Language
IV Elizabeth Carro 4th CeRP del Este Maldonado
Essay
What do you
think of Norman Cousins’s laugh therapy? Do you think there is any truth to the
idea of mind-body interaction? Have you had a medical experience where your
mind was stronger than your body?
Conventional
medicine provides the cure for almost any health problems. However, our mental
attitude plays a key role in the recovery from illnesses. Norman Cousins’s cure
with ‘laugh therapy’ is an amazing case of mind-body interaction. Besides,
personally, I experienced successful mental control to diminish pain in two of
my baby deliveries. Furthermore, I knew the case of a man who was diagnosed
with cancer and died some weeks later because of his negative attitude towards
the illness. I strongly believe the influence of our minds upon our bodies is
powerful and at the same time crucial in the recovery from health problems.
A strong evidence
of mind-body interaction was provided by Norman Cousins’s, a writer who, in 1964 was diagnosed with a very serious type of
destructive arthritis. He was told that he would die of that disease and the
chances of recovering were one in five hundred. The writer had read about the
damage caused in the chemistry of human body by negative attitudes and stress,
and he thought that it would be a good idea to try the therapeutic effects of
positive emotions. In this sense, he tried ‘Laugh therapy’ apart from the
conventional treatment. The positive effects of that therapy appeared immediately
and Norman Cousins showed a complete
recovery after a few years. What would have happened if this man would have tried
just the non-conventional treatment? I believe our positive attitude helps in curing
our illnesses, but conventional medicine has an important role, as well.
As another
evidence of the power of mind over body, I have to mention my successful
attempt to minimize pain as much as possible during two of my baby deliveries.
I had read about the importance of keeping calm to accelerate the labour and
how women sometimes delay the delivery because of a desperate state of mind. I
thought that it would be a good idea to try mental concentration, blocking the
pain waves that are transmitted to the brain. When I started the active labor
which is marked by long, strong and regular contractions, I concentrated to neutralize
the pain waves, avoiding them to reach the brain. My deliveries were incredible
fast and without really painful contractions.
Negative
attitudes can lead to death more rapidly than the actual disease. I knew the
case of a man in his fifties who was diagnosed with cancer. After that, he
decided not to fight neither to receive any treatment. He stopped eating, and
in some weeks he died because of the negative attitude he had, not because of
the cancer.
To sum up,
attitudes people have towards illnesses are crucial in the recovery from
illnesses. I believe in the interaction mind-body and how pain can be diminished
and almost eliminated through mental concentration. I also believe that even
though non-conventional medicine, for example ‘Laugh therapy’ might have
amazing results, conventional medicine has a very important role in recovery
from health problems and it should not be replaced by non-conventional
treatments.
