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www.NorthValleyEyeCare.com | www.RidgeEyeCare.com 14 CN&R February 9, 2012
HEALTHLINES
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So, love can help literally mend a broken heart. That’s pretty romantic. recent findings—published in 2010—by researchers at Stanford University that show being in love can actually act as a powerful pain reliever. A study created a moderately painful situation for 15 individuals. While experiencing that pain, they were shown pictures of their romantic partners. In each case, the picture was proven to reduce the pain—enough to rival even cocaine. “Brain scans are showing that over prolonged periods of time of practicing love, it profoundly changes the brain,” Flowers explained. “Studies have shown significant reductions in feelings of fear, anger, stress, anxiety, emotional and physical pain.” Rothfeld added that with newer technologies, like functional MRIs—which are videos rather than still photographs of brain function—researchers are able to better understand how our most powerful organ works and adapts and reacts to external stimuli. “We as humans have a very dynamic system,” Rothfeld said. “With functional MRI scans, we’re able to look at brain activation during different emotional states to better understand all the players. “To take it a step further, now that we understand the players, we could potentially use these tools as therapies to change negative patterns.” In fact, some of this knowledge is already being put to the test. Flowers said he’s currently working on a study that uses love and kindness as therapies for cancer patients. “We’ve seen enormous benefits for cancer patients in regard to response to treatment, quality of life, reported measures of wellbeing,” he said, adding that he expects to officially report his findings next year. The final chemical reaction
Rothfeld and Flowers mentioned in relation to people in love was a marked decrease in stress and the hormone that’s associated with it, cortisol. That hormone is also
linked to a decrease in immune function—a reason why people often get sick after a stressful event. With less cortisol, the body’s immune system is left in peak condition and is in better position to fight off illness. Not every study of love involves its onset or lasting effects. Some take into account the lack of love on a person’s physical health. Just look at the commonly known “widow effect,” Rothfeld said, pointing to incidences in which one-half of a long-term couple dies. Many times, particularly when it’s the man left behind, he’ll die within days or weeks of his wife’s death, even when his life expectancy, medically speaking, would be longer. “It’s not remarkable for people to die within days for reasons medicine cannot explain,” Rothfeld said. “They’re literally dying
because of the loss of love.” Having someone or something to care for also seems to increase a person’s will to live, quality of life and, ultimately, his or her health in old age. Flowers offered the example of a convalescent home that split its ward up into two wings. In one wing, each resident was given a plant and told to care for it—to water it, make sure it got sunlight, etc. In the other, the residents were given plants but told the staff would take care of them. “Those who had the responsibility of taking care of and loving that plant lived twice as long as those who didn’t have to worry about the plant,” Flowers said. “It shows that caring in its own right has a value to our will to live.” So, love does indeed have an effect on the human body. Love is a pain reliever, a stress reducer, a boon to feelings of positivity. But what about the heart, the symbol of love? Where does that come into play? Just look at men who have had heart attacks, Flowers offered. Those who return home to loving partners have been shown to outlive those without a loving partner by two times. So, love can help literally mend a broken heart. That’s pretty romantic. “Loving someone is one of the most enjoyable and dangerous things you can do,” Flowers summed up. Ω
WEEKLY DOSE Feeling the strain If you’re like us, you spend a lot of time staring at a computer screen. Chances are, then, that you sometimes experience eyestrain in the form of headaches, sore or dry eyes, blurred or double vision, stiff neck, light sensitivity and difficulty focusing on images. While eyestrain doesn’t typically cause lasting eye damage, it can lead to physical fatigue, reduced concentration or productivity, and an increase in work errors. Sometimes it indicates an underlying eye condition that requires evaluation. There are ways to avoid eyestrain: Rest your eyes by taking a break or looking out a window; adjust the lighting to reduce glare; blink more frequently; increase the resolution, brightness, font size or contrast of your computer screen; use over-the-counter tear substitutes for dryness; and change the distance between your eyes and the computer screen or reading material. If these changes don’t help, see an ophthalmologist. And, for sweet relief when you’re feeling eyestrain, massage your temples in a circular motion for a minute or two.