Over my lifetime, I’ve observed an increasing interest in the
connection between mind
and body. It is
not a new concept, but it has gained ground and the Cartesian
distinction between mind and body has eroded. However, how we are still
learning how it works and the extent to which it is effective in the treatment
of disease. Geneticist and
science
writer Jo Marchant
explores these issues in Cure.
Marchant considers three areas in which there appears to be mind-body
connections that have promise for use in medical
settings. First is the placebo
effect. Next, she looks at meditation,
biofeedback and hypnosis.
Finally, she discusses the effects of our viewpoint,
especially how increase or reduce stress.
We are equipped with an internal pharmacy that
can reduce or aggravate pain, and it can be triggered by something as vague as
our expectations. This placebo affect can be as powerful as drugs at reducing
pain and some other symptoms of disease, which can make it difficult to test
the effectiveness of drugs. Some physicians are starting to change their minds
about the placebo effect. Instead of seeing it as a problem that gets in the
way of testing drugs, they are seeing it a potential substitute for drugs. The
placebo effect has limitations; it can reduce pain and symptoms, but it does
not cure the underlying disease or injury. There is also a nocebo effect,
which causes pain and fatigue.
Another interesting effect discussed by Marchant is conditioning of the
immune
system. In some cases, we can prompt the immune system to have a conditioned
response; we can train it. After taking a drug, the immune system can reproduce
the response to the drug at lower doses. We can strengthen the conditioning by
accompanying the drug with strong rituals; repeating the rituals can produce
the response to some degree. This holds some promise for improving the effectiveness
of drugs and reducing the dose needed to be effective, especially when a drug
as serious side effects. I thought this was fascinating.
Our brain is more connected, and in control, of our bodily functions
that we previously realized. Meditation, hypnosis and biofeedback can allow
people to exercise control over operations of the body that were previously
thought to be automatic or even independent of the brain. This includes pain, blood flow,
stress response, heart rate variability and vagal tone.
Relationships
also have a profound effect on our health. Strong social connections keep us
young, and lack of relationships is harmful to our health. Our own compassion
for others can reduce stress hormones and inflammation. When physicians,
surgeons, nurses and other health care professionals care for their patients as
people, those patients receiving the emotional support experience less pain and
longer lives.
Marchant shows there is potential for a new way of doing medicine, or
room to reintroduce older practices. By slowing down and showing genuine
concern for patients, doctors can multiply the effect of their treatment.
Teaching people to slow down and pay attention to their bodies, the people they
love and the good things in their lives, we can take advantage of the healing
capacities of the mind and body. Medicine can be less about dispensing drugs
and more about lifestyle and relationship.
If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
The
Beethoven Factor by Paul Pearsall
Change
Your Brain Change Your Body
by Daniel G. Amen
Descarte’s
Secret Notebook by Amir D.
Aczel
Ecclesiastes
The Genius
in All of Us by David Shenk
I
Can Make You Happy by Paul
McKenna
I
Can Make You Thin by Paul
McKenna
Instant
Self-Hypnosis by Forbes
Robbins Blair
Job
The
Last Self-Help Book You'll Ever Need by Paul Pearsall
Overwhelmed
by Brigid Schulte
Psalms
The
Relaxation Response by
Herbert Benson with Miriam Z. Klipper
The
Road Less Traveled by M.
Scott Peck
The
Solution by Lucinda Bassett
Solve
for Happy by Mo Gawdat
Suggestible
You by Erik Vance
Switch
on Your Brain by Caroline Leaf
Take
the Leap by Heather
McCloskey Beck
Timeless
Healing by Herbert Benson
with Marg Stark
Writing
Down the Bones by Natalie
Goldberg
Marchant, Jo. Cure: A Journey
into the Science of Mind over Body. New York: Crown, 2016.
