I feel like I have been patted on the head. There is a whole field of scientific research into the interconnection between our mental and physical states. It is not about a belief system. Andi's initial post was thought provoking and I feel that it has lead to a great discussion. In my posts I am not talking about the "power of positive thinking." I am suggesting that learning new ways to respond to the stressors in one's life, as an example, might lead to a greater degree of healing. This is not to negate the use of allopathic medicine. Or to suggest that anyone should approach it as I did. I feel that the term complementary medicine says it precisely.
I am suggesting that there is another way to think about this. Women used to die in great numbers from childbirth fever. Doctors did not understand the importance of disinfecting their hands, So they thought nothing of going from a death bed to a women giving birth without washing their hands. By doing this they caused the deaths of many women. Up until it was finally proved that bacteria caused infection and thus illness, this did not change. Even then there were people who refused to believe that something that was invisible to the human eye could cause disease.
What if we are at the verge of another paradigm shift? What if we are looking at something that cannot be seen under the microscope but can only be measured by its effects? Immune system responses can be measured. Endocrine levels can be monitored. In the same way that astronomers can find a planet or star that they cannot see in a telescope, by its effects on the planets near it, scientists are trying to determine the effects of the emotions ( to simplify it) on the other systems of the body. Read the research with an open mind. It is very interesting even if you choose to dismiss it.
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/immune/psychon.htm
http://www.nfnlp.com/psychoneuroimmu...n.htm#research
http://www.wellness.org.za/html/pni.html
http://www.bcaction.org/Pages/Search...etter014C.html
http://www.cousinspni.org/
http://www.aacn.org/pdfLibra.NSF/Fil...e/ci140105.pdf
http://www.appi.org/book.cfm?id=8171
I am going to bed. I feel sure that this discussion will continue. I have been taking part in a very important human ritual. At least to me. Harvest. I probably don't save a penny but it makes my heart feel good. We have been putting up pickles. Sweet pickles. 10 gallons of cucumbers . We are being industrious little ants. There is a poem by Millay, "Rosemary". the first lines are "For the sake of some things that now be no more,...I will plant bergamot at my kitchen door". Canning and pickling make me feel connected to life in a very good way. Wonder if it boosts my immune system?
Leslie