Mind over Matter

The mind is weird and wonderful, but can we really flatter it by commending it with the power to heal? Mind over matter is a phrase constantly heard – mainly from parents trying to get you back to your studies, but does it ring true? Is it truly possible to make ourselves better without the need of medical intervention?

The placebo effect is the phenomenon whereby a patient’s symptoms can be alleviated by an otherwise ineffective treatment. It has already been shown that the way we think about a medical treatment can dramatically affect how responsive our body is to it. Even with a severely debilitating disease such as Parkinsons, the placebo effect can affect the result of treatment and show a marked improvement in a patient. This is because although the pill is nothing but a pill-shaped lump of sugar, the mind believes in the tablet’s ability and the mind has been shown to release into the body natural painkillers, lower blood pressure and even boost the immune system to aid recovery.

The placebo effect is all very well but it does require someone lying to you convincingly about a drug’s ability to help you and many of the most common illnesses affecting people do not require drugs at all.
So how can mind over matter fit into our every day lives – is it possible to improve our health while we walk down the street or sit at our desk?

Being an optimist is great when trying to deal with stress or unhappiness, but studies have also shown that it has also been linked to a reduced susceptibility to disease. In fact, Scheier et al have shown in a recent study that optimism can even slow the ageing process and help reduce the chance of re-hospitalisation of patients after coronary artery bypass surgery (Arch. Intern. Med, vol 159, p829).

I appreciate that not everyone is born an optimist and many of us may find it hard with a heavy workload to stay positive all the time, but this leads me onto the solution I have found for over-worked and under-appreciated students, meditation!
I know that some of you may now be recoiling in horror at the thought of sitting on your bedroom floor in the lotus position humming like a bee for hours on end, and indeed even the thought of doing that myself instantly makes me believe what a waste of time it would be.

However, imaging studies have shown that after as little as 11 hours of meditation the brain shows structural changes which are linked with positive effects on the body. If you need more convincing – as I did – Elissa Epel from the University of California (2010) suggests that short mediations through the day (such as a few minutes quiet at your desk to focus on your breathing) can make all the difference.