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Hey there Mr. Space Guy--
How you make that thing fly?
--Hell, I'd Go, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks
I don't think the psychological impact of a faith healing or an intense will to live is going to reconnect a severed spine or regrow a limb, OK? You can let that poor horse move on to the other side.
I do believe that the mind's impact on the body can have significant impacts on health and healing. Is that what you are denying? I'd have thought that the placebo effect and the phenomena of psychosomatic illness would already suggest otherwise.
I do understand that you want more than just data showing an improvement in a patient's subjective evaluation of symptoms.
To start, I'll cite some studies where optimism retards the progression of organic disease. I apologize for lacking access to the journals online.
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Mental Health Problems and Mind-Body Wellness - References
Citations
Matthews KA, et al. (2004). Optimistic attitudes protect against progression of carotid atherosclerosis in healthy middle-aged women. Psychosomatic Medicine, 66(5): 640-644.
Scheier MF, et al. (1999). Optimism and rehospitalization after coronary artery bypass surgery. Archives of Internal Medicine. 159(8): 829-835.
An article at WebMD summarizes the results of the second study:
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For example, optimistic coronary bypass patients generally recover more quickly and have fewer complications after surgery than do patients who are less hopeful.
After several hours of searching, I find that few studies have been conducted on the issue. The difficulty of doing any kind of double-blind study is apparent, and the inability of physicians actively to control the patient's attitude, perhaps, makes the subject of limited clinical interest.
However,
a study of lung cancer patients in Australia yielded negative results on a correlation between positive attitudes and outcomes.
Still, it was a small study (179 patients), and addressed a disease with nearly 100% mortality at five years out: 8 patients were still living, and their attitude rating showed no correlation with their survival. It seems odd to me to do such a study when the nearly 100% mortality leaves little room for a patient mind-body effect.
Do bones knit faster when we have a better attitude, or is attitude better when we have a better attitude? Paint me blas.
Perhaps we can just paint you wrong.
Why, yes, we have evidence of the power of the mind to accelerate bone fracture healing:
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A fascinating study (Ginandes & Rosenthal 1999) demonstrated the benefit of hypnosis in bone healing. In a group of people with fractures they showed a significant increase in speed of both anatomical and functional fracture healing over a control group with similar injuries.
The superior outcome for non-depressed patients of all kinds is so well documented I'm not going to offer citations: I'm sure your own research into the matter has already discovered them.
Finally, I'll add just a few general observations.
We know that the conscious mind can deliberately raise or lower blood pressure, increase blood flow to particular areas, raise or lower body temperature, and, as noted above, accelerate healing of fractures and retard the progression of organic disease.
Got a lab report where grinning reduces BUN?
Can the mind have an impact on kidney function? I dunno, I weighed your flippancy and didn't look for any data on that one.
But I'd say that the ability to influence general metabolism and blood flow to particular regions of the body makes it possible.
It's more than fine to be skeptical; it's essential. It's also lots of fun to express your skepticism with dismissive humor--I know, because I do that, too.
It's a shame you didn't look for or cite any evidence one way or the other, though--and I thought you like2know! Mockery is more tasty with a garnish of information.
Isn't dismissing a hypothesis for which there is, indeed, some evidence, merely a biased denial?
Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?
-Shakespeare
Real things always push back.
-William James