by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
An important health article was sent to me yesterday and even though this week's blog has been about the endocrine glands, this information felt compelling enough that it should be shared with you while it’s fresh. The following quoted information regarding the Amish and Autism was provided by Thomas Corriher who hosts The Health Wyze Report, an internet radio program. Please note: I have made editorial changes indicated with [ ] to keep the tone of the piece as non-political as possible.
"People outside the alternative health community are often confused by the lack of autism in the Amish people. The Amish do not experience autism, or any of the other learning disabilities that plague our technological society. The Amish live in a society that consists of outdated technologies and ideals, by contemporary standards. Their diet consists of eating organic, fresh, locally-grown produce, and they do not follow the established vaccination routines.
This has resulted in a healthier people who are void of our [most common]chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are virtually non-existent in Amish villages. Equally non-existent are modern, chemically-engineered medicines, chemically-engineered foods, G.M.O. foods, and of course, vaccines. How is it that those who are without modern orthodox medicine are healthier? The truth about health, medicine, and how they both relate to the Amish is becoming [ever more important].
There have been 3 verified cases of autism in the Amish, and at least two of those children were vaccinated. No information is available for the third. The strong correlation between vaccinations and autism [appears] undeniable, unless you work for [vaccine vested interests]. Proponents [of vaccination] claim that the Amish have a special super gene that makes them immune to autism."
The subject of autism and vaccination is highly controversial and there are many families (you may belong to one of them) who are trying to sort out the facts in order to make the important decision of whether or not to vaccinate or how much and how many vaccines to allow.
I would like to offer, if this is a concern for your family, that you may want to explore this subject of autism in the Amish, as well as autism in those who live within specific communities which follow an organic, natural lifestyle and do not use synthetically produced medications as part of their health care. This information may possibly assist you in making a more informed decision regarding this important matter.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Integrative Overview of the Endocrines Part III
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
To review the subject of the Endocrine System:
The endocrines are just so perfectly expressed as "everything being connected to everything else in the body" that it is pure joy to share the information.
We will discuss SEVEN aspects of the reproductive glands based on these concepts:
(1) the physical gland
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye's stress model
(5) the five (5) Whole Health aspects
(6) Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) "deadly sins"
The Pancreas is the next endocrine gland to discuss. The Pancreas, in yoga and energy circles is often referred to as “the solar plexus” chakra. The Pancreas is one of the hardest working digestive and metabolic organs of the body. Both an endocrine AND exocrine gland, this truly amazing organ/gland is the “end organ” of all digestive activity in the upper intestines. The health and function of your pancreas is of the utmost importance to your overall health and is probably the most abused gland/organ in the body.
The Pancreas works 24/7, deals with digestion as well as stress adaptation, reproduction needs, cellular nutrition needs and brain glucose imperatives. The Pancreas is the belonging component of Maslow's Hierarchy and is evident that it expresses “the sweetness of our lives” (or not) when we look at its function and malfunctions and how intimately it is connected to our body's glucose regulation. Like the adrenals, which we could not live without for long, without a properly working pancreas we would fall into a coma and die within days. Physically, it is intimately connected to our digestion, absorption and assimilation functions.
Regarding Selye’s Stress Model, the Pancreas is "the proper or improper nutrition of our body" and all of its systems. It is the nutritional component of the Whole Health Five Aspects.
So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last two, as we saw with the reproductive glands and the adrenals, clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of each specific endocrine gland.
The VIRTUE of the Pancreas is TEMPERANCE or Balance – not too much or too little consumption. This means not eating too much food, especially carbohydrates, which lead to hypertrophy of the beta cells of the pancreas. This leads to hyper-secretion of insulin which is the main disturbance in many chronic diseases.
The DEADLY SIN of the Pancreas is very similar to that of the adrenals (greed). For the Pancreas the deadly sin is GLUTTONY. Gluttony is when we eat too much, consume too much and create imbalance in our pancreatic function and whole body nutrition and chemistry. It is the act of gluttony, or taking in more than is appropriate or necessary that leads to most of the digestive problems and pathologies we see today.
I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of a comprehensive, whole person understanding of the digestive system. If there was one course and only one I could teach for the rest of my career it would be the Digestive System, because to understand its anatomy, physiology and the whole picture of its function and integration with the rest of the body is utterly magnificent - and absolutely essential if you wish to facilitate authentic Whole Health with your patients or clients.
Next Endocrine: The Thymus Gland
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
To review the subject of the Endocrine System:
The endocrines are just so perfectly expressed as "everything being connected to everything else in the body" that it is pure joy to share the information.
We will discuss SEVEN aspects of the reproductive glands based on these concepts:
(1) the physical gland
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye's stress model
(5) the five (5) Whole Health aspects
(6) Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) "deadly sins"
The Pancreas is the next endocrine gland to discuss. The Pancreas, in yoga and energy circles is often referred to as “the solar plexus” chakra. The Pancreas is one of the hardest working digestive and metabolic organs of the body. Both an endocrine AND exocrine gland, this truly amazing organ/gland is the “end organ” of all digestive activity in the upper intestines. The health and function of your pancreas is of the utmost importance to your overall health and is probably the most abused gland/organ in the body.
The Pancreas works 24/7, deals with digestion as well as stress adaptation, reproduction needs, cellular nutrition needs and brain glucose imperatives. The Pancreas is the belonging component of Maslow's Hierarchy and is evident that it expresses “the sweetness of our lives” (or not) when we look at its function and malfunctions and how intimately it is connected to our body's glucose regulation. Like the adrenals, which we could not live without for long, without a properly working pancreas we would fall into a coma and die within days. Physically, it is intimately connected to our digestion, absorption and assimilation functions.
Regarding Selye’s Stress Model, the Pancreas is "the proper or improper nutrition of our body" and all of its systems. It is the nutritional component of the Whole Health Five Aspects.
So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last two, as we saw with the reproductive glands and the adrenals, clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of each specific endocrine gland.
The VIRTUE of the Pancreas is TEMPERANCE or Balance – not too much or too little consumption. This means not eating too much food, especially carbohydrates, which lead to hypertrophy of the beta cells of the pancreas. This leads to hyper-secretion of insulin which is the main disturbance in many chronic diseases.
The DEADLY SIN of the Pancreas is very similar to that of the adrenals (greed). For the Pancreas the deadly sin is GLUTTONY. Gluttony is when we eat too much, consume too much and create imbalance in our pancreatic function and whole body nutrition and chemistry. It is the act of gluttony, or taking in more than is appropriate or necessary that leads to most of the digestive problems and pathologies we see today.
I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of a comprehensive, whole person understanding of the digestive system. If there was one course and only one I could teach for the rest of my career it would be the Digestive System, because to understand its anatomy, physiology and the whole picture of its function and integration with the rest of the body is utterly magnificent - and absolutely essential if you wish to facilitate authentic Whole Health with your patients or clients.
Next Endocrine: The Thymus Gland
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Integrative Overview of the Endocrines Part II
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
To review the subject of the Endocrine System:
The endocrines are just so perfectly expressed as "everything being connected to everything else in the body" that it is pure joy to share the information.
We will discuss SEVEN aspects of the reproductive glands based on these concepts:
(1) the physical gland
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye's stress model
(5) the five (5) Whole Health aspects
(6) Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) "deadly sins"
The Adrenals comes next (we are working our way UP the chain from the bottom endocrine gland (reproductive glands) to the top = pineal gland)
The Adrenals, in yoga and energy circles are called the “sacral” chakra. They are specific to adaptation in our environment. They are the safety and security component of Maslow's Hierarchy and are imperative to our own personal survival as they allow us to fight, flight or adapt. We would only live for 24 hours without our Adrenal Glands. Physically they are intimately connected to the nervous and cardiac systems.
Regarding Selye’s Stress Model, the Adrenals are representative of the positive or negative emotional responses that cause either u-stress; (good stress) or distress; (the bad kind), that elicit an adrenal response. They are the emotional component of the Whole Health Five Aspects.
So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last two as we saw with the reproductive gland clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of each endocrine gland.
The VIRTUE of the Adrenal glands is BALANCE (or Justice). This means not being too over stimulated or too non-productive; it means keeping a healthy balance to the nervous system and it is this virtue that is the focus of many practices, such as yoga, meditation, visualization, chanting and other centering practices.
The DEADLY SIN of the Adrenal Glands is Avarice or GREED. It is the greed impulse, or wanting more for one self than is appropriate, that drives people to push themselves excessively and “burn out” their adrenal glands; which are like the battery of our body. When your battery runs down, you run out of the spark that starts your engine and keeps it going.
Understanding the Adrenals is truly critical to understanding how to prevent disease and maintain wellness. As with all of the endocrines, the adrenals are very important when we look at a person's physical presentation or their dis-ease state from a Whole Person perspective. What are the cause and effect factors at play that create disease? What is out of balance in the person's seven aspects that is creating problems in this particular part of the body?
It will be very exciting to understand the Adrenal Glands from a metaphorical perspective. For more details about how the Adrenals function in relationship to the whole body, and their specific effect on the nervous system, heart and immune system, put “adrenal function” into the search box at the top of the blog page, to read the Adrenal
Function blog.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
To review the subject of the Endocrine System:
The endocrines are just so perfectly expressed as "everything being connected to everything else in the body" that it is pure joy to share the information.
We will discuss SEVEN aspects of the reproductive glands based on these concepts:
(1) the physical gland
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye's stress model
(5) the five (5) Whole Health aspects
(6) Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) "deadly sins"
The Adrenals comes next (we are working our way UP the chain from the bottom endocrine gland (reproductive glands) to the top = pineal gland)
The Adrenals, in yoga and energy circles are called the “sacral” chakra. They are specific to adaptation in our environment. They are the safety and security component of Maslow's Hierarchy and are imperative to our own personal survival as they allow us to fight, flight or adapt. We would only live for 24 hours without our Adrenal Glands. Physically they are intimately connected to the nervous and cardiac systems.
Regarding Selye’s Stress Model, the Adrenals are representative of the positive or negative emotional responses that cause either u-stress; (good stress) or distress; (the bad kind), that elicit an adrenal response. They are the emotional component of the Whole Health Five Aspects.
So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last two as we saw with the reproductive gland clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of each endocrine gland.
The VIRTUE of the Adrenal glands is BALANCE (or Justice). This means not being too over stimulated or too non-productive; it means keeping a healthy balance to the nervous system and it is this virtue that is the focus of many practices, such as yoga, meditation, visualization, chanting and other centering practices.
The DEADLY SIN of the Adrenal Glands is Avarice or GREED. It is the greed impulse, or wanting more for one self than is appropriate, that drives people to push themselves excessively and “burn out” their adrenal glands; which are like the battery of our body. When your battery runs down, you run out of the spark that starts your engine and keeps it going.
Understanding the Adrenals is truly critical to understanding how to prevent disease and maintain wellness. As with all of the endocrines, the adrenals are very important when we look at a person's physical presentation or their dis-ease state from a Whole Person perspective. What are the cause and effect factors at play that create disease? What is out of balance in the person's seven aspects that is creating problems in this particular part of the body?
It will be very exciting to understand the Adrenal Glands from a metaphorical perspective. For more details about how the Adrenals function in relationship to the whole body, and their specific effect on the nervous system, heart and immune system, put “adrenal function” into the search box at the top of the blog page, to read the Adrenal
Function blog.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Friday, July 16, 2010
Integrative Overview of the Endocrines Part One
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
One of my all-time favorite subjects to teach is the endocrine system. It is the most fascinating and clear example we have of how "everything is everything" in the body. For those of you unfamiliar with the underlying theme of Whole Health Education, the idea that everything in the body is intimately connected to everything else is what our method and model of education and teaching is founded on.
The endocrines are such a perfect example of this interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit that it is pure joy to share the information with understandably eager students!
We begin with the Reproductive Glands and will discuss SEVEN aspects of the Reproductive Glands based on these concepts:
(1) the specific organ name and function
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye's stress model
(5) its Whole Health aspect
(6) Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) "deadly sins"
Referred to as the "root chakra" in yoga and energy circles, these powerful glands are in the most primal sense, the SURVIVAL component of Maslow's Hierarchy and in fact, are essential to the survival of the species - which is their primary purpose. They are, of course, part of the organs and system of reproduction which includes various accessory parts that are necessary to support the reproductive function.
That the Reproductive Glands belong to the PHYSICAL aspect of Whole Health is very straight forward and evident. When we look at them in terms of Selye's Stress Model we can see that they are connected to the "survival stressors" of
> reproduction (yes, sadly sex is another stressor for our bodies)
> trauma
> exertion (too much exercise or over work)
> weather (excessive heat, sun, cold)
> surgery (very stressful to the entire body and nervous system but sometimes necessary to save our life)
These stressors have a strong effect on the reproductive system. Stress decreases the drive and impulse to reproduce as the body wisely knows to conserve its energy until there is a well balanced system ready for reproduction.
So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last two are fun because they really clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of these important and influential glands.
The VIRTUE of the reproductive glands is spirituality - seeing the profound divine and unfathomable nature of reproducing and bringing forth, from the co-joining of two human beings, new human life. (If you've had children you know that they really do smell like they just came from "heaven" - what we imagine heaven to be anyway)
The DEADLY SIN of the reproductive glands is - we all know this one - its all around us. Yes, indeed, good 'ol LUST, which of course is about self gratification and not the co-joining of a partnership resulting in a new life.
Understanding this information is important when we look at a person's physical presentation or dis-ease from a Whole Person perspective. What are the cause and effect factors at play that are creating their disease? What is out of balance in the person's seven aspects that is creating problems in this particular part of the body?
When we get to the "Disease as Metaphor" blog, this will take on even greater significance. In the meantime, we will go over ALL the endocrine glands, one at a time, so this will be a seven part series. Hope you're enjoying this because I'm having a great time with my favorite subject!
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
One of my all-time favorite subjects to teach is the endocrine system. It is the most fascinating and clear example we have of how "everything is everything" in the body. For those of you unfamiliar with the underlying theme of Whole Health Education, the idea that everything in the body is intimately connected to everything else is what our method and model of education and teaching is founded on.
The endocrines are such a perfect example of this interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit that it is pure joy to share the information with understandably eager students!
We begin with the Reproductive Glands and will discuss SEVEN aspects of the Reproductive Glands based on these concepts:
(1) the specific organ name and function
(2) the seven (7) virtues
(3) organs and systems
(4) Selye's stress model
(5) its Whole Health aspect
(6) Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(7) the seven (7) "deadly sins"
Referred to as the "root chakra" in yoga and energy circles, these powerful glands are in the most primal sense, the SURVIVAL component of Maslow's Hierarchy and in fact, are essential to the survival of the species - which is their primary purpose. They are, of course, part of the organs and system of reproduction which includes various accessory parts that are necessary to support the reproductive function.
That the Reproductive Glands belong to the PHYSICAL aspect of Whole Health is very straight forward and evident. When we look at them in terms of Selye's Stress Model we can see that they are connected to the "survival stressors" of
> reproduction (yes, sadly sex is another stressor for our bodies)
> trauma
> exertion (too much exercise or over work)
> weather (excessive heat, sun, cold)
> surgery (very stressful to the entire body and nervous system but sometimes necessary to save our life)
These stressors have a strong effect on the reproductive system. Stress decreases the drive and impulse to reproduce as the body wisely knows to conserve its energy until there is a well balanced system ready for reproduction.
So far we have gone over FIVE (5) of the SEVEN (7) aspects. The last two are fun because they really clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of these important and influential glands.
The VIRTUE of the reproductive glands is spirituality - seeing the profound divine and unfathomable nature of reproducing and bringing forth, from the co-joining of two human beings, new human life. (If you've had children you know that they really do smell like they just came from "heaven" - what we imagine heaven to be anyway)
The DEADLY SIN of the reproductive glands is - we all know this one - its all around us. Yes, indeed, good 'ol LUST, which of course is about self gratification and not the co-joining of a partnership resulting in a new life.
Understanding this information is important when we look at a person's physical presentation or dis-ease from a Whole Person perspective. What are the cause and effect factors at play that are creating their disease? What is out of balance in the person's seven aspects that is creating problems in this particular part of the body?
When we get to the "Disease as Metaphor" blog, this will take on even greater significance. In the meantime, we will go over ALL the endocrine glands, one at a time, so this will be a seven part series. Hope you're enjoying this because I'm having a great time with my favorite subject!
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Female Hormones and Depression
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Recent research review by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) looked at hormonal dysfunction in women as potential causes for depression.
The focus of the review by the NIWH investigators and their subsequent report was on how the female reproductive system interacts with the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates the body's stress response. This mechanism can set up a biochemical environment for psychological disorders in females. It was noted that females are twice as likely then men to experience depression.
Through the HP-axis, stress in women impacts the reproductive hormones which can upset patterns of ovulation. This upset can contribute to the lost of menses and to infertility. If the inter-relationship of stress and female reproductive hormones becomes chronic, behavior and mood disorders and depression can increase significantly. When oxytocin is suppressed due to excessive stress hormones, fertilized eggs cannot implant into the uterus. This is believed to be a primary cause of infertility in American women, owing to our highly stressful lifestyle.
Depression, eating disorders, alcoholism or other addictions may occur with the estrogen-induced disruption of normal HPA function. The key to preventing or correcting the problem as we find in many physiological conditions is to create a more balanced, less stressful lifestyle. If the body's stress adaptation system becomes overwhelmed, and cannot appropriately adapt to the environment and demands of everyday life, many disorders and conditions can develop, depression being just one of them.
Regarding post partum depression, the investigators identified that chronic hyper secretion of the stress hormone cortisol during a pregnancy creates a temporary suppression of adrenal function following delivery. This coupled with the sudden drop of hormonal levels of estrogen after birth may be a significant factor in post-partum depression or subsequent immune dysfunctions such as post partum thyroid conditions.
It is very important for women, because of our very integrated hormonal and nervous systems to work towards a balanced, low stress life-style. Unlike our male counter part, our hormonal system immediately let's us know when we are "off center" by delivering loud messages through hormonal dys-function.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Recent research review by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) looked at hormonal dysfunction in women as potential causes for depression.
The focus of the review by the NIWH investigators and their subsequent report was on how the female reproductive system interacts with the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates the body's stress response. This mechanism can set up a biochemical environment for psychological disorders in females. It was noted that females are twice as likely then men to experience depression.
Through the HP-axis, stress in women impacts the reproductive hormones which can upset patterns of ovulation. This upset can contribute to the lost of menses and to infertility. If the inter-relationship of stress and female reproductive hormones becomes chronic, behavior and mood disorders and depression can increase significantly. When oxytocin is suppressed due to excessive stress hormones, fertilized eggs cannot implant into the uterus. This is believed to be a primary cause of infertility in American women, owing to our highly stressful lifestyle.
Depression, eating disorders, alcoholism or other addictions may occur with the estrogen-induced disruption of normal HPA function. The key to preventing or correcting the problem as we find in many physiological conditions is to create a more balanced, less stressful lifestyle. If the body's stress adaptation system becomes overwhelmed, and cannot appropriately adapt to the environment and demands of everyday life, many disorders and conditions can develop, depression being just one of them.
Regarding post partum depression, the investigators identified that chronic hyper secretion of the stress hormone cortisol during a pregnancy creates a temporary suppression of adrenal function following delivery. This coupled with the sudden drop of hormonal levels of estrogen after birth may be a significant factor in post-partum depression or subsequent immune dysfunctions such as post partum thyroid conditions.
It is very important for women, because of our very integrated hormonal and nervous systems to work towards a balanced, low stress life-style. Unlike our male counter part, our hormonal system immediately let's us know when we are "off center" by delivering loud messages through hormonal dys-function.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Science of How What We Believe Becomes Our Reality - Part Two
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Given the way the health sciences have been taught in nursing and medical schools, it is perfectly understandable for physicians and nurses trained more than 25 years ago to think the placebo effect didn’t make sense and was instead a popular explanation for a sudden healing - a “spontaneous remission”. It is a leap for many to accept that a person could think or believe something and that simple act of belief could heal them?
Up until the last twenty or so years, research scientists did not have a grasp on how the brain and our emotions worked to create our reality. The subject of emotions has been and still is very much “uncharted waters” in behavioral science. However, what is well documented today is how the various brain waves function and what part of the brain each of the various brain waves control and stimulate and most importantly what emotions actually are. (This will be discussed in another segment.)
The “beta waves” which are the brain waves that allows us to focus on the words on this blog and comprehend, in the moment, what is intellectually being communicated. These waves are produced in the frontal lobe which is the seat of intellectual functioning. Thinking, analyzing, reasoning and so forth occur in this part of the brain.
The “alpha waves” which are the slower brain waves which originate in the mid-brain are the brain waves that allow us access to our unconscious thinking or what some refer to as the soul. All thought processes, be it from the beta wave or alpha wave region of the brain are actually chemical reactions that produce specific proteins which communicate with our immune cell membranes and other cell membranes of our body.
The specific thoughts we think and the region of the brain they originate in have an identifiable chemistry that has been shown to create dramatic changes in our physical bodies. In Dr Paul Pearsall’s ground breaking book “The Hearts Code” he tell many amazing mind/body stories but one in particular, that is a striking example of how powerful thoughts and images are, is the story he tells about a schizophrenic patient who demonstrated completely different disease states depending on the personality she was exhibiting. Ultra sounds, cat-scans, lab tests all confirmed that one of her personalities had a massive cancerous tumor and yet when she went into a different personality state all of her previous pathology disappeared as well.
Our brains are the ultimate manifestors of matter. The chair you are sitting on was a thought before if became that chair. Thought ARE “things” – that it thoughts in action are what manifest reality. For the woman in the study in Part I of this blog topic, who was cured of her stiffness after the sham surgery, her mind manifested a different set of thoughts through her hope and expectations for the outcome of the surgery. Her brain waves and proteins created positive chemistry which communicated with her immune system through its cell membranes. The results – she became healthier and could “stride across the room”
The idea of mind over matter is a powerful one. This science, and our understanding of its amazing chemistry, is in its infancy stage. In the future we will take the possibility of healing ourselves with thought and imagery for granted just as we now do about people having an organ transplant - which was thought unheard of not that long ago.
In the meantime, we can all improve our health, success and happiness but learning to improve our “self-speak” and reinforce our bodies and minds with positive words, thoughts and images.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Given the way the health sciences have been taught in nursing and medical schools, it is perfectly understandable for physicians and nurses trained more than 25 years ago to think the placebo effect didn’t make sense and was instead a popular explanation for a sudden healing - a “spontaneous remission”. It is a leap for many to accept that a person could think or believe something and that simple act of belief could heal them?
Up until the last twenty or so years, research scientists did not have a grasp on how the brain and our emotions worked to create our reality. The subject of emotions has been and still is very much “uncharted waters” in behavioral science. However, what is well documented today is how the various brain waves function and what part of the brain each of the various brain waves control and stimulate and most importantly what emotions actually are. (This will be discussed in another segment.)
The “beta waves” which are the brain waves that allows us to focus on the words on this blog and comprehend, in the moment, what is intellectually being communicated. These waves are produced in the frontal lobe which is the seat of intellectual functioning. Thinking, analyzing, reasoning and so forth occur in this part of the brain.
The “alpha waves” which are the slower brain waves which originate in the mid-brain are the brain waves that allow us access to our unconscious thinking or what some refer to as the soul. All thought processes, be it from the beta wave or alpha wave region of the brain are actually chemical reactions that produce specific proteins which communicate with our immune cell membranes and other cell membranes of our body.
The specific thoughts we think and the region of the brain they originate in have an identifiable chemistry that has been shown to create dramatic changes in our physical bodies. In Dr Paul Pearsall’s ground breaking book “The Hearts Code” he tell many amazing mind/body stories but one in particular, that is a striking example of how powerful thoughts and images are, is the story he tells about a schizophrenic patient who demonstrated completely different disease states depending on the personality she was exhibiting. Ultra sounds, cat-scans, lab tests all confirmed that one of her personalities had a massive cancerous tumor and yet when she went into a different personality state all of her previous pathology disappeared as well.
Our brains are the ultimate manifestors of matter. The chair you are sitting on was a thought before if became that chair. Thought ARE “things” – that it thoughts in action are what manifest reality. For the woman in the study in Part I of this blog topic, who was cured of her stiffness after the sham surgery, her mind manifested a different set of thoughts through her hope and expectations for the outcome of the surgery. Her brain waves and proteins created positive chemistry which communicated with her immune system through its cell membranes. The results – she became healthier and could “stride across the room”
The idea of mind over matter is a powerful one. This science, and our understanding of its amazing chemistry, is in its infancy stage. In the future we will take the possibility of healing ourselves with thought and imagery for granted just as we now do about people having an organ transplant - which was thought unheard of not that long ago.
In the meantime, we can all improve our health, success and happiness but learning to improve our “self-speak” and reinforce our bodies and minds with positive words, thoughts and images.
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Science of How What We Believe Becomes Our Reality - Part One
by Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD
Ten years ago, Newsweek ran an article by Howard Brody, MD, PhD, author of "The Placebo Response: How You can Release Your Body's Inner Pharmacy for Better Health."
He begins the article by telling a story of a patient who experiences "a medical miracle". She was undergoing experimental brain surgery for her Parkinson's disease. She was so stiff before she had the surgery that she could barely take a step. When several months later a TV new magazine filmed the woman, she was striding easily across the room.
Now here is the exciting part of the story – the surgery she had was a fake. She was part of a fetal-cell transplant research study. The procedure consisted of drilling holes into the skull and placing fetal cells into specific targeted areas of the brain.
The woman was placed under anesthesia and holes were drilled into her head. But,she did not have any fetal cells implanted into her brain. This meant that her miraculous recovery was entirely what is called the "nuisance factor" by researchers, or better known as - the placebo effect.
In the conclusion of the study, it was stated that the patients who received the sham operation realized almost the same effects as the ones who received the fetal cell implants. This is a powerfully important piece of information with regard to understanding that we can "tell ourselves" or implant messages into our conscious and unconscious mind about what we want to realize about our health or our lives and can manifest those very messages into reality.
Beliefs are powerful things and what we tell ourselves and others tell us can make us better or worse. We all have "our story" and we tell it over and over again both to ourselves and to others. We believe it, we expect it and we project it. When we change our beliefs and our story, we change the outcomes.
One of the better known studies which demonstrates how changing our stories can change our outcomes (and our lives) is the 1980's breast cancer support group study that was written up in the journal Advances. All of the women had breast cancer that had metastasize before the study began. Their prognosis was poor but they became a group who listened to each others stories, supported each other, cared about one another and helped each other manage their symptoms and disease. They also helped each other change their story. It is not surprising that the women in this support group lived on average 18 months longer than breast cancer patients with the same degree of metastasis.
Tomorrow: Part Two - Understanding HOW THIS WORKS
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
Ten years ago, Newsweek ran an article by Howard Brody, MD, PhD, author of "The Placebo Response: How You can Release Your Body's Inner Pharmacy for Better Health."
He begins the article by telling a story of a patient who experiences "a medical miracle". She was undergoing experimental brain surgery for her Parkinson's disease. She was so stiff before she had the surgery that she could barely take a step. When several months later a TV new magazine filmed the woman, she was striding easily across the room.
Now here is the exciting part of the story – the surgery she had was a fake. She was part of a fetal-cell transplant research study. The procedure consisted of drilling holes into the skull and placing fetal cells into specific targeted areas of the brain.
The woman was placed under anesthesia and holes were drilled into her head. But,she did not have any fetal cells implanted into her brain. This meant that her miraculous recovery was entirely what is called the "nuisance factor" by researchers, or better known as - the placebo effect.
In the conclusion of the study, it was stated that the patients who received the sham operation realized almost the same effects as the ones who received the fetal cell implants. This is a powerfully important piece of information with regard to understanding that we can "tell ourselves" or implant messages into our conscious and unconscious mind about what we want to realize about our health or our lives and can manifest those very messages into reality.
Beliefs are powerful things and what we tell ourselves and others tell us can make us better or worse. We all have "our story" and we tell it over and over again both to ourselves and to others. We believe it, we expect it and we project it. When we change our beliefs and our story, we change the outcomes.
One of the better known studies which demonstrates how changing our stories can change our outcomes (and our lives) is the 1980's breast cancer support group study that was written up in the journal Advances. All of the women had breast cancer that had metastasize before the study began. Their prognosis was poor but they became a group who listened to each others stories, supported each other, cared about one another and helped each other manage their symptoms and disease. They also helped each other change their story. It is not surprising that the women in this support group lived on average 18 months longer than breast cancer patients with the same degree of metastasis.
Tomorrow: Part Two - Understanding HOW THIS WORKS
With all good wishes,
G
© by NIWH 2010 all rights reserved
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