THE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM a regular reader of Eulalee Thompson's column, as I find it a good source for increasing my knowledge on a number of health considerations.
I found her article in The Gleaner of April 12 particularly interesting, as it is in direct contrast to Norman Cousins' 'Head First? The Biology of Hope and the Healing Power of the Human Spirit', which posits the opposing view to that in the article.
Cousins is a member of the UCLA's School of Medicine's faculty and documents what he claims to be the result of extensive "interviews with doctors, patients, medical students and research scientists."
His findings demonstrate that an optimistic outlook, coupled with strong faith (backed with prayer) and a good relationship with one's doctor, can make illness less painful and does increase one's chances of recovery and survival.
He concludes that "Hope, faith, laughter and the will to live are biochemical factors that can actually help combat serious disease."
It is interesting that even in the realm of spirituality (as there is in commercialism), there are contrary opinions.
I am, etc.,
CONROY DALEY
condaley@cwjamaica.com
