Be Nice To Volunteers...They Live Long Lives!

DAVID FAWCETT, PhD, LCSW

                Did you know that giving your time and effort on behalf of someone else can actually improve your mood and overall health?  Although it sounds too good to be true, that is the conclusion of a number of studies on a variety of populations from around the world.  Scientists are still unraveling the specifics, but there are some intriguing clues documenting the health benefits of volunteering.

                First, there are positive physical health effects.  Volunteering was associated with reduced mortality risk in a number of studies, especially in persons aged 60 and over, although the benefits appear to hold true for all ages.    Simply put, persons who consistently give their time on behalf of others lived longer than those who did not.  More surprisingly, the health status of the volunteer didn’t matter.  Even if they had a serious medical condition themselves, volunteering provided a protective factor for their own physical wellbeing.

                Volunteering was also associated with increased positive emotions and a significantly-improved  sense of purpose.   It increased access to social and psychological resources which countered negative moods such as depression and anxiety.  People who volunteered reported a greater degree of overall happiness, with improved social support and cohesion that benefits both the individual and the community.  Finally, volunteering has been shown to improve self-satisfaction and mastery of new skills, both of which reinforce a positive self-image.

                These studies also reveal interesting ways to maximize the positive effects of service work.  The total number of volunteer hours per week was not as important as consistency and length of service.  That is, just one hour a week was more effective at promoting the health and wellness of the volunteer than lots of hours, as long as it was consistent over a period of months or even years.    Studies also revealed that there are health benefits even if the service work is informal and privately arranged, such as spending time with a homebound neighbor each week.  Volunteer work doesn’t have to be “official” to benefit, just consistent.

In the end, these studies showed that “mattering” was the crucial link between volunteering and wellbeing.  By moving beyond our own needs and helping others, we begin to make a difference and “matter” to both our community and ourselves, and we get the bonus of being healthier and happier.    

              This article was used by permission of Dr Fawcett  and originates from The Fusion group  

This page is offered by Simon who became a quadriplegic after a car crash. He has a phenomenal site that helps people understand the complexity of spinal damage and shows how you can choose to do what you want to do in life anyway. Some people let life happen others make things happen. Simon makes things happen! Please visit his site by clicking on the banner on the bottom of this page

This page describes the role of dermatome and myotome locations and how you can have pain at one area when the damage is really somewhere else. We urge people to take a dermatome map into your doctor  and show them the pain patterns

 Spinal nerves have motor fibers and sensory fibers. The motor fibers innervate certain muscles, while the sensory fibers innervate certain areas of skin. A skin area innervated by the sensory fibers of a single nerve root is known as a dermatome. A group of muscles primarily innervated by the motor fibers of a single nerve root is known as a myotome. Although slight variations do exist, dermatome and myotome patterns of distribution are relatively consistent from person to person.

myotomes-dermatomes by permission Apparelyzed.com

Myotomes

Each muscle in the body is supplied by a particular level or segment of the spinal cord and by its corresponding spinal nerve. The muscle, and its nerve make up a myotome. This is approximately the same for every person and are as follows:

C3,4 and 5 supply the diaphragm (the large muscle between the chest and the belly that we use to breath).

C5 also supplies the shoulder muscles and the muscle that we use to bend our elbow .

C6 is for bending the wrist back.

C7 is for straightening the elbow.

C8 bends the fingers.

T1 spreads the fingers.

T1 –T12 supplies the chest wall & abdominal muscles.

L2 bends the hip.

L3 straightens the knee.

L4 pulls the foot up.

L5 wiggles the toes.

S1 pulls the foot down.

S3,4 and 5 supply the bladder. bowel and sex organs and the anal and other pelvic muscles.

Dermatomes

Dermatome Apparelyzed.com used by permission (2009) Click to enlarge Dermatome chart – Map

Dermatome is a Greek word which literally means “skin cutting”. A dermatome is an area of the skin supplied by nerve fibers originating from a single dorsal nerve root.  The dermatomes are named according to the spinal nerve which supplies them. The dermatomes form into bands around the trunk but in the limbs their organisation is more complex as a result of the dermatomes being “pulled out” as the limb buds form and develop into the limbs during embryological development.

In diagrams or maps, the boundaries of dermatomes are usually sharply defined. However, in life there is considerable overlap of innervation between adjacent dermatomes. Thus, if there is a loss of afferent nerve function by one spinal nerve sensation from the region of skin which it supplies is not usually completely lost as overlap from adjacent spinal nerves occurs: however, there will be a reduction in sensitivity.