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Why a hug is better than medicine

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Marie Claire Lifestyle News: Friends hugging

When we're not feeling our best, there's nothing like a big hug to make us feel better.

Now scientists say there is a good reason why.

Swedish research has found that our skin is teeming with nerve fibres that spring into action when we are cuddled, stroked or gently touched.

They transmit the information back to the brain's emotional receptors, creating feelings of pleasure and stopping other fibres from delivering messages of pain.

Among other findings, researchers discovered that when skin is heated to a temperature that makes us say 'Ouch', the pain can be lessened if you are stroked gently with a brush.

Professor Francis McGlone, of food and beauty company Unilever, whose team discovered the C-fibres, said hugging and grooming such a brushing our hair all play an important role in helping us feel good.

He said instinctive actions such as a mother cuddling a baby or kissing a child's bruise better were 'fundamental to nurturing', the Daily Mail reported.

'There is research showing that if you touch a patient when you are giving them bad news it makes a lot of difference,' he said.

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Friday 12 September 2008

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Science says that human contact is healing. The sad news is that the people in power need science to 'prove' what everyone all over the world have always known. Why can't we respect our instincts and fulfill our own needs rather than wait for a seal of approval from people in white coats specially trained not to trust their instincts? Hopefully we'll look back at news like this in fifty years time and laugh at how weird we used to be.
Comment by Michelle on September 14 13:46