Research Shows...

Research has demonstrated that our psychological, behavioral, and physical processes are closely integrated. Illnesses don't just happen: many are caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or other microbes. But what factors determine whether you will fall ill when exposed to these? What determines your immunity?
Part of immunity seems determined by emotions - how you think and feel what is going on inside your mind, your body, and your spirit may have tremendous impact on what happens to your body. In a thirty-year study of initially healthy young men, those with the most mature emotions and psychological style - including a sense of humor, an altruistic bent, and so on - were the healthiest thirty years later. After thirty-five years, only 3 percent of those who dealt with the stresses of life in a mature, adaptive way had an chronic illness, as compared with the 38 percent who were either dead or chronically ill in the other group (who coped by using denial, blaming, repression, and intellectualization).
-Information found from Mind/Body Health The Effects of Attitudes, Emotions, and Relationships by Keith J. Karren

How Emotions Impact Health

There's a physiological reason why emotions can impact health. Different parts of the brain are associated not only with specific emotions, but also with specific hormone patterns. The experience ("release") of certain hormones, then, is associated with different emotional responses, and those hormones affect health. As one example, we know that emotionally induced shifts in hormones can lead to chronic disease, such as high blood pressure. When a person is aggressive and anxious, too much norepinephrine and epinephrine are secreted, even at rest. The arteries thicken, and the excess hormones cause blood vessel muscles to constrict. The gradual rise in blood pressure can then result in hypertension, stroke, or heart failure.
Other studies have borne similar results. It has long been believed, for instance, that as many as 70 percent of all people who go to a gastrointestinal specialist have irritable bowel syndrome, a mixture of pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. Most are women, and most have some kind of an emotional problem. One-fourth of gastroenterology patients have major depression.
The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome were seen as a physical expression of emotions caused by recent loss or ongoing stressful life situations.
-Information found from Mind/Body Health THe Effects of Attitudes, Emotions, and Relationships on page 20 by Keith J. Karren

Ancient History

The concept of and controversy surrounding the effect of emotions and stress on health are not new; the relationship between physical and psychosocial well-being has existed throughout history and across cultures. More than 4,000 years ago, Chinese physicians noted that physical illness often followed episodes of frustration. Egyptian physicians of the same period prescribed good cheer and an optimistic attitude as ways to avoid poor health. Half a millennium before the birth of Christ, Hippocrates, considered the father of medicine, cautioned physicians that curing a patient required a knowldge of the "whole of things," of mind as well as body. That philosophy persisted for hundreds of years. I none of the best-known examples, the Greek physician Galen observed during the second century .D. that melancholic women were much more prone to breast cancer than women who were cheerful.
In 600 A.D. in In India, a well-ragarded complilation of texts called the Astangahradaya Sustrasthana demonstrated a strong relationship between mental state and disease. The texts counseled phyicians to "reject" patients who were "violent, afflicted with great grief, or full of fear." FUther it gave a poor prognonis to patients who were afflicted by intensely negative emotions. The texts warned that emotions such as hatred, violence, grief and ingratitude are stronger than the body's capability for a healthy balance, and those patients who could not abandon their negative emotions create new diseases as fast as the physician can heal an old one.
-Information found from Mind/Body Health THe Effects of Attitudes, Emotions, and Relationships by Keith J. Karren

Psychoneuroimmunology

Solid research is now confirming what many physicians have long observed: That the state of the mind directly affects physical illness.
The scientific investigation of how the brain affects the body's immune cells and how the immune system can be affected by behavior is called psychoneuroimmunology, a term coined in 1964 by Dr. Robert Ader.
Under the support of a National Institutes of Mental Health grant, physicians and researchers David Spiegel and Sara Stein write, "Once believed to be autonomously functioning mechanisms, the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are now known to be integrally connected, with exquisitely sensitive communications and interactions.
These and other researchers have shown that what we think and how we feel appear to have powerful effects on the biological functions of our bodies, especially on the immune system. It also shows that there is a complex, dynamic interaction between the mind and the body. Finally, it opens the revolutionary possibility tha twe can work with our physicians by virtue of our attiudes and our emotions, not just our biological systems.
-Information found from Mind/Body Health THe Effects of Attitudes, Emotions, and Relationships by Keith J. Karren

Just Do It

Russell Baker said: "To give up smoking, you quit smoking." The first way to try beating a destructive habit is to simply stop - stop without a lot of planning, techniques, or group support. This advice may seem too simple, but this is the way most people quit or control bad habits. They decide that it is unacceptable to continue the habit. After a firm decision, the rest is often surprisingly easy. You can just quit.

Sink or Swim

Once upon a time, in a land not very far away, was a community located along the banks of a river. The citizens were distressed because so many people were drowning in the river. So they developed ambulance speedboats, impressive resuscitation procedures, and intensive care units. Sometimes the rescues worked, but often they did not. Either way, their heroic medical efforts fully occupied their time, attention, and resources. Then one day someone asked, "Why don't these people learn to swim?"

From The Healthy Mind, Health Body Handbook by David Sobel and Robert Ornstein

I think this is a great example of what Public Health is all about - the importance of prevention.

Relaxtion Exercise

Get in a comfortable position.

Place your right hand on your abdomen, right at the waistline, and put your left hand on your chest, right in the center.

Without trying to change your breathing, simply notice how you are breathing. Which hand rises the most as you inhale – the hand on your chest or the hand on your belly?

Gently place both of your hands on your abdomen and shift your breathing there. Notice how your abdomen rises with each inhalation and fall with each exhalation.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Now we are going to begin a controlled breathing activity. We will breathe in for four counts and out for four counts. Breathe in . . . two . . . three . . . four, and out . . . two . . . three . . . four. (Repeat) Breathe in . . . two . . . three . . . four, and hold. Try to feel your heart beating in your chest. And breathe out.

Follow that pattern on your own, counting your breaths in and out.

Find a spot on your body that is tense.

As you breathe in deeply, focus all of the oxygen and blood to the tension. Say to yourself, "Breathe in relaxation" before you inhale.

Breathe out from your abdomen and say to yourself, "Breathe out tension."

Continue. Let each affirmation work to reduce the tense spots on your body.

Now imagine yourself walking alone in the early morning along a path in a primeval forest through a gauntlet of towing pine trees. Each step you take is softly cushioned by a bed of golden-brown needles. Quietness consumes these surroundings and then is broke by the melody of a songbird. As you stroll along at a leisurely pace, you focus on the sweet, clean scent of the evergreens, the coolness of the air, the warmth of the sun as it peeks through the trees, and the gentle breeze as it passes through the boughs of the pines and whispers past your ears.

Off in the distance, you hear the rush of water cascading over weathered rocks, babbling as it moves along. Yards ahead, a chipmunk perches on an old decaying birch stump along the side of the path, frozen momentarily to determine its next direction. Then in the blink of an eye, it disappears under the ground cover, and all is silent again.

As you continue to walk along this path, you see a clearing up ahead, and you notice your pace pick up just a little to see what is there. First boulders appear, then behind them, a deep blue mountain lake emerges from behind the rocks. You climb up on a boulder to secure a better view and find a comfortable spot carved out of the weathered stone to sit and quietly observe all the elements around you.

The shore of the lake is surrounded by a carpet of tall green grass and guarded by a host of trees: spruce, pine, aspen and birch. On top of one of the spruce trees, an eagle leaves his perch, spreads its wings to catch the remains of a thermal current, and gracefully glides over the lake. On the far side of the lake, off in the distance, dwarfing the tree line, is a rugged stone-faced mountain. The first snows of autumn have dusted the fissures and crevasses, adding contrast to the rocks' features. The color of the snow matches the one or two puffy white clouds and early-morning crescent mood that interrupts an otherwise cloudless day. A slight warm breeze begins to caress your cheeks and the backs of your hands.

The slight breeze sends tiny ripples across the surface of the lake. As you look at the water's surface, you realize that this body of water, this maintain lake, is just like your body, somewhat calm, yet yearning to be completely relaxed, completely calm.

Focus your attention on the surface of the water. The ripples you observe represent or symbolize any tensions, frustrations, or wandering thoughts that keep you from being completely relaxed. As you look at the surface of this mountain lake, slowly allow the ripples to dissipate, fade away, disappear. To enhance this process, take a very slow deep breath and feel the relaxation it brings to your body as you exhale. And as you exhale, slowly allow the ripples to fade away, giving way to a calm surface of water.

As you continue to focus on this image, you see the surface of the lake becoming more and more calm, in fact very placid, reflecting all that surrounds it. As you focus on this image, realize that this body of water is like your body. Sense how relaxed you feel as you see the surface of the lake remain perfectly still, reflecting all that is around it. The water's surface reflects the images of the green grass, the trees, the mountain face, even the clouds and crescent mood. Your body is as relaxed as this body of water, this mountain lake. Try to lock in this feeling of calmness and etch this feeling on your memory so that you can call it up to your conscious mind when you get stressed or frustrated. Remember this image so that you can recall the serenity you have created to promote a deep sense of relaxation, and feel your body relax just be thinking of the solitude of this mountain lake.

Now slowly bring yourself to consciousness. Open your eyes and notice your surroundings. Very slowing, let your breathing return to normal, and when you feel ready, return to your chair.

Body Scan

Assume a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Start with your toes and focus on any sensations of discomfort you may become aware of such as: stinging, aching, throbbing, tingling, or burning. Take a deep breath, and as you release that breath, imagine yourself releasing that uncomfortable sensation into the air at the same time. Move slowly up your body, following the same procedure of breathing as before. Include areas such as: arches of feet, heels, angles, calves, shins, thighs, buttocks, lower back, hips, abdomen, chest, upper back, fingers, palms, wrists, elbows, biceps, triceps, shoulders, neck, throat, jaw, tongue, lips, cheeks, eyes, forehead, and scalp.
-BYU Stress Management Lab

Another option: Toe Tensing
By alternately tensing and relaxing your toes, you actually draw tension from the rest of the body. Try it!

1. Lie on your back, close your eyes.
2. Sense your toes.
3. Now pull all 10 toes back toward your face. Count to 10 slowly.
4. Now relax your toes.
5. Count to 10 slowly.
6. Now repeat the above cycle 10 times.

Information found on: http://www.umm.edu/sleep/relax_tech.htm

Meditation

Find a quiet place which is free from distraction. Assume a passive attitude. Get into a comfortable position and focus your attention on a word ("relax," "peace"), phrase ("I am clam"), sound (ticking clock), thought, feeling, breath, or a symbol like a candle flame. Concentrate on what you have chosen. When your thoughts stray, gently bring them back to what you have chosen to focus on.

-BYU Stress Management Lab

What the Research Shows

• Antibodies in the saliva that protect against colds are higher on days when people are in a positive mood.
• Church-goers have nearly half the risk of a heart attack than nonchurch-goers, and their blood pressure is lower.
• Deaths due to lack of regular physical activity are comparable to those from smoking, high blood pressure, and an elevated cholesterol level.
• Inadequate social support is as dangerous ot your health as lack of exercise, smoking, and elevated cholesterol.
  
• Patients with chronic pain who had ten sessions of mind-body techniques saw the doctor 36% less in the following two years. They felt more in control, and less depressed and anxious.
• Mentally prepared surgery patients have fewer complications, less discomfort, recover more quickly, and leave the hospital sooner.
• Patients undergoing open-heart surgery who received strength and comfort from religion were three times more likely to survive than those without religious support.
• Nursing home residents who were given more contorl over things such as what to have for lunch or what night to see a movie were happier and more active. After 18 months, they had half the death rate as those who were not offered as much control.
• One group of patients with a deadly skin cancer (malignant melanoma) received a group support and education program for six weeks in addition to standard surgical treatment. They learned about their condition, stress management, relaxation, and coping skills. The group receiving this training had a 60% reduction in death rate six years later.
• Treating premature infants with music therapy (Brahm's Lullaby) resulted in greater weight gain, and earlier discharge from the hospital by one week, producing a savings of $4,800.

From The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Handbook

Visualization

Find a quiet and comfortable environment. Vividly imagine being in a place that is peaceful and calming to you. Utilize all your sense to bring the image alive: experience the colors, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, objects, people, and animals in that place.

You may o to a place you have been to before (beach, lake, cabin, mountain, temple), or to a place you have never been to before (flying in the air, floating on a cloud, riding in a hot air balloon, or being on a deserted island.) Enjoy your "mental vacation" in this peaceful sanctuary.

-Found from BYU's Stress Management Lab

The Fence of The Ambulance

Public Health is focused on prevention and I think this poem illustrates the importance of prevention very well.

The Fence or The Ambulance
Joseph Malines

‘Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant:
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and many a peasant;
So the people said something would have to be done.
But their projects did not at all tally:
Some said, "Put a fence around the edge of the cliff"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day.
For it spread to the neighboring city:
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became brimful of pity
For those who had slipped o’er that dangerous cliff,
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds or gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is alright if your careful," they said,
"and if folks even slip or are dropping,
it isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
as the shock down below-when they're stopping,"
So day after day when these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would the rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old man remarked, "it's a marvel to me
that people give far more attention
to repairing results than to stopping the cause,
when they'd much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief, cried he.
"Come neighbors and freinds, let us rally :
If the cliff we will fence, we might almost dispense
with the ambulance down in the valley."

"Oh, he's a fanatic." the others rejoined:
"dispense with the ambulance Never!
He'd dispense with all charities, too, if he could:
no, no! We'll support them forever.
Aren't we picking up folks just as fast as they fall?
And shall this man dictate to us? Shall he?
Why would people of sense stop to put up a fence?
While their ambulance works in the valley?"

But a sensible few who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer
They believe that prevention is better than cure
And their party will soon be the stronger
Encourage them, then with your purse, voice and pen
And (while other philanthropists dally)
They will scorn all pretense, and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

The Best Loved Poems of the American People
Compiled by Hazel Felleman
Published by Doubleday, 1936

Performance Rehearsal

Achieve a state of deep relaxation and imagine yourself in a stressful scene such as taking an exam, a social situation, playing a sport or a musical instrument, while at the same time visualizing yourself performing exceptionally well.

-BYU Stress Management Lab

Self-Hypnosis

Achieve a deep state of relaxation. Choose a relaxing suggestion such as, "I am calm," or "I can do this, " or "I will be myself when I am on a date." Repeat the suggestion to yourself thoughtfully and meaningfully while breathing slowly and deeply. After repeating the suggestion several times, gradually come out of the deep state of relaxation.

-BYU Stress Management Lab

Autogenics

Silently and slowly repeat relaxing phrases regarding the body while trying to feel those sensations at the same time. For example, "My hands are heavy." "My hands are heavy and warm," "My hands and arms are heavy and warm." "My feet are warm," "My legs are heavy," "My feet and legs are heavy and warm." Repeat each phrase several times.

-BYU Stress Management Lab