• Statement to the Senate
• Still Here Now
• Goodbye Grudge, Hello Health
• A Caregiver's Plight: How to Ease the Stress
• Sue Bender: Stretching Lessons
• Beth's Story: A Caregiver's Diary
• Reconciling Sibling Relationships

Goodbye Grudge, Hello Health

Dr. Frank Boehm has never forgotten the seminal event that convinced him forgiveness is the best medicine. During a work-up for abdominal pain, headaches, and high blood pressure, a patient revealed she was estranged from her siblings because years earlier they had abandoned her in a time of need.

"My patient lived daily with anger, frustration, resentment, and non-forgiveness," says Boehm, director of obstetrics at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. "I attributed her ailments to that estrangement and urged her to consider forgiving her family." Years later, he received a letter saying she had indeed taken his advice and -- soon after -- her physical troubles abated. "She had found forgiveness and from this, good health," says Boehm.

Once the privileged domain of theology and philosophy, forgiveness as a lay psychotherapeutic tool is becoming mainstream. Researchers, physicians, and mental health counselors alike are discovering that just as unforgiving emotions like anger and hostility can cause harmful physiological effects, forgiveness may give rise to exceptional wellness. Not only can it save your soul, they say; it may also save your life. Read more from this Cooking Light article.

Dr. Frank Boehm has never forgotten the seminal event that convinced him forgiveness is the best medicine. During a work-up for abdominal pain, headaches, and high blood pressure, a patient revealed she was estranged from her siblings because years earlier they had abandoned her in a time of need.