“…a happy state of mind has a corresponding physiological state as well wherein hormones and neurotransmitters of the central nervous system get kicked into action, thus resulting in an influx of the same into your blood stream. According to scientific evidence, happy and positive states of mind induce major physiological changes that induce good health, because the neurotransmitters that mirror them in the body have a stimulating effect.”
That is what I think is a powerful quote from this article on placebos. Actually God said it first, as He always does (we are just beginning to catch up!) and He said it this way:
Amplified Bible (AMP): “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
The article goes on to specify that the study illustrated why it is the belief that is so powerful – when ulcer patients were administered a drug and assured it was highly effective (even if it was a placebo with no medical value), 70% of the patients improved. When the other group was given the placebo drug but told it was still under trial and they weren’t sure how effective it would be only 25% recovered.
It is not the pill or medication itself – it is the belief that it will help that is so powerful. Isn’t it the same with everything? If you force yourself to exercise and hate every minute and feel like it’s punishment, I would not be surprised if you ended up injuring yourself and then couldn’t work out! If you eat a big salad every day and intentionally think about all the vitamins and minerals you are getting and how much good this is doing for you, I promise you, you will get far more benefit than someone who is scarfing it down just to get it over with.
There is a well-known, dramatic example of this you may be familiar with. It was originally reported by Dr. Bruno Klopfer in the Journal of Projective Techniques in 1957:
A man had metastatic cancer with tumors throughout his body. He tried every available treatment and was now bedridden and struggling to breathe. His doctors felt he had days left to live. The patient heard about an experimental drug and begged his doctors to get him included in the trials. The doctors felt there was nothing to lose and agreed. His tumors began to shrink and he was actually discharged from the hospital! Two months later he read in the paper that there were serious doubts about the drug’s effectiveness. Within days his tumors returned and he was in a life-threatening condition again. His doctors convinced him a new, more potent form of the drug was now available and actually administered plain water to him. Again his tumors began to shrink and he remained healthy for 7 months – until another news report declared tests proved the drug was worthless as a cancer treatment. He died two days later.
In what ways have you experienced the truth of this in your life?
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Ann,
Great post! I definitely agree with God’s Word that we are as we think. I believed for years that I had high cholesterol because it ran in my family. When I finally stopped saying that and believing that I was healed because of Jesus, my test results agreed. I also grew up having asthma and allergies, but again after I believed that I don’t have to put up with that because of Jesus, I stopped having allergies and asthma. I stopped taking my meds in 2005!!! There are several other example, but I agree that we can think ourselves sick or we can think ourselves well. The truth is that we don’t have to accept sickness and disease thanks to Jesus!
Have a Victorious Day!
Marianne
Absolutely!!! Your story is very inspiring – thank you for sharing it.
Great article, Ann. We really need to be more mindful about our thoughts. Yesterday, A friend of mine told me about Dr. Caroline Leaf who has written much about the power of thoughts. I am thinking of getting one of her books.
Michael – Thank you! I have read several of her books and have one of her DVD series – she is absolutely awesome. You will truly be blessed by her books. My favorite and the one I would recommend you get first is Who Switched Off My Brain.
Ann, it is amazing how powerful our thoughts are. What an amazing example. Thanks for a great article.
Thank you Debbie – it truly is amazing.
Studies such as this truly amaze me, because they display how powerful our thoughts are.
However, I also cringe when I read studies like this, because I cannot help thinking of people who were positive, prayed for miracles to happen, and ended up dying with no change in their condition.
I definitely believe that thoughts hold a significant amount of weight in how well our bodies function, but there are cases where outside influence can supersede even the best thoughts. Thanks for sharing the article. It definitely challenged me to think this morning. 🙂
~Cam
Of course Cam there are some things we just cannot explain or fully understand. The post is definitely not meant to make anyone feel condemned or that they are doing anything wrong – thoughts truly are powerful but our bodies are beautifully complex and there’s more to it than just that.
I agree. I didn’t want to imply that you were putting others down or excluding the other side of a potentially difficult situation. Our thoughts are powerful, and they are a very key part of a much larger (holistic) picture.
Cam I didn’t take that as criticism at all – just clarifying and I appreciate your comments.