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The U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention says that 85 percent of diseases have an
emotional element. Ryke Geerd Hamer, M.D., former head internist in the
oncology clinic at the University of Munich, Germany, has done research
indicating that the most common cause of cancer, heart attacks, and many
other serious illnesses is emotionally stressful events. Renowned
physician and author John Sarno, M.D. has helped numerous chronic back
pain sufferers fully recover just by examining them and convincing them
that they are healthy and their pain is caused by “tension myositis”
which essentially means needless worrying about their condition.
We all know,
intellectually, that our mental and emotional health is closely related
to our physical health and well-being. But we tend to forget how
profoundly this is true, and how important taking care of ourselves on
an emotional level is to recovering more quickly from pain and illness
and to staying healthy.
Dr. Hamer and others
found that conflicts involving territorial loss -- such as losing a
family member, your home, or your financial stability -- cause changes
in the coronary arteries of all animals -- including humans. These
changes can lead to heart attacks, which sometimes occur just after the
stressful period has ended. Many folks have the experience of going
through a stressful time and, just when the stress lets up, getting
sick. I have seen many patients who developed severe back or neck pain
after going through a period of emotional difficulties and stress.
Stress is
unavoidable, and stressful life events such as financial problems, the
illness or loss of a family member or beloved pet, relationship
difficulties, and job stress are inescapable and sometimes come upon us
unexpected. So what can we do about it?
I believe a big
part of the reason that stress and stressful events can lead to pain and
illness is that, during stressful periods, we tend to stop doing the
things that keep us healthy and relieve stress, just when we need them
the most. We may stop exercising, eat foods that cause chemical stress
instead of providing healing nourishment, stop our meditation practice,
forget to take our vitamins, miss our chiropractic appointment, or get
less sleep. Some of this may be unavoidable, but we can choose to hold
a fierce determination to do whatever we can whenever we can to nurture
and love ourselves. We can go out of our way to ask others for help and
comfort. We can take a walk around the block. We can take five minutes
to sit quietly and breathe deeply or to make a list of all the things in
our life that we can be grateful for. We can remember that the more we
do to take care of ourselves, even when circumstances seem urgent and
demanding, the better we’ll be able to meet the challenges that face us,
and the sooner we’ll get back to having fun again. |
