The power of the body to heal
I was listening to the broadcast of People’s Pharmacy while at the gym this morning. Since I was at the gym and on the treadmill, I did not write down the name of the guests who talked about the power of the human body to heal itself. The current program is not yet posted on their web site and, thus, I must apologize for not giving their guests any credit for citing further proof of the power of the human body to heal itself.
Many years ago I heard – perhaps on a People’s Pharmacy program – that another way of referring to what many call the placebo affect is “remembered wellness”. My understanding is that if one’s brain thinks that one has taken something which is going to help heal some part of the body, the brain begins to send out healing instructions to that part of the body. Study after study has documented the positive results of the placebo effect. Many ancient traditions have long known that positive thoughts and energy from the patient as well as from others can facilitate healing.
We know that if a person thinks that a treatment is not going to help or if there is nothing that they can do to help their body heal that they may experience a lot of negative stress and may even give up. They may feel angry at their pain, their disease, or their helplessness. This results in stress. We also know from many studies that chronic stress will systematically break down the functioning of various parts of the body and eventually result in permanent disability or even death. This has been most clearly documented in studies of people who are living in a war zone for extended periods of time either as a combatant, a civilian or a support person for the combatants.
It is normal and healthy when presented with a danger – internal or external – to attend to that danger. When possible after being alerted one then takes action to reduce or eliminate the source of the stress. When one has a chronic source of stress there may not be anything that one can do. If in a war zone one may not be able to leave. If the chronic stress is physical or psychological pain than one needs to just notice it, thank the body for alerting one and then let the body know that no action is needed. Dr. Steven Levine (hopefully my memory is correct) was an early pioneer in teaching those with chronic pain to just be with the pain rather than fighting it or getting angry. When folks could learn to allow themselves to just be with the pain, the pain level decreased, medication could be reduced and quality of life was improved. This was, I believe, both because when one is not fighting the pain the tenseness around the area of the pain decreases and if the body is not fighting the pain, it can focus on healing (not necessarily cure).
If the chronic pain/discomfort is anxiety one can learn to just notice it and very lovingly remind oneself that one is more than and stronger than the anxiety. Again, the stress will be reduced because one is not fighting with the anxiety. Additionally, the body will marshal its energy to do whatever the anxiety is saying it cannot do.
Our bodies are amazing. Although they are not designed to live forever, one can, by respecting and learning to work with the power of the body, have a more enjoyable life.
Written July 28, 2018
I was listening to the broadcast of People’s Pharmacy while at the gym this morning. Since I was at the gym and on the treadmill, I did not write down the name of the guests who talked about the power of the human body to heal itself. The current program is not yet posted on their web site and, thus, I must apologize for not giving their guests any credit for citing further proof of the power of the human body to heal itself.
Many years ago I heard – perhaps on a People’s Pharmacy program – that another way of referring to what many call the placebo affect is “remembered wellness”. My understanding is that if one’s brain thinks that one has taken something which is going to help heal some part of the body, the brain begins to send out healing instructions to that part of the body. Study after study has documented the positive results of the placebo effect. Many ancient traditions have long known that positive thoughts and energy from the patient as well as from others can facilitate healing.
We know that if a person thinks that a treatment is not going to help or if there is nothing that they can do to help their body heal that they may experience a lot of negative stress and may even give up. They may feel angry at their pain, their disease, or their helplessness. This results in stress. We also know from many studies that chronic stress will systematically break down the functioning of various parts of the body and eventually result in permanent disability or even death. This has been most clearly documented in studies of people who are living in a war zone for extended periods of time either as a combatant, a civilian or a support person for the combatants.
It is normal and healthy when presented with a danger – internal or external – to attend to that danger. When possible after being alerted one then takes action to reduce or eliminate the source of the stress. When one has a chronic source of stress there may not be anything that one can do. If in a war zone one may not be able to leave. If the chronic stress is physical or psychological pain than one needs to just notice it, thank the body for alerting one and then let the body know that no action is needed. Dr. Steven Levine (hopefully my memory is correct) was an early pioneer in teaching those with chronic pain to just be with the pain rather than fighting it or getting angry. When folks could learn to allow themselves to just be with the pain, the pain level decreased, medication could be reduced and quality of life was improved. This was, I believe, both because when one is not fighting the pain the tenseness around the area of the pain decreases and if the body is not fighting the pain, it can focus on healing (not necessarily cure).
If the chronic pain/discomfort is anxiety one can learn to just notice it and very lovingly remind oneself that one is more than and stronger than the anxiety. Again, the stress will be reduced because one is not fighting with the anxiety. Additionally, the body will marshal its energy to do whatever the anxiety is saying it cannot do.
Our bodies are amazing. Although they are not designed to live forever, one can, by respecting and learning to work with the power of the body, have a more enjoyable life.
Written July 28, 2018
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