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PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to...
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A Healthy Start to a Healthy Year
Can your mind help your body keep your New Year’s resolutions?
Mounting evidence says, *Yes.*
The evolving field of psycho-neuroimmunology, or the study of the
mind-body connection - often considered fringe beliefs - could
help you keep your resolutions. This intriguing subject of
scientific inquiry is still shrouded in mystery.
Just as an experiment, put aside your skepticism, pretend that
these ideas could be explained by science, and consider how you
could harness their power to promote your health.
Placebo Effect
When new medications are tested, one group gets the new
medication and another group gets the *sugar pill* or placebo.
Why do this? Study after study shows that if you think you’re
taking real medicine, your body will respond as if it actually
did get the active ingredient, even if it’s a sugar pill.
Somehow the belief in the power of the medicine creates the
desired outcome of lowered blood pressure or heart rate or weight
loss in about a third of people. Is this science? Yes. Is this
mind-body medicine? Yes.
Let your beliefs help your body achieve your desired goals. If
regular exercise is your goal, tell yourself, *I’m invigorated by
my daily 20 minute walk.* The placebo effect suggests that your
belief that you have more energy with regular exercise makes it
so.
Nocebo Effect
In November 1998, a teacher noticed a *gasoline-like* smell in
her classroom, and soon thereafter she had a headache, nausea and
dizziness. Given the concern about a toxic environmental
substance, the school was evacuated and closed for 5 days.
Almost 200 students and teachers were seen in the ER for similar
symptoms. But no environmental cause was ever identified. One
explanation is that the belief that a toxic exposure occurred led
to the symptoms, or the nocebo effect. This is the flip side of
the placebo effect.
I reflected on this study as I was waiting with my son for his
turn in the dental chair. He repeated, *It’s going to hurt; it’s
going to hurt.* I suggested to him that he might be better served
by saying, *It’s going to be fine; it’s going to be fine.*
Has the nocebo effect undermined your New Year’s resolutions in
the past? Barry saw this in action last March as he told
himself,*I hate to exercise.* He made a commitment to daily
walks in January and talked himself out of them before the winter
snow melted.
Harness the power of the placebo effect and minimize the nocebo
effect this year, even if your resolution is something
challenging like smoking cessation. In years past you might have
told yourself, *This never works. I’ll never be a non-smoker.*
Consider replacing that thought with, *In the past it didn’t
work. Now I keep my promises.*
Gelotology
It’s the study of humor and its effects on the human
body.
Researchers are asking the question, *Is laughter good medicine?*
You know from your own experience that laughter breaks stress and
tension. Evidence suggests that laughter enhances the function
of your immune system and stimulates pleasure centers in the
brain.
You always have the choice about whether to laugh or cry. Ann
remembered that as she completed an interview for the job of her
dreams. She bought a new suit that made her feel like she already
had the job. It wasn’t until she left the group interview that
she discovered the toilet paper stuck in the waist of her skirt
streaming behind her like a tail. After an initial rush of
embarrassment she laughed.
Prayer
We are a deeply religious nation, and many of my patients use
prayer as a source of strength and comfort. Can prayer promote
healing? Growing evidence from well-respected clinical studies
suggests it can, although not enough evidence for the medical
community to conclude that prayer is good for health.
What kind of evidence would you need to use prayer as part of
your health regimen? Interestingly, you would consider the same
factors whether you’re re-considering Vioxx or Naproxen (recently
found to cause heart problems) or Aryuvedic remedies (recently
found to be associated with toxic levels of heavy metals). What
are the desired benefits, and what are the risks?
What harm could prayer do? We doctors get concerned when patients
forgo conventional therapy that has proven benefit for therapies
like prayer or shark cartilage that do not have proven value.
Consider using mind-body therapies such as prayer together with
proven medical treatment. Now, shark cartilage is another matter
- and simply not proven at all.
Gratitude and giving
Some interesting, if preliminary, studies suggest that the
expression of gratitude and the act of giving increase brain
serotonin levels, the same chemical change antidepressant
medication helps. That might support your own experience of
feeling better as you reach out to the tsunami victims or express
gratitude for the health and safety of those you love and the
extraordinary richness of your life.
You have the power to carry out your New Year’s resolutions,
whether it’s achieving greater physical, financial or spiritual
health. Who knows-maybe one day with greater understanding of
the mind-body connection, you doctor may prescribe the power of
your mind to help you get there.
Copyright 2005 Vicki Rackner MD
About the Author
Vicki Rackner, MD, president of Medical Bridges, is a board-
certified surgeon who left the operating room to help employees
become active participants in their health care. She is a
consultant, speaker and author of the *Personal Health Journal*. Dr. Rackner can be reached at
http://www.MedicalBridges.com or (425) 451-3777.
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