughts and feelings about losing their jobs" were compared to those who wrote "about their specific plans for finding a job" (the "controls"). Only 24% of the controls had accepted full time jobs 8 months after the completion of the study, compared to 53% of those who wrote about their feelings.

Curious to find out how the health benefits came about, the researchers entered the essays from previous studies into a computer and compared the words used by those who benefitted most with those who benefitted least. Subjects who consistently expressed anxiety, sadness, and other words associated with negative feelings were those who had the greatest improvements in physical health. And subjects benefitted most who used words such as "understand", "realise", "because" and "reason" at very low rates on the first day of writing compared to their high use on the last day.

The researchers were still curious, so they monitored the immediate physiological responses of subjects as they typed their feelings into a computer. Then the researchers carefully analyzed what types of words corresponded with what types of physiological changes. They found that the body expresses itself linguistically and biologically at the same time, and that when people hold back their emotions or to attempt to present a false impression, it can often be detected in their choice of words as well as in their physiological activity.

The researchers maintain that one of the best things about this type of therapy is that many, perhaps most people are able to guide their own therapy. Writing itself is a powerful therapeutic technique. "Without instructions or feedback, subjects in our studies naturally evolve common writing styles that promote physical and psychological health." And similar health benefits can be had by "talking with friends" and by "praying."

 HERE'S A THOUGHT!!
"The body is healing itself all day every day: don't interfere with it - HELP IT!"

 CHIROPRACTIC PHILOSOPHY:
"Chiropractors consider the microorganism a scavenger - not a cause." (DD Palmer - 1910)

"Germs are like rats in a dump. Dumps don't exist because rats live there. Rats live where dumps have been made." (Fred Barge paraphrased.)

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© Dr Nick Hodgson 2008

2005 Victorian Chiropractor of The Year, Australasian TRT Training Provider, Fellow Holder Research Institute.

 Visit Nick's other web site at www.torquerelease.com.au