By Keith Purtell

Phoenix Staff Writer

It’s not a myth that having a positive outlook can make a difference in your health, according to a number of medical studies.

One local woman said she got her sunny disposition through her upbringing in the church. It came in handy when she faced an unexpected illness.

Shirley Simpson, 56, a purchasing agent for the City of Muskogee, said it all started when she was scheduled for surgery on her leg.

“At first they said I would be off work for 10 to 15 days but there were complications and they ended up doing two surgeries in two weeks,” she said. “I was off work for five months.”

Being unable to stand for much of the time and being away from the job she enjoys was stressful.

“I had some moments when I was really weak,” she said. “But, with the help of my brothers, my son, my mother, my prayer partners and Christ, I got through it. I did it with the help of all my friends and family, and my doctor, Tim Robison.”

Simpson said she always has been a believer in spiritual values that helped her positive attitude.

“You have to keep a positive outlook,” she said. “I believe in keeping people happy. I love to watch old movies and shows on TV like ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ or ‘I Love Lucy;’ something good and funny.”

Dr. Daniel Murphy, radiation oncologist at Muskogee Regional Cancer Center, said outlook does make a difference.

“For people with a positive outlook, the bothersome nuances and nuisances that go on in the body, you don’t pay as much attention to them,” he said. “So you tend to be happier in general and more comfortable in general when you’re not focusing on symptoms and problems and negativities.”

Murphy said that people who have a better mental attitude are more hopeful going into difficult medical situations.

“They are going to heal better,” he said. “Their immune system is healthier. When you’re less depressed, everything is functioning more in a healthy way. Your brain is a physiologic organ in your body, and has an interdependence on your body. And your body is going to respond to how your brain is acting.”