Positive thoughts on health

An individual's health can be a touchy subject. What for one is a crippling illness maybe nothing to another. Each of us have different pain thresholds and coping mechanisms.

My late husband was a Type 1 diabetic. Until his last couple of years he rarely let the disease slow him down. He often said the disease lived with him - not the other way around.

I deal with rheumatoid arthritis. I consider myself very lucky in the fact that my doctors and I have kept it pretty controlled. My meditation has also helped me to focus on feeling good.

So that brings me to facing a disease, injury or illness with positive thoughts. I know a person who is constantly complaining about every single ache and pain. People actually try to avoid her because an entire conversation can revolve around the newest aches. There is never anything positive in any of the conversations with her. If a person read a short list of all of her ailments they would wonder how she is still alive. On the other hand I know another person who is living with MS. Rarely, if ever do they talk about their physical health. This person's life revolves around all the positive things going on in their life.

Can focusing only on the negative health issues bring on more of the same. The old adage "mind over matter" has been proven in many health instances where people in medical trials respond well to the placebo. Their minds possibly have the ability to change the physical aspects of their body. So in the same way a person who only focuses on negative health could easily bring on more health issues.

I know from my own experience that if I focus on feeling sick it tends to snow ball. So I find it easier to focus on feeling good and shrug off those times that aren't up to the level I want to be at.

Does this mean I heal faster? Not always. The broken bone in my foot is proof of that. Can cancer be cured through positive thoughts? Some people swear it happened to them. I am not to that level of belief yet but I am keeping my thoughts open to it.

Mind over matter - can matter.