How You Think Helps You Heal
Originally published Mar 3 2023
Hedva Haykin, a doctoral student at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, has made an astonishing discovery. How you think affects how you heal. Now, tell this to any holistic health practitioner, and they’ll say, “Yeah… duh,” but this is a breakthrough for allopathic medicine. Haykin studied slides of hearts from mice who’d had heart attacks. Some slides were clearly marred by scars, whereas others showed just speckles of damage. What made the difference?
The healthier-looking samples came from mice that received stimulation in the area of the brain involved in positive emotion and motivation. The unstimulated mice had the most heavily scarred slides.
Haykin’s research hasn’t been published as she’s still conducting experiments. So far, she’s found that when the brain’s reward center is activated, it triggers immune changes that contribute to reducing scar tissue. Now, she has to test it to ensure it holds water repeatedly. If (when) that happens, it will open a new frontier for how we approach disease and illness.
You may have heard of the vagus nerve. It’s a primary bundle of some 100,000 nerve fibers that run from the brain to the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and other major organs. Scientists are experimenting with how the vagus nerve directs immune responses and impacts other distressing conditions. For example, it’s well known that irritable bowel syndrome is exacerbated by mental stress. Cancer patients who receive supportive group therapy and self-hypnosis survive longer than those who only receive routine care.
Small trials testing vagus nerve stimulation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are underway in Europe and the US, and it’s showing promise by reducing the severity of the disease. Aysa Rolls, one of Haykin’s supervisors, hopes to harness existing brain-stimulation technologies, such as magnetic pulses to alter brain activity, or focused ultrasound, using sound waves, to modulate the immune systems of people with autoimmune diseases and cancer.
This is exciting research, but why wait? Harness the power of your brain now to keep your body strong.
The most popular methods of stimulating the vagus nerve are meditation, exercise, massage, music, humming, deep breathing, and cold-water immersion.
Many swear that Wim Hof, the Ice Man, has changed their lives. If you want to read about his method and how it stimulates the vagus nerve, please click here. I’m a fan of Wim’s, and while I fall in and out of using his techniques, I can say they’re great, although I still struggle with the whole cold shower part. I’m more likely to do that in the summer.
To read the comprehensive research regarding the mice and current research from Scientific American, click here.
In summary, be mindful of your mind. When sick, use a positive mantra such as, ‘My body is strong and healthy.’ It might sound a little woo-woo but could make all the difference to your immunity and recovery.