The mind-body connection: an important aspect in overcoming multiple sclerosis
Research studies show that our thoughts and feelings are not limited to the mind, but also impact the nervous and endocrine systems and influence the immune system.
By MIKE GROPPERPSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY has recently posited what psychotherapists and spiritual healers have known for a long time: the body and mind are not separate entities. The idea that they are distinct and separable was put forth by 17th-century French philosopher René Descartes. This illustration shows his (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)Part 1 of a two-part seriesYou ought not to attempt to cure the body without the soul, for this is the great error of our day in the treatment of the human body, that physicians separate the body from the soul.- Socrates (in Plato’s Charmides)A relatively new and exciting subsection of biology called psychoneuroimmunology has recently posited what psychotherapists and spiritual healers have known for a long time: the body and mind are not separate entities. In fact, research studies show that our thoughts and feelings are not limited to the mind, but also impact the nervous and endocrine systems and influence the immune system.In this two-part article, I will focus on a new development in mind-body medicine to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) live better and healthier lives. I decided to write about MS after I became acquainted with the major role that emotional coping skills play in the healing process for those with this illness (Prof. George Jelinek’s book Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, Allen & Unwin, UK, 2016).What is MS?MS is an inflammatory and degenerative disease of the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain) in which the body’s immune system attacks myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibers that comprise the central nervous system. Damage to the myelin interferes with the messages sent between the brain and the rest of the body, causing a wide array of issues, from stiffness and spasms to a devastating loss of basic bodily functions.It is estimated that 2% of the world’s population has the genes to develop MS. However, not everyone predisposed to getting this disease develops the illness. Nevertheless, 2.3 million people worldwide currently live with MS.There are two main types of MS, “relapsing-remitting,” affecting 85% of patients, in which new symptoms appear or old ones return for intervals ranging from a few hours to days; and “progressive” MS, in which symptoms steadily worsen.Epidemiological data show a higher prevalence of MS in affluent countries, particularly those farther from the equator and where high-calorie, high-fat diets are more common. The association between MS risk and diets high in saturated and animal fats and low in polyunsaturated fats has been observed in multiple ecological studies. MS affects three times as many women as men.Linda’s storyLinda, a woman in her early 40s, was stricken with MS at the age of 28. I was fortunate to meet and get to know her on her recent family visit to Israel.Linda is originally from Melbourne, Australia, where she worked as a psychologist. She was 28 years old, living on her own, and felt that her life was going great.One morning, Linda recalls, she arrived at work and noticed that her legs and feet began to tingle and become numb. She remembered that this had happened the previous year, but an MRI at that time led her doctor to diagnose her with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord. Transverse myelitis can sometimes be the first sign of MS. At that time, Linda felt reassured by her doctor’s belief that the symptoms would go away, which in fact they did. However, after a brief hiatus, the same symptoms returned and began spreading at an alarming rate. She turned to a neurologist who ordered a new MRI, and soon after, Linda was diagnosed with MS.The symptoms of her disease were shocking and terrifying. Linda’s legs and hands became numb and she had difficulty breathing. In addition, she had bouts of nausea, dizziness and blurred vision.She could not believe what she was experiencing. Seemingly overnight, this 28-year-old woman went from being a vibrant, healthy and independent person to a disabled one.Her older sister Ani, a trained physician, lived nearby and invited Linda to move in with her so that she could provide her with 24/7 care.Her sister began scouring the scientific literature, desperately hoping to find any new answers to help people with MS. In doing so, Ani came across Jelinek’s book.Jelinek, an Australian physician and professor of emergency medicine, was himself stricken with MS, and he was determined to find and/or develop a method to help people with the disease. Jelinek did in fact develop a holistic lifestyle-based program, “The Overcoming MS 7-Step Recovery Program,” consisting of specific dietary recommendations, meditation and stress management, and exercise. Included in the diet is sufficient omega-3 consumption, elimination of meat and dairy products, and vitamin D supplementation. Jelinek believes in a medication-plus-lifestyle approach to MS management.You can learn more about Jelinek’s program and research at www.overcomingms.org/.After attending one of the early retreats that Jelinek held in Australia, Linda followed his scientifically researched and evidence-based approach faithfully. It took about a year for her body to start to feel normal again, and after three to five years of following the program, she felt completely well.In 2009, during what Linda feared was a relapse of MS symptoms (which actually turned out to be only the flu), a neurologist took another MRI scan, which revealed that her MS lesions had completely disappeared.Linda writes “Much to my amazement (and my neurologist’s), the results showed my original lesions had disappeared. Since then, my health has continued to improve. I feel fitter, healthier and more full of life than I did before I was diagnosed. It is an incredible place to be and something I could not have foreseen 12 years ago.”In Part 2 – which is scheduled to appear in the December 1 issue of the Magazine – I will talk about the relationship between stressful major life events and the onset of MS in people predisposed to the disease, and about emotional factors that can trigger a relapse of symptoms in people whose MS is in remission.In addition, I will describe specific emotional interventions that were helpful to Linda, and the psychological aspects that Jelinek found to be a central component of the healing process in people with MS. The writer is a marital, child and adult cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist with offices in Jerusalem and Ra’anana. www.facebook.com/drmikegropper/, drmikegropper@gmail.com
Related TagsIsraeli health news
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
