Mind Body ScienceMind Body ScienceHistory

Introduction Introduction

You will learn:– The earliest medicine assumed a connection between

body/mind/spirit.– A shift began to occur in the 17th century, as science

and technology developed– Growing understanding of the world changed our

conception of disease – Beginning in the early 19th century, and continuing to

this day, we see a return to the acceptance of a body/mind connection.

In The Beginning: Making In The Beginning: Making Sense of the WorldSense of the WorldPower of the ancestorsPower of natural forcesPower of gods and demonsPower of prayer and belief

Three sources of mind-body Three sources of mind-body healing for millenniahealing for millenniaBelief and Expectation

– Living in harmony with nature– Using natural substances to cure

Natural course of Recovery– Acceptance of death as part of life

Spiritual practices

Beginning understanding of Beginning understanding of natural causes of disease natural causes of disease

Galen 129-217 AD

Yin Yang and 5 phase theory: 200s BC

Hippocrates 460BC-370 BC

HippocratesHippocratesTeachings came about in opposition to the

supernaturally based practices of the timeBeginning of medicine as we know it:

divorced from superstition and necromancy

based on observation: rational, empiricalEthical: physician’s obligation is to the

patient

Hippocratic principlesHippocratic principlesDisease seen in context of patient’s lifeTreatment was to restore the natural

conditions and defenses of the sick person and reestablish his proper relationship to surroundings.

Diseases categorized by major symptoms (confusing causes)

Seeds of holistic medicine

Aphorisms of HippocratesAphorisms of Hippocrates“Life is short, The Art is long, opportunity

is fleeting, experiences delusive, judgment difficult.”

Sickness develops when equilibrium is disturbed: it is the doctor’s role to restore it

Equilibrium of the 4 humorsEquilibrium of the 4 humorsBlood (originating in the heart)Yellow bile (liver)Black bile (spleen)Phlegm (brain)Related to the 4 elements: fire, air, earth

and water, and the 4 qualities of hot, dry, cold and wet

THE FOUR HUMORALTYPES OFCOUPLES(1470 MS)

PLEGMATIC

CHOLERIC

SANGUINE

MELANCHOLIC

Hippocratic physicians sought Hippocratic physicians sought the cause of disease:the cause of disease:Understanding the 4 humors, seasons, etc.Patient’s constitution - state of the humors

in her body (sanguine, melancholic, bilious, phlegmatic)

Observed changes in facial expression, color, temperature, breathing, body position, nails, hair, abdominal contour, tasted blood and urine, smelled stool, etc

Fundamental change in Fundamental change in medicine:medicine:

Based on observable phenomenon

““To help, or at least, do no To help, or at least, do no harmharm””Nature has a curative powerNatural inclination of the organism is to

re-establish equilibrium“Most things get better by themselves…

most things, in fact are better by morning.” (Lewis Thomas)

Galen - 2nd century ADGalen - 2nd century AD

– Extracted the best from many competing systems, and led medicine back to direct observation

– His research into anatomy and physiology led to a new understanding of the body and how it gets sick

Galen’s systemGalen’s system based on dissections in anatomy (non-

human), experiments in physiology and clinical observation of patients. – However, he was a man of his time, and

allowed his beliefs to supersede his observations

Galen’s legacyGalen’s legacyConcepts of sickness and its treatment

influenced medicine for centuries - well into the 1600’s

His herbal remedies were being used well into the 20th century

The RenaissanceThe RenaissanceCadaver dissections began to be used in

medical trainingVivisections of small animals were used to

understand organ functionGalenic errors uncovered, to great

consternation

De Humani Corporis Fabrica De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libra SeptemLibra SeptemProduced by Andreas Vesalius in 1543Organized in 7 books: bones, muscles,

blood vessels, nerves, abdominal and reproductive organs

Represented a revolution in scientific approach

Vesalius’ Legacy:Overturned century’s of blind adherence to

Galenic theory and practiceOne of the most influential physicians in

the history of medicineWas vilified in his lifetime

The Beginnings of Separation The Beginnings of Separation of Body and Mindof Body and MindRene Descartes 17th century: the body as

machineThe mind cannot directly improve body

healthThe increasing “reductionist” view of

Western medicine“I think, therefor I am”

Identity was equated with rational mindLed to view of universe as mechanical

system consisting of separate objectsBody’s innate “knowing” became less

important

The Next Step in the Development of Medical Science: MorgagniSpent his life writing the Seats and Causes

of Disease…700 case historiesThe death knell of humoral theoryNow had to look at “the cries of the

suffering organs”Father of pathological anatomy

Giovanni Morgagni cont’dFather of physical examThe goal for drs became to predict autopsy

findings before deathAll teaching hospitals now have the CPC:

clinical pathological correlation…coming up with the diagnosis based on the s & s.

This was the Age of Enlightenment - questioning age-old paradigms

What are the positive aspects What are the positive aspects of the “Cartesian” world view?of the “Cartesian” world view?

Rudolf Virchow - 1850sStill did not have any effective therapy to

treat disease: could describe organ and tissue, but not where disease begins

Microscope became keyWrites “Cellular Pathology” - read by

everyoneAbnormality of cellular function: patho-

physiology

Virchow, cont’dAll diseases start within the cellsAll cells come from the fertilized eggShowed that cancer cells had once been

normal to which something had happenedIn a single stroke, ended the idea of

miasmasFather of public health

The The ““MiraculousMiraculous”” Modern Modern Medical MachineMedical MachineLouis Pasteur: Germ theory of disease-

1850sJoseph Lister: development of antiseptic

proceduresRobert Koch: identified specific

organisms responsible for specific diseases- 1880s

Success of antibiotics was Success of antibiotics was profoundprofoundWhole hospitals were emptied with the

discovery of penicillinSaved thousands of lives of WW II

wounded

Surgery and Drugs Became Surgery and Drugs Became the Treatments of Choicethe Treatments of Choice

Tendency to misuse and overuse successful drugs (antibiotics being used on viruses), and to overemphasize the power of surgery

Placebo becomes a bad wordPlacebo becomes a bad wordUnethical to give an inert substance to a

patient with the promise that “this will make you feel better”

The placebo effect in double-blind controlled studies was dismissed as “all in the mind”

The Return to Ancient RootsThe Return to Ancient RootsOliver Wendell Holmes - 19th century -

mind can affect body and good bedside manner

William James: further observations of mind body connections

Walter Bradford Cannon: the ID of the fight or flight response; revived the concept of homeostasis

ItIt’’s True! Body and Mind are s True! Body and Mind are RelatedRelatedFreud and Psychoanalysis1929 Progressive RelaxationAutogenic trainingAcceptance of ‘psychosomatic illnesses”Research into the physiologic effects of

stress

Medical Breakthroughs since Medical Breakthroughs since the 1960sthe 1960sIdentification of the relaxation responseExpanded understanding of the placebo

effectLinking of mind body treatments to an

increasing number of health conditionsStudies now showing that mind body

approaches can actually alter genetic expression and bolster health

The PresentThe PresentResearch has legitimized the mind-body

connection Government funding availableLeading hospitals and medical schools

have instituted Mind-Body Programs“Integrative Medicine” “Complementary

And Alternative Medicine” are accepted

Therapies include:Therapies include:YogaMeditationMindfulness practicesNutritionHypnosisPositive thinking, visualizationSelf-expression: art, dance, sound

Additional TherapiesAdditional TherapiesAcupunctureBio-feedbackExerciseMassageAlexander TechniqueFeldenkraisRolfing

SummarySummaryAncient wisdom held body, mind and

spirit as oneSeparation began in the 17th centuryAncient wisdom returns, blessed by the

medical establishmentIncreased understanding of the

physiological changes of stress and relaxation

This is the language that is now used by business, sports, the arts, all of your future clients: you need to

know how to speak the language of body mind science.

“Where there is love of human kind, there is also love of the art of

medicine.” Hippocrates

We shall not cease from We shall not cease from exploration, and the result of exploration, and the result of all our exploring will be to all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and arrive where we started, and know the place for the first know the place for the first time. time. TS EliotTS Eliot

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