Before we begin learning about mind-body therapies, let's try a simple one. So let's begin by taking a few deep breaths. Now, if you're comfortable, close your eyes and do a scan of your body. Do you feel any tension or pain? Now think back to a moment that you were very angry. Think about the details and how you felt. Did you feel your face flashing, a wave of heat flow through your body or maybe you just felt nauseous or a tightening in your belly? Now, let that memory go and take a few more deep breaths. Notice your body now. What is your facial expression? How are your muscles? Did you notice a change in your body? That was an example of the mind-body connection, and how, what you think impacts your body. As we shall see how the body impacts the mind, in this video, we will explore this connection and the therapies that make explicit use of it. Mind-body practices such as meditation and deep relaxation use our knowledge of how the mind can positively influence the body to promote physical health and functioning. Also related are therapies that use the body to affect the mind such as: yoga, Tai Chi, gigong, and some types of dance. These are sometimes called body-mind therapies. Ultimately, mind-body and body-mind therapies are interrelated. The body affects the mind which in turn impacts the body and the mind. Some techniques that are categorized as mind-body therapies include: meditation, patient support groups, cognitive-behavioral therapy, yoga, and prayer. This is by all means not an exhaustive list, but it gives you some ideas about what is included in the category of mind-body therapies. Mind-body therapies use behavioral, psychological, social, or spiritual approaches. They generally incorporate one or more of the following practices: relaxation, breathing, psychological growth, and social support. Conventional biomedicine now acknowledges the power of the mind to affect the body. This is in part because of the compelling evidence emerging from a field known as psychoneuroimmunology, which studies how the mind and emotions are connected to three of the body's regulatory systems: the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system, and immune systems. Among other fascinating findings from this field is Robert Ader's research with rats, who were given water was cyclophosphamide which caused their immune cell reactions to drop and saccharin, which gave it a distinct tastes. Subsequently, the same rats were given saccharin water without the cyclophosphamide, and they experienced the same immunosuppression. Because there was no biological reason for this immunosuppression, this results suggested that the rats minds condition to associating a taste with a physical result had impacted immune activity. Researchers found that both the brain and the immune system had similar receptors for short chain proteins called peptides such as endorphins, which suggested that peptides were acting as messengers between the brain and the immune system. More recent research has noting and phenomenon known as neuroplasticity, where the physical structure of the brain changes. For example, Richard Davidson's research on brains of long-term meditators showed significant differences in structure and function of the brain, which was associated with a change in behaviors. The second half of the 20th century saw a great increase in clinical research studying the impact of mind-body therapies and practices on disease and health outcomes. Many of these studies indicated a great potential for improved health outcomes. A few examples include a program for patients with severe coronary artery disease that combined social support and relaxation training with changes in diet and exercise showed that it was possible to even reverse the effects of this disease. Jon Kabat-Zinn's research on mindfulness meditation for patients with chronic pain, showed that mindfulness can reduce the experience of pain. Richard Davidson found that long-term meditators experience less pain than non-meditators when thermal stimuli was applied to the skin. Researchers at Stanford and Harvard had found that meditation shrinks the reactive fear center of the brain and girls the more thoughtful response center of the brain. For those that are more scientifically minded, the explanation is that the research shows that meditation reduces the density of neurons, enhance the activity of the amygdala and increases neuron density in the prefrontal cortex, which is an important area for regulating emotions. Recently, as evidence accumulates supporting the mind-body connection and efficacy and cost-effectiveness of mind-body therapies, more leaders and health professions are willing to consider these therapies and practices and mainstream hospitals particularly Cancer Care. Learn more about safety and the use of mind-body therapies in our next video.
