I keep getting distracted by items that I read here and there and that take me away from my regularly scheduled research (I have about a zillion studies to read…). But this bit of news was too appealing to be ignored.
According to a new study reported by Reuters (http://tinyurl.com/4y2j5y), Writing about the experience of dealing with cancer may help boost some patients’ well-being. Hah! I knew there was an excellent reason for spending most of my day doing research, writing and blogging! I just knew it was healthful! 
And read this: Expressive writing refers to writing about one’s deepest thoughts and feelings about life experiences. Studies have shown that the practice can benefit people with health conditions such as asthma, arthritis, pelvic pain and cancer. The benefits, in some studies, have included physical ones, like reduced pain and improved immune function, the researchers explain in the journal The Oncologist.
Improved immune function…!
The writing experiment was conducted in a cancer clinic waiting room: In a survey taken immediately afterward, half of the patients said that the writing experience had changed the way they thought about their disease. Three weeks later, slightly more — 54 percent — felt that way. Moreover, patients who reported such changes tended to score higher on a standard measure of quality of life than they did before the writing exercise.
And how long was this writing session? Twenty minutes. Ehhhh? That’s it??? That means that my quality of life should be even better than that of a groundhog living in a field of daisies! 