Loading ...Positive ThinkingYes, There Is a Mind-Body Connection
Conventional medical wisdom tells us that between genetics and environmental influences, there is not much you can do to control your health.
Conventional medical wisdom is BS.
Consider the word disease. It is better pronounced dis-ease, because when we are ill our body is in a state of dis-ease. The reverse is also true. Anytime we put ourselves in a state of dis-ease, we put our body at greater risk for becoming ill. We know that when we are stressed or angry or upset our health suffers.
Let me give you some surprising statistics. I recently worked as the medical director for a fairly large insurance company. One of my jobs every month was to review the most commonly prescribed medicines. The top four always remained the same: two antidepressants and two ulcer medicines. Still convinced all disease is from outside sources?
What causes this dis-ease? The science is still a little fuzzy and we are just beginning to understand these relationships. What we do know is that the brain releases modulating factors based on our emotions. These neurohormones are released every time we have an emotion, whether good or bad.
In addition, emotions can cause the adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenalin. These send signals to all the organs of our body. They change heart rate, breathing, fat metabolism, intestinal movement and many other physical processes. As you can imagine, a constant bombardment of emotion could cause devastating effects to some of our organs.
Here are some other interesting facts. Laughter has been shown to improve cancer survival. Loving a pet as you age makes you live happier and longer. Happily married men live longer than their single counterparts. Most heart attacks occur on Monday morning.
In the final analysis, peace of mind and your attitude toward your health may be as important to your health as anything else!
[Ed. Note: Tim Reynolds, M.D., is a practicing physician and a health and lifestyle expert. To sign up for his free health e-letter click here].
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[...] myth that there is no mind-body connection tends to be perpetuated more than any other amongst physicians. Though if any one of us thought [...]
Entered: November 27th, 2008 at 11:00 am. Permalink