Dr McClelland found that merely watching a film on selfless service strengthened the immune response in the students. While Chinese and Indian medicine have long considered the mind and the body as inseparable, Western science since the time of Descartes has viewed the mind and body as separate unrelated entities. The PNI research is providing concrete evidence that this separation is artificial and erroneous. Studies have traced direct neurological pathways between the brain and the immune system. This research shows that the immune system, consisting primarily of several types of white blood cells, is controlled by the nervous system and that the white blood cells in turn are capable of transmitting chemical messages back to the brain.
Many health statistics demonstrate that the mind can influence the body.
Stressful life events such as the death of a spouse, divorce, or loss of employment greatly increase your risk of becoming ill. The so-called Type A personality is an example of how the way we think and act affects our health. Type A individuals tend to move and react quickly. They may do two things at the same time and find it difficult to relax. These hard driving, hurried, and competitive individuals have increased risk of heart attack and stroke.