Is love the answer?

Perhaps. City doctors say that there are no concrete studies to prove that love can heal the ailing, but the presence of a loved one releases chemicals in the body, which in turn facilitates speedy recovery of the patient

health. Though medically there are no studies in India to support this, there is no denying that the human body recovers faster in the company of a loved one. If we talk about love between a man and a woman, there are innumerable examples. And they are not just psychological but chemical as well.
Says Dr V D Joshi, a neuro surgeon attached to Divine Hospital and Jupiter Hospital, "In 1993-94, when I was studying at Sion Hospital, Dr Alok Sharma, the HOD of neuro surgery, was interested in a process called Neuro Immuno Psychology, which studies human emotions like love, hate, anger and fear, which secrete various chemicals leading to the immune response of the body. Someone with a good emotional response will produce good chemical secretion. Serotonin is the neurochemical produced when someone is happy, and this regulates functions like mood, appetite, and sensory perception. So when the patient is surrounded by his or her loved ones, the chances of a good, speedy recovery are higher."

Long hours
"The surgery took 17 hours. Before Ruma went in, we had decided to use sign language to communicate once the operation was over. I was to use a thumbs up sign to indicate whether or not the surgery was successful. I was in the waiting room. The last five hours were crucial. Dr Jagannath came out and told me that he had removed 90 per cent of the tumor but to remove the rest of the 10 per cent he needed permission because it was risky. I was in a mess. Ruma isn't just my wife, she means everything to me. I didn't want to lose her. But I had faith in Dr Jagannath and told him to go ahead. At 1 am, he came out and said, the surgery is successful," says Sudipta. When Ruma woke up, Sudipta showed her the thumps up sign. From then on, Ruma made a quick recovery.
During Ruma's hospital stay, Sudipta never left her side. Says Ruma, "I promised Sudipta before I went into surgery that I would come back. I asked him to always dress properly, eat well and smile, whatever the circumstance. And he stuck to it. I am grateful that he is my partner. I have seen the passion in his eyes of never giving up on me."
Dr Jagannath says, "With an example like this couple's, you will be able to understand better what emotional bonding can do to heal a person."

Not much research
Says Dr Mahesh K Shah, a cardiologist attached to several hospitals including Lilavati, Breach Candy and Nanavati, "There is no scientific literature to understand this phenomena. Though there
are proofs in trauma cases, there are none in heart ailments where one can say for sure that a family or loved one's support helped heal a person."
Dr Mahesh Shah, however, adds, "Interestingly, it is seen in several cases that the death of a spouse leads to death of the other
spouse within a year. But if you look at it scientifically, the stress and anxiety of leading a lonely life leads to a rush of adrenaline which, in turn, can increase the chances of a heart attack."

Medicines alone don't help
A recent case in point is the one that Dr V D Joshi cites of an elderly couple in their 60s.
"I knew of this couple who had lived alone for almost 15 years, looking after each other. Recently, their son and daughter-in-law came to stay with them. Soon after, the elderly woman had a paralysis. We could feel that there was lack of love between the children and the parents. Then,
the elderly woman died. On the third day of the death, her husband also passed away. I have seen that when a family shows care, the patient recovers properly. But when the care is lacking, medicines alone don't help," Dr Joshi says.

Family ties help, but...
Dr Chetan Shah, interventional cardiologist and rhythm specialist attached to Lilavati, Wockhardt and Hiranandani hospitals, supports this claim by saying that he too has a couple of such cases. But in his case, the couples were 80-plus.
He says, "But family ties have also helped recover patients. Just the other day I met a patient who, a year ago, was put on ventilator but his wife was certain that he would pull through. And sure enough, 15 days later the man showed improvement. The other day when the couple visited me for a regular check-up, the wife accompanied him as usual. She has been his constant support. She keeps asking me minute details about how to go about things. So though there aren't any documents to prove it, it's certain that relations do help a patient come out of an illness."

The ICU Psychosis
Dr Mufazzal Lakdawala, bariatric surgeon attached to Hiranandani andu00a0 Saifee Hospital says that conducting studies on such cases are difficult, especially if the patient has been in an ICU for long.
"Such patients tend to erase the memory of ICU in a condition called ICU Psychosis. They lose sense of day and night and lack the ability to recognise reality. But hope is not lost in all the cases. Four-five years ago, a lawyer was bought to the hospital with severe abdominal injuries. She was almost given up for dead as only a few inches of her small intestine was left. But her husband was not ready to give up. He learnt everything u2014 from putting the IV to sterilising her and what not. He was so good with her, he never left her side and the woman actually recovered."

What psychology says
Dr Ashit Sheth, a psychiatrist attached to Bombay Hospital,
says it has been documented that every good relationship has a positive effect on the wound or operation. "Also, a surgeon who is warm and listens and explains things to the patient has a better post-operation recovery. It's similar to when a hurt child goes crying to his mother to be comforted. The pain disappears miraculously. That's because the child feels secure due to the endorphin released in the body, which acts as a painkiller."

Quick recovery after years
Talking about a study, he says, "In a collaborative study done by Shiv Gautam and Robin Murray in Jaipur, they found out that we Indians recover much better from grief than those in Britain. This is because we have a strong support system. In fact, I was treating a bipolar patient who underwent excessive mood swings. His mother was ill and his father wasn't so involved in the family. Then the boy got married and his wife took interest in his treatment. I saw a total turnaround in him. He was more in control, his mood cycles reduced. Obviously he felt more secure because of his wife's presence."
Three cheers to happy relationships!

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