More than "thoughts & prayers"
Prayer can take different forms. As treatment, it can be an effective, systematic, and practical method of healing, meeting human needs through spiritual means.
Music and health – really?
(Courtesy of flickr user Labanex)
Cancer patients were provided with 30 minutes of culturally appropriate music to relieve pain. This provided a level of 50% pain relief in 42% of the music group compared to 8% in the control group.
This from a 2010 randomized controlled trial¹ conducted at the Fooyin University School of Nursing in Taiwan.
60 Minutes, Placebos, and an Impossible Study
Explosive! That’s how correspondent Lesley Stahl described it.¹ And a study on the implications it raises for all drug-based therapy would be impossible – or would it?
“Beam me up, Scotty”
Picture courtesy of Flickr user javacolleen
“McCoy’s syndrome” is defined, in an article¹ in a leading medical journal called The Lancet, as an excessive faith in medical technology (especially imaging), an absence of clinical reasoning and a lack of making emotional connections with the sick. The problem: frequent misdiagnosis.
Technological equipment in medicine helps physicians do their job better. But there can be a temptation to rely excessively or exclusively on a test result or image scan.
TRICORDER (Picture courtesy of Flickr user ted.sali)
The reference to McCoy’s syndrome is based on the fictional character named Dr. McCoy on a TV show called Star Trek in which the doctor diagnosed patients using a medical “tricorder” that scanned the patient and eliminated any need to discuss things with the patient or examine them any further. Take a reading, get a diagnosis.
But in real life, medical machinery today doesn’t accomplish this. And it may never do so. And one reason for this is that there is a mental component to health.
Expertise and placebo research in Italy
Roman Forum (picture courtesy of Flickr.com user Mshai)
I remember walking around the city of Rome many years ago and seeing the impressive stone ruins – the remains of government buildings in the old Roman Forum – and thinking that they really were advanced for that time period. The Roman Forum “has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history.”¹
In my previous post I looked at an almost lighthearted but curious case of how extensive knowledge of anatomy commonplace in Italy seems to result in a winter disease unique to them. This gives an example of how thought can have an impact on health.
But in all seriousness, Italy is very much at the forefront of some significant research on a mind-body connection. For example, a search on “placebo AND research AND italy” (in the search bar) at pubmed.gov (which stores abstracts containing the results of clinical studies) yields 1,901 results.
Anatomy and mysterious Italian diseases?
DaVinci’s VITRUVIAN MAN (photo courtesy of Flickr.com user I BE GINZ)
“The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone…” That’s how the song goes.
Are you well versed in anatomy? I am most definitely not. My biology class in school covered the subject, but to this day, with a few exceptions, I just couldn’t tell you what bone is where. Most of them, I seem to never even have heard of. This handicaps me a bit when doing crossword puzzles and other word-based puzzles that use these words.
But recently I read an article online that suggests that this might actually be good for my health. Sound a little strange? Perhaps.
Thinking and effective exercise
Picture courtesy of Flickr user Jacobunny
When thought meets exercise, exercise is more beneficial.
“A particular mind-set or belief about one’s body or health may lead to improvements in disease symptoms as well as changes in appetite, brain chemicals and even vision, several recent studies have found, highlighting how fundamentally the mind and body are connected” writes Shirley S. Wang in an article in the Wall Street Journal today.
A 1999 study conducted by James A. Blumenthal, PhD at the Duke University Medical Center found that older patients with major depression experienced therapeutic benefits from an exercise program equal to what others received from antidepressant medication.
Healthy giving
Giving can be fun. It also can be healthy.
Giving has been found to increase happiness and reduce depression, to improve one’s quality of life.
Spirituality can relieve stress
Picture courtesy of flickr user Samael Kreutz
A 2010 Mayo Clinic article says that spirituality can help relieve stress.
And some ways it does this is by helping us feel a sense of purpose, connect to the world, release control and burden, expand our support network and lead a healthier life.
Spirituality means different things to different people. This article states, “spirituality takes the form of religious observance, prayer, meditation or a belief in a higher power. For others, it can be found in nature, music, art or a secular community. ”
Stress is mental and emotional strain resulting from excessive demands on our strength, abilities and resources. Doesn’t it follow then that what would help is a mental and emotional change for the better?
A spiritual solution for holiday blues
Another holiday season is upon us. It’s supposed to be a joyous and festive time. But unfortunately for many, this season may come with feelings of loneliness or depression. There is, however, a spiritual solution for this.
A recent study¹ by the University of Michigan Health System published in Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing found that a nondenominational spiritual retreat could increase hope and reduce depression.
This got me to thinking of how beneficial it would be to have a “mini” spiritual retreat of sorts each day – a time to be calm and to think – to think of something good in our lives, to feel love for family and friends, to look beyond ourselves, focus on the connections we do have and to kindly consider others – a time to be quiet and to listen for inspiration.
Cyber Health Day?
Cyber Monday courtesy of Flickr user Geektonic
The Monday after Thanksgiving is known as Cyber Monday, which shoppers look forward to. But is there a Cyber Health Day?
I never used to be very interested in shopping on “Black Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving). But a few years ago my wife and I wanted to get a printer for a relative and we saw a good choice at a great price advertised for Black Friday so we got out to the store at 6:00 a.m. We purchased the printer at the much-reduced price. And we purchased a number of other items, also at significant savings. As long as we were out-and-about we went to a couple of other stores nearby. Then we went out for breakfast. We were back home around 9:00 a.m. And we actually had fun doing all this.