Can our mind cause or prevent a disease?

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Negative thoughts and emotional stress contribute to creating a fertile ground for the onset or development of even serious pathologies, making the body less reactive and more susceptible. Our habits and some natural active ingredients can be useful for normal psychological function in order to find serenity.

Until a few decades ago, medical science mostly agreed that psychological factors do not affect our health. Yet, two thousand years ago, Galen, a Greek doctor, observed that tumors tend to develop mainly in depressed individuals. In the mid-1800s, a group of British doctors confirmed that negative thoughts and sadness are among the most important causes of diseases. Nowadays, from various experimental psychosomatic studies, it has emerged that emotional stresses contribute to creating a fertile ground for some pathologies to arise or progress faster. At the same time, states of rest, tranquility and serenity are associated with both mental and physical well-being, increasing the amplitude of brain waves and reducing heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension.

Depressions lead to an increase in the inflammatory state of our body, with the consequent risk of developing pathologies. If depression is left untreated, inflammation can become chronic and cause neurodegeneration. In times of stress and discomfort, the brain releases certain hormones (cortisol and norepinephrine) that activate the immune system cells that produce inflammation mediators, worsening the situation.

To maintain and improve health, it is important not to transform temporary negative mental states into permanent ones. Remedies abound (listening groups, breathing techniques, yoga and meditation) but in the end “it is easier said than done”. If these solutions do not work, you could take medications (under a prescription). There are also active ingredients that help normal psychological function, such as:

  • Magnesium
  • Biotin
  • Niacin
  • Thiamine
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin B12
  • C vitamin
  • Folate

In conclusion, numerous studies have shown how much psychological well-being can affect the health of our body. There is no right and wrong technique: the important thing is to find what makes us feel good, changing harmful habits, practicing sports, yoga and using natural molecules capable of restoring normal psychological function.