Can you heal yourself using 'mind over matter

...H Gray asked
A. Yes, quite a lot. Doctors have known for years that stress makes illnesses much worse, and recent research has found a link between the brain and the immune system.

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Q. How does that affect us
A. It means that when you are depressed or have had a setback in life, you are much more likely to go down with flu, or catch any bug going. Being in a good state of mind has been shown to have a powerful effect on your body.

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Q. In what way
A. Very recently, Dr Karl Goodkin from the University of Maryland in America carried out some research. He counted the amount of HIV virus in the blood of a group of homosexual men who had recently lost a partner to AIDS. Then half the group had grief therapy and the other half did community work. There was a significant reduction in levels of the virus in men who had the counselling.

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Q. What happened during the counselling
A. The men were encouraged to cry and vent their emotions, to work out how to face the future, and to learn ways to deal with stress in general.

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Q. Does it work for anything else
A. Yes, in the British Medical Journal recently there was a report that cognitive therapy helped a group of women who were having difficulty conceiving. They were taught to replace negative talk about their chances of getting pregnant with a positive belief that they would. As a result, half became pregnant, compared to only 20% of the control group.

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Q. So, just by thinking positively, you can influence yoour body
A. Yes. Or you can believe in someone or something else - this is called the placebo effect.

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Q. What's that
A. An example of a placebo is when you are given a jelly bean and told it will cure your athlete's foot. Because you strongly believe that it is a powerful drug, which has been given to you by a knowledgeable doctor, your athlete's foot is cured by the sheer power of your mind.

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Q. Do placebos work for everyone
A. The power of the placebo is strong and affects about two-thirds of any group of people. Placebos have been found to work with angina, blood pressure, colds, coughs, fever, panic attacks, psychiatric conditions, psoriasis, insomnia, pain, rheumatoid arthritis and warts.

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Do you have something to add about mind over matter Post your answer here.

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By Sheena Miller