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Doctor often prescribes hugging to his patients for one main benefit
When you go to the doctor, you expect to be given medication to treat whatever is wrong with you, but that’s not always the answer.
Lifestyle changes are often the best way to treat many conditions, like quitting smoking, exercising more, changing your diet and… hugging.
Doctor prescribes hugging to his patients
Speaking on Steven Bartlett’s Dairy of a CEO podcast, cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra said he prescribes hugging to lots of his patients to reduce stress.
He explained that it activates the “protection and soothing” mechanisms of the brain, which can have amazing health benefits. Particularly, it helps reduce our cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that has a role in many body systems, but most importantly in this case, stress, MedlinePlus reveals.
One 2021 study found that physical touch and being hugged both lowered people’s cortisol levels after a stressful situation.
Malhotra recommended hugging another individual for at least 20 seconds, 10 times per day. That adds up to three minutes of the day in total, and will “keep your stress levels in check”.
As explained by WebMD, long-term stress can have loads of health consequences, including heart disease, obesity, menstrual problems, skin and hair issues, mental health problems and gastrointestinal symptoms.
“We have been conditioned in a way to think that we can just be dependent on ourselves as individuals and we don’t need other people, but actually we do. That’s how we evolved, partly because it helps us feel safe,” the doctor continued.
You can also relieve stress through breathing exercises, which are a great way to calm you down instantly in real-time.
More possible benefits of hugging
As well as relieving stress, there is some evidence that cuddling could help lower your blood pressure, reduce obesity, fight off sickness, relieve pain and make you sleep better, Penn Medicine reveals.
Hugging releases�oxytocin, often called the ‘feel good hormone’, which is produced by the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland when we are physically affectionate.
Dr Aseem Malhotra is an award-winning NHS-trained consultant cardiologist based at the HUM2N Clinic in London.�He gained his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh.
