The mind-body connection

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While your mother undergoes a major operation, you can feel the knot in your stomach. When your partner forgets (for the tenth time!) to take out the garbage, your blood boils. You have to make the speech at your best friend's wedding and, not only does your heart pound, but you also get a lump in your throat. These catch phrases express a natural, almost intuitive need to link the mind, or emotions, with the effect that they have on the body.

For thousands of years, cultures have not only understood the link between mental and physical health, they've honoured and cultivated this relationship. Practices such as yoga, tai chi and meditation are all founded on the notion that the health of the mind is fundamentally connected with the health of the body. Though modern medicine has taken a little longer to acknowledge this relationship, more and more scientific studies are drawing the same conclusion as their ancient counterparts: mental health can have a significant impact on physical health.

This recognition signifies a turning point in the way that both the medical world and the population at large approach and cope with mental and physical illness. Rather than dealing with the mind and body as two separate and distinct worlds, more and more people, including doctors, realize that these two spheres depend on each other.

And as this interest in the mind-body correlation grows, so too does the field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)—or the brand of science, which explores the link between the mind and the immune system.

While science of the past believed the immune system operated independently from brain function, more and more studies are uncovering a built-in connection. Chemicals released in the brain in reaction to elevated stress levels, for instance, can influence the immune cells' response. Though PNI was met with scepticism when first introduced, a number of in-depth programs and studies offered by reputable universities have helped it gain acceptance within mainstream medicine including Harvard's Mind Body Medical Institute. Its website,http://www.mbmi.org/ offers a detailed explanation of this science and plenty of tips on maintaining mind-body balance.

The Physical Impact of Mental Strain and Illness

Signs of Depression

When your mental or emotional well-being is compromised, you're likely to feel its negative effects on your body. This may create a complex vicious cycle that can strain you mentally and physically. Because depression is a very prevalent condition, much of the research on the mind-body connection centres on the physical influence depression has on the body and the immune system.

Several studies suggest that if you suffer from depression, it can increase your risk for physical conditions. However, because the physical symptoms of depression—including ulcers, fatigue and back pain—are more obvious and easier to read, they often camouflage the underlying source of the physical ailment: the depression itself. The result is that the symptoms are treated while the true cause is ignored.

People who suffer from conditions, such as depression or anxiety, are more likely to develop:

• hypertension;
• type 2 adult onset diabetes;
• certain types of cancer;
• heart disease; or
• more frequent asthma attacks (if asthmatic).

Although the exact cause for these links is not always clear, their meaning is: neglecting the importance of mental well-being can threaten your physical health and undermine the balance between the two.

Making the Connection: Tactics for a Healthy Mind and Body

While it's impossible to have total control over your body and mind, there are several techniques and tactics that can help you nourish this vital relationship, maintain its delicate balance, and live at your mental and physical best.

Physical Activity
Whether you're feeling anxious about the projects piling up at work or down in the dumps after a relationship has ended, exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve your mood, enhance your immune system and of course, keep your body in optimal condition.

Countless studies show that physical activity releases natural endorphins in the brain, not only increasing your physical energy but also boosting your spirits, concentration and memory. Exercise allows you to work off excess stress—which reduces strain on the heart and the immune system—and helps you cope better with life's daily challenges. It also encourages you to keep the lines of mind-body communication open, giving you the chance to not only 'clear your mind,' but also to 'listen' to your body, its strengths, limitations and needs. Harvard's Mind Body Medical Institute recommends a varied exercise plan that incorporates a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity (which can be broken down into three 10-minute blocks) almost every day.