Happy festival

Diwali and other such celebrations may have a positive impact on people's health.

The whole world takes a break around the end of the year, what with all the religious and secular holidays. And the high point of this period is Diwali. Although this year may be less exuberant, because of all the money lost on the stock markets and elsewhere, it’s possible that one result will be an uptick in the fervour with which we welcome the break. It is certainly the right time to propitiate Lakshmi and Ganesh.

Festivals not only allow us to turn away from mundane pursuits to spiritual — apart from merchants and shopkeepers — they also exert a strange influence on our bodies.

Studies in the West have shown that people are less willing to see a doctor around Christmas and New Year, and even less willing to be hospitalised. Unless the problem is dire, they will wait until after all the fun is done. There’s reason to think this may be true of India’s festival season as well — and, for anecdotal evidence, some doctors will tell you as much.

“The number of patients drops,” says dentist Dr Pavan Khurana. “They are all busy with the festival, giving gifts and visiting. They only come to you in an emergency. Unless there’s severe pain they prefer to take a painkiller until the festival is over.”

“There are chronic problems and acute problems,” agrees orthopaedic specialist Dr M K Magazine. “Acute problems have nothing to do with the festival season. Acute problems can’t be deferred.”

Yet there is also a psychosomatic effect — people want to enjoy the festival, so their bodies obey, temporarily. “It’s not just a question of Diwali,” Dr Magazine says. “If there is a marriage in the family, old ladies who are bedridden, don’t move around much, even they get up and celebrate. When the environment is good most of the chronic illnesses disappear for a while.”

While our bodies rise to the occasion, our minds may not. Various studies in other countries show a sharp rise in the number of deaths and hospitalisations among those who travel during the holidays (who may choose to defer treatment, with bad consequences), those who have asthma or suffer from heavier-than-normal eating, and those who either drive while drunk or are hit by someone who does.