My Food for Thought: The Healing Power of Touch
Some mornings, as I sit at my desk/computer tapping out another daily blog post, I marvel that something as simple as human touch can do what even the most advanced medicine sometimes struggles to do: calm the mind, steady the heart, and remind the body that it is still very much alive and connected.
At my age, I have learned that there are many ways to take care of ourselves, medications, diet, walking for exercise, but the older I get, the more I appreciate the quiet, healing power of a hand on my shoulder or a reassuring hug after a long day or a whole body massage.
Science tells us what our hearts have long suspected. Gentle, affectionate touch can lower stress hormones like cortisol and raise the levels of “feel-good” chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. These changes can help strengthen the immune system, improve mood, and even support better sleep and heart health. In other words, massage, a simple hug or friendly pat on the back is not just heartwarming, it is, in a very real way, medicine without a prescription.
Living alone, but not lonely in my active-senior community, I see every day how much touch matters, especially for older adults who may be widowed, far from family, or quietly missing the small gestures of affection that used to fill their homes.
A warm handshake at the dining room, a gentle shoulder squeeze from a neighbor on our walks, or the comforting, rhythmic touch during a professional massage can brighten the entire day and soften the edges of isolation and worry. Studies show that for seniors, caring touch and massage can ease anxiety and depression, improve circulation, and offer that precious feeling of being seen and valued.
My own life has been deeply shaped by touch. I still remember the steady, capable hands of my late spouse, a dedicated Filipino nurse who cared for patients in hospitals, homes, and community settings. She understood long before it became fashionable to talk about “holistic care” that healing was not only about pills and procedures, but also about presence, a gentle hand to hold during a frightening diagnosis, or a reassuring touch on the arm when words failed. Watching her work taught me that compassion travels through the fingertips as surely as it does through the voice.
These days, my “treatment plan” includes a mix of modern medicine and old-fashioned human kindness. I manage my own health challenges, like Stage 4 chronic kidney disease, with the help of my doctors, my daily walks, my reading, and my writing. But there is a special kind of therapy in the small touches of everyday life: a friendly pat on the back after a good game of bridge or mahjong, a hug from a visiting family member, or the soothing movements of a weekly massage that quiet both muscles and mind. These moments may not show up on a lab report, but I feel their effect in my spirit and, I suspect, in my immune system as well.
My daily blogging has become another way of “touching” others across distance. Each time I sit down to write, I imagine readers scattered across the world, each carrying their own burdens, joys, and private worries. I cannot hold their hands, but I hope my words can land like a gentle touch on the shoulder, encouraging, steadying, reminding them that they are not alone in whatever season of life they are in. In this sense, connection through touch is not only physical; it is also emotional and spiritual, carried by presence, attention, and genuine care.
So today’s Food for Thought is this: if you are able, offer someone a small, sincere gesture of touch, a handshake, a hug, a pat on the back, or even just a moment of steady eye contact paired with a gentle hand resting on theirs. You may be easing their stress, lifting their mood, and quietly strengthening their health, even if neither of you can see it happening in the moment. And if, like me, you also live alone, remember that you can still “touch” others through kindness, attentive listening, and, yes, even through the words you share each day with the world.
One simple touch, one kind word, one thoughtful blog post at a time, we continue to remind each other that we belong, that we matter, and that our hearts and bodies still respond to connection in the most beautifully human way.
https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-healing-power-of-touch-benefits-of.html
https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2026/03/holding-hands-and-why-people-need-hug.html
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