Why Am I Sick? Reason #5
Because of A Broken Spirit
Proverbs 17:22, "A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones."
The fifth reason people get sick is because of depression.
Oftentimes depression is considered a sickness or illness unto itself. We will not discuss that here. For now, let's consider what the Bible has to say.
Proverbs 17:22 contrasts a joyful heart with a broken spirit. One is "good medicine" and the other "dries up the bones."
Scientific Evidence
It is pretty difficult to be depressed when you are laughing. Laughter, which can be associated with a joyful heart (though not necessarily), has been shown to have these affects on the human body. According to studies at Loma Linda, a good "belly" laugh can trigger the following benefits.
A decrease in stress hormones - including epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone
Aid in muscle relaxation
Strengthen the immune system
Reduce the feeling of pain
Benefit the cardiovascular system
Prevent hypertension
Aid in respiration
Norman Cousins
Norman Cousins is famed for overcoming a life threatening disease by laughing himself out of it. He was diagnosed with a rare disease called ankylosing spondylitis, which is a chronic, painful inflammatory arthritis and autoimmune disease. Rather than give into his doctor's analysis of imminent death, he chose to fight the disease with alternative medicine, which included large doses of vitamin C and laughter.
Watching funny movies, provoked Cousins to belly laughter. He found that after 10 minutes of laughter, he would find two hours relief of pain. In addition, he lived an additional 16 years after his diagnosis of impending death.
Anger - an Opposite of Joy
Laughter is not the only prescription for health; we must also cast off bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander - Ephesians 4:31. All of these are the opposite of joy and lead to a broken spirit - which can negatively affect health.
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According to Don Colbert, author of Deadly Emotions, “Without a doubt, hostility, rage, and anger are at the top of the list of toxic emotions that generate an extreme stress reaction."
“Getting [habitually] angry is like taking a small dose of some slow-acting poison—arsenic, for example—every day of your life. (Dr. Redford Williams and Dr. Virginia Williams in their book Anger Kills.)
According to the authors of None of These Diseases, hostility can kill you. “For most of the twentieth century, medical experts did not consider hostility to be a major health risk. They knew the dangers of high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure; but few worried about high hostility. Finally, in 1981 scientists at the University of North Carolina found convincing evidence that anger is a major killer. Twenty years earlier researchers had tested hostility levels in 255 medical students. Over the following years, the researchers watched the doctors with high hostility die like raging bulls in a bull ring. By middle age, 13 percent of the high-hostility men had died. In contrast, only 2 percent with low hostility had died. The men with anger problems had more hypertension and five times more heart attacks. Chronic anger had raised their blood pressure and clogged their coronary arteries. Long-term anger makes for a short-term life.”
Depression - a Lack of Joy
Without a doubt, the most common form of a clinically diagnosed broken spirit is depression. If you are struggling with poor health, your condition could be aggravated by depression, or a broken spirit. Try dealing with the depression in a biblical fashion first; it could bring life to your bones.
Read how God delivered me from depression.
Next: Why Am I Sick? Reason #6: Because of Demonic Possession or Influence
Return To: Biblical Health Study