Can your Thoughts heal your Body?

Can the thoughts you think on a daily basis, actually heal your Body?

Can the millions of thoughts we think every day have any influence on our Health?

Many scientific studies have shown that our brains and our minds indeed, have a significant effect on how healthy we are.

One of the reasons for this is because nearly every thought we think comes with an associated emotion. If we wake up feeling positive and happy, these thoughts trigger the release of ‘feel good’ hormones that affect our body chemistry.

If on the other hand, we wake up anxious or fearful, we release stress hormones that immediately impact on our immune, digestive and cardiovascular systems.

Every thought, feeling, and emotion creates a molecule known as a neuropeptide. Neuropeptides travel throughout our body and connect with receptor sites of cells and neurons. Our brain takes in the information, converts it into chemicals, and lets our whole body know if there’s something to be feared or celebrated. Our body is therefore, directly influenced.

If we calm our mind during a practise of meditation, we are boosting essential brain chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins, which reduce anxiety and depression.

Practicing meditation also increases our body’s production of human growth hormone and reduces cortisol. Low levels of human growth hormone (HGH) have been linked to loss of muscle mass, body fat retention, heart problems and motivation issues. Cortisol is a hormone that is produced when we are under stress.  As mentioned, stress inhibits the immune system and has been shown to contribute to many diseases.

Think of the placebo effect. One of the most common theories is that the placebo effect is due to a person’s expectations. If we believe something will do what it is supposed to do, we will experience the perceived outcome. Research has shown that giving a sugar pill to someone in pain, who believes and expects that the pill will reduce the pain, actually experiences pain relief. If a person expects a pill to do something, then it’s possible that the body’s own chemistry can cause effects similar to what a medication might have caused.

Old cultures that believed in magic and witchcraft were very strongly influenced by these practices. If a person was told they had had a curse placed on them and would die, the ensuing belief and fear around this usually resulted in their death. Their thoughts influenced the chemistry in their bodies and the fear literally ate at them until they succumbed to a disease.

I recently attended a workshop with Dr. Joe Dispenza, a scientist, lecturer, teacher and author who spoke about the power of our thoughts and how we can use them to influence our lives. By the time we are 35 years old, 95% of who we are becomes a set of automatic behaviours and subconscious beliefs.  The way we act and respond to situations remains the same because we have been ‘programmed’ to act that way. It’s what we have always done.

If we constantly think the same negative thoughts, we will always have the same negative experiences.

The good news is that we can change. If we make an effort to see the positive in every situation, we can influence our health in a positive way. Scientific studies on brainwaves have shown how our brains respond to calming, happy and loving thoughts and how new neural pathways are formed in the brain.

Dr Bruce Lipton, a cell biologist, showed that our thoughts cause biochemical reactions that affect every cell in our body.

By concentrating on the good in our lives, we can bring more of that into fruition. This is not to say that nothing bad ever happens. But it’s how we respond to it, that makes all the difference. Even if we are unwell or having a horrendous day, try to switch your thoughts onto the positives in your life and give gratitude for what you have.

The sun is still shining, you have a home to go to and food on the table, you have family and friends. Yes these may seem very simple things, but if you change your thoughts to something positive in a difficult situation, you change the chemicals your body is releasing.

Regular meditation, concentrating on emotions of joy, love, gratitude and happiness, over time can indeed influence the Health of your Body.

Try it and see. I’m going to!

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

References: www.operationmeditation.com, www.webmed.com, ‘Mind over Medicine’ by Dr Lissa Rankin, www.drjoedispenza.net, ‘The Biology of Belief” by Dr Bruce Lipton, https://chopra.com/articles/harness-your-mind’s-power-to-heal-and-transform

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.