The Mind-Body Connection - Definition

The mind-body connection is the interrelatedness of mental and physical health. The thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors can influence the physical body and vice versa. The mind and the body constantly interact through a shared chemical language.

In ancient Greece, doctors understood the mind-body connection and treated their patients accordingly. A “knife” doctor, an “herb” doctor, and a “word” doctor would simultaneously see a patient. Until some 300 years ago, most medical systems considered the mind and the body as a whole.

In the 17th century, however, Western medicine started treating the mind and body as separate entities. Contemporary physicians and therapists rarely collaborate. The late 20th century saw a revival of the mind-body connection, and since then, researchers have amassed an impressive amount of evidence in its support.

Examples of how the mind can affect the body include chronic stress and the placebo effect. Human bodies can handle mental or emotional stress in small doses. People need stress to fulfill their responsibilities and remain safe in their environment. But human bodies cannot adequately handle prolonged stress.

Chronic stress can result from living in unstable or unsafe conditions, having money problems, or working excessively. Human bodies react to stress by releasing two hormones known as stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. Their role is to provide a short-term energy boost, commonly known as an adrenaline rush, so people can quickly overcome danger.

But if these hormones are released too frequently, they can have lasting negative effects. Adrenaline quickens the heart rate and breathing, raises blood pressure, and tightens muscles. Cortisol increases blood sugar or glucose, changes the body’s immune system responses, and suppresses the digestive and reproductive systems. Most symptoms of chronic stress have a physical expression, such as a headache, stomachache, muscle or chest pain, sleep disorders, and fatigue.

The placebo effect occurs when a patient’s symptoms improve after they take a “medication” that does not contain any ingredients that can produce such improvement. The patient must believe that the medication will work for the effect to occur.

While writing her New York Times bestseller Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself (2013), Dr. Lissa Rankin, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute, conducted extensive research on the placebo effect. She reported that patients in clinical trials who took sugar pills or saline injections or underwent false surgeries but believed they had taken a new wonder drug or miracle surgery showed improvement 18 percent to 80 percent of the time.

The opposite effect, “nocebo,” also can occur. Studies demonstrated that nearly 80 percent of medical students developed symptoms similar to those of illnesses they were studying. They worried they were sick or would get sick, and consequently, their bodies reacted by getting sick. Negative beliefs and emotions lead to the release of stress hormones, while positive beliefs and emotions help the nervous system relax and bodies heal.

Gut health is a relatively new medical field with the primary aim of achieving a healthy balance of gastrointestinal (GI) tract bacteria to improve digestion, nutrient absorption, and physical and emotional health. Often referred to as the “second brain,” the gut is lined with 100 million neurons. Researchers are continuously finding new connections between the GI system and mental health.

The gut produces 95 percent of serotonin and 50 percent of dopamine in the human body. Also known as the “happy hormones,” serotonin and dopamine are chemical messengers or neurotransmitters that regulate vital bodily functions, such as sleep, memory, metabolism, and emotions. Balanced GI microbiota and “happy hormones” may positively impact mental health.