General / Off-Topic Calling an Illness "Psychosomatic" Doesn't Mean It's Imaginary

[lysan]

Calling an Illness "Psychosomatic" Doesn't Mean It's Imaginary

Recent experiments have begun mapping the neuronal connections between mind and body like never before

blogs.scientificamerican.com

Understanding the human mind and the influence it does on the body.

Placebo effects, exercise highs, getting sick when you’re stressed out—the popular press and the scientific literature alike are replete with examples of how the mind or mental processes influence our health and well-being. This “mind-body connection” is essential for normal organ function and also is viewed as the basis for psychosomatic disorders. Yet the concept that our thoughts can influence the function of a variety of organ systems is often viewed with some skepticism, in part because it has lacked a firm biological basis.

That’s changing. We are now starting to provide the scientific evidence to reveal the important dynamic between our brains and our bodies. And in the process, we are learning how the brains of primates are different from those of other animals—a reality that has important implications for research into the causes and treatment of neurologic disorders.

 

[Chris Simon]

The fact that placebo effect is a REAL effect has been known for some time, I think.

But yes, we are all just a big and complicated set of chemical reactions, including our brains, so it only makes sense that everything kind of depends on everything else and any inbalance in the system can have a chain reaction effects.

Good read, that.

 

[Patrick_68000]

The psychosomatic affections are very real and verifiable.

It is obvious that good mental health promotes good physical health or at least limits the arrival of diseases.

And conversely, poor mental health promotes the arrival of psychosomatic diseases.

Denying it is like denying the possibility of other life forms in the universe.

 

[Shinji Ikari]

It's good practice to use quotation marks when doing a copy/paste.

 

[znôrt]

well, romans in the first century of our era already knew that: "mens sana in corpore sano".

i always thought this was so incredibly evident that it has been a motto for me all my life. everything is connected.

nowadays we're discovering what crucial a role our microbes (specially those in the gut but not only) play in our health, well-being and habits too. fecal transplant anyone?