Think about it: Other than air, water, sleep and food, what is it that human adults need so badly that doing without it is as harmful to health as being an alcoholic or smoking 15 cigarettes a day? It is so important to your health that not having it is worse for you than being sedentary and is considered twice as dangerous as obesity.

It’s not sex — though that may well be a part of it.

It’s social interaction, and believe it or not, having strong ties to other people is so vital that it actually improves your odds that you’ll live for any given period of time by 50%!

People Need People

These compelling statistics spelling out the importance of human relationships were identified in new research published in the July 2010 issue of PLoS Medicine, which analyzed 148 studies involving the social habits of 300,000 people over an average of seven and a half years. Until now, the link between lack of relationships and risk for death hasn’t been widely explored. It was a goal of the authors, from the psychology department of Brigham Young University, to produce a review that is so comprehensive that the public and medical community both sit up and take notice.

The researchers learned that social support provides numerous emotional benefits that translate into good health and longevity, specifically:

• Social connections help people handle difficult and uncomfortable emotions, including anxiety and anger.

• Friends and family act as helpful naggers, they tend to encourage healthy lifestyles by urging people who aren’t healthy to sleep more, lose weight, eat healthfully, see a doctor, exercise or quit smoking.

• Social relationships provide meaning and purpose in life, and people who have a purpose are more likely to take better care of themselves and avoid unnecessary health risks.

What are the Benefits?

“Our relationships influence long-term health through emotional and/or psychological responses that affect physiological processes,” says the study’s lead author Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Brigham Young. “The data shows us that real or perceived availability of social resources is linked to lower blood pressure, better immune functioning and decreased inflammatory processes for a number of different diseases.” As an example, Dr. Holt-Lunstad cites a study in which participants wore a device that measures blood pressure throughout a 24-hour period — it showed that people with social support tend to have lower blood pressure.

However, despite the numerous studies showing that relationships are associated with healthiness, the exact mechanisms by which they do so are not clear.

Epidemic of Loneliness

Humans are naturally social, note the researchers, but many aspects of modern life lead to isolation. For instance, in our highly mobile society, people often live far from all or most of their family members. Many delay getting married and having children, and because more people of all ages are living alone, loneliness seems to be a growing problem. According to a Duke University study published in the American Sociological Review, over the past two decades, the number of Americans who say that they have no close confidantes has doubled to 25%.

Increasingly popular technology that keeps us glued to a computer or cell phone inhibits development of close personal relationships. Acknowledging that the Internet may make it easier to meet people, Dr. Holt-Lunstad said she doesn’t believe that online interactions can take the place of in-person engagement. For instance, studies show that physical touch from a loved one has measurable health benefits, including pain reduction and lowered blood pressure. Cancer patients who receive loving touch from friends or family members report less fatigue and nausea than those who did not.

Quality Time

Dr. Holt-Lunstad told me that she’s more than once been asked “what about relationships that aren’t pleasant?”

She said that quality absolutely is important, noting that scientific evidence does show that “negative relationships” can hurt our health. Rather than using that as a reason to be loners, however, Dr. Holt-Lunstad suggests this is evidence that we should work to improve existing relationships in addition to looking for more opportunities to develop new ones.

In fact, said Dr. Holt-Lunstad, the quality of relationships is more significant than the quantity. “Having even one true confidante or someone you know you can turn to when you need a favor is important,” she says. “You might have 50 people around you and still feel lonely, we need to go beyond thinking about numbers.”

Whatever the cause of loneliness, a negative perception of yourself or others, poor social skills, few social contacts or lack of a confidante, this is one “medical treatment” that can be quite pleasant. Start by calling a friend today!

Source(s):

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, associate professor of psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

Many runners accept the wear and tear on their joints with the understanding that the cardiovascular benefits of running outweigh the ultimate risks.  A new study, however, may throw this line of thinking into question; recent research indicates that intense exercise may actually be harmful to the heart.  While it was no surprise to researchers to find that a group of long-term, regular marathon runners had less body fat and slower heart rates than patients undergoing tests for heart disease, they did not expect to find that the runners had more plaque in their coronary arteries, a known risk for heart attack. But that is what they discovered…not exactly what you would expect from a group of elite athletes. Robert S. Schwartz, MD, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute discussed his views about the research and his theories about the results.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

The study compared 25 men (average age 60) who had run at least one marathon each year since 1985 with 23 sedentary patients of the same age who had suspected heart problems. Dr. Schwartz and his colleagues examined both groups and performed CT angiography on them to generate pictures of their blood vessels.

On the plus side, investigators found that the marathoners had lower heart rates, blood pressure, weight and body fat than the non-athletes, along with higher levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol). But they also had…

• Significantly more plaque in their coronary arteries
• Higher calcium scores (reflecting calcium buildup in the cardiopulmonary vessels) and higher noncalcified plaque, which are deposits not yet hardened with calcium, (although in this case the difference was not statistically significant).

Since the runners had “healthy” cholesterol levels, on average 190 mg/dL total cholesterol and 115 mg/dL LDL (the “bad” cholesterol), the researchers don’t think that diet explains the difference. One theory Dr. Schwartz discussed is that extreme exertion brings metabolic and mechanical stresses that keep the body in a constant state of inflammation which can cause plaque to form. Another theory is that arteries are strained because running raises heart rate and blood pressure. But Dr. Schwartz cautions that these are strictly hypotheses; no one knows the answers yet.

Stay on the Run

This study is in no way meant to discourage exercise, stresses Dr. Schwartz, who is an avid runner himself.  Perhaps it is smarter not to overdo it though.  The phrase “moderation in all things” comes to mind.

Dr. Schwartz and his team are currently following this group long-term.  They are also beginning to look at female runners as well to see if the same results hold. They also plan to study moderate-distance runners to determine if there is a threshold of exercise at which extra plaque begins to develop. So stay tuned.

Source(s):

Robert S. Schwartz, MD, cardiologist, Minneapolis Heart Institute, Minneapolis.

Have you used running to help with weight loss in the past? Find other ways to lose weight now with our fast weight loss tips now.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

If you’ve ever wanted to get rid of cellulite you are not alone! I think every Western woman on the planet has had this thought cross her mind at least once in her lifetime, if not on a far more regular basis.

Cellulite–also lovingly called “cottage cheese”–is fat cells that have bulged through cell walls into the skin’s middle layer, where they pull on connective tissue to create an unattractive, dimpled skin surface.

To repair cellulite, you need to strengthen and hydrate your body’s cells and the connective tissue in your body.

Here’s what will help:

1. Nourish your body with an abundance of real, whole, organic foods from the earth. This means eating lots of fruits, greens and seaweed (think sushi.)

2. Avoid toxins like junk food, diet soda, processed food, excessive alcohol and cigarettes.

Drink water to improve your skins health.

3. Drink an abundance of filtered water to hydrate and flush out toxins. Eight to ten glasses a day are recommended.

4. Use a dry skin brush daily, preferably before bathing. This simple and affordable technique stimulates blood and lymph flow, removes dead skin cells and encourages new cell growth. I’ve done this for years and it keeps my skin radiant and beautiful! Purchase one at your local health food store for around $8.

5. Exercise your body every day to stimulate your lymphatic system. Try rebounding on a mini trampoline, yoga, brisk walking or swimming.

6. Start a cellulite loving ritual. Gently massage your cellulite with a mixture of almond or coconut oil and few drops of lavender, lemon and peppermint essential oil every day. Breathe and think loving, accepting, positive thoughts as you massage the oils into your skin.

7. Finish your daily shower with a cold rinse to tone your skin, refresh and energize your body and soul! I do this every day and I love it!

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com