Superhealing: Engaging Your Mind, Body, and Spirit to Create Optimal Health and Well-Being (ARC) (10 page)

School, discovered what she called the “molecules of emotions,” neuropeptides. These chains of amino acids, located within the central nervous system and throughout the body, regulate key physiological responses that affect our ability to heal
or develop disease.1

Dr. Pert described the manner in which our emotions are translated into chemistry and how the brain’s opiate receptors, which are the 52

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Your Superhealing Mind

cel ular binding sites for endorphins (neurochemicals that have been called “nature’s painkillers”), have a vital connection to human well-being. Therefore, she postulates that emotions are the links between mind and body that influence health. It is through the emotions we feel as a result of our thoughts and attitudes—or more precisely, the neurochemical and bioelectrical changes that accompany these emotions—that our minds acquire the power to influence whether we

get sick or remain wel . She wrote, “The same chemicals that control mood in the brain control the tissue integrity of the body.”2

Pert’s theory rests on the fact that neuropeptides are found

throughout the body, including in the brain and the immune system.

They are the means by which all cel s in the body communicate with one another. This communication includes brain-to-brain messages, brain-to-body messages, body-to-body messages, and body-to-

brain messages. Individual cel s, including brain cel s, immune cel s, and other body cel s, have receptor sites that receive neuropeptides.

The kinds of neuropeptides available to cel s are constantly changing, reflecting variations in our emotions.3

Pert wrote, “Neuropeptides and their receptors thus join the brain, gland, and immune system in a network of communication between

brain and body, probably representing the biochemical substrate of emotion. Cell receptors are the interface between our emotions and our cel s.”4

THE NEW SCIENCE OF EPIGENETICS

Our genes were once thought to be the predetermining factor of

our health, but now it appears that even these may be altered by the chemistry of our positive and negative emotions. From the work of

molecular cel ular biologists, we now know that our DNA is controlled by energetic messages received from sources external to the cel s.5

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Superhealing Mind-Body Research Breakthrough
53

In the last few years, the field of epigenetics has dramatical y

changed the way we view DNA, the underlying structure of our

genes. The Greek-derived prefix
epi—
means “over” or “above.” Consequently, the literal meaning of epigenetic control is “control above the genes.” The study of epigenetics reveals that we are not the victims of our genes but rather their masters.

Since 1953, when James Watson and Francis Crick (and the usual-

ly unacknowledged Rosalind Franklin) discovered DNA, the build-

ing blocks of our genes, we’ve been led to believe, without proof, that our DNA is fixed. Furthermore, we’ve been told that it controls the traits passed to us by our parents, including our likelihood of developing a variety of chronic diseases. As recipients of genetic predeterminations, we’ve been taught, we are natural y powerless to affect our health to any great degree. In fact, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The belief that DNA dictates the entire destiny of our cel s is not true.6

During the late 1980s, coinciding with the launch of the Human

Genome Project, the findings of revolutionary research led scientists to begin to develop a new view of how our cel s function. These findings are the foundation of the science of epigenetics, which is challenging the traditional views of biology and medicine.7

Genes contain instructions that tell individual cel s how to spe-

cialize themselves, such as whether to become a heart cell or a brain cel , and what functions to perform. However, genes by themselves

do not control the body. Research has determined that environmen-

tal signals—which include our thoughts, feelings, and emotions—

are the primary regulators of our genes. Our cel s read and respond to the conditions of their environment by activating different protein switches. The switches that are activated regulate the activity of the genes and control cell behavior. Remarkably, the same genetic

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blueprint has the capacity to create an excess of 30,000 variations of proteins, which are the body’s molecular building blocks.8

The new understanding of our biology includes the fact that per-

ception plays a role in genetic activity. You’re already controlling your genes. Now and always, your mind and your lifestyle have been continuously influencing their expression.

YOUR FLEXIBLE GENES

At the end of every strand of DNA is a caplike structure called a

telomere
that prevents the aberration or loss of genetic information during cell division. Cell division is how your cel s replicate and replace themselves throughout your life span. Your telomeres play a

key role in maintaining the stability of your genetic codes. They are long when you are born, but each time your cel s divide, the process causes your telomeres to shorten. Only a certain number of replications are possible before this happens, for every time a cell replicates itself, the gene becomes slightly less perfect; that is, your cel s are being degraded as you grow older. Over the course of a lifetime, after the telomeres reach a critical y short length, usual y during the later years of life, your cel s will develop the inability to divide again and begin to die without replacement. So they are now considered important markers of aging, chronic disease, and mortality.

A key question under investigation by researchers is whether

there is any way to prevent or reverse the shortening of telomeres.

Your telomeres are affected by many factors, including your cel ular environment. It’s been demonstrated that stress can accelerate telomere shortening and lead to early cel ular aging. Telomere length

reflects not only the presence of stress but also your body’s response to it at a cel ular level. Shortened telomere length is linked to aging, cancer, and heart disease.9

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To reiterate: Our DNA is not the ultimate determinant of our

health. For decades we were led to believe that our family genetic inheritance is the best indicator of our future state of health, but we now know better. Our lifestyle—in particular, our emotional lifestyle—plays a significant role in maintain the health of our cel s and organs.

Epigenetics has revealed that our internal environment of

thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and emotions; our lifestyle, including what we eat; and our external environment all affect our genes. These factors have the ability to turn on and off the genetic codes that are responsible for either improving our health or making us more susceptible to disease.

Molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn won the 2009 Nobel

Prize in Physiology as a result of her research determining that positive lifestyle changes (in particular, successful stress management) can reverse telomere shortening. Dr. Blackburn identified the enzyme telomerase, which maintains telomere length, while investi-

gating the theory that psychological stress alters the rate of cel ular aging. Her research on women determined that those with the highest levels of perceived stress had much shorter telomeres than those with lower levels of perceived stress.10

It is clear that epigenetic factors affect both our short-term and long-term responses and are key in determining how well our telomeres function. Recent studies have revealed that telomeres are powerful indicators of life’s great insults. They are shortened by exposure to significant abuse in childhood, and they are shortened even more each year an individual spends depressed, caring for a sick loved one, going through a bankruptcy or a divorce, and so on. Most people are living with one or more ongoing life stressors resulting from their work, relationships, and world events.11

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Your emotional response to stressful situations, especial y to anything you perceive as a threat, can lead to a prolonged state of physiological arousal, a heightened fight-or-flight response that may affect cell longevity. A perception of threat—or even a cycle of negative thinking—triggers a cascade of negative emotional responses that

intensify the significance of whatever seems threatening, making its presence seem even more stressful. Accelerated telomere shortening is linked to stressful life circumstances, psychological distress, aging, and disease. It is even associated with pessimism.12

Several studies involving men ages twenty-seven to sixty-five

with mood disorders, increased stress, poor self-rated mental health, childhood trauma, and cognitive impairment and decline were

found to have shorter telomere lengths compared to other men of

the same ages.13 Pessimism was the first personality trait to be linked to shorter telomere length.14

THE DEEP CONNECTION

BETWEEN STRESS AND DISEASE

If you are to activate your internal superhealing power and deal

adequately with your stress, it is critical for you to gain control of your thoughts and emotions. I cannot overstate how important it

is to master your emotions. All of my clinical and personal experiences have persuaded me that no other factor is more beneficial to your health. Not diet, not exercise, and not even a good night’s sleep will effectively reduce or eliminate your stress as much as altering your perception of stressful situations does. It is as significant as the discovery of the importance of hand washing in preventing bacterial and viral infections by surgeon Joseph Lister in the late 1800s, which completely changed the face of modern medicine and has saved millions of lives.

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Stress is a state of mind that is a unique experience for each person. It reflects our responses not only to major life events but also to the conflicts and pressures of daily life that change our physiology.

When stress is chronic, it is like a constantly ringing alarm system.

It burns through our critical energy reserves, overuses our key hormones, and leads to the depletion of our cel ular resources. At least 85 percent of all illnesses, especial y the most common ones (e.g., cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and asthma) are related to stress.15

The burden that stress puts on the body is related not only to life experiences but also to genetic differences and lifestyle. Epigenetic factors during childhood—including diet, physical activity, sleep, and emotional well-being—set lifelong patterns of reactivity and

behavior through biological embedding. A 2011 study of long-term

patterns of stress and their effect on longevity determined that individuals with moderate and high stress died at a younger age than those with low stress.16

The major challenge caused by stress is disruption of the body’s internal balance. Chronic stress makes it virtual y impossible to maintain homeostasis. Much akin to the burning of rubber on a spinning tire trapped in mud, the stress response is triggered by ongoing and unresolved anxiety, fear, tension, anger, and sadness. Besides causing noticeable changes in the body, such as increased heart rate, muscle tension, and hyperalertness, it shuts down the digestive and immune systems. Over long periods of stress, the body’s ability to ward off infection is weakened. Stress chemicals also cause inflammation,

which contributes to the development of numerous disorders.17

Any kind of emotional stress can impair your immune system,

especial y when the stress is severe or lasts for a significant amount of time. But even relatively short stressful periods, such as final exam 58

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week for a college student, can suppress immunity. The types of life stressors that could render you more vulnerable to disease include marital conflict and divorce, long-term unemployment, and work-related issues.18

After exposure to stress, certain hormones are released by the ad-

renal glands to help the brain return to its normal functioning.19 But when the intensity or duration of stressors exceeds a certain thresh-old, which is unique for each person, the release of stress hormones can damage the brain and the rest of the body.20 Chronic stress causes profound changes in human behavior, including anxiety, symptoms

of depression, learning impairment, and memory loss.21 At the same time, actual damage occurs to certain portions of the brain, and the ends of the nerve cel s, which connect to other nerve cel s, are impaired.22 These changes primarily occur in the hippocampus, the

part of the brain that plays an important role in memory, emotions, and cognition. A loss of volume in the hippocampus is associated

with chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and diabetes.

According to Dr. Blackburn, “We tend to forget how powerful an

organ the brain is in our biology.” In an interview published in the
At-lantic
, she noted, “It’s not that you can wish these diseases away, but it seems we can prevent and slow their onset with stress management.”23

Positive and negative emotions are associated with a variety of

immune system components. I’m focusing on what happens when

we’re distressed, because that’s how most of us are, at least some of the time, and we probably don’t know how to stop.

“What’s making you sick?” is a question I ask patients during their initial visit to me. Although I original y thought that most people were unaware of their stress, I have since found that a surprising 95

percent of people will answer the question immediately, by saying,