Mind-Body Health and Healing. Andrew Goliszek
then, that when we consciously tap into that brainpower, we can use one of the greatest forces of nature to regulate the life processes that keep us healthy and disease-free? The interplay between the physical brain and the intangible mind is manifest in the interaction of the physical body and the mental aspects of health and disease. The health of the mind affects the body and the health of the body affects the mind.
The brain is the physical organ that gives rise to the mind, which in turn is the thinking and perceiving part of our consciousness. Our brains are like two-pound computers with empty files, ready to input data as fast as possible. Neural (nerve) connections sprout; and the more we’re stimulated and the more data we input during the first few years of our life, the more effectively those connections grow.
During the first ten years of life, the brain’s outer portion or cerebral cortex grows the most rapidly and undergoes the greatest amount of change. Therefore, a large amount of sensory input and education is essential for proper growth, development, learning, and memory. While the expression “use it or lose it,” is true at all ages when it comes to the brain, it’s especially true at this critical time of life. Children who are not held, cuddled, or adequately stimulated during infancy will not fully develop emotionally. At the other end of the age spectrum, older individuals who no longer perform regular mental activities will have increased memory loss and a decreased capacity in certain intellectual skills.
Throughout our lives, we’re constantly using our brain—both consciously and subconsciously—for a variety of functions, even during sleep. The old adage that we only use 10 percent of our brain is not true.
On the other hand, the mind refers to the collection of experiences, memories, feelings, and emotions that, together with our subconscious, make us who we are. The mind-body connection is sometimes called the brain-body connection because our brain is really the control center for every one of our organ systems and the catalyst that triggers the multitude of chemical reactions that control our lives from before birth until we take our last breath (at least).
We don’t fully understand the intricacies of how nerve networks operate, but we do know that the brain has an incredible ability to change connections in response to sensory stimuli. This ability is called neuroplasticity and is responsible for creating feelings and emotions and producing cognitive behaviors such as thinking and memory that change with our life experiences. Until recently, we didn’t realize the extent to which we’re consciously able to trigger the brain—with no external stimuli at all—into actions that can literally alter the thousands of biochemical reactions occurring in our bodies every second.
For example, visualization or imaging is being used along with traditional chemotherapy treatment to help patients destroy malignant cells. Prayer sessions are becoming a part of healthcare at many hospitals owing to the belief (supported by some research) that spirituality plays a vital role in a patient’s healing process. Both imaging and prayer are examples of how the brain, as a result of stimulation by our thoughts, can be mobilized to boost the immune system enough to influence diseases as life-threatening as heart disease and cancer.
Development of the immune system begins during the first few weeks after conception. Neural folds appear and release cells that form what is known as the neural crest. The neural crest then contributes to the proper formation of the thymus gland, which is necessary for the full and effective development of the immune system. Once the central nervous system (CNS)—consisting of the brain and spinal cord—develops, it begins to communicate with the immune system to create immune responses.
Individuals with poor brain development, or with psychiatric and neurological disorders, often have poor immune responsiveness, lowered antibody production, and impaired lymphocyte activity. Some of these individuals, particularly those suffering with psychiatric disorders, can be helped with the techniques described in this book. The sensitivity of the CNS is one reason prenatal care is so important. Unless the CNS develops and grows properly in an environment without toxins such as alcohol, nicotine, drugs, and other agents, the immune system will not develop properly either. Babies are then born who may have underdeveloped spleens, thymuses, and lymph nodes, with a subsequent decrease in white blood cell production. Many children whose mothers may not have known they were pregnant until the second or third month are born much more susceptible to infections and diseases.
The nervous system is the first system to be visible during early embryonic development. Once it begins to form, everything else follows. The endocrine and lymphatic organs, together with the brain and nerves, form the neuro-endocrine-immune system, which controls the healing process and keeps us healthy. Some of the brain’s structures, such as the hypothalamus and pituitary, play an especially critical role in our ability to respond to events happening around us. The manner in which we respond, however, is the result of brain conditioning, much like the conditioning of our muscles during physical exercise or training.
Figure 1.1: Main Components of the Developed Brain
Hypothalamus/Pituitary: The Brain’s Thermostat
The lower area of the brain contains a section called the hypothalamus. Known as the body’s thermostat, the hypothalamus maintains homeostasis, the constant state in which our body operates. Functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, growth, metabolism, electrolyte balance, hunger, sleep, wakefulness, and breathing are controlled by signals generated by this area of the brain.
In order to function properly and direct the brain, the hypothalamus receives signals from the skin, eyes, nose, peripheral nerves, and the multitude of internal receptors that respond to changes in temperature, fluid concentration, and pressure. Because it’s so sensitive to stressors and environmental signals, the hypothalamus is also involved in an immense number of biochemical reactions, and is the reason why stress can have such a deleterious effect on so many different organ systems. Altering the hypothalamus surgically, for example, can literally destroy the immune response.
Directly below the hypothalamus is the pituitary, which releases more hormones than any other endocrine gland. But although it’s the principal gland that releases hormones (it’s called the master gland of the body), the pituitary cannot do so without chemicals produced by the hypothalamus. The anterior pituitary is involved in many of the reactions occurring during stress, anxiety, and physical trauma. A pathway comprising the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal gland plays an important role in how we deal with both physical and emotional stressors and is discussed in the next chapter.
The posterior pituitary releases two hormones, one of which, vasopressin or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), is important in regulating the body’s fluid balance. During stress, it also contributes to the release of cortisol, which depresses the immune system and makes us more prone to illness and disease. In the case of major depression, both vasopressin and cortisol levels are very high. Oxytocin, the other posterior pituitary hormone, is mainly involved in muscle contractions, especially the uterine muscles during the final stages of pregnancy and the mammary gland cells during suckling in order to eject milk. In males, oxytocin increases contractions of the prostate gland and the vas deferens, the vessel that transports sperm.
Recently, a team of scientists from Heptares Therapeutics, a medical company in Hertfordshire, England, discovered the structure of what has been called the brain’s “misery molecule.” According to the scientists, CRF-1, a protein found in the brain and pituitary cells, triggers the release of stress hormones and may actually contribute to our feelings of stress, anxiety, and even depression. Chief scientific officer Fiona Marshall said that “Stress-related diseases such as depression and anxiety affect a quarter of adults each year, but what many people