Thursday 18 August 2016

Physically Incurable or a Hopeless Hypochondriac?

"Illnesses are seen as either biological or psychological" writes Jo Marchant in ‘Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind over Body”?  Why, according to Peter White, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) specialist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, do “The vast majority of doctors have this dualistic understanding of mind and body – go and see a psychiatrist for the mind and a physician for the body”? Jo describes Peter’s frustration that this leaves CFS patients believing that their condition is biological and currently incurable or it’s psychological and they are hypochondriacs!

Psychological and environmental stress contributes to quite the majority of illnesses these days. The link to tension headaches and ulcers is well known. Less obvious is the effects of stress hormones in creating hormonal imbalances such as underactive thyroid and menstrual or menopausal discomfort. Back pain can be made worse by stress.

Research shows that chronic stress leads to high levels of inflammation and, according to a study described in a Huffington Post article, 'chronic inflammation has been linked with a range of conditions such as heart disease, depression and even cancer. “This study provides a nice mechanism for how psychology impacts biology,” study researcher Nicole Powell, a research scientist in oral biology at Ohio State University.'
 
So why settle for a treatment which helps only the mind or just the body when you can have both! At Hits the Spot we have many practitioners who support welbeing holistically - we work with the mind and body partnership: the 'whole person.'

The Alexander Technique teaches that 'Man is not a machine, but he has a machine which he operates.' Yoga literally means 'yoking' – the unification – of mind, body and spirit.

And Shiatsu and Meridian massage works with the flow of 'life force' (Chi to the Chinese, prana to the Indians) which interconnects all areas of the body and all aspects of being.

So sooth the stress right out of your system with a Shiatsu or Meridian massage. It's not just pampering, it's preventative!

Wishing you well,
Jane

M  07518 587434
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