Mind-Body Health and Healing. Andrew Goliszek
a normal immune response. How else can we explain what some people call miracle cures but what more and more doctors refer to as “unexplained spontaneous healing?”
I believe the phenomenon of spontaneous healing occurs because something within us triggers a major response in our immune system, which literally floods our body with increasing white blood cells that attack and destroy whatever is causing the illness. We shouldn’t be at all surprised that this happens as often as it does. Without such a response, we’d be dying of diseases at a much more rapid rate. What should surprise us is that we know so little about how to use the mind-body connection to strengthen immunity and spontaneously heal ourselves in the process.
“Mind over matter” is not simply a catchphrase. It is a truth based on what we know to be fact: that the brain, given the right set of directions, the right environment, and the proper stimuli, will always choose healing over disease.
The ability to fend off illness and disease depends on several factors, some of which are beyond your control, but others of which are not. The type of stressor you’ve been exposed to, such as a pathogen, an injury, or a traumatic event may be—in fact, usually is—beyond your control. But the way you react to the stressor and the general health of your immune system are things you can influence. Harnessing the power of your brain and thus enhancing your ability to boost your immune system is definitely something you can influence. Remember that at the center of it all is the brain, and as we have discussed, the brain is “command central” for the mind and the body.
Homeostasis: An Internal Balancing Act
Each of us has, in our brains, an internal engine that fine-tunes our life processes and keeps us in balance. That engine is homeostasis. For example, when our body temperature increases or decreases too much, homeostatic systems engage to get us back to normal. When our blood sugar gets out of balance, those same systems work to return it to a healthy level. In essence, we stay healthy and disease-free because our body’s engine helps keep us within a normal physiological range.
When we lose our ability to get back to that normal range, we set ourselves up for danger. Physical and emotional stress significantly decreases the effectiveness of homeostatic systems by altering biochemical reactions and flooding us with hormones that disrupt life processes. Additionally, as we get older, we don’t cope as well with sudden changes because our homeostatic mechanisms aren’t as efficient as they once were.
By definition, disease is the failure to maintain homeostasis. Disease is a state of imbalance that usually begins at the tissue level and eventually affects organs or entire organ systems. Sometimes our immune system needs a little help because it doesn’t react quickly enough. A bacterial infection, for example, may spread rapidly and overwhelm us unless antibiotics are given to keep the pathogen population down long enough for our own defenses to take over. In most cases, our natural defenses are enough to get the job done, and often we’re not even aware that we’re being attacked.
A physician friend once told me, “If there was anything in the world I would wish for my patients, it’s a healthy and responsive immune system.” As long as we have a healthy immune system, the disease process begins and ends fairly quickly. For instance, there is good evidence that cells are making mistakes all the time—including the mistakes that lead to cells becoming cancerous—but the immune system fights back. The body can recognize that a cell is a mutant and destroy it. So we may have cancer for a brief moment of time and then it’s gone. Or, we get an infection and our body gets rid of it in short order. It’s when our immune system is weakened by internal and external forces that we succumb. A breakdown in homeostasis is often exacerbated by persistent negative thoughts, and the resulting disease may be the product of the mind-body connection working against us.
One of the most important systems we have to fight disease is really three systems in one. The nervous system, controlled by the brain, regulates the other two: the endocrine and the immune systems. Together, these systems are a veritable army against toxins, pathogens, tissue trauma, and psychological stress, which by itself can cause more disease than the first three factors combined. See Figure 2.1.
Figure 2.1: The Neuro-Endocrine-Immune System
Many diseases besides genetic disorders originate with the nervous system because the brain controls the way all our other organs respond. As discussed earlier, the hypothalamus sends chemical and nerve signals to the pituitary, which in turn releases hormones that trigger chemical reactions and stimulate or inhibit the immune system. In concert, this threesome of organ systems determines how healthy we are and how quickly and effectively we respond to illness when it strikes.
All three of these systems directly affect one another, particularly during embryonic growth and development. And in adulthood the interactions that occur among them depend extensively on a network of chemicals and hormones that travel from one body part to another, sometimes for great distances.
Because the neuro-endocrine-immune system is so interrelated, disruption to one of the organ systems due to a physical challenge like tissue trauma or infection, or a mental challenge that creates stress, typically causes damage to the others. And because this damage usually begins with the brain, our goal should be to ensure that the “neuro” part of the neuro-endocrine-immune system is functioning well. If it isn’t, it’s that much harder for the body to overcome disease mechanisms.
What Are the Effects of Stress on Health?
If you are not able to change your response to the stressors that are so much a part of modern life, you may find yourself in a continual fight-or-flight reaction. Over time, being effectively stuck in fight-or-flight mode can lead to serious health consequences, including high blood pressure, digestive disorders, or diabetes.
Mind-body therapies and practices can help prevent this. But note that the relationship between stress and illness is not a simple one. There is no simple, direct connection between the number and kinds of stressors you experience, the way you react to those stressors, and how your physical health is affected. But there is a connection.
Some people misinterpret the idea of the mind-body connection and end up blaming themselves for being stressed and sick. This assumes a level of control over their health that isn’t realistic. Instead of worrying or self-blaming, do what you can to take care of yourself, including practicing stress management, but it’s important to recognize that you don’t have complete control.
How Do Mind-Body Therapies Help Reduce Stress?
Mind-body therapies help you change your response to stressors. Some of the ways they can do this include:
• Relaxation response. Many of these therapies invoke the relaxation response. As you may have experienced, the relaxation response reverses the physical effects of stress.