Get In Touch

Did you know there is now scientific proof that touching someone or giving someone a hug will actually cause changes in your body which will make you happier, more relaxed and less stressed? According to the Touch Research Institute in Florida, hugging and touching each other has more medical, psychological and emotional benefits than anyone ever dreamed of.
And, yes, there really is a Touch Research Institute. It is located at the University Of Miami School Of Medicine. It was established in 1992 and is the first center in the world to focus solely on the study of touch and its relevance in medicine and science. Teams of researchers from the best universities in the world have come to TRI to gather information and gain a better understanding of the therapeutic value of touch. Their findings have been amazing.
Dr. Tiffany Field has studied the power of touch for many years. As the director of RTI since its inception, she has witnessed how touch, in many different forms, can reduce pain and anxiety, ease depression and aggressive behavior, and lower heart rate and blood pressure. Dr. Fields states that touch can also promote immune function and healing.
Touching, hugging and even a simple hand shake literally make you happier. When you experience touch, your brain’s vagus nerve is signalled. When this happens, cortisol is decreased in the body and your stress level is lowered.
Studies are proving that touch can lead to changes in how people think and act. For example, students who were given a touch on the back or arm from a teacher were twice as likely to volunteer in class compared to those students who had no contact with their teacher. In another study, it was found that if a doctor gave his or her patient a sympathetic touch such a holding the patient’s hand even for a few seconds, the patient estimated that the visit had lasted twice as long as it actually had. When patients who had not received physical contact from their doctor were asked to estimate the length of their visit, they guessed a shorter time.
In yet another study on touch, women with breast cancer and HIV patients had an increase in natural killer cells after receiving a massage, strengthening their immune system. As well, their levels of anxiety and depression were decreased. Studies have shown that premature babies in NICU who were touched often gained weight at a faster rate than babies who were not touched as often. After receiving massages, adults completed math problems much quicker and more accurately than those who had not been given a massage.
Touch is beneficial to both the giver and the receiver. Dr. Field trained elderly volunteers to give massages to infants. After three weeks, the infants were calmer and the seniors had less anxiety and depression, had an improved mood, had more social contacts and fewer doctor visits!
Give someone a hug, or even a handshake – it just might improve the health of both of you! At the very least, it will make you both happier. Reaching out to touch someone . . . it's a good thing!

Cold But Happy In Saskatchewan

As I am writing this blog, it is snowing out and the temperature is steadily dropping. It appears that the winter we have been dreading has finally arrived. We all had no problem getting used to the mild winter we had been experiencing until now. However, now that it has returned with colder temperatures, we are all reminded why so many of us book trips to warmer climates for a week or two (or more) every year.
I am quite certain I would be perfectly happy living in a climate which has no snow and warm weather all year around. People comment that I would miss the snow and the change of seasons. I don't think I would. Others have also commented that I wouldn't enjoy Christmas without snow. I don't believe that to be true either. I recall one December several years ago in which we had no snow until December 31. I loved that "black" Christmas! There was no need for boots so there was no twenty-minute struggle with my children to get boots on over snow-pants - just a couple shoes to lace and away they went! It was wonderful. I admit the world is beautiful after a snowfall when all you see is pristine snow and shiny white yards. Some of the best times with our kids, their friends and cousins were spent sledding at Reimer’s Hill on crisp, sunny winter days or at night when there was a full moon. We would build a huge fire at the top of the hill, so no one was ever cold. Still, I think I could easily replace that with swimming outdoors in January and long walks on sandy beaches. Yes, I could certainly see myself living on a street lined with palm trees in a hot climate.
However, as I was out walking on the snowy Rotary Trail yesterday, it struck me there is something I would miss: I would miss the sound of snow crunching when you walk on it. I have always loved that sound and I have always been aware of how much I love it. I remember as a child listening to my boots crunching on fresh snow in the quiet of the morning as I walked up our lane to catch the school bus. Upon reflection, I guess I would miss the snow after all or at least some things about life with snow. No matter where you live, you can always find something to enjoy and a reason to love where you live. What do you enjoy most about winter? Even in stormy weather and minus thirty temperatures, there are plenty of good reasons to love living through our Saskatchewan winters. Every once in a while, we just have to remind ourselves of those reasons. Being cold - but - happy . . . it's a good thing!

Happy New Year 2012!

It is difficult to believe that 2011 is almost done! The year went by so fast – have we really lived through four seasons already? No doubt, 2011 will be known as the year of extreme weather and of breath-taking world events. From the devastation of the earthquake in New Zealand in February and barely three weeks later the disaster in Japan, to flooding, fires and heat waves through-out the world, it seemed that each day brought more bad news. However as each new tragedy occurred, kindness and compassion grew and people reached out to help each other.
In the aftermath of disasters, our television screens showed people doing everything they could to help. Whether it was people digging through rubble to rescue survivors, or people fighting fires or scientists risking their own safety to attempt to stabilize Fukushima’s nuclear plants, we witnessed bravery and a determination to survive. As each tragedy hit the world this year, people in unaffected areas sent money, supplies and materials and workers – everyone wanted to help. Thousands of people and dozens of countries sent their resources to help people in need. This was a year of thinking less about ourselves and our needs, and thinking of how we could help our neighbors – those close by and those thousands of miles away.
This year we witnessed the strength of the human spirit in the survivors of these calamities. As well, we saw determination and unselfish heroism in those who worked to rescue others. We also saw compassion and generosity in those who were far away, but still wanted to help. If anyone had any doubts of man’s survival instinct or the compassion humans have for each other, the events of 2011 surely erased those doubts. Out of the ashes of bad events rose human compassion and resourcefulness.
Hopefully, 2012 will have fewer natural disasters, and the lives of those affected by the disasters of 2011 will return to normal. I hope this year will be good to you and that when you look back on your year, it will be with mostly good memories.

Looking forward to a brand new year . . . it's a good thing!