Participants: James Marcum & Charles Mills
Series Code: UP
Program Code: UP00052A
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00:17 Which would you prefer... happiness or wisdom?
00:21 Keep in mind that learning is a great pathway to happiness, 00:25 and without wisdom, you could lose the happiness you've got. 00:29 Stay tuned... 00:31 I'm Dr. James Marcum 00:32 Are you interested in discovering the reason why? 00:36 Do you want solutions to your healthcare problems? 00:39 Are you tired of taking medications? 00:42 Well, you're about to be given the Ultimate Prescription! 00:49 Have you ever had a doctor prescribe happiness to you? 00:52 Has your physician ever handed 00:54 you a prescription with these words written on it... 00:57 "Don't worry, be happy" 00:59 Well I know at least one physician, 01:01 a board-certified cardiologist, who believes that both 01:04 happiness and wisdom can be healing. 01:06 Who is this friendly and wise cardiologist? 01:11 Well I wouldn't know about wise, Charles 01:15 But I'd like to think I'm friendly... Yes 01:19 Before we get to questions today, 01:21 we've had so many questions come in to our 01:24 heartwiseministries. org website, 01:26 and what I like so much about questions is it 01:29 teaches ME and it helps serve someone else, 01:33 and when we do that, I find out what people are 01:36 really interested in and that's why I like to practice medicine. 01:40 Some people that do television programs, don't practice. 01:43 You know, they do that full-time. 01:45 I know one guy out in California that does it full-time, 01:49 his name starts with "O" 01:51 We don't sell products, we don't sell goods. 01:55 Unfortunately, we don't have that big budget either, Charles 01:58 But wouldn't it be great if we had a big budget? 02:00 That would be wonderful. Yeah, but anyway... 02:02 we do with what we have. Yes! 02:04 And today before we answer questions, 02:07 I read this article that I wrote a blog on, on our website, 02:12 The Campaigner at the USA Today, 02:15 she wrote an article in September 2013, 02:19 and reported that Americans are NOT the happiest 02:23 people on earth! Do you believe that? 02:25 We have so much! We HAVE so much! 02:28 We live in our big houses, we drive our big cars. 02:30 We have all this wonderful junk food to eat, 02:33 why aren't we happy? 02:34 But out of 156 countries, we rank 17... 02:40 This is the second annual happiness report... 02:44 And I want to talk a little bit about happiness 02:46 because I think happiness is important for our chemistry; 02:50 it's important as a treatment for disease; 02:52 it's important for prevention of disease. 02:56 But guess what? Out of all the countries, 02:58 guess what they rank as the happiest country? 03:00 Guess. I don't know... England? 03:03 DENMARK! Denmark? Denmark is the one they rated 03:07 the happiest, Norway was #2, 03:11 Switzerland was #3, Canada was #6, 03:14 Australia was #10, the United States was #17, 03:19 Japan was #43 03:21 Apparently, being happy equates with being cold. 03:24 I don't know... You got Norway, Denmark 03:27 These are northern places. I would have thought 03:28 some island somewhere... Well, I would have thought 03:30 like Hawaii... Some warm, tropical 03:33 island would be the place. Yes 03:34 Now, guess where the lowest rates of happiness were. 03:37 They were actually in Africa. in the countries like 03:40 Rwanda, Burundi, one called Togo, 03:44 that's where it was and a lot of that had to do with 03:47 the economic situation, freedom, and social support. 03:53 So this report triggered some of my thinking again. 03:58 A few years ago... I'm going to 03:59 sing for you again, but I remember that song... 04:01 "Don't worry, be happy" 04:04 and it had a catchy little tune and I used to really like that, 04:08 and I began wondering and I was going to try this, 04:10 and I've actually tried this in my practice. 04:12 Could happiness be a method to treat 04:15 different types of ailments? 04:17 Could moving my patients toward happiness as a prescription 04:21 for cardiovascular disease help other ailments as well? 04:25 Could the way I treat people, making them happy, 04:29 if it led them to a happy state, be helpful? 04:32 Then I said,... Wow, I need some biblical backup 04:35 before I spend some time doing this, 04:37 because you know I like to into the Scriptures 04:39 and prove biblical Scriptures, the text in Proverbs 17:22 04:48 It says, "A merry heart does good like medicine" 04:52 So all of a sudden, there it is, something biblical. 04:55 Now what I'm doing is I'm hunting for the research 04:58 that proves it; that looks at people that 05:00 are happy and people that are unhappy, 05:02 and showing how it improves their chemistry. 05:04 I still haven't found that yet but that's what I'm looking for. 05:07 But this text suggests that happiness is a 05:12 treatment for disease. 05:13 We know, for sure, I looked at the literature, 05:16 there's a vast amount of literature that shows that 05:20 negative reaction, stress, depression, anger, fear, 05:25 that's negative to our chemistry and that hurts our bodies. 05:28 Well let me get this straight... Are we depressed, 05:30 and fearful because we're unhappy, 05:34 or are we unhappy because we're depressed and fearful? 05:36 Which comes first here? I don't know! 05:39 Is unhappiness a RESULT or a motivator? 05:41 We'll have to ask the chicken which came first, 05:43 the chicken or the eggs. Yeah 05:45 But some the studies that I did look at 05:48 is there are some studies that have been done that showed 05:51 that people that are happy - they make chemicals 05:54 like endorphins - I think you've heard of that; 05:56 serotonin that helps the brain stay happy; 06:00 dopamine - that's the feel good when you eat; 06:03 pheromones - You know animals talk in pheromones, sometimes; 06:07 and another one called - pregnenolone; 06:09 all those are released when people are happy. 06:11 This is making me think that the happiness comes first, 06:14 and our response comes second. 06:16 If we are HAPPY, we may NOT get depressed and fearful... 06:22 if the happiness comes first. 06:25 If the happiness is a result of a hormonal thing, 06:28 a chemical action there, we need to learn how to be happy 06:33 so that we don't have the depression, 06:34 as opposed to waiting for the depression to come along 06:37 and then try to climb out of it to find happiness. 06:39 Well, I'm listening, Charles. 06:40 I'm finding this exciting because this is a problem 06:43 that everybody faces. Chicken or egg - That's right... 06:45 Now I got some more literature and some studies 06:49 to throw out at you. 06:51 As I've been researching this, I got the biblical text. 06:55 Now I'm trying to prove it scientifically... 06:56 we know about all these healthy chemicals that come up 06:59 more when you're happy, your chemistry... 07:01 "As a man thinketh, so IS he" So you think first! Yes 07:04 "Kubzansky" at Harvard suggests that positive or pleasant 07:09 emotion reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, 07:13 so he suggested that and he has done some research into it, 07:16 and he has shown that when people are happy, 07:17 it lowers the chance of having cardiovascular disease. 07:20 I'm thinking it can help other ailments as well. 07:23 Now if you think about it, "A merry heart doeth 07:27 like medicine" So we know that we 07:29 want to be happy. 07:31 We know that a lot of people don't know how to be happy, 07:33 you know - which comes first, the happiness or something else. 07:36 I mean, I think that's a great question... 07:38 But we do know where we want to go! Yes, absolutely! 07:41 We want to go more towards a happy state and not 07:45 towards a sad state and sometimes situations, 07:48 medical problems and that, can make us have all sorts 07:51 of issues, but we want to be happy. 07:53 So that's one thing that I wanted to throw out there 07:56 right up front, Charles - is HAPPINESS is a TREATMENT 07:59 You know, God wants us to be happy. 08:01 He wants His creatures to have fun and be happy! 08:05 He doesn't want us to be sad and wants us to 08:07 laugh and have a good time. 08:09 There are real chemical benefits that come with that. 08:11 When you get a good bear hug, that makes ME feel happy! 08:14 There's chemistry that comes with that. 08:16 When you do something that's fun and have a big belly laugh, 08:20 you know how good you feel. 08:23 There's real chemistry that's released with that. 08:25 Now if we could feel that way all the time, 08:28 for extended periods of time, just think how much 08:31 we could improve our chemistry. 08:32 Maybe we could help our pain receptors so we wouldn't 08:35 be in as much pain. 08:36 Maybe we could lower our blood pressure. 08:38 Maybe we could eat a little bit healthier if we're happier 08:41 because, you know, some people eat because they're unhappy... 08:44 Because of the dopamine, they want to make the 08:46 dopamine receptors go up, or this or that. 08:48 Some people take medicines because they're not happy. 08:52 They think that they need medicines to be happy. 08:54 Some people drink alcohol because they're not happy. 08:57 They do a host of all things, but I want us, today, 09:00 to think about the importance enough of being happy. 09:03 And as we answer our questions today, before we do that, 09:07 I'm going to do 7 suggestions how people can be happy... 09:10 All right, 7 suggestions for happiness... let's do it! 09:14 #1. And these are all ways I think people 09:17 can change their chemistry and we have some 09:19 preliminary data on this. 09:21 Now is this irregardless of circumstance? 09:24 Yes, this is the way people are going to be happy. 09:26 If you want to be happy, these are some things you can do 09:28 #1. Find ways to serve others even if it's small service like 09:35 smiling or opening a door. 09:37 So I think that can help you be happy because 09:39 when you help someone else, you feel good inside. 09:42 Yes you do... You feel happy! 09:43 #2. We've talked about this one before - Be thankful. 09:48 A thankful heart is a happy heart. 09:51 So that's 2 things - you can smile at people, 09:53 you can be thankful - that can help you on this happiness scale 09:56 #3. Go outside in nature. I LOVE that one! 10:02 Take a few deep breaths and feel the air and the sunshine. 10:07 This works for me - when I go outside, 10:08 I always feel a little bit happier. 10:11 Camping makes me happy! 10:13 Walking in a park makes me happy! 10:16 These are things that make me happy. 10:18 Now, your happiness numbers may be different than mine, 10:20 but that works for me. 10:22 #4. This works for me but not my wife. 10:25 Enjoy animals! Animals make me happy. 10:29 I've never met an animal that makes me unhappy. 10:33 Now, I've had one that makes me a little scared 10:35 when they're chasing me, 10:36 but never had one that made me unhappy. 10:38 So animals - this may mean a pet ... it might be a picture to you 10:43 or even a trip to the zoo. 10:44 Now there are 4 things that we have that can make us happy, 10:48 at some level, and improve our chemistry. 10:50 It doesn't cost us anything. Didn't take a pill. 10:52 Nope - there are not a lot of side effects for this. 10:54 There are 4 things, but we're going to do 7. 10:56 I thought we stop at 7 today. 10:58 #5. Make the time to do something you really enjoy. 11:03 It may be a hobby, it may be holding a baby, 11:07 it may be going out to eat, 11:09 it may be spending time with loved ones, 11:11 and don't feel guilty about it. 11:13 I have many people that come to my office and say, 11:15 "What have you been doing for happy?" 11:17 That's sort of my screening question, 11:19 and they don't even know! 11:20 And I want to ask YOU, what are you doing, 11:22 out there in the audience, to be happy? 11:25 What are we ALL doing to be happy? 11:27 What are we doing... are we actively trying to be happy? 11:30 Or do we just let the world throw at us what it may? 11:33 Well sometimes, we sort of like WAIT for happiness to come along 11:36 Where are you happy? I'm waiting for you, come on! 11:38 So I like to ask my patients, 11:41 and I say, "Make time to do something that you really enjoy" 11:43 And I go, "What would you do if you had a half-a-day off?" 11:46 Charles, what would you do if you had a half-a-day off? 11:47 You've already mentioned... I would head for the woods, 11:49 I would take my camera out there and I would take pictures 11:51 of God's creatures and God's nature. 11:53 That makes me SO happy. 11:54 I've had some people that when I 11:56 bring that question up, Charles, all they say is... 11:59 they can't think of anything that they would do. 12:00 That's mainly men, they can't think of anything 12:04 that they would do to be happy. 12:06 For them, it's work and I said, "I've never met someone 12:09 85 years old that wished they had worked another day!" 12:13 They wished they had done this or their hobby 12:15 or spent time with an animal or serving others, 12:17 or doing these other things. 12:19 I said, "So find something that you like to be happy" 12:22 Maybe it's fishing, maybe it's going for a walk in the woods. 12:25 So those are on the list, let me add another one... 12:27 Uplifting music - that always has made me happy. 12:31 I've never seen uplifting music make me sad. 12:35 It always increases my endorphins, my serotonins, 12:38 my dopamines, some of my other hormones. 12:41 Always helps me out when I listen to uplifting music. 12:45 And lastly, read the Bible and allow the Creator of Happiness 12:51 to show you the way to happiness. I like that! 12:55 Isn't that a great way to end that? 12:57 Read the Bible and allow the Creator of Happiness, 13:00 the One that understands it the best, 13:02 to teach you, to worship! 13:04 Now this doesn't sound fancy, but imagine these suggestions 13:09 if we applied them to our lives. 13:11 Your chemistry would change; 13:14 we might even start coming up in the United States 13:16 to be like Denmark... 13:18 And you can try these because 13:20 a merry heart does good like medicine. 13:22 Now I've given everyone out there 7 things, 13:25 pick one on the list, do it today, 13:27 and improve your chemistry. 13:29 Find ways to serve others, even if it's smiling, 13:32 or making someone happy. 13:34 Be thankful - thank someone for doing something for you. 13:37 Go outside in nature, enjoy the animals, pet an animal. 13:41 Make the time to do something you really enjoy. 13:44 Uplifting music and read the Bible and allow the 13:47 Creator of Happiness to show you the way. 13:49 I came up with those myself, Charles 13:51 Those are amazing! I like that! 13:52 Now, I wish I could get people doing those, 13:56 and say, "Yeah," let's measure your 13:58 dopamine level now and this level now, 14:00 and do a couple of these things on a scheduled basis, 14:03 and see how you feel. 14:05 Most people don't think about spending time to be happy. 14:09 It's not on their priority list, but I think it's very important. 14:11 Absolutely, absolutely! 14:12 Well, one of the things that makes me happy is to 14:15 answer questions that come in to Heartwise Ministries. 14:17 I love to show these to Dr. Marcum, 14:19 and he will have answers for you... 14:21 heartwiseministries. org is our website 14:23 So we'll answer your questions and make us both very happy 14:25 on our return - so stay right where you are. |
Revised 2014-12-17