A growing number of researches demonstrate that the mind and
body are closely intertwined. Our attitudes, thoughts, beliefs and emotions
play a significant role in our health and well-being. Let us see three interesting researches done
on the subject.
Dr Bruno Klopfer of the University of California was
treating a man named Wright who had advanced cancer of the lymph nodes in
1957. All standard treatments had been exhausted, and Wright appeared to have
little time left. His neck, armpits, chest, abdomen, and groin were filled with
tumors in the size of oranges, and his spleen and liver were so enlarged that
two quarts of milky fluid had to be drained out of his chest every day.
But Wright did not want to die. He had heard about an exciting new drug called
Krebiozen and he was confident that a new anticancer drug called Krebiozen
would cure him. He begged his doctor to let him try it. At first his doctor
refused because the drug was only being tried on people with a life expectancy
of at least three months. But Wright was adamant. His doctor finally gave in. He gave Wright an
injection of Krebiozen on a Friday, but in his heart of hearts he did not
expect Wright to last the weekend. Then the doctor went home.
To his surprise, on the following Monday, he found Wright out of bed and
walking around. Klopfer reported that his tumors had "melted like
snowballs on a hot stove" and were half their original size. This was a
far more rapid decrease in size than even the strongest X-ray treatments could
have accomplished.
Ten days after Wright's first Krebiozen treatment, he left the hospital and
was, as far as his doctors could tell, cancer free. When he had entered the
hospital, he had needed an oxygen mask to breathe, but when he left he was well
enough to fly his own plane at 12,000 feet with no discomfort.
Wright remained well for about two months, but then articles began to appear
asserting that Krebiozen actually had no effect on cancer of the lymph nodes. Wright, who has rigidly logical and scientific
in his thinking, became very depressed. He suffered a relapse, and was
readmitted to the hospital. This time his physician decided to try an
experiment.
He told Wright that Krebiozen was every bit as effective as it had seemed, but
that some of the initial supplies of the drug had deteriorated during shipping.
He explained, however, that he had a new highly concentrated version of the
drug and could treat Wright with this. Of course, the physician did not have a
new version of the drug and intended to inject Wright with plain water. To
create the proper atmosphere he even went through an elaborate procedure before
injecting Wright with the placebo.
Again the results were dramatic. Tumor masses melted, chest fluid vanished, and
Wright was quickly back on his feet and feeling great. He remained symptom-free
for another two months, but then the American Medical Association announced
that a nationwide study of Krebiozen had found the drug worthless in the treatment
of cancer. This time Wright's faith was
completely altered. His cancer blossomed anew and he died two days later.
Studies in psycho-neuro-immunology (the mind-body
connection) actually show that our beliefs even have the capacity to override
the biochemical function of a drug. Dr. Henry Beecher of Harvard University
has done extensive research on this. One such experiment involved
100 medical students. The students were given one of two pills. Some
received a red pill – which they were told was a super stimulant, while
others received a blue pill – which they were told was a super
tranquilizer. What they didn’t know is that the contents of the
pills were reversed. The blue pill was the stimulant, and the red
pill was a downer. Half the students developed physical reactions that were in line
with what the students expected to
happen. Meaning, if they took the red pill, and was told it was a
super stimulant, it did exactly that – stimulate. BUT what the pill
actually contained was chemicals to SUPPRESS and TRANQUILIZE!!! Their
physical and physiological reaction to the drug was exactly OPPOSITE of what
the drug should have done.
It must be noted that
these students were NOT given PLACEBOS. They were given an actual
DRUG! A placebo is a harmless pill, usually a sugar pill that has no
therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs. Its
effectiveness is 30% or greater – that is higher than some drugs that are put
on the market!
Dr. Henry Beecher stated that a drug’s effectiveness “is
a direct result of NOT ONLY the chemical properties of the drug, but also the
patients’ belief in the usefulness and effectiveness of the drug.”
Renowned physician Deepak Chopra reported the case of a 63
year old woman who was hospitalized with jaundice, thought to be the result of gallstones.
During surgery, it was discovered that the patient did not have gallstones but
a severe gallbladder cancer which was considered inoperable. While the patient
was recovering from surgery, her daughter asked that her mother not be informed
of the true diagnosis. Dr. Chopra obliged and instead told the patient that
they had removed the gallstones, believing that she would only live a few more
months. Eight months later when the patient returned for a checkup, she
appeared healthy and there was no clinical evidence of cancer. On one of her
later visits she said, “Doctor, when you admitted me to the hospital three
years ago with jaundice, I was sure I had cancer. I was so relieved when you
operated and found gallstones that I made up my mind never to be sick
again” (Chopra, D. (1991). Creating health p. 71).
In our haste to find a miracle cure for diseases, we often
overlook one of the most powerful treatments for any disease – the human mind. All
three cases cited above illustrate the critical role of psychological factors
in physiological health. The mechanisms underlying
the results are still shrouded in mystery but there is no denying the fact that
these effects are real.
Deepak Chopra says in his “Ageless Body and Timeless Mind”, “Our
cells are constantly eavesdropping on our thoughts and being changed by them.
Because the mind influences every cell in the body, human ageing is fluid and
changeable; it can speed up, slow down, stop for a time and even reverse itself”.
Studies have found that people who suffer from depression are at higher risk
for heart disease and other illnesses. And people under stress have been found
to be more susceptible to colds and flu, and to have more severe symptoms after
they fall ill.
Research in young adults has shown that the happier a
subject is, the less likely they are to become ill, and the quicker they
recover from illnesses. Positive mood states, emotion and satisfaction appear
to be strongly linked with good physical health. On the corollary, those who
feel guilty, anxious, lonely and depressed are more likely to exhibit
undesirable health choices and present themselves as less physically healthy
overall. The longer one lingers in a depressive, despondent state, the more
likely it is for one to get sick. Without fail, those who maintain positive
mind and disposition are more likely to live longer and far better than their
more negative counterparts.
If by thinking positively, we can improve our health, we
must work to eliminate negativity from our thought patterns. If one can recognize
and understand negative thoughts and influences in one’s life, one can take
steps to eradicate them. Regardless of whether one is trying to combat an
illness, recover from a trauma, or simply become a healthier person, all evidence
suggests maintaining a positive mind is the essential component.
-
N.GANESHAN
