Surgery is necessary in order to heal from a number of conditions however sometimes its effects on the human body are grossly underestimated. There are many examples of those brave souls who have had a surgical procedure deemed a success by the doctor who performed it only to find out that they needed much more time to recover.

Healing from surgery involves both the mind and the body. Body tissues take a certain time to heal and this is what is usually conveyed by the surgeon. However, the mind also plays a role in healing. Dealing with the psychological stress of surgery can be quite a challenge.

The stress associated with surgery was studied by researchers from Tel Aviv University’s Department of Psychology led by Professor Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu. The researchers examined the effects of surgery-related stress on the body. The physical effects of surgery on the body are well known but what about the psychological effects?

According to the researchers the chemicals released by the body in response to fear suppress the immune system. When our minds experience fear our bodies respond by releasing a number of hormones including adrenaline (norepinephrine and epinephrine). The adrenaline helps us to get ready to deal with a threatening situation. It also inhibits our immune systems.

This can lead to problems, especially directly after surgery. This is a time when the body needs to heal from the physical stress of the surgical assault on the tissues. It is also when the body needs to finish the job of the surgeon by destroying what is left of a cancerous tumor. It doesn’t help if the immune system is compromised by the effects of psychological fear.

Inhibiting these stress hormones may help in reducing the recurrence of cancer after surgery. Stress-reducing techniques such as those studied in psychoneuroimmunology have been shown to reduce the secretion of adrenaline and improve immune function. These techniques include guided imagery, visualization and meditation. One technique called progressive muscle relaxation is very effective at reducing stress. In this technique patients contract and relax various muscle groups while performing deep breathing. Music can also be used to facilitate the technique.

The results of this study suggest that mind-body healing can become a part of an overall post-surgical healing program. Future patients may not only consult with their surgeons but may also work with practitioners employing mind-body techniques to help to boost the immune system.

Reference:

Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity (2007)

Dr. Bruce Forciea is an author, educator and chiropractor. His new book “Unlocking the Healing Code” presents a new paradigm for healing. His site:
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Most of us know that stress is bad for us and that it has all kinds of negative effects on health. In fact, it has been estimated that 80% of modern diseases can be linked to stress and that stress-related complaints account for a significant portion of G.P consultations. More and more people are seeking ways to manage their stress and you may have found that setting time aside to sit down and ‘do nothing’ does not actually lead to you feeling relaxed, as you still have thoughts and worries whirring in your head.

A non-drug method of achieving relaxation, which is widely advocated by healthcare professionals, is relaxation training. The aim of relaxation training is for the individuals to be able to achieve both a relaxed body, with muscles free from tension and also peaceful thoughts, so that the mind too is relaxed.

Relaxation training can work as a preventative measure (to protect the body from stress related damage), as a coping strategy (to be employed in times of stress and thus reduce the effect of stress) and as a treatment for stress related illnesses such as high blood pressure, tension headaches, Irritable Bowel syndrome and much more.

Relaxation training refers to learning formal techniques. These usually take two forms, physical and psychological. The physical techniques work directly on the body and aim to educate the individual to recognise and reduce muscle tension. The techniques differ and may involve stretching, tensing and releasing individual muscle groups, learning to breathe in a way that encourages relaxation, moving body parts out of defensive tense positioning into relaxed positioning, reviewing each muscle group in the body, identifying any tension and then releasing it, practising the posture of a relaxed person. Psychological techniques focus on relaxing the mind. Psychological techniques vary and may involve visualisation, meditation, guided goal directed visualisation, self-awareness, autogenic training and imagery. Since the body and mind are interconnected, techniques which encourage physical relaxation, also work on the mind and techniques which encourage peaceful thoughts, also result in the body being more relaxed.

Once you have learnt such techniques they are a life-long skill and can be applied both formally to achieve a deep state of relaxation and “on the spot’ when you need to quickly release tension as you go about your daily life. Relaxation training is taught by various healthcare professionals, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, social workers and sports professionals such as exercise coaches. With a good relaxation book, it is also possible to teach yourself techniques. Like most things worth doing, learning to relax takes commitment and practice and it will only be effective if you practice it regularly and build it into your routine.

For now, why not try the following simple technique, known as peripheral vision. It’s quick and simple to learn and is very effective at activating the part of the nervous system, which is responsible for helping us feel calm.

Get comfortable in a chair and find a spot on the wall, straight in front of you and slightly above eye level. Throughout this process just keep focusing on the spot. Just continue to look at that same point, perhaps in soft focus, after a while begin to broaden out your field of vision, wider and wider until your really paying attention to what you can see out of the corners of your eyes. Keeping your eyes on the spot, extend your awareness all around you, become aware of all the other things in the room that you can see by using your imagination. Perhaps, imagine a tennis ball hovering just behind the back of your head. What else can you see behind your head? You may have noticed that your breathing has slowed down and that the muscles of your face have relaxed.

Keep practising this technique; it may help to play some relaxing music at the same time. You will notice that is impossible to feel tense or worried whilst you are in peripheral vision.

Karen Hastings is an NHS experienced occupational therapist. She has worked in the NHS with people with acute and chronic mental health problems. Karen is also a master NLP practitioner and also practices more traditional cognitive behavioural approaches and hypnotherapy. Karen is registered with the Health Profession Council. Her practice is in Aldbury, Herts. Karen offers home-visits throughout Herts. For more information visit http://www.karenhastings.co.uk

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Stress can be any emotional and/or physical strain placed upon the human body. It can either be positive and beneficial (such as getting engaged to the one you love), or it can be negative and detrimental to your personal health (such as losing your job). An over accumulation of negative stress may lead to numerous medical problems such as manic depression, chronic anxiety attacks, and may even decrease the ability of your immune system to combat simple disease and infection. Therefore, it is vital to find a way to reduce the response of negative stress in our lives.

There are numerous ways in which to decrease the negative stress effects. One of these ways includes a relaxation tactic called visualization coupled with a little aroma therapy. Visualization is a process in which an individual uses personal meditation to relax their entire body and “go to their happy place”. While in this state of meditation, the individual should focus their attention to their comforting environment (as created in their subconscious), and also relax all their muscles with in their body. Some examples of “happy places” may be imagining yourself sulking on a warm hot beach, or sitting on top a mountain overlooking a gorgeous lake at dawn. Regardless of where your happy place is, it is crucial that you escape from your stressful reality and completely relax within your vision.

The purpose of the aroma therapy is too help strengthen your visualization experience through the use of your sense of smell. By lighting a wonderful scented candle (organic Beanpod candles are usually more clean, you may help your body to realistically focus on your happy place. You want to make sure that you use the appropriate scent for whatever vision you have to ensure maximal visualization (for example if you are having a visualization in which you are in a mountain overlooking a lake, you may want to use a pine tree scented candle). By doing such, you are sure to help encourage your body to reduce the effects of negative stress.

All in all, your personal health is vital to your existence. Negative stresses will reduce the ability of your body to maintain a constant healthy state. Through visualization and aroma therapy, you may be able to reduce the effects of stress on your body and improve your over all health. For more information on where you could obtain some candles, please visit Cherry Lane Collections.

Article written by Jon Exton

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Many of us know that there is a strong connection between what we think and how we feel, but just how can something as abstract as a thought have such a powerful affect on our bodies? Perhaps an answer can be found by looking at the mind and body as part of a complex information system.

First of all from a scientific perspective a thought consists of the transmission of electrochemical impulses throughout a network of brain cells called neurons. The neurons talk to each other by making connections with other neurons and secreting little packets of chemicals called neurotransmitters. The brain is so complex that it has been said to contain nearly ten billion neurons. Each of these ten billion neurons can connect with up to ten thousand other neurons. The possible connections actually exceed the number of known particles in the universe!

Each packet of neurotransmitter can be thought of as a tiny set of instructions telling another neuron what to do. The instructions can tell the next neuron to fire an impulse to another neuron or to hold the impulse back by inhibiting it. The billions of instructions going on in our brains represent a vast information network.

So how does the information network of the brain communicate with the body? Or to put it another way, where does the mind end and the body begin? This is a tough question to answer because depending on how you look at it there is no definitive dividing line between mind and body. Both are intimately interconnected. The body is also a complex information system.

The body has thousands of feedback systems that rely on a constant flow of information and these systems are connected to the nervous system. For example the nervous system constantly monitors blood pressure. The nervous system senses an increase or decrease in blood pressure and responds by sending information to the heart and blood vessels to stabilize the pressure.

This complex connection between mind and body not only keeps things working properly but can also have negative effects on your health. For example, in times of stress a part of the nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system takes over and secretes neurotransmitters such as adrenaline. Adrenaline causes your heart rate and blood pressure to increase as well as your digestion to shut down. The sympathetic nervous system is so interconnected with the organs in your body that the effects of stress can be profound. For example, prolonged periods of stress can affect the digestive system so much that an ulcer can develop.

Another pathway between mind and body is called the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. The hypothalamus is located deep in the brain and is affected by thoughts and emotions. It connects with the pituitary gland that secretes a number of hormones some that target the adrenal gland. One important hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in times of stress is cortisol. Cortisol increases blood sugar levels and blood pressure. High levels of cortisol can put stress on other organs and contribute to disease.

The important point is that the stress coming from the nervous system originates as a series of thoughts in the brain. These thoughts are physical things and can elicit a physical effect on the body. The thoughts come from our perceptions. Stress is something that is perceived. You can choose to perceive a certain situation as stressful or not.

This mind-body connection can be used to heal. The science of psychoneuroimmunology studies the effects of the mind on the body. Mind-body healing has been shown to be effective in a host of illnesses and diseases such as high blood pressure, stress, increased immunity, pain control, and many others.

One effective mind-body technique that anyone can do is called guided imagery. In guided imagery you are guided through a process of relaxation followed by creating an image of your pain or disease. The image is then replaced by an image of health or healing. The technique is performed frequently, often daily and lasts anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. Some people become very adept at imagery after practicing the technique and can experience benefits from just ten minutes a day.

Guided imagery is a simple yet effective tool in a healing regimen. I have used this technique frequently and found it to be very beneficial in helping with a variety of health problems. Mind-body healing is one way to help support your body’s many information systems and help you to heal by maintaining a positive flow of information.

Dr. Bruce Forciea is an author, educator and chiropractor. His new book “Unlocking the Healing Code” presents a new paradigm for healing. His site:
contains more information, free newsletter, free guided imagery download and New Age music downloads.

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Stress is the body’s response to environmental conditions or stressors that upset a person’s equilibrium. Many things can happen to a person especially women who get stressed out from daily activities. Let’s face it, a lot of women take on many roles – wife, cook, mother, cleaner etc. And now that the kids are getting ready to head back to school that will be another thing to add to their list. So before we take a look at how to actually become stress free, let’s take a look at what stress really is.

Many changes happen to our bodies when we’re stressed. It involves almost every organ in the body including the brain, nerves, heart, blood flow, release of hormones, digestion and muscle function. These changes in the body that happen due to stress are called the “fight or flight” response. Any event, circum stances, or environment that arouses our emotional response, can cause stress. Even changes for the better such as, going on vacation, starting a new job or the kids going back to school can cause stress. Sometimes we tend to get stressed at little things like waiting in line or traffic delays.

What’s important to note is that what is stressful to one person may not be to another.

Short sessions of stress upset the body and can cause common physical symptoms that disappear when the source of the stress fades away. The symptoms are more likely to fade away, once a person has developed effective stress-coping mechanisms and has regular outlets for expressing their feelings.

Stress also produces numerous changes in the body’s chemistry. In a stressful situation, the brain sends out chemical signals that tell the adrenal glands immediately to secrete stress hormones (catecholamines and adrenaline). These hormones begin a chain reaction in the body: your heart rate speeds up, blood pressure rises, blood is diverted from the intestine to the muscles to promote getting out of danger, and insulin production rises to enable the body to quickly metabolize energy. All of these responses are designed to help get away from danger.

Being stressed for a short period of time is not harmful. But prolonged stress keeps the body in a state of overdrive and can have noticeable effects on physical health. It may stimulate the production of excess stomach acid, which can lead to an ulcer. Or it may harm already damaged blood vessels and raise blood pressure, causing angina or even a heart attack. It may also provoke serious eating or under eating, which obviously affects the person’s weight.

Extended stress may also be involved with the onset or the progression of such diverse illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, baldness, asthma, nervous tics, skin rashes, menstrual irregularities, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes, and low back pain.

How can I be stress free!?

Here are a couple simple, yet effective ways to deal with your stress. Keep in mind that there are hundreds of ways to deal with your stress so try many things and see which ones work for you.

Exercise (highly recommended!), recreational activities, and hobbies.

Socialize with friends with whom you can share the good and the bad with.

Learn new relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga or tai chi.

Organize your month/week/day.

Avoid the use of tranquilizers, sleeping pills, or alcohol to deal with stressful circumstances.

Don’t make small situations bigger than they really are.

Marci Lall is one of the top Fitness Trainers Forest Hill. If you would like to get his free Stability Ball Abdominal Workout that has 9 highly effective abdominal exercises for women just go to this link http://www.foresthillpersonaltraining.com/free-stuff

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