Friendship Wins Big for Liver Health

Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., MTCM, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)®

Jan 14th, 2011

Those with chronic liver disease frequently look to their physician or pharmacy to prevent their liver disease from progressing. However, strengthening your social life might be just as important for keeping your liver healthy.

A reflection of our times, an increasing number of adults lead a relatively solitary life. Unfortunately, the health of those without a solid social network doesn’t fare as well as the health of those surrounded by friends. Especially important for those battling an ailment like chronic liver disease, the value of friendship holds unparalleled rewards.

Solitary Living
You needn’t be an outcast of society to have few to no friends. A growing number of Americans are finding themselves feeling utterly alone:

· Our technology-based culture enables people to work, shop and seek entertainment without ever leaving their couch.

· The rise in natural disasters and the struggling economy have made moving to a new, unknown location a necessity for some folks.

· The pervasive loss of jobs and sharp spike in unemployment boots many more out of their social network.

Those who don’t get out much often succumb to depression, a condition that can make people vulnerable to the worsening of many illnesses, including heart disease, alcoholism, diabetes and liver disease.

Why Friendships Are Key
While depression from being alone has a negative effect on physical health, a social network provides just the opposite. Besides simply having fun, spending time with friends yields a multitude of long-term physical and emotional health benefits. Over the past several decades, clinical studies consistently demonstrate the importance of friends and good relationships for aging gracefully and remaining in good health. For those with chronic liver disease, the physical and emotional benefits of friendship can directly impact longevity.

Some of the evidence demonstrating the importance of friendship is as follows:

· As published in a 1993 edition of Psychosomatic Medicine, a six-year study of 736 middle-aged Swedish men found that attachment to a single person didn’t appear to reduce the risk of heart attack and fatal coronary heart disease, but having friendships did. Only smoking was as important a risk factor in these catastrophic events as lack of social support.

· Published by Harvard researchers in 1999, a 13-year study of almost 3,000 senior citizens found that social activities such as playing bingo or attending church were as important to survival as regular exercise.

· As published in a 2005 edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, a 10-year Australian study of nearly 1,500 participants over age 70 found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends.

· As published in a 2006 edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a California study of nearly 3,000 nurses with breast cancer found that women without close friends were four times as likely to die from the disease as women with 10 or more friends. And, notably, proximity and the amount of contact with a friend weren’t associated with survival – just having friends was protective.

Why the Liver Benefits
Experts offer many reasons why being socially engaged leads to better health. However, most agree that on a biological level, this correlation is because positive emotions change the body’s chemistry – causing it to produce substances that ease pain, reduce inflammation and fortify the immune system. Anyone battling chronic liver disease can profit from this chemical shift directly – especially to reduce liver inflammation and strengthen immunity against illness.

Emotional health also has an effect on how well the liver functions. Based on several alternative healthcare traditions (like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayuverdic Medicine), depression and anger can impede the flow of blood through the liver. For those with chronic liver disease, the uninhibited flow of blood through the liver is especially important for maintaining health. This is because liver disease will worsen with longstanding liver congestion.

In the quest for better liver health, many people turn to doctors, drugs or other costly interventions. However, these approaches overlook friendship as a powerful tool in fighting liver disease. Doctors agree that socializing is critical for staying happy and healthy, just as loneliness can shorten life span. As such, those embroiled in a solitary existence are encouraged to build their social network – not just for the enjoyment of friendships, but also for the health benefits to their liver.

References

http://headaches.about.com/library/weekly/aa-rx-friendship-a.htm, Rx for Overall Health: Friendship, Retrieved September 26, 2010, About.com, 2010.

http://jech.bmj.com/content/59/7/574.abstract?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=friends&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=date&resourcetype=HWCIT, Effect of social networks on 10 year survival in very old Australians: the Australian longitudinal study of aging, Lynne C Giles, et al, Retrieved September 26, 2010, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2005.

http://www.cvshealthresources.com/topic/srfriends, Health After 60: Seniors and Friendship, Chris Woolston, Retrieved September 26, 2010, Consumer Health Interactive, 2010.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/social-support.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20100921, The Importance of Friendships, Madeline Vann, MPH, Retrieved September 26, 2010, Everyday Health, Inc., 2010.

http://www.ivillage.com/friends-benefits-how-pals-keep-you-healthy/4-a-108235, Friends with Benefits: How Pals Keep You Healthy, Jessica Cumberbatch, Retrieved September 26, 2010, iVillage, Inc., 2010.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed, Social networks, social support, and survival after breast cancer diagnosis, Kroenke CH, et al, Retrieved September 26, 2010, Journal of Clinical Oncology, March 2006.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/health/21well.html, What Are Friends For? A Longer Life, Tara Parker-Pope, Retrieved September 26, 2010, The New York Times, April 2009.

http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/abstract/55/1/37, Lack of social support and incidence of coronary heart disease in middle-aged Swedish men, K Orth-Gomer, et al, Retrieved September 26, 2010, Psychosomatic Medicine, January/February 1993.

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Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., MTCM, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)®

Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., MTCM is a long time advocate of integrating perspectives on health. With a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester and a Master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches Institute, Nicole has been a licensed acupuncturist since 2000. She has gathered acupuncture licenses in the states of California and New York, is a certified specialist with the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, has earned diplomat status with the National Commission of Chinese and Oriental Medicine in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology and is a member of the Society for Integrative Oncology. In addition to her acupuncture practice that focuses on stress and pain relief, digestion, immunity and oncology, Nicole contributes to the integration of healthcare by writing articles for professional massage therapists and people living with liver disease.