Your Mind is Your Body's Best Friend


by Nordine Zouareg - Date: 2007-01-04 - Word Count: 395 Share This!

As recently as 1974, scientists believed that the immune system was a self-regulating body system outside the realm of conscious control. This belief was strongly questioned after Robert Ader found that the rats in one of his experiments had learned to suppress their own immune systems and were dying as a result. A few years later, another key research development furnished more evidence of the mind-body partnership. This was Candace Pert's discovery of the receptor for the neurotransmitter called beta-endorphin. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers, which the brain uses to talk to the body. Endorphins are a type of neurotransmitter, which affect feeling states, such as pain relief, fatigue relief, and a feeling of energy. Endorphin release can literally make you feel better fast.

Pert's findings suggest that neurotransmitters, which also help regulate the internal physiology of the body, have specific receptor sites throughout the body. Pert theorizes that neurotransmitters in the brain send messages between cells that stimulate the release of neurohormones, which then course through the bloodstream to receptor sites in specific organs. Scientists now know that certain neurotransmitters, namely, endorphins, help mediate the stress response. Endorphins, the feel-good substances, are highly concentrated in the pituitary, the powerful gland which secretes hormones that regulate bodily functions. While this finding strongly supports the existence of the mind/body partnership, it also pinpoints an actual mechanism for psycho-physiological communication-- the way the mind, and possibly the spirit, communicate with the body.

I am telling you about these findings because while the mind/body connection is yet to be completely understood, this research is still good news for all of us. Facts like these are especially useful to anyone who is pursuing personal transformations such as a healthier lifestyle, weight loss, or emotional breakthrough. Remember, these findings prove: * Your mind and body "speak" to each other with the help of a mechanism using electrical and chemical messengers and messages. Your brain regulates bodily functions with this electrochemical mechanism. Your brain, your immune system and your neuroendocrine system are also bound together through this mechanism. You can gain control over your immune system. Your mind and body can work in partnership for good health-- or work against each other for bad. Your brain, via the hypothalamus and its neurohormone production, triggers and influences the stress response. Yes, you can harness your mind/body energy to manage stress and moderate various bodily functions.


Related Tags: fitness, health, supplements, exercise, mind, nutrition, diet, yoga, meditation, strength, cardio

Nordine Zouareg is an International Celebrity Fitness Coach and the author of the upcoming book Mind Over Body due to be released in June 2007 by Springboard Press. He is also the founder of Mindful Fitness Revolution, an online fitness-coaching program. Sign up for Nordine's free newsletter at http://www.mindfulfitnessrevolution.com

Have questions about getting fit? Contact Nordine at Nordine@mindfulfitnessrevolution.com

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