According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, writing about stressful life events helped reduce symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis in patients with these chronic illnesses. The effects of the writing exercise were still evident four months later and resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in patient symptoms.
Interestingly, studies showed that asthma patients who wrote about their most stressful life events showed a 19-percent improvement in lung function; similarly, rheumatoid arthritis patients had a 28-percent reduction in symptoms.
These findings add to a growing body of evidence that links mental and emotional health to physical well-being. Although researchers aren't sure exactly how expressive writing can lead to health improvements, they theorize that writing help people cope with stress, and stress-as well all know-clearly impacts health.
University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker believes that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. He theorizes that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of these stressors on your physical health.
Louise Moran, a nurse coordinator, has written about a patient who, during a serious illness, sent daily e-mails to friends and family about her illness, a practice the woman believes played a pivotal role in her healing process. Moran said another patient felt that journaling helped her create a new life after breast cancer. There have even been studies suggesting that journaling in healthy people actually improves the immune system.
Patti Testerman is content manager at journalgenie.com, the only online site that analyzes your writing and then gives you instant feedback. Want to discover self-defeating patterns, or find better ways to communicate in a relationship? Check out our site.
Much has been written about obesity and globesity. Obesity is... Read More
Used a diet pill recently and got depressed because you... Read More
Make sure that no more than a quarter of your... Read More
Are you one of those who hate dieting? Well, you... Read More
A really easy, fast way to weight loss is walking... Read More
There's nothing more fun then being creative with food and... Read More
All of us that have had a love-hate relationship with... Read More
Fat has had a lot of bad press and for... Read More
The act of taking the first step is what separates... Read More
The Government of the Australian state of Victoria has started... Read More
First? establish realistic goals. Start with a target you can... Read More
The Review Diaries She Unlimited MagazineThere are masses of carbohydrate... Read More
If you're thinking of going on a diet to lose... Read More
Yoga is wonderful for nurturing a state of mental and... Read More
"Life would be perfect if only I was thin." That... Read More
These days, most everyone has heard of low carb diets... Read More
Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) is often viewed as a quick... Read More
We, as a society, are always trying to lose weight.... Read More
I remember back in my senior year of high school... Read More
So many people are talking about how slow their metabolism... Read More
Steady gains made in improvement in life expectancy may be... Read More
With this key, I GUARANTEE YOU WILL LOSE ALL THE... Read More
Fat Loss in GeneralThis morning I conducted a search engine... Read More
An increasing trend over the last few years has been... Read More
In the last 12 months or so, low carbohydrate diets... Read More
shuttle from O'Hare Alexander ..If I Want to Lose Weight, What Can I Do... Read More
Recently, I read an article from Japanese magazine that by... Read More
The diary is an essential help in reaching your weight... Read More
We all have aspects of health we want to improve.... Read More
How much will power does it take in order to... Read More
Like millions of men and women, I started resolving to... Read More
With the number of people suffering from obesity rising so... Read More
We all encounter those hosts and hostesses who feel it... Read More
Metabolism is the process by which your body changes food... Read More
Are you dieting your way to bone loss?Are you aware... Read More
The Dr Atkins Diet has been around for ages, but... Read More
Activity means both mental and physical activity.Mental activity is similar... Read More
I am Greg Ryan, a high profile fitness expert with... Read More
This is the second article in the series, Weight Loss... Read More
There have been endless numbers of fad diets over the... Read More
Have a conversation about gastric bypass surgery with just about... Read More
Nowadays, so much of the public is obese (fat) that... Read More
Dr. Hagglund's Healthy Eating Tips(All wheat products, bananas*, breads, rice,... Read More
Green tea has been highly valued in Asia for centuries... Read More
Most people are unsure about how to begin a fat... Read More
1. Start Exercising first thing in the morning.As soon as... Read More
Here's what to do if you want to wear that... Read More
Who'd have thought healthy eating could be so controversial? Lunching... Read More
More than any other time in history, people are all... Read More
1.The first step to living a Glycemic Diet Lifestyle is... Read More
Weight Loss |