HARNESS THE POWER OF THE MIND
The new year is faithfully marked by dogged determination to resolve to act differently and live better, from sliming down to developing better eating habits, improved health is often within the scope. Statistics show resolutions are dropped within two months by 37% of people who make them. Don’t let this year’s resolutions slip by, harness the power of your mind to help you stay true to your health goals.
The Power and Influence of the Brain
Recent research supports the astounding influence the brain has on the health of the human body. Generally accepted health treatments in the United States often focus on the physical and chemical evidence behind everything from why certain foods make you gain weight to why specific diseases emerge. At times, the answer does not lie in components scientists can visible identify.
Vilayanur Ramachandran, Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California at San Diego, is responsible for monumental research using patient’s brains to alleviate phantom limb pain. He performed a simple experiment with patients who had a limb removed where he blindfolded patients and touched different parts of their body. When he touched the abdomen, patients would report sensation in the abdomen region, when he touched the shoulder, patients reported sensation in their shoulder. Surprisingly, he found when he touched different portions of a patient’s face, the patient would respond by telling the doctor that he was touching the phantom limb. Ramachandran discovered each limb can be mapped to the face, similar to the knowledge in Traditional Chinese Medicine that every part of the body can be mapped to a specific portion of the ear. Ramaachandran’s work supports the belief that when neural signals in the body get crossed, movement in the remaining portion of the limb or the facial area correlating to the limb may produce agonizing pain, which the brain connects to the phantom limb.[1]
Using a simple mirrored box, Ramachandran has worked with patients to trick the brain, ultimately alleviating pain. An example of this work would be where a patient with an amputated left arm would place the right arm inside a mirrored box, creating the image to the subject that both arms are outstretched in front of him, tricking the mind to perceiving a healthy limb free of pain. The brain ultimately creates new neural pathways based on the perceived healthy function of the lost limb, ultimately, eliminating phantom limb pain.[2] If the brain can be trained to develop different neural pathways, ultimately eliminating pain in a limb a person no longer possesses, it does not seem inconceivable to assert the brain can play a major role in a host of endless conditions causing discomfort and sabotaging great health. (To view an incredible lecture by Ramachandran, click here.)
The Bright Side of Optimism
While ending phantom limb pain may be a more extreme example of how the brain is responsible for lingering chronic conditions, the healing powers of the brain have been scientifically documented for years. One of the most remarkable and conclusive studies highlighting the mind’s connection to healing was a 2002 double blind, placebo controlled study on patients with osteoarthritis of the knees, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that patients who participated in arthroscopic knee surgery experienced similar reductions in pain and improvements in knee function as a placebo group. Follow-up conducted two years later found no differences between the two groups, proving surgery is no better than a placebo.[3] The placebo effect worked because of the mind’s belief that something had improved the body’s condition.
The benefits of optimistic thought, which is defined as the tendency to believe, expect or hope things will turn out well, has long been documented to have a positive correlation to better health. A thirty-five year longitudinal study conducted on 99 Harvard University graduates found the health of optimists at age 25 continued to remain superior to those of pessimists at ages 45 and 60.[4] In another study in the Netherlands, scientists found optimistic participants had a 50% lower risk of dying than the pessimistic participants. In addition, those who were more optimistic also displayed healthier hearts and a lower risk of death from heart failure.[5]
Think Yourself Toward Greater Health?
While there may not yet be research to support the brain’s role in changing the physical structure of the body, developing optimistic thoughts in the myriad of ways the mind thinks about the body probably can’t hurt. While thoughts alone clearly are the entire answer, some of us could use all the help we can get reaching our health and fitness goals.
Copyright 2008 Fine Balance Wellness, LLC
[1] Ramachandran V, “A journey to the center of your mind.” 2007 March; http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/184
[2] Ibid.
[3] Moseley JB, et al. “A controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee.” The New England Journal of Medicine, 2002 Jul; 11;347(2):81-8.
[4] Peterson C, Seligman C, Vaillant, G.E., “Pessimistic explanatory style is a risk factor for physical illness: a thirty-five-year longitudinal study.” Journal of Personality and Social.
1988; vol. 55, no1, pp. 23-27.
[5] Britt RR, “Optimists Live Longer.” LiveScience, 2004 November 1; http://www.livescience.com/health/041101_optimist_heart.html
Other Sources
Avasthi A. “Phantom-Limb Pain Eased With Virtual Reality.” National Geographic News, 2007 January 18; http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070118-phantom-limb_2.html