This was a letter I sent to newspapers on March 12, 2020 as the corona virus pandemic was beginning to escalate.


Dear Editor,

As a physician and author I have learned from my experience with cancer patients that there is an immune competent and survivor personality. Psychiatrist George Solomon realized the same thing and put together what he entitled an Immune Competent Personality when he was treating the emotional issues of patients with AIDS, early in the epidemic, when no treatment was available. Psychiatrists understand this better than doctors who treat a diagnosis and not a patient and their experience and story.

I hope you will publish this and let people know fear has the opposite effects and suppresses immune system activity. Tests have demonstrated this. Even an actor’s health is affected by the role they play; comedy versus tragedy. If you want to resist the Corona virus have faith, smile and laugh for no reason, keep involved in relationships, even pets and other living things, and meaningful life-enhancing work.

When people and other living things rely upon you, you live longer. Women live longer than men for this reason because men who can’t work find no reason to live while women say, “I can’t die till their all married and out of the house.” She lived for twenty years until her ninth kid left home.

I saw this in my practice. Even twelve cats did the same thing for another woman with cancer when I told her children to not remove the cats it would take away the meaning of their Mom’s life. They thanked me every office visit for years.

Peace, Love & Healing To You All,

Bernie Siegel, MD  author of Love, Medicine & Miracles

https://berniesiegelmd.com