Health and Emotions Colloquium paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Pre Graduation Undergraduate Jury
Under the guidance of Harshit Desai Sir Submitted by Mitika Kabra Product Design; Semester 8 MIT Institute Of Design, Pune
Acknowledgements
“I am a part of all whom I have met.� - Anonymous
I would like to acknowledge my father, the one who has always instilled questions in my mind and encouraged me to ask more of them. I would like to thank Professors- Mr. Amit Deshmukh, Mr Harshit Desai, Mr. Pritharshva Pushkar and Mr. Dhimant Panchal for their valuable points in the discussion over the topic and their guidance in writing this paper. A big thanks to my friends for helping me whenever I got stuck in the overload of information.
I hope your read to be a good and an impactful experience.
Why I Chose This Subject: Since quite some time I have been observing a pattern in myself and in people around me of health being related to the mind/ emotions. I feelthere I an interlink. If so, I wanted to know the extent of the linkage. Next, what can we do with it, in terms of having a healthier life.
Outline What is health? What are the factors that affect Health? Lifestyle is in our hand What are Emotions? Why do we have them? What is its relation? - Immunity booster String theory. Relation- To what extend? Types of diseases- acute, chronic, adaptive response illness How can we utilize it to enhance our well-being and cure our illness more holistically?
What is health?
Physical well-being
Social well- being
Mental well- being
The World Health Organization (WHO) defined health in its broader sense in 1946 as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." U Good health
Ill Health
The WHO's 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion furthered that health is not just a state, but also "a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities." Harmonies, balance, order, symmetry, gradation - Laws of nature are applicable in the health of the body too. A healthy person is said so because his body [includes mind] is balanced mentally, physically and socially. A healthy person has a continuous flow of energy, and an unhealthy person has stagnation somewhere. Moderation and balance is the key to good health.
Factors that determine one’s health.
Health is controlled by 3 broad factors- Genes, Lifestyle and the Environment [social and economic] we live in. Out of these lifestyle to great extent is in an individual’s hands. Lifestyle includes the way we live, eat and sleep, our daily routine, the way we communicate, our relationships etc.
What are emotions ?
Emotions are feelings. Something happens [ultimately a change in electric signals/ vibration/ energy].As a reaction, feelings arise in our mind based on our ‘concepts’ about things. These
concepts are developed by our upbringing, our genes. Feelings are felt in the mind; mind is the functioning of the brain. This causes a change in the chemicals in our body. To counter the change, and achieve the original balanced state, a set of hormones are released which the environment/people can sense. E.g. Red face, sweat [physical changes]. Each involuntary action is governed by 100’s of natural chemicals in our body called hormones.
Example: The maid servant spoke to you in a raised voice. [ a change in the environment]. It impacts you. Your face goes red with anger. [the concept of the servant speaking to you in a raised voice caused a certain response in your body based on the way you are/ brought up which came out in the form of anger. Body reacted to the change and is normal again. Problems arise when we try to take control over our body and break this smooth functioning, when we hide our emotions due to societal reasons or so. What we are doing is not letting the body to achieve the balance. Suppose you got angry and you tried to control it, there remains an imbalance in your body. Suppressing emotions uses up a lot of energy, which could be used for a better purpose to sustain. The result is fatigue and lowered vitality.
String Theory supports‌ The most indivisible level of matter is energy strings that vibrate and form a pattern, the pattern gives a particle its specific properties. Derived from this basic unit of matter, everything around is made of energy strings and their impact on something is a transfer of energy. Almost all Alternate therapies of cure have the string theory as the underlying principle of working.
Why emotions? -Motivation -Internal signals -Social signals -To survive
How are emotions connected to health? In the 1970′s a Harvard study provided the first scientific evidence that our immune system is directly affected by moods and emotions. Our immune cells contain neuropeptides – the brain chemicals connected to our emotions.
*Negative mental states, chronic stress, pessimism, low self-esteem, depression, divorce, poor marital or intimate relations, loneliness, financial loss.and low self-esteem dramatically reduce our immunity. And there is likewise proof that positive mental states and activities can increase your immunity. Proven immune boosters include: Aerobics, humor and laughter, a sense of hope, relaxation, physical exertion, social support, and satisfying relationships. Smiling and laughing releases endorphins into the bloodstream which are chemicals which have an analgesia effect, helping you relax.
Good feelings, scientists now know, have healing effects on the body, and researchers studying everything from the flu to HIV continue to find eye-opening evidence that a person's mind-set can influence his immunity and the rate at which he heals from injuries and illness.
*http://www.oprah.com/health/How-Your-Emotions-Affect-Your-Health-and-Immune-
System#ixzz1w002d7NR
On Retrospection ‌ The immunity system of my body was very poor. I was always prone to fever and cold with the slightest of changes in weather .Until I joined MIT.I have increased my immunity to a great extend and am much higher in energy than what I was. On reflecting, I feel this was one place where I did what I loved doing, found people of my kind, opened up and have lived the best of the moments of my life. It has given me a very positive and curious lens to view the world with. There may be other factors also involved in it, but one can surely not neglect this aspect.
So, a positive person won’t get a disease ? Certainly not. Emotions are not the only factor that determines health.
"Research shows that more than 85% of all illness is caused from underlying emotional issues."
Faith, belief, placebo effect If one believes in something completely with all his heart, it has to happen the way he has planned it to. Nothing is impossible ! Similarly, many people feel that they have some illness even though they actually don’t have. This belief alone makes them ill; no infection required.
Vibrational medicine
The concepts of vibrating energy that are behind modern string theory and ancient traditions also underlie energy medicine or vibrational medicine. Dr. Richard Gerber in his landmark book Vibrational Medicine defines vibrational medicine as “medicine that is directed toward an understanding of energy and vibration, and how they interact with molecular structure and organismic balance.3
Richard Gerber, Vibrational Medicine, 3d ed. ( Rochester, Vermont: Bear & Company, 2001), p. 65.
Extends to space
Similarly, a person’s mindset influences the space and people around it. Positive people spread a positive environment.
A hindi term meaning happiness- ” sukham’’-“su”- good; “kham”- space; Happiness is there where there is a positive space.
Reverse relation Health too affects our emotions. Types of disease- as an adaptive response, chronic, resistant. Adaptive response disease: Just a few days before joining MIT, I had got Jaundice and joined college late. Now when I look back, I feel that all the IFS AND BUTS and glitches in my head about the new start got removed out of my body through jaundice and a fresh me joined MIT- an empty slate with no worries or apprehensions. According to evolutionary medicine, most of the illness is not directly caused by an infection or body dysfunction, but rather are response created by the body. They are caused by the brain through a top down control over the body. A positive outlook goes a long way in fast recovery. Chronic diseases: They are there for a lifetime. Just medication is not enough. Positivity needs to be boosted in oneself and the mind needs to be cleaned of unwanted thoughts. Resistant Diseases: Diseases in which one gets an infection in the body which could spread in the body are Resistant diseases. Medication for these diseases aims at the root cause. Medication is a boon for such kind of diseases. Now that we know the role of emotions in our health, how can we utilize it to enhance our well-being and cure our illness more holistically? Positivity/ Stronger immunity can be built up at a cure level and at a way of living level.
1] Self awareness We need to start getting aware of our own bodies, they speak to us, it’s we who in this busy world pay no heed to them. Quite a few illnesses can simply be overcome at individual level by drinking enough water and flushing out the toxins or diluting the harm causing chemicals. We can be best aware of our feelings within us. Opening up, caring a little less of what others will judge me as, one must keep the flow of thoughts moving out of one’s body whether in the form of writing or speaking it out etc. 2] Positive mindset We need to develop a positive mindset in ourselves. Movies, soap operas etc can complement it as well. There is a lot of scope for establishing brands with a positive emotional connect. They will enhance people’s experience and health and will hence leave a stronger impact on the people. 3] Change in lifestyle:
We need medicine for what is not in our hands [infectious, genetic and environment factors]. But a time has come such that even our lifestyle is not in our hands in many cases.
With a very migrant job nature of urban individuals, least priority is given to health. Life is fast and so is their food and so are their ways of dealing with diseases; relieving pain and seldom curing. A quick- fix gives temporary benefits. It does not eradicate, it postpones the problem. One must be willing to change from inside out and not outside in. If we take responsibility for our own health and well-being, we can improve our health on a daily basis. Certain factors
influence our state of wellness, including nutrition, physical activity, stress-coping methods, good relationships, and career success.
4] On the doctor’s side: •
A medical space should supplement energy in abundance in subtle ways because that is what a cure ultimately is. It should be a space which lifts up one’s spirits and makes one feel positive.
•
Although a doctor knows his job better, he should be able to communicate the disease to the patient in a manner such the patient does not weaken himself more. Moral boosters are required for the patient in this state of the hour.
•
Doctors should help people be aware of their bodies and its actions.
Citation *http://www.oprah.com/health/How-Your-Emotions-Affect-Your-Health-and-Immune-
System#ixzz1w002d7NR
Richard Gerber, Vibrational Medicine, 3d ed. ( Rochester, Vermont: Bear & Company, 2001), p. 65
http://www.naturalnews.com/033881_health_care_profits.html#ixzz1vLAAh5nU
http://www.onthethreshold.com/articles/what-our-bodies-know.pdf http://www.thenaturalguide.com/natural-medicine.htm http://www.rootcause.ca/meet_the_team.html