Happy Valentine's Day

So what is "Valentine's Day" really all about???

Well . . . Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd century.

And Saint Valentine began to marry soldiers in secret Christian ceremonies, which was the beginning of his reputation for believing in the importance of "LOVE". So today's question is this . . . why is "LOVE" so important to the ones health???

Well . . . as we know . . . the "gut" is about 80% of the body's immune system. And the feeling of "love" can help to nurture and support the "good" bacteria in our gut. Which in turn . . . fights off harmful bacteria that make us feel sick.

And "Love" can even "increase" our life expectancy . . . how you ask???

Well . . . the benefits of being with a loving partner can lower the risk of a heart attack, developing certain types of cancer or even pneumonia.

"Love" can reduce depression by reducing the feeling of isolation in both men and women, while increasing the sense of belonging and happiness.

And guess what???

That happy, lightness you feel in your heart when being in "love" can actually make your blood pressure drop.

And when we "love" deeply . . . there's greater activity and activation in the part of the brain that is responsible for the "reward/pleasure" response . . . therefore . . . "less" activation in this area of the brain . . . is associated with "anxiety"

We also get better sleep when in love due to less stress in our lives . . . . and studies show that when in a loving, supportive relationship . . . we are 10% more likely to have a more restful sleep.

So tomorrow, we'll discover how "love making" also benefit