The Mind Body Connection - How it works.

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evidence that increased levels of stress and depression also correlate with an

increased incidence of cancer. There is even strong statistical evidence

linking stress and depression with death itself. In fact, there is now a field

of research called psychoneuroimmunology (complete with its own organization

and website) that is dedicated to unlocking the connection between our thoughts

(i.e. our nervous systems) and our immune systems. Researchers have discovered

several key links between these systems: For one, we know that when we are

stressed, our bodies produce more adrenaline and cortisol. And while it is true

that these hormones help mobilize the body's energy reserves to aid in dealing

with the stress, this "service" does not come free of charge. Your body has a

finite amount of resources, and when the resources allotted to stress are

increased, they must correspondingly

be decreased someplace else, and that someplace else is your immune system. As

the output of adrenaline and cortisol are increased, the body compensates for

the energy expenditure by decreasing the amount of energy available to your

immune system. As a result, the number of antibodies in your immune system drop

and both the number and strength of lymphocytes in your immune system also

diminish. We have also learned that the brain is directly wired to the organs

of the immune system (the spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, and bone marrow) and

that stress and depression affect their performance. But most interesting of

all is the connection between the neuropeptides produced by brain cells and the

rest of the body. In much the same way that the immune system uses the

interleukins to communicate with itself, the brain uses the hormone-like

neuropeptides to communicate with itself and the rest of the body, including

the immune system. When we are happy, for

example, the brain produces one kind of neuropeptide. The cells of the immune

system have specific receptor sites for these "up" chemicals. Once received and

locked into the receptor sites, these neuropeptides literally cause the cells of

the immune system to strengthen and build. Correspondingly, when we are

depressed, we produce a different set of neuropeptides. Immune cells also have

specific receptors for these "down" communicators, whose net effect on the

immune system is to shut it down. Incidentally, this is by no means a one-way

communication. The cells of the brain have receptor sites for the interleukins

and interferon produced by the lymphocytes of the immune system. That's right.

It turns out that some macrophages and activated lymphocytes actually are

capable of producing their own neuropeptides to communicate directly back to

the brain in its own language. The communication is bi-directional, constant,

and total. This is truly

revolutionary information. Basically, through both our nervous systems (direct

wiring) and our circulatory systems (hormones and neuropeptides), our minds

interact with every organ, system, and cell in our bodies, affecting the

performance, functioning, growth, and repair of our: Immune systems Bones Bone

marrow Glands Heart (everything from heart rate to the heart tissue itself) The

walls of our veins and arteries The functioning of individual cells in the body

Even the very structure of our DNA The entire body is literally created and run

by the brain -- with equal input back from the organs and cells themselves,

again through both the direct wired connections of the nervous system and the

neuropeptides and hormones traveling through the circulatory system. The net

result is that in addition to what medical researchers have been able to verify

and explain, there are a number of "incidents"

that hint at so much more. A group of medical researchers in Montreal tracked

222 post heart attack victims, both men and women. The researchers found that

those who were depressed (who felt sad, hopeless, and listless) were more

likely to die of another heart attack within 18 months of their first heart

attack than those who were not -- 10 times more likely, in fact. The January 95

issue of the American Journal of Medicine reported on a study of patients with a

history of heart disease that found that those who were depressed were eight

times more likely to develop potentially deadly heart rhythms than those who

were not depressed. A ten-year study was conducted to follow the mortality

rates of people who had experienced stroke. Those who had been diagnosed with

either major or minor depression were 3.4 times as likely to have died within

the follow-up period. The death rate among depressed patients with few social

contacts

was especially high -- over 90%! In a study of 194 heart attack patients, those

who reported lower amounts of emotional support were nearly 3 times more likely

to die within 6 months than those with higher levels of emotional support. And

then there is one of my favorite statistics. Have you ever wondered when most

people die? Statistically, it turns out that people are more likely to die on

Monday morning before going to work than at any other time of the week. There

has been much speculation as to why this happens; but in general, most people

agree it's something along the lines of: "Most people have heart attacks on

Monday morning, because they are stressed that they are heading back to jobs

they can't stand after a weekend off." Stress Stress is your body's response to

all of the demands made upon it. Your body responds to all stresses, both

positive and negative, by trying to get back to normal. 43% of all adults

suffer adverse health effects due to stress. 75-90% of all visits to primary

care physicians are for stress-related complaints or disorders. When a

stressor is perceived, the hypothalamus triggers your adrenal glands to release

corticosteroids to increase metabolism to provide an immediate increase in

energy. Simultaneously, your pituitary releases a hormone called ACTH, which

causes your adrenal glands to release epinephrine and norepinephrine, which

work to prolong your body's fight-or-flight response. If a stressful situation

goes on for too long without any relief, you may feel tired, irritable,

depressed, or anxious. You may have trouble sleeping or eating, or you might

experience diseases and disorders, such as headaches, insomnia, high blood

pressure, and cardiovascular and kidney diseases, colds, ulcers, asthma, heart

attack, and/or stroke. Stress has been linked to all the leading causes of

death, including heart disease,

cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis, and suicide. Stress is said to be

responsible for more than half of the 550 million workdays lost annually

because of absenteeism. Eventually, your body's energy reserves are exhausted;

it breaks down. Recent research has confirmed the role of stress in

cardiovascular disease, cancer, gastrointestinal, skin, neurologic and

emotional disorders, and a host of disorders linked to immune system

disturbances, ranging from the common cold and herpes, to arthritis, cancer,

and AIDS. Depression Depression works on your body in different ways than

stress, but the results are the same. Your body is a product of your thoughts.

As we mentioned earlier, the cells of your body have receptor sites for the

various neuro-hormones you produce. Your immune cells, to use just one example,

have receptor sites for each of those bio-chemicals. When you are happy, you

produce a set of neuro-hormones that

are picked up by the cells of your immune system. These particular

neuro-hormones tell your immune system to jack up -- which it does. In other

words, happy thoughts improve your health. However, when you are depressed, the

opposite happens. The neuro-hormones your body produces literally shut down your

immune system. In effect, negative thoughts can actually kill you. The

Pharmaceutical Solution Prozac The major pharmaceutical companies, as usual,

have developed a set of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

(SSRIs) to "manage the symptoms" associated with stress and depression. You

might know them as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Effexor and Serzone.

Thanks to millions and millions of dollars in promotion, some misguided books

that jumped on the bandwagon, and our own marvelous tendency to believe in

magic bullets, we have become a "Prozac Nation." But not without cost. SSRIs

cause mania and delusions of grandeur in one out of every 25 children taking

the drugs. A tendency to violence has been reported in 1 out of 16 Prozac

users. In 70% of all murder/suicides involving women and children, the women

were on SSRIs. Conclusion During the interview, I was asked if I thought all

illness was created first in the mind. My response is that although on a

metaphysical level, you might be able to make that case, in practical terms it

doesn’t really apply. For example, it’s hard to ask a baby born with a serious

illness, "Why are you making yourself sick?" Yes, there is a direct connection

between the mind and the body, and the mind certainly influences the health of

the body, but it is by no means the sole arbiter of disease. The connection is

not that simple -- and in fact, the body is as likely to influence the mind, as

the mind the body. Nonetheless, we are left with the fact that what we think

(and how we think)

does absolutely (and unequivocally) affect our health. Or as Dr. John

Christopher, one of America's foremost naturopaths, was fond of saying, "Most

people need a colonic between the ears." The bottom line is that if you want to

make your mind your partner in health, you need to work at it. It takes work to

move your mind out of stress and/or depression. The entire Baseline of Health

program is obviously beneficial. If you are constipated, it makes you feel

"off." Feel "off" long enough, it leads to depression. If you are

undernourished, it leaves you feeling exhausted. Prolonged exhaustion not only

leads to depression, it stresses the body. Excess free radicals stress the

body, and in a marvelous feedback system that very stress creates a cascade of

ever increasing free radicals. Hormonal imbalances stress the body. Exercise

creates happy biochemicals that relieve stress. (But of

course, too much exercise increases stress.) Etc. Etc. The bottom line is that

you're only as strong as your weakest link so you need to do it all to overcome

stress and depression. On the other hand, everyone wants the quick fix. So while

you're doing the Baseline of Health and rebuilding yourself from the ground up,

here are five steps to help you begin the process. Learn to Meditate. If

nothing else, just try watching your breath. Sit down. Keep your back straight.

Close your eyes and watch your breath. Watch as your breath goes in and your

lungs fill. Watch as it goes out and your lungs empty. Don't force; just watch.

Learn to Visualize. After you've meditated for a few minutes and calmed down,

practice a visualization. See your body as made of healing light. Imagine the

light penetrating and healing every cell in your body. If you are sick, focus

the light on the diseased area. Practice Affirmation. What we say matters. We

all know, for example, someone who uses the word "afraid" all the time. As in:

"I'm afraid I won't be able to go tonight.I'm afraid I've eaten too much; I'm

absolutely stuffed.I'm afraid I'm almost out of gas." etc. Is it any wonder

that eventually they're afraid all the time? And then there are the examples

that Dr. Bernie Siegal includes in his book Love, Medicine, and Miracles, such

as: The man who said "he was always considered spineless" and in the end

developed multiple myeloma in his backbone to support his contention. Or the

woman who had had a mastectomy who told Dr. Siegel that she "needed to get

something off her chest." It's simple. Instead of being controlled by the

things we say, instead of having our health compromised by idle words, we

should put words to work for us. Try repeating to yourself over and over with

each step you take when you walk, or while you're driving something like: "I'm

joy. I'm peace. I'm health. I'm light." Or make up your own. If so, make it

short and rhythmical, so it sort of says itself to a walking cadence. It really

does work magic. I once hiked the full length of the John Muir Trail, about 237

miles, silently reciting a similar affirmation every single step of the way. By

the end of the trip, I had repeated the affirmation something over 500,000 times

-- and I was sailing up and down over 10,000 ft. passes and up and down the

15,000 feet of Mt. Whitney. Take an herbal break. Use an herbal nerve-tonic

formulation that contains herbs such as Valerian Root, Kava kava,

Passionflower, Hops, Black cohosh, St. John's wort, and Lobelia.

Nurtraceuticals such as SAMe, 5-HTP, and L-Theanine can all help reduce stress,

depression and anxiety. Incidentally, you can listen to the entire

interview on the Mind Body Connection, and several others, at

http://www.jonbarron.org/press.html. "Our ideal is not the spirituality that

withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." -

Aurobindo.

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