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The Mind-Body Wellness Connection

Believe it or not – your brain may be as powerful in keeping you healthy as any prescription drug on the market. That’s because your brain can produce substances that act as natural painkillers (endorphins), substances that can kill infection and bacteria (interferon) and substances that strengthen your immune system (gamma globulin). And the ability to produce these substances at the right time and in the amounts that are needed depend mostly on your thoughts, emotions and expectations.

If you have a disease, and you convince yourself that you will never get better, you may as well make your final arrangements. On the other hand, if you have positive feelings and expectations, your brain will produce more of the substances you need to increase your ability to heal.

Many people turn to mind-body techniques, such as meditation or prayer, to help relieve stress. Stress is known to both cause and contribute to certain conditions and often precedes serious illness. And in turn, serious illness can cause depression which leads to other illness and on goes the cycle.

One technique that is useful in making you aware of your thoughts, so you can influence positive changes in your mood and health, is called mindfulness.

There are several ways to practice this technique:

• Sit in a quiet room and focusing on your breathing, just your breathing and nothing else. Try working on one task at a time, not five. Just do one thing until it’s done.
  
  
• Take a walk, focusing only on the here and now, enjoying nature and your surroundings.
  
  
• Forget the past, ignore the future and keep your thoughts only on the present moment.

Because stress is a neurological process that can wreak havoc with your immune system, it’s important to receive regular chiropractic checkups. Be sure to let us know if there are events in your life that may be affecting your stress level. And remember – your thoughts really do affect your health – so make a conscious effort to keep them positive!