I have seen it suggested that mind/body medicine falls under chiropractic healthcare. Because I am a psychologist that specializes in and enjoys teaching alternative health topics, I have often pondered this statement.
I have seen it argued that the science of mind/body medicine falls under religion, medicine, psychology, chiropractic, spirituality, and many more areas.
Dr. Bruce Lipton, a cellular biologist, even maintains that we are made up of fifty trillion cells, and that the single most important way to influence our cells is through the energy of our beliefs. This means that our emotional state, and how we handle stress, and even love, have a great influence on every single cell in our body.
Here is one simple fact that may or may not put your mind at ease on this subject: It really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you know that there is a connection between the mind and the body.
Mind and body link
If you care about your health, and I would imagine that if you’ve picked up this blog you do, you need to start paying critical attention to your thoughts – all of them.
Your thoughts control your mind, your mind control your beliefs, and your belief control your behavior. So then, logic dictates that your behavior controls you and your body.
This can be anything from your pain, or lack of it, your drive, your ambition, your physical body, your emotional reactions, and so on.
To give you an example of being able to control your thoughts, consider tickling; most people cannot tickle themselves, but even the thought of, or attempt of someone else tickling you, does cause a tickle reaction.
Have you ever hit yourself in the arm and felt that it didn’t hurt, but if someone else hits you with the same pressure it does?
Or think about the time when a small child, who doesn’t understand right from wrong, will do something to you and you don’t react negatively – in fact you may even laugh. But if someone older does the same thing to you the reaction is heightened, even harsh. It’s all based on your beliefs.
We see this type of thing between siblings all of the time.
So, if you want to change your life, a good place to start would be to change your thoughts. Give it a try!