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BETTER HEILTH·
by
Ca
role Riner
T
he term " psychosomatic illness· ·
conjures up visions
of
fleeting aches
and pains the doctor can ' t diag·
nose, people who cell in sick on Monday
morning, end the hypochondriac who
had his tombstone inscribed,
" ltold
you
1
wassick."
But contrary to this popular image, a
psychosomatic illness
is
not
"all in your
head.' ' In fact, you can die just as deed
from
a
psychosomatic illness as the
other kind. And in reality, the "other
kind" ol illnoss may be ext remely rare.
Psychosomatic (or as one author
termed
it,
" emotoonally induced") ill·
ness probably accounts lor over
50%
ol
all cases doctors see. Some estimete
that as much
as
90%
ol ell illness is
precipotated by unhealthy emotions. So.
lar from being
a
figment of sorne hyp<>–
chondritc' s omagination,
emotoonelly
in·
ducad illness is something we all suffer
from at one time or another.
Thousando of year$
ago
King So4<>-
8
mon wrote that
"a
broken spirit dries up
the bones:· Even the Boble recognizes
the link between what goes on in our
heads and the condition ol our bodies.
"Gut Feelingo"
Research scientists have discovered
that
sueu
(defined
as
wear and tear on
the body produced by any activity)
can
be prodvced by fettlings •ndemotions.
How does this happen7 Experíments
have shown that every emotion aut<>–
metically produces certain
physical
changas in our bodies.
One dramatic example ol this
was
a
man who had a aurgical openlng made
in his stomach lollowing en acddent.
Thos made
i.t
possible lor doctor$ to ob–
serve the changas that occurred under
different circumstances. When ha was
upa1, " h¡, s1omach became red and
engorged, and soon the lolds were thick
and turgid. Acod production accelerated
oharply and vigorous contraCiions be·
gan"
(Effectíve Psychology lor
Men·
agers.
Mortimer Feinberg, p.
92).
How do such dramatic changes come
about7 Here is how scientists explain it:
..Whenever you ere in a Sttuation of
threat, your body prepares to flee or to
light. In moments ol peril everything
gets into the ae1. Firat. messages lrom
your eyes or ears get carried to the pi–
tuitary gland located at the
base
of the
brain. [lt] $8CJetes a substance known
as ACTH into the bloodstream. ACTH
triggers the adrenal glands, located
above the kidneys, which further
se·
creta ... cortisone. Then everything
within the body pops. The hean beats
rapidly. Muscles
of
the stomach and in–
testinas contrae!. lorcing the blood to
circuiste lastar. Braathing apeeds up.
You are readv lO< the enemv"
fibld..
p.
91) .
lf tha provocation is minor - il it's
not necessary to fight - then the
body
undargoes this stress lor no good rea·
son. You cen't punch
your
boss in the
nose for criticizíng your work. so you
suffar quietly while
your
stomach ulcer–
ates.
Alter baing benered by enough nega.
tiva emotions, the
body
breaks down at
its weakest point and illness results. The
hst of diseases dorectly brought on by
emotions ls seemingly endless. Every·
thing from colds to cancer has been
attributed to mentally onduced stress.
And in between in seríousness ere such
maladies as arthritis. asthma, fatigue,
hay fever, headaches, high eholesterol,
hean anecks and circulatory disorders,
hypertension. hives. insomnia, end ul..
ce<S.
Your mind can make you ill. But the
reverso is also true.
As
Solomon wrote:
" A
merry
hean doeth
9<1011
liko
O
motlt·
cine," and "A tranquil mind gives lile to
theflesh."
Just as negauve emotions can wear
the body down, positiva feelings can
WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 6. 191S