By Ronald Kotulak
Source: Chicago Tribune

Western medicine separated the mind from the body in the Middle Ages when the famous French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes agreed to accept flesh and bone as the province of physicians, while the Catholic Church claimed possession of the mind, insisting it was the creation of the soul.

But Descartes, whose works were placed on the Church's Index of Prohibited Books in 1667, believed the two really interacted in the brain. Using the fledging powers of observation and deductive reasoning that he was then developing, Descartes could conclude that "the mind is so intimately dependent upon the condition and relation of the organs of the body, that if any means can ever be found to render men wiser and more ingenious than hitherto, I believe that it is in medicine they must be sought for."

It's taken a long time, but doctors and psychologists are now bringing the mind and the body back together amid new evidence that the mind can improve the healing process in ways that traditional medicine can't.

Unlike earlier notions about the mind-body connection, which were often based on anecdotal stories or simply "gut" feelings, scientists now can document through powerful imaging technology what Descartes could only deduce, that our thoughts are capable of producing dramatic chemical and physical changes that directly affect our health.

Health Psychologists

Hospitals, including Northwestern Memorial in the Chicago area, are enlisting the help of "health psychologists" to find nontraditional ways to treat patients with common disorders like cancer, heart disease and gastrointestinal problems.

In doing so, doctors have had to come to grips with something that many have been reluctant to admit: that a patient's beliefs can affect the healing process, and that the so-called placebo effect is not an exercise in self-deception, but an authentic biological reaction orchestrated by the brain.

"Over the last several decades the empirical evidence (for the placebo effect) has really mounted, and people in our culture today are much more likely to embrace this mind-body interaction and synthesis," says Kim Lebowitz, director of cardiac behavioral medicine, who was recruited in 2004 by Northwestern Memorial, becoming the first psychologist in the country to be hired full time by a hospital cardiac unit.

Health psychologists are not like psychiatrists, who try to uncover childhood roots of emotional problems. Rather, their practice, called behavioral medicine, is based on studies showing that stress, anxiety and depression - which show up as physical symptoms and are a major reason 60 percent of patients visit doctors - can harm the body just as directly as germs, artery-clogging diets, lack of exercise, obesity and misbehaving genes.

They are at the interface of psychology and biology, where what people think and their beliefs can either increase the risk of disease on the one hand, or restore equanimity on the other.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE
http://www.mindpowernews.com/ThoughtsOverHealth.htm

By Steve Gillman
Excerpt from "A Book of Secrets"

I hope you won't be too disappointed when I tell you that you'll never read minds like Mel Gibson in "What Women Want."

However, you can learn how to get a better idea of the general state of mind and receptivity of the person in front of you. And you can subliminally persuade the opposite sex. Lets jump straight to one of the fun ways.

Watch Those Pupils
A persons pupils get bigger when they are aroused, interested and/or receptive. If you look into his or her eyes and see those pupils growing large - it's looking good for you. Basically big pupils (unless it's just dark) mean a person likes what they see.

Try this experiment, and you'll understand how immediate this effect can be. Go right now and look in the mirror at your own eyes. As you look at them, imagine a sexy man or woman you are attracted to - in whatever way would turn you on. You'll see that your pupils get bigger in just seconds. Actually, if you love to fish, they may get big just thinking about a lake you love. Anything you like to look at can make your pupils bigger.

Now, there are two ways to use this.

1. Mind Reading
For the mind reading part, you can now watch for changing of pupil size to know if someone is interested in you or what you have to say. And yes, shrinking pupils generally do mean the person is not interested. Just be careful to note if light in the persons eyes is causing the shrinking pupils.

In addition to judging the general level of interest and/or receptivity to you, you can use pupil size to go a little
deeper into a person's mind. For example, during the course of a conversation, you can describe various scenes or delve into different topics, while watching the persons pupils. If their pupils shrank at the mention of skiing, and got huge when you described a beach you like, you can be fairly certain they would like the Bahamas over a ski resort.

The great thing about this little trick is that you can easily test it and refine your technique. Start with a friend whose interests you know already, and watch their pupils as you describe various places or even ideas. See if getting them to visualize, by saying something "Remember how that car of yours looked," gets a bigger pupil response.

2. Influencing
If you haven't yet experimented with your own pupils, by watching them in the mirror, go try it now. You'll find that you can quickly train yourself to change your pupil size at will. Just find a mental image or two that gets them really big, and use these as necessary. Look at a light briefly when you want to shrink your pupils back down. Now, how do you use this?

We all use little clues like pupil size as we interact with people. We are affected by people's expressions and body language even when we haven't yet learned to identify it. In other words - the person in front of you will unconsciously pick upon your enlarging pupils. They will unconsciously take this to mean that you like them,
and for many people, this will make them like you more. By enlarging your pupils at will, you can effectively establish rapport more quickly.

More Mind Reading Tricks

Listen. This is the easiest and most effective way to read minds. Just pay attention, ask a few questions and listen to what they say about themselves.

Watch the Posture. Leaning towards indicates that the person is interested and receptive.

Watch For Hair Play. When women play with their hair while talking to you, it is almost always a sign of receptivity.

Watch the Mouth. A slightly open mouth is a sign of curiosity and interest.

Watch the Head. A tilting head, especially if it comes with a smile and eye contact, is a sign that the person likes you.

Watch the Eyes. By watching what a they are watching, you can learn a lot. What kind of women does a man look at? Does he pay any attention to the game on the TV? Note whether he seems bored or interested as he looks at different things.

Watch the Eyes - Part Two. Here is what people's minds are doing when they are thinking or asked to remember something. This is true for most right handed people (reverse all this for left-handed people): As you face them, and their eyes go...
Up and to the right - they are remembering a visual image.
Up and to the left - They are constructing a visual image.
To the right - They are remembering sounds or conversation.
To the left - The are constructing sounds or conversations.
Down and to the right - They are in an internal dialog.
Down and to the left - They are accessing kinesthetic feelings, tastes and smells.

More Ways To Influence The Opposite Sex

Use His or Her Name. Try to use a persons name as soon as it feels right. If you aren't sure when it's right, ask them. "Is it all right if I call you Sue?"

Use Inflection. Remember from the previous chapter that the meaning in a sentence like "I think you are the best dancer here," depends on the word you emphasize. This subtle use of inflection can be used to convey "hidden" messages. Saying to an insecure woman "I think you are the best dancer here," could be unconsciously taken as defending her honor, since it implies that other's might not think she is.

Use Mirroring and Matching. Match the speed of your speech to that of the person you're talking to. Sit like he or she is sitting. Use the words they use. This is a fast way to build rapport. Once there is a "bond" built, you can start to lead the conversation and actions where you want them to go.

Compliment Her or Him. Discover what the person is proud of first, then find a genuine way to compliment them in that area.

Listen. Always show a genuine interest in what the person is saying. Ask appropriate questions, so the person knows you're paying attention. Use their interests to lead into a direction you want to go.

Make Good First Impressions. Men usually form a quick visual impression in less than 20 seconds, and then make another judgment based on appearance and personality within a couple minutes. Women usually place less immediate emphasis on appearance, and form an "intuitive" first impression in a couple minutes. The lesson? Work fast.

By Steve Gillman. Excerpt from "A Book of Secrets"