Health Benefits from Dance

There is a bio-psycho-social model for different diseases. It measures how the individual functions at a biological, psychological and social level. We know that dancing benefits all these areas, and should benefit many disease processes. But, how do we measure the changes?

British philosopher John Locke observed that "A sound body is a short, but full description of a happy state in this world." Three hundred years later science is learning that physical activity affects brains chemistry and our moods. Science has known for some time that exercise produces and "endorphin high." More recently science is documenting that regular exercise improves the mood, decreases anxiety, improves sleep, increases immune response, improves resilience in the face of stress and raises self-esteem. These benefits don't just come from the inches lost around your waist. Rather, they come from chemical changes that go on in your brain. Strenuous exercise can double the blood volume in the brain and oxygen to the brain. Your brain needs blood to carry oxygen in order to operate and circulate the neurotransmitters.

We know that dance does more than build muscles and help prevent heart disease. But, there is new evidence that it also boosts brain power and offers hopes in the battle of Alzheimer's. The documentation that those who maintain the fittest bodies have the fittest brains and are more resistance to disease, especially autoimmune diseases. Dance helps increase the temporal and prefrontal activity to improve memory, multi-tasking , planning and attention skills. Dance helps the older brain to form new interconnections and work faster. The benefits go beyond the physical aspects because we fell better about ourselves. Since dance is often done in a group setting, it also promotes more social function. This helps to starve off symptoms of Alzheimer's, ADHD and other cognitive disorders and mood disorders like anxiety and depression. Type 2 diabetes occurs less frequently in those with cardio respiratory fitness.