Is Love Medicine?

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MrsSpringsteen

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I believe in the heart/mind/body connection. I like that a Doctor believes so strongly in it too, too many of them dismiss it as "psychobabble" and try to push mood altering drugs, etc on people ( I don't mean to sound like Tom Cruise, drugs are definitely needed in certain instances). Love issues, communication issues, unrequited love especially, can affect your health..I know that for sure. They all affect your self esteem and outlook, which affects your physical well being. Loneliness definitely does.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9466931/site/newsweek/

"Medicine today focuses primarily on drugs and surgery, genes and germs, microbes and molecules. Yet love and intimacy are at the root of what makes us sick and what makes us well. If a new medication had the same impact, failure to prescribe it would be malpractice. Connections with other people affect not only the quality of our lives but also our survival. Study after study find that people who feel lonely are many times more likely to get cardiovascular disease than those who have a strong sense of connection and community. I'm not aware of any other factor in medicine—not diet, not smoking, not exercise, not genetics, not drugs, not surgery—that has a greater impact on our quality of life, incidence of illness and premature death."
 
nbcrusader said:


I think this is a better representation of the concept. And I believe it is extremely important.



ditto.

one of the reasons why elderly men who are widowers are the most at-risk group for suicide is because they often lose their social and familial connections when their wives die. women tend to be much better at creating and maintaining relationships throughout their lives -- sometimes, i wonder if my dad would have any friends if it weren't for my mom -- and this sustains them even after they have lost their spouse.
 
nbcrusader said:


I think this is a better representation of the concept. And I believe it is extremely important.

stats bear this out

there may be other contributing factors

better nutrition, prodding to seek medical help, etc.
 
Yes, Mrs Springsteen, Love is medicine.

That said, not only love in a relationship. Most important is the feeling of being connected to your doctor, or healer. When the person healing is able to transfer the feeling of love, of care, healing will occur much faster and work in most cases. There are very interesting articles about that..
 
It's definitely not just romantic love, that can be so superficial and heartbreaking to say the least. It's people who will be there for you and not break your heart that really matter, of course people in our families and our friends can break our hearts too. But anyone who is lucky enough to want and to find, and to be able to sustain, true romantic love is very fortunate for health and other reasons.

"In part, this is because people who are lonely are more likely to engage in self-destructive behaviors".. that is so true. But I think it's just like working at our health, you have to try to work on yourself and at relationships. Sometimes being lonely is so much easier on your heart though ( not on your heart's health). Lately I find that it always is.

I think about this quote in the article too " we are hard wired to help each other" I'd like to think that's true and want to believe it's true, but when I see how some humans are, well :| Of course I fail at that many times too.

I wish all doctors would be as tuned in to the mind/soul/body connection.
 
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MrsSpringsteen said:
I think about this quote in the article too " we are hard wired to help each other" I'd like to think that's true and want to believe it's true, but when I see how some humans are, well :| Of course I fail at that many times too.

Unfortunately, I believe the quoted statement is wrong and people's first tendancy is to self, not others.

You can see this in children. They have to be taught to share and help as selfishness is the natural response.

Helping others is a choice that is driven by different motivating factors.
 
nbcrusader said:

Helping others is a choice that is driven by different motivating factors.

I don't know, I would like to believe that it's part of God's plan to hard wire us to help others. Some people are too selfish or for other reasons they resist that.

Of course helping others is one of the best ways to help yourself and feel good emotionally and physically.
 
As I understand God's plan, the hard wiring occurs when indwelled with the Holy Spirit. I may have a spiritual response to this, while others, as you point out, may have an emotional or physical response.
 
nbcrusader said:
You can see this in children. They have to be taught to share and help as selfishness is the natural response.

I strongly disagree. Children are born with love. and you can see it in their eyes.

The whole selfish, materialistic thinking chimes in when we educate them. A newborn doesn´t even have a sense of his own existence. The ego develops a few weeks later. How can selfishness be there if there is no ego?

I could explain this a little further, but at the mom. I´ll leave it at that.
 
I don't know, I would like to believe that it's part of God's plan to hard wire us to help others.

I'd like to believe that, too. I really would.

MrsSpringsteen said:


Some people are too selfish or for other reasons they resist that.

Of course helping others is one of the best ways to help yourself and feel good emotionally and physically.

Yes.


=====================


I think there is a huge connection between love and well being.
ANd I konw if I went any further, I'd write volumes. So I won't.

good find.


PS - children? well, I think "Lord of the Flies" shows pretty well what it's like. Though a fictoinal novel, and I'm not raelly into the idea that it's the devil's fault, etc. But I think some kids are born differently. Generally speaking, though, it is more a base trait to concern oneself with self preservation.

Kids who are raised very well, though, are allowed to let a special glow of kindness and consideration out, even in youth. But that is rare, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, there is still "love" in theireyes, at times, but Isee it often as a manipulation tool on their parents. Worksreallly well many times.....
 
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