Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

How Being Kind Helps Your Immune System, Reduces Stress and Changes Lives with Dr David Hamilton #104

35 snips

Mar 25, 2020

David Hamilton, a pharmacist-turned-author, discusses the profound impact of kindness on health. He reveals how kindness boosts happiness, strengthens the immune system, and promotes heart health. The conversation dives into the science of the placebo effect, highlighting how belief can lead to real physiological changes. Hamilton also shares insights on oxytocin, the 'kindness hormone,' and its role as an antidote to stress. The podcast inspires listeners to embrace small acts of kindness, illustrating their powerful ripple effects.

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ANECDOTE

Mother's Affirmations

David's mother used affirmations and meditation to cope with postnatal depression.
This early exposure sparked David's interest in the mind-body connection.

INSIGHT

Placebo Power

Placebo effects are often dismissed in drug trials.
However, they demonstrate how beliefs create real chemical changes in the brain.

ANECDOTE

Doctor Empathy Study

A study showed patients who rated their doctor's empathy as perfect 10/10 had 50% higher immune response.
Empathy creates a stronger mind-body connection.

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The world is changing and people are feeling scared. What we regard as normal has been completely flipped on its head. What we need now more than ever is kindness.

When you’re kind to someone, it’s not just that person who benefits. Kindness makes you happier. It’s good for your heart. It helps support your immune system. It slows ageing. It improves relationships. And it’s contagious – any small act of kindness you might perform is proven to have a ripple effect that reaches over 100 more people and I can’t think of a better message to put out there in these unique and uncertain times.

My guest this week is David Hamilton, a pharmacist-turned-author with a special interest in how the mind affects the body, and vice versa. We chat about his fascination with the placebo effect and the many studies that demonstrate how the brain actually changes – and the body heals – in response to certain information. We talk at length about oxytocin, which David calls ‘the kindness hormone’, and how it’s the main contributor to heart health outside exercise. And he explains why kindness is the opposite of – and antidote to – stress.

If you’re feeling powerless, or that any efforts you make at the moment are insignificant, I really hope that listening to this podcast will help. It was recorded back in February, before the scale of this pandemic could be known. And yet it feels timely to release it now, as a reminder of what is within our control, when so many other factors aren’t.

Show notes available at drchatterjee.com/104

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DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.