WELL-BEING
Sharing might result in overcaring This month Naomi Murray from Botanica Health apothecary examines the role of emotions on our immunity
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Naomi Murray Co-founder of Botanica Health
ompassion and care are loving, healing emotions that provide a regenerative energy for both the sender and receiver. Not only this, they improve our health. A study conducted by The Centre for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education showed that when patients perceive their doctor as caring and compassionate, they have a stronger immune system and recover faster from a cold. But unfortunately sometimes care can turn in to over-care. “I need to stop caring so much” might be something you have chided yourself over. Or perhaps you say ‘yes’ all the time, when really you should say no. You might be the kind of person that feels guilty if you don’t oblige or don’t give your all. But this type of care turns into worry, anxiety and stress and leaves you drained, fretful and depleted. When you become over attached to something or someone you become out of balance. Care goes overboard and with it health and relationships are adversely affected. Interestingly
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most dictionaries define care as ‘a concerned or troubled state of mind, as that arising from serious responsibility’. Perhaps anxiety is reasonable care turned awry. Caring too much causes chronic stress and can be a perpetual cycle that is hard to stop. When you find yourself moving beyond love and care into overcare it is time to stop and take a step back. The fact is emotional resilience has a profound effect on our immune system. How is this? Well surprisingly the answer lies in our saliva. Saliva contains an immunoglobulin — a protein acting as an antibody against infections — Secretory IgA (S-IgA ) is the predominant antibody of the mucosal immune system — right at the forefront — in our saliva! Saliva is much more than a lubricant to our food and a carrier of digestive enzymes it is central to our first line of defence against pathogens. We call it mucosal immunity. There is convincing evidence that psychological stress increases susceptibility to infection and infectious diseases and S-IgA concentrations are
key. So let’s dig a little deeper to find the relationship between our emotions and immunity. The release of S-IgA is under strong neuroendocrine control. Simply stated, how we think and react directly effects our nervous system which in turn causes changes in our hormonal system. Everything is connected. Overcare is an emotional hallmark of this time. During these pivotal last months, emotional stress has been at an all-time high even comparable with siege and war. We are beset by chaos, threats, irrational fear, deprivation, and depersonalising masks. This translates into debilitating emotions: notably anger, frustration, anxiety, sadness, loneliness and depression. Unless unchecked, these emotions lower immunity. Research at the Institute of HeartMath shows that just five minutes of anger whether engaged in or ruminated over, depresses S-IgA for up to 6 hours. Whilst anger is one of the worst emotions to depress immunity, it is good to note its bedfellows — slow simmering anger — frustration, injustice, loneliness, despair and the like.
“Caring too much causes chronic stress and can be a perpetual cycle that is hard to stop”
But also, and not generally recognised, is the emotion of sympathy. Sympathy is when we get caught in the web of another person’s life. Compassion strengthens immunity as it raises S-IgA but sympathy depresses immunity as it lowers S-IgA. The emotion of sympathy drags us into overcare when we lose control and become controlled. Care is compassion in action but overcare is when compassion loses the ‘com’ prefix and passion goes wild and drains us. Understanding the relationship between emotions and immunity is the start but we need to employ techniques to make sure we keep our hearts and minds untroubled. A daily walk works wonders, so does meeting with friends and loved ones to talk and share. Ensure you get refreshing sleep. Many herbal supplements have a calming influence such as Valerian, Rhodiola, Siberian Ginseng and Lemon Balm. When the heart is troubled or even ‘broken through grief, nothing beats Hawthorn for it brings ‘peace to the heart’. Avoid the media, keep ‘news’ to a minimum, mix with people who build you up and avoid those who drain you or they will only add to the burden.
