For me, Christmas is a good excuse to meet friends and family, exchange gifts, and eat and drink a lot – but I also love the fact that we sing carols, go to church and think about God.
I come from a long line of Christian missionaries, some of whom died in pursuit of their faith, although I profess to be an agnostic.
But I believe that the great religions can teach us a lot about how to live a good and longer life. And there is a lot of scientific evidence for that.
For example, in 1999, researchers at the University of Colorado examined data collected from 28,000 people as part of the National Health Interview Survey—which has tracked the health of Americans since 1957. As part of this survey, participants were asked if they attended church services and, if so, how often.
Research shows that people who said they went to a church, mosque or synagogue at least once a week lived an average of seven years longer than those who said they never went.
It found that people who said they went to a church, mosque or synagogue at least once a week lived an average of seven years longer than those who said they never went.
In a more recent study published in 2018 with the rather wonderful title, “Does Religion Stave Off the Grave?”, Ohio State University researchers searched the obituaries of more than 1,000 people who died between August 2010 and August 2011. published on newspaper websites.
They found that people whose obituaries indicated they had some form of religious affiliation lived an average of 5.64 years longer than those who did not.
Why? Well, we know from research that religious people—including my 93-year-old mother—drink less, smoke less, and generally live healthier lives.
They are also more likely to volunteer and benefit from belonging to a close-knit, supportive social group – both of which counteract loneliness and reduce the risk of depression.
But according to Dr. Baldwin Way, an associate professor of psychology who helped design the obituary, said these factors still do not account for the magnitude of the longevity effect.
In his view, an additional benefit comes from the fact that “many religions promote stress-reducing practices that can improve health, such as gratitude, prayer or meditation.”
In addition, research shows that experiencing a sense of awe, whether in a beautiful place or believing you are in the presence of God, has a powerful impact on our immune system.
Feeling awe and believing that you are in the presence of God has a powerful effect on our immune system
In 2015, a University of California study of 200 students found that those who reported experiencing positive emotions such as awe had lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, proteins that cause chronic inflammation and in turn contribute to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. blood.
It is worth noting that the beneficial effects of religion depend in part on belief in a loving, benevolent deity.
In a landmark 2011 University of Miami study of more than 100 HIV-positive patients, patients who viewed God as kind and forgiving lived longer and had more immune cells than those who viewed God as judgmental and punishing.
Similarly, studies have shown that people with religious beliefs are less likely to develop depression and anxiety, in part because they provide meaning and hope. But when religious beliefs lead to guilt and failure, it can lead to mental illness.
But what if you, like me, don’t believe in God and rarely go to church?
Well, instead of praying, you can try something called “loving-kindness meditation,” where you spend a few minutes each day thinking about someone who has been good to you.
The idea is that you sit in a quiet place while quietly meditating and thinking grateful thoughts of that person.
as Dr Fuschia Sirois, who researches gratitude at the University of Sheffield, told me recently: “People who regularly express gratitude are more resistant to anxiety and depression, and it can even help you manage chronic pain.”
If meditation doesn’t appeal to you, try “Three Good Things”: Keep a notebook by your bed and write down three things that went well for you that day, every night for a week.
It could be anything from “I saw a beautiful sunset” to “I had coffee with a friend”. Fill in as many details as possible and how it made you feel. Research shows that it makes you feel better and sleep better.
Or you can just hang out somewhere green and quiet and take a moment to appreciate the world around you and develop a sense of awe.
A 2020 study published in the journal Emotion found that a 15-minute “reverential walk” each week helps increase positive emotions and reduce stress. Selfies taken during the 12-week experiment also showed that the participants smiled more.
I wish you a Merry, Grateful Christmas.
2022: A year of breakthroughs that will transform medicine
The year 2022 also brought some of the most notable developments in healthcare
This year has seen world events of such immense importance that many medical breakthroughs have been overshadowed – but 2022 has also brought some notable health advances.
In January, for example, we heard about the first successful pig-to-human heart transplant. David Bennett, 57, had a terminal heart condition and received a pig heart genetically modified to be compatible with humans during an operation in the United States.
With thousands of people dying while waiting for a transplant list, I think this is a huge step forward. Unfortunately, David died two months after the operation, but his courage showed that this approach really could work.
Then, in February, I wrote about a new device being developed in Switzerland that used a frame to help paralyzed patients walk again.
The device stimulates nerve cells in the spinal cord – and a few weeks ago the same Swiss team reported that four out of nine patients implanted with similar devices no longer needed to turn on the devices to walk. It seems that just a few months of electrical stimulation has “fired” certain nerve cells and they are now working on their own.
This is good news, and there are plans to conduct larger studies in 2023.
It was also a good year for vaccine research. A study published in The Lancet in June found that Covid-19 vaccines helped prevent nearly 20 million deaths in the first year of use alone.
Perhaps more notably, the pharmaceutical company Moderna announced a few weeks ago that a cancer vaccine it is developing, based on the mRNA technology used to produce its Covid vaccine, will reduce the risk of skin cancer recurrence in ‘ almost halved a group. 157 patients.
These were patients with melanoma (a particularly dangerous form of skin cancer) but who have a high risk of developing new tumors because the cancer has already spread. Moderna plans to start a trial of at least 1,000 patients next year.
And while I’m generally skeptical of “miracle” weight loss drugs, two drugs seem to make a difference without causing significant side effects.
Semaglutide and tirzepatide mimic the action of a hormone normally produced in our gut called glucagon-like peptide-1. This hormone makes you feel full after a meal by acting on the appetite centers in your brain and also slows the emptying of your stomach.
In July, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that patients who received tirzepatide injections weekly for 18 months lost between 15 and 20 kg, compared with 3 kg for patients who received a placebo injection. And in December, a University of Pittsburgh study of semaglutide in teenagers found similar results.
I strongly believe that I should try to lose weight through diet rather than medication, but this is certainly an impressive development.
Reasons why you don’t like sports. . .
Exercise releases the feel-good hormone dopamine
I have friends whose idea of a good time is a five mile run, but I hate running and only do it occasionally because I know it’s good for me.
At no point do I get a runner’s high or feel anything but pain. I have been tested and hardly ever get happy hormones when I run.
This is partly due to genetics, but a recent study in the journal Nature suggests that my gut bacteria may also play a role.
American scientists took a group of 106 mice and measured how enthusiastically and how often they voluntarily jogged on an exercise bike. They then examined the composition of their gut microbiome and found that the enthusiastic runners had higher levels of two different types of bacteria, Eubacterium rectale and Coprococcus eutactus.
Research has found that these microbes produce chemicals known as fatty acid amides, which trigger the release of the feel-good hormone dopamine in your brain during exercise.
Further studies are planned to see if the same process occurs in humans in the hope that it could lead to diet-based methods to stimulate these exercise-loving bugs and get people like me running — and enjoying it.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
