Your thoughts on self healing

[dustbunny]

For years I've wondered about self healing. I've watched programmes where people seem to be miracously cured of deadly illnesses just by the power of the mind and others about people who use hypnosis to control pain during operations, etc.

Apart from my viewing habits I'm a novice on this subject when it comes to facts but I must admit I'm intrigued by the whole concept of being able to cure yourself by mind over matter. I'd love to hear other members opinions and ideas.

[theMark]

The majority of current knowledge points toward the "mind" just being "matter", so it's not really a question of "mind over matter". Wishful thinking has failed time and again. Then why are there these amazing accounts of miracle cures? Well, the chance of a spontaneous remission may only be 10,000 : 1. In the case of deadly illnesses, only the rare survivors get to claim it "worked because they believed/prayed/whatever so hard". The others, who believed/prayed/whatever as hard as well are not around to speak of the failure of believing/praying/whatevering. What are we left with? "believing/praying/whatevering works because XYZ said so." Uh, no. Sorry. For it to work, it would have to do better than chance alone. And do so repeatedly.

From what I've read about "Hypnosis for pain control", there are a few reports of it actually working by distracting the "victim" (e.g. at the dentist). During real operations - not so much. From a certain level upward, ignoring pain just doesn't work. While I'm at the dentist, I focus on my toes, and/or think along the lines of "just imagine how small/insignificant the area is which the doctor's working on". Works quite well, because the pain/inconvenience is up for interpretation.
Doctor hits a nerve, interpretation stops. Serious Ouch comes in.

Somewhere in the forum must be the account of a doctor that witnessed operating on a patient during "hypnosis", and only later learned that the patient (whose language he didn't speak) complained about severe pain all the way, while the operator claimed his words meant exactly the opposite.

The whole "power of mind" idea has failed so many times, it's a real pain to see it brought up again and again. See any of those "self-help" book reviews around here (e.g. "The Secret"). Most of those who claim "mind over matter works" do cherry-pick their examples, rely on anecdote or hearsay, ignore the times it outright failed or flat out lie about or make up or leave out revealing facts from their stories.

Of course, relaxing in a chair and telling yourself, "I'm fine right now", tends to make people feel better. Feel better. Not become better. A cold takes seven days to go away, whether you want it to disappear faster or not. Placebo works as well as it does by supposedly tricking people into re-evaluating what they perceive about their body. Best of my knowledge, it does nothing for making broken bones heal faster...

These are just a few pointers to get you started. I hope some others chime in and provide a few links which right now evade me.

What set me on the path of critical thinking was reading about confirmation bias and several other psychological pitfalls we are all prone to. This led to admitting to myself that the human perception (mine included) is easily and readily fooled. We have the urge to validate our claims, when actually we should be looking for ways to check whether we're not fooling ourselves doing the validation. And that is what science is all about. Learning about things while trying not to make up stuff along the way...

[kerikiwi]

All bodies, human and animal, heal themselves. But sometimes this is less successful and death or permanent disability is the result. If you inflict a small cut while doing the gardening, your body heals itself. No power of the mind or hypnosis. If your chainsaw slips, do not try power of the mind or hypnosis as a first option.
Certain ailments are self-resolving. Power of the mind or hypnosis or any other thing have no effect other than psychological. You will indeed feel better after a given amount of time, but attributing this improvement to anything but the natural process of the body self-repairing is delusional.

The programmes you watched will have not given any reliable medical evidence of the illnesses which are claimed to have been cured, either before or after the cure.

P.S. I have no idea either how that grumpy face got there, or how to remove it. Hypnosis has failed!

[blutoski]

Originally Posted by dustbunny

For years I've wondered about self healing. I've watched programmes where people seem to be miracously cured of deadly illnesses just by the power of the mind and others about people who use hypnosis to control pain during operations, etc.

Apart from my viewing habits I'm a novice on this subject when it comes to facts but I must admit I'm intrigued by the whole concept of being able to cure yourself by mind over matter. I'd love to hear other members opinions and ideas.

My opinion is that at this time, there is no evidence that this can happen at all.

Anecdotes abound, of course, and make good TV.

Further, people charge money in exchange for allegedly teaching people how to tap into their capacity to self-heal. I believe this is fraud.

We have a local celebrity here in BC raknig in millions doing just that: [link].

[rocketdodger]

It is possible for even a novice to increase blood flow to body parts -- this can aid healing greatly.

It is possible for experts to completely block pain sensation (or ignore it, whatever). I guess if you had to perform self surgery that would help greatly.

It is possible to control the production of certain hormones. This might aid in healing, I suppose.

I don't think there is any evidence for much more than that, as Butoski said.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by kerikiwi

If you inflict a small cut while doing the gardening, your body heals itself.

I got a nice "road rash" on my knee while playing baseball, a little tea tree oil, a little patience and a little time and I self healed that sucker. Anything bigger than that, and i'm off to a professional.
Ace

[Soapy Sam]

One wonders how many of these programmes are started and how many abandoned because the star dies?

Sometimes, people get better. (Actually, a lot of the time).
Sometimes people live to be 120.
Sometimes you just get lucky.

I'd expect the sort of illness most apt to be cured by a positive attitude is one which is worsened by a negative attitude- depression, addiction, dependency, various psychological problems. Odd then that we hear miracle stories of people curing their own cancer, yet not of people curing their own alcohol habit.

[krazyKemist]

As themark said, the "mind" is just "matter" itself. Incredibly complex "matter" that we do not completely understand yet, but matter still.

The mind/matter duality is thus a false dichotomy used by people to designate phenomena that are much more accurately "psychosomatic", such as hypnosis or the placebo effect.

There are interesting studies on the placbo effect, for example, that showed better "felt" efficacy for some colors and sizes of pills compared to other sizes or colors.

Once a scientific reporter on our state's TV reported on a conditionning study in which subjects are injected adrenalin in response to a stimulus. After a while, they were injected saline with the stimulus and were found to produce adrenalin. Such conditionning studies abound and are the most interesting and therapeutically promising you can find in my opinion. Conditionning can achieve spectacular, measureable bodily responses. But wishful thinking à la The Secret is totally bunk.

[Boo]

One of my favorite medical sayings: The primary job of a physician is to entertain the patient while nature takes it course.


There is much we don't know about the human body and the role of mind (not brain) in influencing what happens with the body. What is known and was alluded to earlier is that with most disease states there are known sets of outcomes and the probability of each outcome. Using 1:100,000 as an example for every 100,000 people with a known disease 1 of them will have an outcome that is the opposite of the expected, for some this is death, others it may be a complete healing. If it's death you get lawsuits, if it's a return to normal health it's "a miracle".


In western society and culture it is expected that there is an explanation for everything. People do not want to hear 'I don't know', particularly when it comes to medicine and regardless of what some certain organizations seem to think *cough* JACHO *cough* there is no such this as a 'never' event. That is something that should not happen, ever.

Sometimes people die and sometimes they get better in opposition to the expected outcome and science is still learning what the role the mind plays, if any, in this process.


Self healing is something our body does on a routine basis; we fight off bacterial and viral infections that we have not been inoculated against, cut yourself and the wound will heal with time, broken bones will knit together and heal without casting or surgical pins, plates and screws. No special mind state is required.


Boo

[blutoski]

Originally Posted by Ace

I got a nice "road rash" on my knee while playing baseball, a little tea tree oil, a little patience and a little time and I self healed that sucker. Anything bigger than that, and i'm off to a professional.
Ace

My impression is that the original question wasn't so much about whether it was possible for people to self-manage health problems without resorting to an MD, as whether people could enhance healing by will alone.

[Soapy Sam]

Sure you can. You can lose weight and get fit through will alone and that helps fix many health problems.

can you cure cancer by thinking about it? Not that I know of. But you may be able to reduce your chance of getting it in the first place through the exercise of will.

[casebro]

Doesn't Randi tell the story of a kid at one of those curative fountains, with the abandoned crutches from the 'cured' hanging on the wall? The kids asks "How come there are no wooden legs up there?"...

[Ace]

Originally Posted by blutoski

My impression is that the original question wasn't so much about whether it was possible for people to self-manage health problems without resorting to an MD, as whether people could enhance healing by will alone.

I guess my point of disbelief, which was asked for by the OP "I'd love to hear other members opinions", wasn't conveyed well enough. I'll try again.

I don't see enough evidence presently that thought alone aids the healing of major wounds or disease.
Therefore until such evidence presents itself, I will remain skeptical.
Thats my opinion.
Ace

[Gravy]

There's a conspicuous lack of self-regrowth of amputated limbs. Don't these amputees care enough?

[Kittyclaws]

http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/

Most studies that have been conducted focus on using thought/relaxation/hypnosis, etc, on pain control. As we all know, pain is a very subjective experience and the placebo response is an amazing phenomenon. Why do patients report better, faster pain relief when they're told pain-reliever A costs five times as much as pain-reliever B , even though they are both the same compound? Researchers should be studying the how to expand use of the placebo effect. It'd sure put the brakes on drug-seeking behavior at your local ER.

Why can't we experiment with other conditions that are NOT subjective? Then you have to work with patients who have potentially serious, measurable conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, and treating them with a placebo to see if they can cure themselves is considered unethical. Silly AMA!

[borealys]

Originally Posted by Soapy Sam

I'd expect the sort of illness most apt to be cured by a positive attitude is one which is worsened by a negative attitude- depression, addiction, dependency, various psychological problems.

This is exactly what I thought of when I read the question. A short while back, a big study came out which suggested that SSRI-class antidepressant medication, as compared to placebo, is a lot less effective than previously thought. Part of the aftermath was a spate of commentaries and editorials speculating on why, if that's the case, do so many people (myself included, in fact) respond so well to SSRIs? One interesting thing that came up was the discussion of the role that hope may play in overcoming depression.

The idea was this: You believe you're going to get better once the medication kicks in. You watch intently for signs it may be starting to work. One day, you happen to feel a little better than you usually do. Maybe the medicine has given you a small energy boost, or maybe it's just a better-than-average day. Either way, you take this as a sign that you're starting to get better. This gives you hope and helps you break out of the vicious cycle of negative thoughts that characterizes depression. You pay more attention to the good periods and less attention to the bad periods. This helps you to, eventually, get better.

Very neat, very tidy, and, I have to say, I'm skeptical that the reality is anywhere near that neat and tidy. That said, it does seem likely that hope, and a belief that you will get better, do play a role in recovery from depression. Not the whole story, maybe, but part of it.

But then, psychological disorders are a special case when it comes to the notion of healing yourself by changing the way you think. I might be able to overcome bouts of depression that way, but it isn't going to do a thing for that old, unhealed hairline fracture in my ankle.

[zenotter]

Self healing... like eat your fruits and veggies, move a little more... that sort of thing? Or would it be like, if I put a bandage on myself to help a cut heal faster?

[dustbunny]

Thanks everyone for that I'm not as much in the dark about it now. We used to have a show called Strange but True in England and on one episode a lady used a kind of hypnosis to control pain during several different operations. Doctors and therapists, etc, were interviewed about her ability. The case was better known as she actually took a store to court because while she was there a plank of wood fell and hit her on the head thus causing her to lose her hypnosis claims. If anyone can remember a case like this I'd love to hear it.

I've also watched stories about monks who use meditation to aid healing. It's true though eating and living well probably aids self healing quicker than anything else.

[MattusMaximus]

Originally Posted by blutoski

My impression is that the original question wasn't so much about whether it was possible for people to self-manage health problems without resorting to an MD, as whether people could enhance healing by will alone.

Think of it this way. If we could heal and keep ourselves healthy by will alone, then why would anyone get sick at all?

[krazyKemist]

Originally Posted by dustbunny

Thanks everyone for that I'm not as much in the dark about it now. We used to have a show called Strange but True in England and on one episode a lady used a kind of hypnosis to control pain during several different operations. Doctors and therapists, etc, were interviewed about her ability. The case was better known as she actually took a store to court because while she was there a plank of wood fell and hit her on the head thus causing her to lose her hypnosis claims. If anyone can remember a case like this I'd love to hear it.

I remember one science study shown on TV where severely burned kids were submitted to VR showing a simulated iceworld during their painful water treatment and reported a lower intensity of pain.

My hunch is that hypnosis is something that you do to yourself. It is a type of auto-suggestion, of self-conditionning. You may be helped in that state by somebody else, but you have to be willing and concentrated. The amount of pain you perceive will be modified by the amount of distraction you're able to generate. Another example of reduction of pain perception by distraction is one treatment I once heard about of pregnant women being injected subcutenaously with distilled water. It produced a burning sensation which was said to distract from the pain of labor.

Quote:

I've also watched stories about monks who use meditation to aid healing. It's true though eating and living well probably aids self healing quicker than anything else.

I don't think meditation would actually aid in healing per se. But you might mitigate the anxiety or perception of pain from illness/wound. One of my friends, for example, is currently undergoing chemo. She is under a lot of stress/anxiety, and also pain from the treatments (muscle pulling from high doses of antihistaminics, peripheral neuropathy, nausea, ect.). She finds yoga/meditation helpful in managing the stress, pain and nauseous feelings. But she has no illusions that it shrinks the tumor. Would it help somebody who does not like it or think it is bunk ? It doubt so. It's your own perception that is the outcome, so the type of things that will be effective will be totally subjective. For me for example, reading a good book, hearing jokes or listening to good music might achieve the same thing, ie, distracting me from stress and pain.

[dustbunny]

Originally Posted by krazyKemist

I remember one science study shown on TV where severely burned kids were submitted to VR showing a simulated iceworld during their painful water treatment and reported a lower intensity of pain.

My hunch is that hypnosis is something that you do to yourself. It is a type of auto-suggestion, of self-conditionning. You may be helped in that state by somebody else, but you have to be willing and concentrated. The amount of pain you perceive will be modified by the amount of distraction you're able to generate. Another example of reduction of pain perception by distraction is one treatment I once heard about of pregnant women being injected subcutenaously with distilled water. It produced a burning sensation which was said to distract from the pain of labor.



I don't think meditation would actually aid in healing per se. But you might mitigate the anxiety or perception of pain from illness/wound. One of my friends, for example, is currently undergoing chemo. She is under a lot of stress/anxiety, and also pain from the treatments (muscle pulling from high doses of antihistaminics, peripheral neuropathy, nausea, ect.). She finds yoga/meditation helpful in managing the stress, pain and nauseous feelings. But she has no illusions that it shrinks the tumor. Would it help somebody who does not like it or think it is bunk ? It doubt so. It's your own perception that is the outcome, so the type of things that will be effective will be totally subjective. For me for example, reading a good book, hearing jokes or listening to good music might achieve the same thing, ie, distracting me from stress and pain.

Learning how to distract yourself from pain and anxiety, etc, is something I'd love to know how to do. Other members quotes have contained a lot of useful information about self healing. Self meditation, when done correctly, can have a positive effect on pain. For eg, as I type this to you I've got the most dreadful toothache and as much as I'm distracted by typing this quote the pain won't go away. If I could somehow channel my thoughts (don't worry I'm not psychic) I'm sure it wouldn't feel so bad. Any hints or tips would be very welcome. Ouch!

[krazyKemist]

Originally Posted by dustbunny

Learning how to distract yourself from pain and anxiety, etc, is something I'd love to know how to do. Other members quotes have contained a lot of useful information about self healing. Self meditation, when done correctly, can have a positive effect on pain. For eg, as I type this to you I've got the most dreadful toothache and as much as I'm distracted by typing this quote the pain won't go away. If I could somehow channel my thoughts (don't worry I'm not psychic) I'm sure it wouldn't feel so bad. Any hints or tips would be very welcome. Ouch!

Arrghhh, toothache ! That's difficult to get distracted from.

When I was 13 to 18 years old, I used to get migraine headaches very frequently (at least one attack per week). I couldn't take OTC analgesics because I would simply throw them up and make it worse, and migraine-targetted medication wasn't well known. One trick I had discovered was to voluntarily hyperventilate myself. It would put me in a sort of 'trance' between sleep and wakefulness (I could hear what was going on, but had a very screwed sense of time), and occasionally made me sleep it off.

A lot of meditation techniques, especially in yoga, use a type of breathing control. It seems to help for diffuse kinds of pain, but having had the toothache experience I'm not sure they would be sufficient (for me ) for that kind of accute pain.

[rocketdodger]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A...4%90%E1%BB%A9c

According to eyewitness reports he never made a sound or moved a muscle.

[kerikiwi]

Originally Posted by rocketdodger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A...4%90%E1%BB%A9c

According to eyewitness reports he never made a sound or moved a muscle.

I'm wondering if those eyewitness reports are as reliable as the claim that after he was then properly cremated, his heart remained intact.

[Michael C]

Originally Posted by rocketdodger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A...4%90%E1%BB%A9c

According to eyewitness reports he never made a sound or moved a muscle.

He did burn, though...

Seriously, it's obvious that there are some cases where self-healing always works (superficial cuts) and others where it never works (amputated limbs). It's more interesting to look at the cases where self-healing sometimes works.

If we are attacked by a virus, we may squash it so fast with our immune system that we don't even notice it, we may fight it for a certain amount of time before finally getting rid of it, or we may lose the fight. It seems to be an accepted fact that stress affects the immune system (see for example http://mentalhealth.about.com/od/str...simmune604.htm), so it is reasonable to suppose that we can increase our chances of resisting a disease if we learn to better cope with stress. I don't expect "miraculous cures " of "deadly diseases", but it is certainly possible that conscious action of the brain can have an effect on the way the body handles a disease.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by Soapy Sam

'd expect the sort of illness most apt to be cured by a positive attitude is one which is worsened by a negative attitude- depression, addiction, dependency, various psychological problems.

Odd then that we hear miracle stories of people curing their own cancer, yet not of people curing their own alcohol habit.

On inspection of this aspect of the question, i'm going to ammend my earlier statement.

On this aspect, I totally agree.
I'm posting about the effect of dopamine addiction on attitude adjustment among other personality disorders in another post...no one likes the thread though cause its kinda about the bleep movie...but I think that you can cure more than alcohol "addiction" with positive thinking and choices, you can self heal a myriad of other "diseases".

As for learning to distract yourself from pain, I'll offer 2 suggestions...
The first one goes for krazyKemist's migraines and his friend with Chemo as well...If you live in a state that has medical allowances, Cannabis works wonders for focusing your mind and allowing you to concentrate on things other than the pain. Provided you use the right strain, it can aid in the relief of migraines, nausia, sleeplessness, and general pain, to name a few.
The second is just plain old acting. If you can fool everyone else, you can fool yourself...Have you, as a kid or not, ever tried to show off, and ended up hurting yourself? Did you laugh it off and act like it didn't hurt? Notice that it actually ended up hurting less than if you had focused upon it? Maybe not, but I have.
I found that years of both have actually raised my level of pain tolerance, both relative to other people and to my past levels. While I still experience pain, I am able to ignore it or I can downplay it until it reaches ignorable levels.
Ace

[Ace]

Ok since the OP mentioned wanting related thoughts and Ideas, I hope this isn't too OT
My question is about pain and the speed at which we sence it...which may tie in with...wait for it...quantum effects! And philosophy! and neurology! Whoo hoo!!!!

The other day, I was cutting some tubing with a razorblade. I slipped, and caused a nice bit of damage to a finger. Didn't hurt what-so-ever...until a few moments later.

Why is it that I didn't experience pain right away?
Was the pain produced in my finger, or my brain?
If it was produced in my brain, why do I feel it in my finger?
If its produced in my finger, why did it take so long to feel it?

I think I have answers, at least plausible/probable non woo ones, for most of these questions. I'd like to hear what other people think to see if I'm right.
Ace

[dustbunny]

Doesn't shock have something to do with delayed reaction to pain? I know that peoples reactions vary, like if someone has been seriously hurt shock can be a dangerous thing.

[dustbunny]

Originally Posted by krazyKemist

Arrghhh, toothache ! That's difficult to get distracted from.

When I was 13 to 18 years old, I used to get migraine headaches very frequently (at least one attack per week). I couldn't take OTC analgesics because I would simply throw them up and make it worse, and migraine-targetted medication wasn't well known. One trick I had discovered was to voluntarily hyperventilate myself. It would put me in a sort of 'trance' between sleep and wakefulness (I could hear what was going on, but had a very screwed sense of time), and occasionally made me sleep it off.

A lot of meditation techniques, especially in yoga, use a type of breathing control. It seems to help for diffuse kinds of pain, but having had the toothache experience I'm not sure they would be sufficient (for me ) for that kind of accute pain.

I sigh with despair It's not too bad at the moment but it's looming. You're right about the breathing exercises, people with severe asthma have been trained in the past to control their breathing. Anxiety makes asthma worse and an attack is frightening. It they can reduce their anxiety their breathing becomes less laboured.

The problem with toothache as well is you're constantly moving your mouth, talking, eating and drinking. I can picture how people used to wrap a scarf or hankerchief around their head in desperation. Of course if I couldn't talk as much my family would love it. When (not if) it comes back I'll give the breathing control a try.

[bokonon]

Originally Posted by theMark

From what I've read about "Hypnosis for pain control", there are a few reports of it actually working by distracting the "victim" (e.g. at the dentist).

The last couple of cavities I had filled at the dentist, the drilling was done without anesthesia. No hypnosis either, just a promise from the dentist to stay in the enamel and not drill into nerves. It was kind of interesting, and I appreciated not walking out of the office with one side of my face numb.

[shadron]

Originally Posted by Michael C

If we are attacked by a virus, we may squash it so fast with our immune system that we don't even notice it, we may fight it for a certain amount of time before finally getting rid of it, or we may lose the fight. It seems to be an accepted fact that stress affects the immune system

On one excellent example of that, early 20th century doctors noted that there didn't seems to be a specific cure for the Cholera disease, that the cure was to sustain the victim. The Cholera bacteria excretes a toxin that causes trhe small intestine to flush up to six liters of water a day from the bloodstream into the intestine, causing extreme diarrhea and shock (collapse of the bloodstream). The "cure" was to start replacement therapy of water and electrolytes immediately (shock can follow the first symptoms as shortly as four hours). The body's immune system eventually wipes out the bacteria, if given the time. There is no other known curative.

BTW, interesting to know that cystic fibrosis sufferers are largely immune to cholera; that is probably why cystic fibrosis hasn't been weeded out of the genome by heredity.

[borealys]

There's one other way I can think of that "self-healing" might be managed, to an extent, by the power of thought, which has been touched on already but not specifically brought up. Things like meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, etc. can help with relaxation and stress reduction. Stress is a known factor in numerous disorders, most notably heart disease and psychological disorders like depression (I've also read that it's implicated in the speed of progression of HIV/AIDS). True, stress reduction alone is extremely unlikely to cure any of these things all on its own, but it stands to reason that if high stress is an aggravating factor, then reducing it will provide some measure of improvement, or at least slow the progression, of those diseases.

Originally Posted by bokonon

The last couple of cavities I had filled at the dentist, the drilling was done without anesthesia. No hypnosis either, just a promise from the dentist to stay in the enamel and not drill into nerves. It was kind of interesting, and I appreciated not walking out of the office with one side of my face numb.

First time I ever had a cavity filled, at age 12, it was without anesthesia. My dentist said he could do it because the cavity was a very small one. I was terrified the whole time, but, sure enough, there was no pain. Since then I've had two more cavities filled by the same dentist, both times with anesthesia. He knows when he can get by without it and when he can't, I'd guess.

[dustbunny]

Originally Posted by bokonon

The last couple of cavities I had filled at the dentist, the drilling was done without anesthesia. No hypnosis either, just a promise from the dentist to stay in the enamel and not drill into nerves. It was kind of interesting, and I appreciated not walking out of the office with one side of my face numb.

I've got a hard to control phobia about the dentist. I cry, feel sick and generally get really down before going. A trip is inevitable because I can see decay on the gum line ( it doesn't help that each time I've gone the dentist seems to have overlooked some of it but because it didn't hurt I was too scared to mention it). If I thought that some form of hypnosis would help I would gladly try it. The dentists bedside manner leaves something to be desired though and maybe hypnosis or meditation before I go won't be as effective because he scares me that much. Needle nosed pliers might do the trick!

[dustbunny]

Originally Posted by Michael C

He did burn, though...

Seriously, it's obvious that there are some cases where self-healing always works (superficial cuts) and others where it never works (amputated limbs). It's more interesting to look at the cases where self-healing sometimes works.

If we are attacked by a virus, we may squash it so fast with our immune system that we don't even notice it, we may fight it for a certain amount of time before finally getting rid of it, or we may lose the fight. It seems to be an accepted fact that stress affects the immune system

The problem in todays society is it's hard to avoid stress. The pace of life or just simply making ends meet causes so much anxiety. Your symptoms range from tiredness to short term memory loss, but more worryingly is what is happening inside that you can't see. Meditation seems like a good idea to combat stress.

[MattusMaximus]

Originally Posted by rocketdodger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A...4%90%E1%BB%A9c

According to eyewitness reports he never made a sound or moved a muscle.

Pretty amazing. However, just because he made no sound and didn't move doesn't mean that he felt no pain or anguish. It just means he controlled his reaction to the situation.

And, I should point out, he still died.

[MattusMaximus]

Originally Posted by dustbunny

The problem in todays society is it's hard to avoid stress. The pace of life or just simply making ends meet causes so much anxiety. Your symptoms range from tiredness to short term memory loss, but more worryingly is what is happening inside that you can't see. Meditation seems like a good idea to combat stress.

Works pretty well for me. Making yourself stay still for an extended period of time is tougher than it sounds though, which, ironically, can be stressful

[Miss_Kitt]

Several aspects of this thread to respond to, so be patient with me, please.

On placebo effect: This is a simply amazing aspect of how our bodies and thoughts interact. Placebos not only sometimes aid medical conditions, they produce side effects. Not just obvious things like dizzyness and dry mouth, but physical effects like rashes, diarrhea, etc. On the other hand, placebo can produce not just differences in perceived illness, but differences in actual illness: changed blood chemistry, lower inflamation levels, fewer attacks of angina...the relationship between what's going on in our brain and what's going on elsewhere in our body is very complex, and still not deeply understood.

Focus / distraction to override automatic responses or suppress pain: Again, there are both psychological and physiological aspects to this. It is demonstrably true that we can 'will ourselves' to override automatic responses. "Acting tough" is a learned skill, and it does work. Conversely, we can make ourselves ignore damage signals from the body for a sufficient reward: Anyone who has ever had to yank a child back from a dangerous place despite having an injured arm can attest to that.
I can attest from personal experience that the distraction, breathing, and metal focus techniques of "natural childbirth" can work up to a certain point. I can also tell you that once pain reaches a certain level, they're not worth a thing! (Moms-to-be reading this post: Take the drugs! This is not the 19th century!)

I used to be extremely casual about visiting the dentist, until I had my dental anesthestic fail during a procedure. For some reason--still undetermined--the amount of numbing that had worked fine for prepping the tooth and fitting the temporary did not last long enough to put the final cap on. I notified my dentist that I could feel something, and he did a couple of "can you feel this? how does it feel?" tests and concluded that I needed some more pain-killer. Sadly, while he was prepping it, his new-and-still-learning assistant sprayed air on the open space the cap was going to cover. Yes, it is possible to have your muscles twitch in unison so hard that you literally physically lift out of the chair as it you could levitate...and it appeared to be reflex action, since I didn't actually shriek until I was landing again. (I assess that the very worst of labor pain is worse--but only the very worst (pushing).)
So I now have mild problems with tension, etc. at the dentist's. The first couple of visits were rough, but repeated experiences of no pain have reinforced my concious conviction that panic is unnecessary. Something that may help is to have a friend bring you once, and then take some kind of mild relaxant since you don't have to drive.
It sounds like the poster with dental issues also has a poor dentist, perhaps switching to another practicioner would help. Once you lose confidence in a doctor, it's hard to keep seeing them.

[zenotter]

Originally Posted by Ace

As for learning to distract yourself from pain, I'll offer 2 suggestions...
The first one goes for krazyKemist's migraines and his friend with Chemo as well...If you live in a state that has medical allowances, Cannabis works wonders for focusing your mind and allowing you to concentrate on things other than the pain. Provided you use the right strain, it can aid in the relief of migraines, nausia, sleeplessness, and general pain, to name a few.
The second is just plain old acting. If you can fool everyone else, you can fool yourself...Have you, as a kid or not, ever tried to show off, and ended up hurting yourself? Did you laugh it off and act like it didn't hurt? Notice that it actually ended up hurting less than if you had focused upon it? Maybe not, but I have.

Heh, what got me through six rounds of nearly four hours stuck in a chemo chair was Ativan. Does self-medication through requesting drugs from nurses count as self-healing?

Acting didn't really help me much, though it did take the edge off severe pain sometimes. What helps me is distracting myself from pain... if I'm too busy to notice, hey, I'm too busy to notice, and I'm tricked into thinking I don't hurt nearly as bad as I actually do. Mind over matter.

[Ivor the Engineer]

I don't believe it's possible to cure a deadly disease simply by wishing really hard, but I do suspect emotional state and attitude can affect the degree of success or failure of treatment.

Stress is associated with increased activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which causes a number of physiological changes known to be deleterious to survival if maintained for an extended period of time.

[dustbunny]

Originally Posted by MattusMaximus

Works pretty well for me. Making yourself stay still for an extended period of time is tougher than it sounds though, which, ironically, can be stressful

True, we all generally want time out but too much of it gets boring. We want what we can't have and then don't want it when we've got it. The mind boggles!