Postitive Thinking And Disease Outcome
Channel: Jonas Kuehne MD
Date: 28/03/2023

Can positive thinking make the difference between recovering from a disease or dying from it? The authors of an article published in ‘Nature’ titled “Your brain could be controlling how sick you get – and how to recover” seem to think so. They found that activation of the ventral tegmental area VTA (part of the reward system) can trigger immune changes. 
We are familiar with ‘broken heart syndrome’ where stress and sadness can cause heart disease. We also know about the ‘placebo effect’. 
Per the researchers “mental states have a profound impact on how ill we get – and how well we recover”. Vagus nerve stimulation studies are currently done in clinical trials to treat autoimmune diseases. 
Neuroscientists from Harvard have identified a cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus that control fever, warmth-seeking, and loss of appetite in response to infection. According to the article, studies have documented a link between survival and the mental states of people with cancer. In mouse studies, activation of the VTA caused noticeable shrinking of tumors. 
So, positive thinking may significantly improve severe illness like heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune conditions, as well as viral and bacterial illness. Researchers Ben-Moshe and Rolls are now researching existing brain stimulating technologies like transcranial magnetic stimulation and focused ultrasound to help people with various medical conditions.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00509-z

#postivethinking #postivieenergy #positivity #postivetgoughts #reschearch #study #vta #mentalhealth #mentalwellbeing #prevention #health #healthcare #neuroscience #neuroscientist