Win, win, win scenario

I love the notion that we could foil the plans of Big Pharma to keep us all dependent on drugs - by taking control of our health, individually, from the inside.  Let's do it.  It seems to me that many “miracle” recovery stories are beautiful examples of how the power of belief works.



A few weeks ago I went to a talk by a defector from Big Pharma who now writes and talks about a very different route to well-being: Dr David Hamilton.  He became more interested in the placebo effect than the effects of the pharmaceuticals, which is great for us, because from him we get to hear both sides of the story.

Dr David Hamilton

Although he has certainly talked about the role of belief in self-healing, this particular talk was about the power of love and kindness; not as you might expect, about the good this does in the world, but about the amazing health benefits for the giver.



Wo! I'm glad to say, he made it quite clear he wasn't advocating kindness for selfish reasons, but he did want us to appreciate just how well adapted our bodies are for it.  When we are showing love or compassion all kinds of fabulous natural healing processes kick in.  We aren't just happier, we are physically healthier too.



When you hug someone, or even if you just pause to help a stranger pick up some things they dropped, you get a rush of the hormone oxytocin into your system.  This hormone has been shown to improve people's responses to others.  People tend to be more generous, more trusting, find it easier to connect with others and like people more when their system is flooded with oxytocin.  (Apparently, it is not unheard of for business people to spray a room with an oxytocin substitute just before potential clients enter, in the hope of closing that crucial deal.  Shocking behaviour, but that's the profit-driven world for you.  I suppose at least everyone would be happy – until it wore off!)



The splendid point is, the more you practice compassion, the more disposed to showing compassion you become, in a beautiful ever-expanding spiral.  (This news makes a welcome change from downward, ever-tightening spirals.)  This leads to an expansion in the area of the brain disposed to compassion.  And more oxytocin, a powerful anti-oxidant, which means that it's good for our bodies in myriad ways.  It expands the arteries, reducing blood pressure.  It reduces inflammation, decreasing the risk of heart disease and colon cancer, and the effects of ageing.



David also talked about stimulation of the vagus nerve and its role in reducing inflammation in the body.  Inflammation is the number one cause of ageing, which is linked to deteriorating health, so anything we can do to hold it at bay is a good thing. He taught us a simple version of the Buddhist 'loving-kindness” meditation.  He reckons meditation impacts on 1,500 genes, turning off inflammation triggers.  And counting your blessings also improves your health – keeping a gratitude diary for just 3 weeks improved the health of participants in a study.  People would pay a lot of money for any drug (or dietary supplement, for that matter) which brought health improvements that rapidly – this is free!



Just before the halfway break, he got us all to stand up and hug the person next to us.  I had come alone, and so had a woman just in front of me, so we hugged each other.  It was lovely, it definitely felt good, there was a momentary connection.



David, who trained as an organic chemist, made his explanations clear and simple without talking down to the audience.  I particularly enjoyed the way he dotted his talk with illustrative stories about real people and real situations, often with a smile and a joke.  He wasn't afraid to repeat important points.  I should add, he has the most gorgeous Scottish accent.  His voice carried well to the back of the room, but still, somehow, he maintained a conversational style.  He was great to listen to, great to watch.  And very inspirational.



So let's take control of our health from the inside.  Starting with kindness to ourselves.  Then our loved ones.  Acquaintances.  Strangers.  Let's set great waves of kindness and compassion rippling out into the world.  Why hold back?  It's a win, win, win scenario.