The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-08

from the leaders OF the medlcal
profession. The word psychoso-
matte is derived from the Greek
roots-psyche, meaning the spir-
itual parts of a man, the mind and
the soul, and soma, meaning the
physical parts, the body.
Its fundamental concept is that
it is just as important to know
what kind of a man the disease
has as what kind Of q disease the
man has. Just as in normal living
psyche and soma are biologically
one, there is no division between
them, so are they in the develop
ment Of most chronic disease COR
ditions. In treating them we can
not afford to concentrate on the
physical state alone.
'In any problem involving a
sick person." said wise old
physician Of former times, there
are two elements. One is the dis
ease itself and the other is what
the patient thinks Of the disease.
The physician can always TO a
certain extent control the latter,
even if he can't make much change
in the physical condition"
Wide Application
To show how wide are the ap-
plications of this branch OF medi-
cine | review some Of the articles
in recent symposium.
/. Circulatory disorders. Remem-
boring Franz Alexander's dictum
that psychosomatic symptoms are
not symbols Of emotions, as SO
many neurotic symptoms are, they
do not express an emotion, but
are the physiological accompani-
ments of an emotion, it is easy to
understand out of anyone's ex-
perience how the heart and blood
vessels are affected by the psyche.
Blushing, pounding Of the heart,
fast pulse are all physiological
Accomplishments of psychic states.
Translate these into hot flashes
and palpitation and you have the
functional disease equivalent Of
psychosomatic state
Blood pressure is an ideal ex-
ample of a condition where there
are both physical and spiritual
sides to the problem. Calm people
are not likely to have high blood
pressure: l do not believe this is
cause and effect, but that both
arise from a basic personality pat
tern. The high blood pressure peo-
pie are those with the driving
force and energy. To calm them
down is TO improve their stats.
2. Digestive disorders. Jus< as
in the circulatory field there are
high pressure and low pressure
groups, so in the realm Of diges-
tive disorders we find whole bloes
of sluggish and other blocs Of
oyer-responsive persons. They are
both expressions again of funda-
mental personality patterns. The
extreme examples in both groups
are doomed to go through life try
ing either to hitch up or calm
down their alimentary canals.
Gastrologists castro enterolo-
gists, health resorts, surgeons and
pharmacists give them washings,
poundings, cuttings. pepsin, soda
and pills each according to his
light.
Sluggish individuals
The sluggish ones are not much
interested in cooking or the pleas
ures of the table. For them the
dinner bell tolls not rings. They
are constipated. They eruct. "0hl
pardon me-" is often on their lips.
They drink beer.
The over-responsive ones have
heartburn and good appetites. In
fact they have hunger pains. Their
intestines are forever rejecting
waste. Lets go TO q night club
is too often on their lips. They
drink anything, but secretly pre-
fer soda water.
Nearly all forms Of colitis be-
long in the psychosomatie group.
Among the queers things that
the new speciality has dug up is
that 4 tendency to colds. prone