Good Friends and Great Food! To Stay Healthy...Make Friends!!

This past Wednesday evening was spent celebrating the birthdays of two friends, Nao and Carla. I met both of them earlier this year at a beautiful and elaborate dinner party hosted by one of Naoki's fellow Toastmaster friends, Fumie. My dear friend, Sophie (she decorated the table and created the lovely party favors!), and I attended Carla and Andre's housewarming party this summer and met up with Nao again. Good friendships keep us all young and healthy!

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Gerald Ellison, Ph.D., director of Psychoneuroimmunology Services at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is another proponent of friendship for managing stress. He observed,

"Friends keep us from becoming isolated and lonely; they offer encouragement and support; and they help keep our thinking in line with the real world... When we're missing friendship, we experience isolation and loneliness. These feelings are associated with illness, discomfort, and general ineffectiveness as a person... Having friends can also be especially helpful if you're already seriously ill... Friends--if supportive and encouraging--can increase our hope when dealing with illness and trauma. And increased hope is associated with higher levels of immune system functioning."

Summary:
Friendship is a sound prescription in times of stress, for both our emotional and physical health. Dr. Ellison's statement seems a fitting summary:

"Friends--if supportive and encouraging--can increase our hope when dealing with illness and trauma. And increased hope is associated with higher levels of immune system functioning."