To Be Healthy, Be Happy

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Based on that definition, two Israeli doctors, Dr. Dina Eisen and Dr. Lilach Meltski, have developed a system called "Synapsot," or otherwise "Optimistic Health Promotion," that encourages patients to be healthy by being happy.

"It’s really not much more complicated than that," say the doctors.

The origin of the word synapse comes from ancient Greek and means "to join together." The plural of synapse in Hebrew is Synapsot. Synapses are the points where two nerve ends meet, and where a message is passed along.

Synapses are therefore the connecting points in the brain between the outer reality and the inner perception. Our thoughts define what we feel about what is actually happening. We are able to give personal meaning and choose particular reactions to outside events as they occur. Our thought processes activate synapses that give us either happiness or sadness. And this reaction will not only affect our emotional well-being, say the Synapsot founders, but our physical health.

According to Dr. Eisen, new synapses can be produced throughout life. The human brain is flexible and can produce "optimistic synapses" by learning and repeating actions, thoughts or words: "We found a way to create the exact chemical reaction in the brain generally induced by different types of pills, only in a natural way, using the system already existing in our bodies," Eisen told NoCamels. "It is the synapses activation that makes us either happy or sad."

Eisen’s method is based on years of medical research worldwide. Two of the main studies have shown that a larger amount of serotonin is released into the synapses in the brain when a person smiles or says "thank you," explained Eisen. Serotonin is a chemical known to make people happier and is often used in anti-depression pills.

Eisen says that laughter and humor are also proven to make people healthier. One of the studies that influenced Synapsot was research involving more than 800 men with heart disease. The study showed that the happier and more optimistic men had a 20 percent better chance of staying alive than the pessimistic ones.

Here are Dr. Eisen's top five tips promoting health:

1. Hug someone at least four times a day — studies show that a warm touch with another person has positive physical effects on both the giver and receiver.

2. Say "thank you" even for the smallest things — it makes new synapses connections in your brain as well as improves your attention skills.

3. Keep in close touch with your friends — people who have been through heart attacks are 40 percent less likely to suffer another when they have a close circle of friends.

4. Eat cashew nuts, avocado, whole wheat, sweet potatoes, and spinach — they increase the level of serotonin in your brain.

5. Get six to eight hours of sleep every night — sleeping balances the neurons in the brain back to their normal level.

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