We do several things to protect our health, such as eating right, exercising, dressing warm in cold weather, taking vitamins, practicing good hygiene and avoiding people who have contagious illnesses, such as the flu or colds. After taking all those precautions, many people still jeopardize their health simply by having poor attitudes.

Attitude affects every aspect of our lives - for better or worse - including our overall health. The mind is incredibly powerful. Have you ever heard the expression ‘I think, therefore I am’? Well, that probably means that you exist, because you think - but you should learn to look at it from a different point of view ‘I think I’m well, therefore I am.’

Some people look for things to be wrong with them. Some might call them hypochondriacs, but mostly, they just always expect the worst - even from their own bodies. This mindset can actually cause illness. This has been proven in scientific experiments where people who believe they are ill are given drugs to treat the ‘illness’ that aren’t actually drugs at all - they are basically sugar pills. But the person, believing they were being treated with medication for their illness, recovered, and no longer felt ill.

Alternately, people who really are ill have found that they heal faster when they stay in a positive frame of mind. This positive mindset allows them to follow their doctor’s orders easier, and expect good things to come from the treatment. They look forward to the things they will do once they are well - and in most cases the mind, in its own mysterious way, takes those thoughts and helps the body heal faster.

A positive attitude helps prevent specific health problems as well, such as migraine headaches, stomach ulcers, heart problems, and muscle aches. This is because when a person has a positive attitude, they have considerably reduced stress levels. Stress can cause headaches, stomach ulcers, heart problems, muscle aches, and a variety of other health problems.  By reducing stress, you reduce the potential for these health problems.

A positive attitude does not guarantee that you will never have a health problem, it just reduces the possibility, and then it works in your favor to overcome any health problems that you do experience.

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