Can Writing Actually Improve Your Health?
By Patti Testerman
According to the Journal of the American
Medical Association, writing about stressful life events helped reduce
symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis in patients with these
chronic illnesses. The effects of the writing exercise were still
evident four months later and resulted in clinically meaningful
improvements in patient symptoms.
Interestingly, studies showed that asthma patients who wrote about their
most stressful life events showed a 19-percent improvement in lung
function; similarly, rheumatoid arthritis patients had a 28-percent
reduction in symptoms.
These findings add to a growing body of evidence that links mental and
emotional health to physical well-being. Although researchers aren’t
sure exactly how expressive writing can lead to health improvements,
they theorize that writing help people cope with stress, and stress—as
well all know—clearly impacts health.
University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James
Pennebaker believes that regular journaling strengthens immune cells,
called T-lymphocytes. He theorizes that writing about stressful events
helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of these
stressors on your physical health.
Louise Moran, a nurse coordinator, has written about a patient who,
during a serious illness, sent daily e-mails to friends and family about
her illness, a practice the woman believes played a pivotal role in her
healing process. Moran said another patient felt that journaling helped
her create a new life after breast cancer. There have even been studies
suggesting that journaling in healthy people actually improves the
immune system.
Patti Testerman is content manager at JournalGenie.com, the only online
site that analyzes your writing and then gives you instant feedback.
Want to discover self-defeating patterns, or find better ways to
communicate in a relationship? Check out our site.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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