A calm mind speeds up wound healing.....Stress slows it down (www.drdavidhamilton.com)
Scientists at Ohio State University, Ronald Glaser and Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, created small blisters on the skin of volunteers who were married to each other. First they asked the married couples to discuss a neutral topic, then the scientists monitored the levels of a protein that is produced during wound healing over the next 3 weeks.
Then they asked them to discuss something that they disagreed upon; that would create stress in them both. Again, the scientists monitored the levels of the wound-healing protein.
Astonishingly, the levels of the wound-healing protein were lower when the couples had disagreed - when they had been stressed.
The effects of calm and stress work at the genetic level. For the wound-healing proteins to be made in the body, a gene must be switched on. So calm and stress affect the switching on or off of genes on our DNA. Most states of mind have genetic effects, and studies in epigenetics have shown that prolonged emotional states have genetic effects that can be passed on to the next generation.
My personal philosophy is that if I strive to be the best person I can; that is, the most kind, caring, understanding, and tolerant then any positive genetic effects that come from these prolonged states in me might be passed on to my children. And don’t worry if you are not in the place right now where you can focus in this way. I have had prolonged times in my past when I’ve been depressed and it’s just been so hard. I believe that we are constantly re-writing parts of our genetic code, in terms of which genes are switched on and off. And so any biological effects at that time will now be over-written. All things eventually change. You have plenty of time!
And the effects on the next generation are not going to determine their destiny. Epigenetic effects act more like a gentle wind. Their own free will, and choices in how to live their lives, are the overwhelming authors of their own genetic evolution.
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This article is Copyright © 2010 by David R. Hamilton Ph.D.
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