Mind and body

A Mind/body approach in health care is an important matter. Mind / Body medicine tries to use the power of thoughts and emotions to positively influence physical health. As Hippocrates wrote, "The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well." This is the core idea of Mind / Body alternative medicine.

Is emotional health important to physical health? And, if so, what is emotional health? These are important questions to start thinking about if we take the links between body and mind seriously. And if we take the body mind linkage seriously, we will need to define and create the new charter or foundation on which to design an efficacious health care system. (cfr:Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert, PhD)

History

The "Gymnasium" was the real school of olden times. Greeks had high regard and admiration for beauty and fitness; the ancient Greeks believed that developing a body was as important as developing a mind.

"...it would be very foolish to suppose that one could ever treat the [part] by itself without treating the whole body...just as one should not attempt to cure the eyes apart from the head, nor the head apart from the body, so one should not attempt to cure the body apart from the soul. And this is the very reason why most diseases are beyond the Greek Doctors, that they do not pay attention to the whole as they ought to do, since if the whole is not in good condition, it is impossible that the part should be." Plato.

In Different Cultures

"Wise teachers of ancient times have always referred to energy, but in different terms. Indians called the higher energy Nam, and the lower energy Prana. Chinese tagged it Tao' or 'Chi. Greeks saw it as The Logos of the Music of the Spheres, Hippocrates referred to Nature's Life Force, Wilhelm Reich called it Orgone Energy," Dr. Randolph Stone called it Wireless Anatomy of Man.

The word "yoga" means "union" - the integration of physical, mental, and spiritual energies that enhance health and well-being. The physical postures, breathing, and exercises may reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and regulate heart rate...

It was John Money (1921 – 2006) who coined the term bodymind.

Mens sana in corpore sano - Latin locution by Juvenalis.

Anneliese Butler wrote:

• Beyond the issue of uncertainty regarding biologic versus psychosocial causes of mental distress, . Illness of any kind ("physical" or "mental") is disruptive and creates stress in people's lives. [1]

Happiness and health

The five components of emotional intelligence are: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

See also: Happiness and health and Emotional intelligence and Self-regulation and Emotion

According to medical science, having an excessive amount of unhappiness in one's overall emotional life can have adverse effects on and individual. See also: Happiness and health

Emotional intelligence (EI) "refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions."

The five components of emotional intelligence are: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

People with emotional intelligence can prevent an excessive amount/duration of negative emotional states such as unhappiness.

While it is not wise to have happiness/pleasure as an end goal (See: Hedonism and Paradox of Hedonism), for the sake of one's health, one should exercise emotional intelligence.

Concerning happiness, according to Torrence Memorial hospital:

“

Healthy Facts About Happiness - Happiness improves your cardiac health. - Happy people are more likely to eat healthily and be more physically active. - Happiness strengthens your immune system. - Happy people are more productive and likely to succeed. - Being happy helps reduce your stress levels. - Happy people have fewer aches and pains. - Happiness helps combat disease and disability. - Happiness lengthens our lives.

”

See also

• Emotional health
• Naturopathy
• Mindset
• Yoga
• Vegetarianism
• Chakras
• Bernarr Macfadden
• Alois P. Swoboda
• Herbert Benson
• Adrian Vander
• Claudius Conrad

External links

• Health and Yoga
• The Mindful Body: A Prolegomenon to Future Work in Medical Anthropology
• Everything is Psychosomatic by Merrily Manthey, M.S.
• Women’s Center for Mind-Body Health
• What is Polarity Therapy?
• The Biology of Belief
• "How To Live 365 Days A Year" by John A. Schindler.