Friends and Health

The best thing you can do for your health may be to make some new friends. That’s because study after study has shown that social ties - with family, friends, and even pets - pay off in terms of good health and longer lives. Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard Medical School graduate and founder of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Arizona, says there’s a lot of evidence that links good health with strong connections to family and friends. Here are some examples:

• The immune system is negatively affected by signs of distress, and one of those signs is a lack of social support.
  
  
• Also, one study of 75 medical students found that those who were lonely had more sluggish immune systems than students who weren’t.
  
  
• Then, research has shown that people with pets are healthier than people without them. Dr. Weil says pet owners also recover from serious illnesses faster.
  
  
• Another bit it evidence that links strong social and family ties to good health: People who use the words “I,” “me,” and “mine” in conversation are more susceptible to heart attacks. People who talk about friends and family – and use the words “we”, “us” and “ours” have stronger hearts.
  
  
• Studies show that people who get out and spend more time with others during cold and flu season actually get sick less than people who choose to be alone.
  
  
• Being grateful for what you have is closely associated with physical and emotional health.

Get out there and cultivate the close relationships in your life – because they’re keeping you healthy. You can get more health tips from Dr. Weil at Dr.Weil.com.