When a close friend or family member is seriously ill, there is a lot you can do to support the healing process. Your simple presence,willingness to listen, and deep caring may do a lot to reduce inflammation and promote the healing process. Even though few of us are trained in this area, simple commonsense approaches can do a lot. Our willingess to help out at home, reaching out to cook a meal for the family or shop for food or other supplies are good examples.
Often times when a person is sick is when they need their friends the most, but when these friends don't know how or what to do. We don't need to be the doctor or nurse, we just need to use our imagination to help with some of the unmet needs of the person, his or her family, or perhaps even with their work.
There are solid scientific studies showing that this kind of caring can decrease inflammation and support a healing biochemistry that can not only make people feel better but also lead to a quicker recovery.
