You Are What You Think:
Health and the Mind Body
Connection
Effects of the Mind on the
Body
Effects of Stress
Elderly people & learning
Chronic stress &
abnormal body tissues
Optimum level of stress
Pain & emotions
Perceived Control
Rat studies
Dog study
Placebos/Remembered Wellness
Originally thought to be 30%
Recently shown to be as high
as70%
Regularity of taking “medicine” is
more effective than what kind of
medicine
Personality Traits
Type A vs Type H
Laughter
Some physiological effects
Not a new idea
Effect of the Body on the
Mind
James-Lange Theory:
Facial expressions can be
precursors to the emotion
Exercise and Mental Health
Releases endorphins (the body’s
own morphine )
lowers depression and anxiety
Must be aerobic to get the effect
The more prolonged the program
the better the effect
Neurophysiology of Stress
Effects of Long Term Release of
Cortisol
Increased blood pressure
Inhibits growth in children
Inhibits the inflammatory response
Suppresses the immune system
Damages brain cells
So What?
Meditation
Research at Harvard Medical
School
Social Support, Intimacy &
Love
Breast Cancer Support Groups
Good Marriages
Close Parent/Child Relationships
Spirituality/Faith
Relaxation Response Patients
Effects of Religious Beliefs on
Health
The Effect of Prayer on Health
Cardiac Patients in the prayer
group required significantly less
ventilatory assistance, antibiotics
and diuretics
18 Children with leukemia, 10
prayer group, 8 non-prayer group
ten months later 7 out of the 10
were still alive while only 2 of the
8 were still alive.
Health Care
Patient/Doctor Relationship is
very important
Chiropractors are as good as other
more traditional doctors for
alleviating back pain but with less
medication
Little research of chiropractic and
stress but a great deal with regard
to alleviating pain
Sympathetic Nervous System
Parasympathetic Nervous System