The body seems like a fickle master always changing what it wants and needs. You serve it proudly, but it betrays you when you need it most.
To add insult to injury, the body blames you for not adhering to its ever-changing laws and creeds. Then it withers away and dies as if that was always its purpose.
This sounds like an insane master.
What if the body was never meant to be a leader but a symbol of what its host’s mind embodies?
In the 17th century, Thomas Willis, M.D. hypothesized that diabetes was caused by “sadness or long sorrow and other depressions.“[1]
This was followed up a couple of hundred years later by Sir Henry Maudsley that published “The Physiology and Pathology of Mind“. In it, he said, “Diabetes is a disease which often shows itself in families in which insanity prevails.”
If a physical disease such as diabetes has strong ties to mental stability, do other illnesses share this trait? Is healing the body as simple as healing the mind?
Let’s explore!
The supposed leading causes of death
According to the CDC, here are the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States in 2019.
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Accidents (unintentional injuries)
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases
- Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases)
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Diabetes
- Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis
- Influenza and pneumonia
- Intentional self-harm (suicide)
Many expect COVID-19 to be added to that list when the 2020 numbers are released.
Both Alzhierm’s (6) and intentional self-harm (10) are already regarded as mental illnesses, but what about the rest?
Could all of these be cured with a wellness mindset?
A Sad Heart
Have you ever thought about why being depressed is often referred to as having a sad heart?
Yes, you have a physical heart. Yet, this saying refers to thoughts and feelings of sorrow, not that of physical chest pain.
One study conducted by John Hopkins University on nearly 7,000 U.S. adults concluded that women aged 17 to 39 with depression had a significantly higher risk of ischemic heart disease death.
ischemia — an inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body, especially the heart muscles
These findings are backed by another study conducted by the American Heart Association that found that young women are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or die of heart disease if they suffer from depression.
Men are not exempt.
The European Society of Cardiology recently published the findings of a Swedish study outlining how men diagnosed with anxiety in their late teens or early 20s are more than twice as likely to have heart-related diseases later in life in comparison to their more laid-back peers.
There’s more to mental wellness than meets the eye.
Cancer
Funds available to the National Cancer Institute in 2018 totaled $5.94 billion![2] This is a 5% increase from the previous fiscal year.
Obviously, people are serious about curing cancer.
From these dollars have come such studies as this one, which showed that cancer patients can live longer lives by getting mental health treatment.
There is also a growing belief that cancer is directly related to feelings of unforgiveness.
Dr. Michael Barry, author of the book The Forgiveness Project estimates that 61% of cancer patients have forgiveness issues. “Harboring these negative emotions, this anger and hatred, creates a state of chronic anxiety” Dr. Barry explains.
You may also like: It’s Not Hard To Forgive, It’s Hard To Keep Lying To Yourself About It
The Mind-Body Connection
There have been similar findings with stroke victims and Alzheimer’s patients.
One study by the American Stroke Association found that higher levels of optimism in stroke survivors were associated with reduced stroke severity.
Another by the Alzheimers’s Association found a link between repetitive negative thinking and Alzheimer’s disease.
The mind-body connection is one that has been explored since the beginning of mankind.
Many believe that we are spiritual beings having a temporary human experience, so the body is of no consequence.
Even those that have died and been resuscitated support this theory by expressing that they felt immense peace and unconditional love while wrapped in an endless sea of light absent a body.
So can all illness be healed through the mind?
Is mental wellness the most important thing for this seemingly physical experience?
How To Ensure Mental Well-Being
There are many ways to secure and maintain mental wellness.
One super effective way is music. It’s meditation, visualization, and affirmations all rolled into one.
Studies have shown that patients who listened to music had less anxiety and stress hormones in the body than people who took drugs.
When listening to music, your mind goes to another place (meditation). You can feel and imagine what the song invokes (visualization). When you listen, you sing or chant along (affirmations) with full confidence.
This is why it is also important to choose the music you listen to wisely.
I’ve created an album, IAMNOBODY, IAMSOMEONE, that is a thorough guide to having inner peace. By listening, you can reverse the effects of anxiety & depression without therapy or medicine.
Find out more here.
➡️ Get my healing spiritual rap album. ⬅️
This article first appeared on the JClay blog at https://jclay.org/physical-and-mental/.
