Mind-Body Wellness

I’ve had many great discussions with my patients over the years, and one topic that has been repeatedly fascinating to discuss with them is the area of mind-body medicine or wellness.  The very term itself creates some interest in almost everyone, as it immediately evokes the essence of what we are at our most basic, a body and a mind – with soul or spirit being a self-believed part of many people, but not all.  In my conversations with people of all ages regarding this, I’ve had fun challenging assumptions and I’ve also learned a great deal from my patients.

We all have a basic similar understanding of the word body.  We can see it, hear it, touch it, etc., and thereby experience it by using its own five senses. It’s pretty obvious, we are in it, or to some, we are it.  And herein lies the first philosophical hurdle of the mind-body realm of inquiry: are we our body or do we inhabit it? Most people see the mind as separated from the body – with the body sort of carrying the mind around with it.  This type of thinking has been with us in Western thought for thousands of years and has been supported by our language structure and the scientific method that we use to make discoveries about the body. 

The pervasive idea in the West is that medically there are two entities, a body and a mind, but it might be interesting to note that in much of the East these two entities are considered one thing, not separate.  And this is my view as well.  And it has been a very powerful viewpoint in helping patients both understand and feel better about their symptoms.  When we feel better about our symptoms, many times our symptoms get better.

For instance, many common medical symptoms are attributed to ‘stress’ or ‘anxiety’. “Oh, good, I don’t have a serious life threatening medical disease, but wait, doc, my head still hurts.” Reply:  “That’s just a ‘stress’ headache – not to worry.”  But, my head still hurts, and these pills aren’t working.  So stress means mind and the assumption is that ‘medicine’ can’t help. Bummer.

This is an example of how viewing the mind and body as two entities, and believing that the cause of the problem in the body can only be fixed by fixing a mysterious problem in the mind, can be very circular and frustrating.

Many times have I heard patients tell me that other doctors have told them that they suffer from ‘anxiety” and that their symptoms are “all in their head” – implying that they are made up or somehow not real.  The physician’s position being that these mind-created symptoms can’t be helped – the patient is on their own.  The assumption is that the mind is outside the body and the physician can only help heal the body. This reasoning is counter-productive to holistic care.

However, when we alternatively view the body as containing the brain and replace the word mind with the word brain, I believe we come closer to describing practical reality. We can focus on helping a patient improve their brain function, which will help with many symptoms.  Now that mysterious ‘anxiety’ is seen as a product of suboptimal brain function, and the options for therapy to treat that ‘stress’ headache widen.  A holistic approach can be taken that recognizes the dynamic and unique nature of each individual’s brain function, personal psychology and social differences.  One person might benefit from a medicine to improve the pain from the headache or improve brain function, another from changing jobs or improving relationships, another from exercise or dietary change, some from massage or acupuncture, and most from a multi-faceted treatment plan, a holistic plan.

So we come full circle from viewing the body and mind as separate entities, to viewing the mind as brain and brain as part of the body.  Now this integrated shift in perception is subtly powerful as it changes common assumptions about the limitations of healing the body.  (And, again, remember that the brain is part of the body).

A holistic approach to healing utilizing conventional pharmacologic medicine has prescribed limitations, and in its current form of insurance driven delivery is suffering from a lack of time with patients for holistic clinical care.  To answer this problem locally, as a broad-based primary care doctor, I’ve opened a medical practice in West Linn that treats people as whole individuals, and gives them plenty of time for proper diagnosis, compassion and exploration of all treatment options.  You can learn more about my new practice at www.drnorcom.com.

Who knows what interesting innovative ways we’ll find to help you gain optimal health – your whole body, including one of its most important organs, your brain.