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Can Mindfulness Help Heal Physical Disease?

By Dr Sophie Jayamaha


The body gets diseased in a number of ways. The diseases can be categorised according to the underlying disease process or the mechanism that alters the body tissues.  
These mechanisms are:
1. Infective
2. Inflammatory
3. Neoplasmic
4. Traumatic
5. Degenerative
6. Cytotoxic

These disease processes in the body, are initiated by other causes such as poor hygiene, poor ventilation, dehydration, nutritional deficiency, exposure to chemicals, heat, pressure, high velocity, substance abuse and physical and mental stress etc. 

All these causes above are ultimately come under our responsibility. Those causes can be prevented or minimised by managing our behaviour. Our behaviour depends on our attention and awareness.

When we are mindful we can manage our attention and awareness to prevent harm and to improve safety and wellness.

Mindfulness not only help us to change our behaviour it also has a direct influence in managing the body's stress response.

Inflammatory process mentioned above is a component of body's response to stress. Psychological stress activates sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system and it is responsible for activating inflammatory pathways in the body.

Therefore, managing stress is an important part of inflammatory diseases such as ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases and all other inflammatory conditions.

Mindfulness practice brings our restless and stressful minds to stillness. It helps to subside the body's stress response including the inflammatory process.

There are numerous other effects of stress in the body. They are high blood pressure, increased heart rate, increased activity of heart muscle, increased muscular tension and aches, chronic pain etc.

When we are faced with prolonged stressful situations in life, we react to those situations with fear, anger, grief, hate and denial. These emotional states threaten our well being and cause panic attacks, anxiety and depression. When they are untreated and prolonged, the body starts an inflammatory process.

When these negative emotions take over our lives, we become less motivated to do anything, we become less mobile, pay less attention to hygiene, nutrition etc. We also get distracted and more liable for falls and accidents. We become preoccupied with stressful thoughts and lose connection to present moment when we can make changes to our lives.

Mindfulness practice help us to be connected with our life experience fully by being aware and paying full attention to our behaviour, thoughts, emotions and body's responses. When we become aware of our body's responses to our emotions we learn to manage our response to stress and be resilient in stressful situations.

 When we manage our reactivity the effects of stress in the body diminishes and inflammatory, and biochemical responses to stress subsides allowing healing.

 © Copyrights reserved by Dr. Sophie Jayamaha 2018-01.30


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