The nocebo effect causes a dilemma: ethically sharing possible side effects of drugs with patients may cause patients to experience them.
Here, below, are excerpts with links to some interesting articles in the news this month about placebos and nocebos – the last one offering an interesting solution to the nocebo effect.
The Olympic motto – “Faster, Higher, Stronger” – is about exceeding limits. An experience in competitive swimming when I was in school gave me a glimpse of what researchers are finding in their studies – that giving mental consent has a huge impact on athletic performance. In my case, the difference was almost unimaginable.
Tropical Storm Debby over Florida (Photo from flickr.com courtesy of NASA Goddard Photo and Video under Creative Commons license)
Did you know that you can and that a spiritual perspective – spiritual vision – is the ticket?
Last week while enroute to a meeting in Miami I flew over Tropical Storm Debby. The pilot pointed out to us the blue spot at the center of the large area of circular clouds indicating that this was the eye of the storm. I was struck by how bright, sunny, and peaceful it was above the clouds. It was a little hard picturing all the wind and rain going on beneath those same clouds.
It’s peaceful in the eye of a storm. So, what if we were always in the eye? Above a storm the weather is sunny and clear. So, what if we could always get above life’s storm clouds?
“Spiritual vision is not subordinate to geometric altitudes“¹ writes Mary Baker Eddy.
Could YOU walk on a wire across Niagara Falls? Nik Wallenda made it look pretty easy. He was so calm and looked to be always in control. In interviews with Wallenda on TV I heard two elements of a spiritual practice that helped him achieve this remarkable feat: praying and monitoring thought.
Royal Gorge in Colorado, the deepest in the U.S. (courtesy of flickr user David Watson)
The closest I’ve come to this feat was probably when I walked across a wooden footbridge over the Royal Gorge in Colorado years ago. The bridge is suspended with large steel cables and it is wide enough for a car to drive over. So, this clearly was not in the same league as Wallenda’s amazing feat at Niagara Falls. But it was my own tightrope experience because I had long been afraid of heights.
That weekend, I had been praying and feeling close to God. I overcame my fear of heights, and with slow, deliberate footsteps walked across to the other side.
“Daniel Plan” participant Chiquita Seals went from 260 to 128 pounds and “feels the spirituality makes the difference” according to a story by Lori Corbin of KABC in Los Angeles.
May was National Mental Health Month here in the U.S.
Here are brief excerpts from five interesting news stories on the subject that show things we’re learning, new approaches that are being tried to treat mental health issues, and a recognition that spirituality is important.
May 3rd is National Day of Prayer here in the U.S. For me, every day is a day of prayer. And I’m not alone. Not by a long shot.
In Michigan, 56% pray at least once a day and 76% pray at least once a week according to the 2008 Pew Forum Religious Landscape Survey. And in the U.S. as a whole the numbers are about the same: 58% daily and 75% weekly.
Now let’s do a little math here to make this more meaningful. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Michigan’s population is just under 10 million. Which means that over 5.5 million of us in Michigan pray at least once a day, and over 7.5 million of us in Michigan pray at least once a week. And nationally, with over 308 million this translates into 178 million daily and 232 million weekly.
He shared a video of one of his house calls to a poor woman in another country who was very ill and in much pain. Using his humor, despite a language barrier, he had her sitting up, smiling, laughing, and singing. It was apparent that she experienced some relief from her suffering. This was part
Two older gentlemen were just coming off the 18th hole at the golf course as I and my playing partners walked to the clubhouse before beginning our round. The one closest to us shared that his playing partner, although a little older than him, had won the round – and, oh, by the way, his playing partner was 95 years old.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has established Saturday, April 7, 2012 as World Health Day. The theme this year is: “Good health adds life to years”.
A study¹ published in The American Journal of Public Health in 1997 found that frequent religious attendance reduced mortality (adds years to life).
But the theme here is not to add years to life, but to add life to years. One very obvious and central way to add life to years (as well as to add years to life) is to achieve better health. But adding life to years involves much more than that.