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Jealousy and the rotting of our bones

Jealousy comes in all sorts, sizes and reasons.
To the reader and most people, a bad habit perhaps, but unavoidable.
We become envious when we compete, and we do - in many areas of modern living - work, study and sport are the obvious ones, but neighbors, parents and lovers will also find a good reason to be envious.
Wanting something or someone that we don't have, which we think we deserve, but unfortunately (for us) another person possess.

This unwelcome feeling and desire is highly unhealthy for us for several reasons - It encourages frustration and promotes anger - at life, colleague at work or yourself and leads to a very dangerous thing indeed - depression.

In Proverbs 12;4 King Solomon - a wise man, no doubt, writes:
'A noble wife is the crown of her husband, but the wife that acts shamefully is like rottenness in his bones'.
And a more familiar one in Proverbs 14;30 :
'A tranquil spirit revives the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones'.
At first glans, a metaphorical description but is it really?

Almost 3,000 years later and surprisingly enough, in the same old city - researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that depression
can cause a loss of bone mass leading to Osteoporosis.

Three researchers, Prof. Raz Yirmia from the University's Brain and Behavior Laboratory, Prof. Itai Bab from the Bone Laboratory and Prof.
Esther Shohami from the Brain Trauma Laboratory say they understand
better the interaction between the mind and the Skeletal System.
Their findings were published by the American journal - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research done mainly on rodents, shows that after four weeks of depressed state, the animals developed a massive bone mass loss.
The reason - a reduction in bone-building cells - called Osteoblasts, and as a result damage to the bone renewal process.
A connection was made by the researchers between depression and the Skeletal System - and that depression sets off a system called the 'Sympathetic Nervous System' which releases a Neurotransmitter named Noradrenaline as a result of depression, but also from various other stress related situations.
The Noradrenaline has a negative effect on the bone building cells, but treatment with anti-depressant drug - blocks Noradrenaline and by doing so the detrimental influence on the bone.

Good news especially when we study the staggering numbers -
One in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 years old will break a bone because of this condition.
Many millions all over the world are suffering.
Osteoporosis is caused by hormonal conditions, smoking and different chronic diseases and not only because of depression, but the effect of mental health on our body is again proved.

-Prevention is better than cure.

Lets assume depression is responsible for Ten percent of the cases of Osteoporosis and that anti-depressant drugs are necessary and can help many of the patients.
We are left with a lot of people who can be helped just by changing themselves and their daily mental thinking patterns by not being envious!
There is nothing to gain - just pain.
Each person has his own journey to march, and he should enjoy it regardless of the (perceived) physical or mental circumstances.

Learn more about this author, Josef Firestone.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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