Science Now Proving That Love Can Heal 
 
Interview with Larry Dossey, MD  
 
Physicians often view the connection between love and healing as implausible. They believe that healing is guided solely by the blind laws of nature and the machine-like functioning of human physiology. Emotion has no role.
 
Larry Dossey, MD, disagrees. As a physician who integrates both conventional and alternative medicine, Dr. Dossey explains that both scientific evidence and his clinical experience point to a significant role for love in healing. Here is an interview....

Is there scientific proof that love affects the body? The common belief that love is "just a feeling" confined to your brain is outdated. An abundance of scientific data now show that love is associated with changes in physiology.
 
In a study of 10,000 Israeli men with heart disease, those who felt loving support from their spouse had 50% fewer symptoms of angina than men who did not have a loving, close relationship.
 
Another example of the effect of love on physical health is bereavement -- what happens when the object of our love is suddenly taken away. During the first year of bereavement, the death rate in the surviving spouse is up to 12 times higher than that of married people the same age. 
 
How does love work as a healing agent? We know that love and affection are associated with neurological and hormonal changes.
 
Studies show that when litters of baby mice, as well as newborn infants, are touched and held, this promotes a cascade of biochemical changes associated with immune function, the sense of well-being and pain perception. It is becoming clear that love and affection are associated with a host of changes that extend beyond the brain to influence probably every organ system in the body.
 
In the near future, researchers may investigate a "physiology of love." This could include the well-known phenomenon of the "helper's high." That's the feeling of well-being associated with charitable, empathic, hands-on service for others. Many volunteers say they have never felt physically better or healthier in their lives. Research shows this "high" is accompanied by an increase of "feel-good" hormones known as endorphins. 
 
How have you brought love into your own practice of healing? In the 1980s, I began to look at all the studies I could find that had to do with intention in healing -- that is, the deliberate attempt of physicians and healers to use their wishes and desires to help a patient get better. This often takes the form of prayer. As I explored this area, it became clear to me that the bottom line of intention and prayer was love and caring.
 
According to the studies I was reviewing, it didn't seem to matter what religion people belonged to. What was important in effecting healing through prayer was the love and compassion the healer felt for the person being healed.
 
So I started going into the office earlier and created a healing ritual, in which I entered into a meditative state, thought about each of the patients I would see that day and sent them healing, loving and compassionate thoughts. 
 
I got to the point where if I didn't do this ritual, I felt it constituted an ethical breach -- like withholding a needed surgical procedure. I get many letters from doctors who have had the same type of experience and found it has had a positive effect on their patients' health. 
 
How can a person maximize the force of love in his/her own healing process? One way is to love yourself. The common idea is that love comes from outside -- that other people love you. But do you love yourself? Do you think you got sick because you are unworthy? Do you see your illness as a punishment for something you've done wrong?
 
Look deeply inside yourself to see if you think you are unworthy of love. If you find this is true, you should work with a therapist to reframe your beliefs. 
 
Are there other ways to demonstrate love? Yes. Hundreds of studies conducted over the past two decades show that people who follow a religious or spiritual path have a lower incidence of all major diseases than people who do not. They also live an average of seven years longer.
 
Being part of a religious or spiritual community sometimes includes helping people get over illness -- taking care of the kids, bringing food, taking someone to the doctor. These are the physical manifestations of love that go beyond just saying, "I care about you."
 
Being loved and loving someone else gives our life a greater sense of positive purpose and meaning. This is also scientifically proven to translate into better health.
 
Other types of love are also important. According to survey data, loving your occupation -- or job satisfaction -- is an equal or greater predictor of heart disease than smoking, high blood pressure or cholesterol levels.
 
If you don't love your job, consider retraining so you can change careers. If this isn't feasible, cultivate sources of positive meaning in other areas of your life. Devote time to charitable work for the poor and/or find ways to participate in meaningful civic projects.
 
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Dr. Dossey is the executive editor of the peer-reviewed journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, and the author of nine books on health and healing, including Healing Words (Harper SanFrancisco) and his most recent, Healing Beyond the Body: Medicine and the Infinite Reach of the Mind (Shambhala). 
 
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