Thoughts may be as important to health as exercise

January 1, 5:24 PMPhiladelphia Health ExaminerThomas Hartmann

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American mendicant Peace Pilgrim

The vast majority of the nation’s health discussion focuses on the importance of diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits, like not smoking cigarettes, moderating alcohol intake, exercising regularly, and keeping slim.

This only makes sense, because the media derives much of its information from the questions posed by scientific investigations like the recent completed and medically groundbreaking Harvard Nurses Health Study.

Overlooked in the press, however, are more basic human activities like thinking and speaking. Randomized, placebo-controlled studies just can’t be conducted about what goes on in people’s minds, and therefore can never become a topic of popular debate. These very thoughts, though, may be the most important factor in a person’s health.

A paragon of health in the 20th century, the American mendicant Peace Pilgrim (see previous Examiner articles) attributed her excellent health over almost 30 years to the fact that, among other things, she had trained herself over the course of 15 years not to think negative thoughts.

Of course, since she was always walking, her lifestyle ensured her constant exercise. Also, she considered her choice of vegetarianism to be part of her positive mindset.

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are,” she wrote, “you would never think a negative thought. They can be a powerful influence for good when they’re on the positive side, and they can and do make you physically ill when they’re on the negative side.”

She ought to know – a modern Christian exemplar, she lived without possessions and relied solely on her attitude and fate to get her through the world.

Upcoming: how you can achieve Peace Pilgrim’s state of health