subject: The Mind/Body Connection: Is it the Best Healing Machine? [print this page] The Mind/Body Connection: Is it the Best Healing Machine?
I knew that I would have a tough time finding all the facts to prove the above statement.Actually, everything started when Jack, a friend of mine, got an email in which a person said that our body and mind is the world's most perfect healing machine'.
"Do you believe in this?" asked Jack.
I wasn't scared to express my view point when Jack asked me to answer his question.
"Yes, I do believe in it", I answered.
"I'm not so sure how to interpret this statement. I don't know all of the facts about how the mind/body connection actually heals us. Can we discuss it and try to find some clarity?", asked Jack.
"We can try clarifying this statement, and find out how everything works, by bringing some facts to our attention", I commented.
Me: "The human body has intelligence and an ability to heal itself. The healing force is in each of us, waiting to help us whenever we need it. Unfortunately, sometimes this healing force goes unused. We, as human beings, need to pay attention to this healing force. We need to listen to the symptoms that our healing machine' is giving us. The human mind can do unbelievable things that we simply can't predict and understand. Sometimes, what we really need is to believe and have hope and understanding".
Jack: "Are you saying we don't need medication?"
Me: "I didn't mean exactly that. What I mean is that hope, belief and trust is as equally important as medication is. To heal any malfunction in our body we need to believe in our own ability to help ourselves and to put our trust in the person who is helping us. I know it sounds silly, but by way of the medical symptoms that we experience, the mind/body connection is trying to tell us something about ourselves. We need to understand this and to follow body messages, as our own guide to the healing process".
Jack: "If you really believe that our body/mind connection is the best healer, where are the facts to prove it?"
Me: "The very first fact is that the body receives signals from the mind. As we know, attitude is a huge contributor to our health. We know for sure that distortion in mental health weakens human life. What we can see is that pessimism and depression (or any mood disorder) contribute to chronic diseases and weaken our immune system. What and how we think has a huge impact on our health. A healthy mind means a healthy physical body. I really don't know why people don't want to accept and recognize such a profound truth".
Jack: "Are there any other facts?"
Me: "I believe you are familiar with the expression homeostasis, which actually means an actively maintained metabolic equilibrium' in our organism. I don't want to sound too technical', but I need to clarify the term equilibrium: If everything is in balance, our organism is in a state of homeostasis; or, more precisely, in equilibrium a stable situation. If not, we are more or less in trouble. There are so many complex biological mechanisms in the human organism, helping our body to keep our physiological process on the same level all the time. From the viewpoint of the human body, we don't like changes!
We always need our body temperature or heart beat in the same range. We need the same range of acidity in our blood and urine. In the human body, many biological mechanisms work together to keep us in the state of equilibrium (homeostasis). Actually, our biological mechanisms heal our body every second of our life. This process of maintaining homeostasis is a good way to explain why our body is the best healing machine. When the human protection systems cannot do their work properly, for various reasons, our bodies need a little help' from outside - from medications or medical procedures".
Jack: "Is our immune system actually our healing machine?"
Me: "Yes, the immune system is part of our healing and protecting machine'. When an infection is in our body, as in food poisoning, a cold, or a wound, for example, the immune system immediately starts working to protect us from harmful infections. If the person has a strong immune system, he or she will probably overcome this outside invasion. If not, the body needs help from other resources.
The mind can increase and boost the immune system. I'm really scared of mind power! The mind can be so dangerous to us, if we use it in a negative way. My advice is: Always love your body, your appearance, and believe in yourself, even when you feel weak. Your own opinion about yourself is more important than any other opinion. If you can stop complaining about yourself, you are on top of the world. Your will power is spiritual power and helps us to overcome many obstacles."
Jack: "Exactly what is involved in the bodys healing process?"
Me: "To summarize everything we said so far, some of the body's healing power involves the immune system, the process of homeostasis and the mind/body connection (will power). Our body is a perfect system.
In conclusion, yes, the mind/body connection is the best healing machine. But don't forget, we could experience the opposite effect if we don't know how to use our mind power".
Jack: "Thank you for giving me a reason to respect the most sophisticated system in the
