Some indication of how this may occur comes from a study
with wild rats placed in a situation-swimming in a tank from which no exit was
possible-that represented a hopeless predicament. The rats died by going into a
shock state, with marked slowing of heart rate and lowering of body
temperature, long before they reached the stage of actual physical exhaustion.
Thus, it is clear that psychosomatic illnesses can and do result from
interaction of mind and body. They usually affect parts of the body under
control of the involuntary nervous system, such as digestive tract, endocrine
glands, heart, lungs, urinary bladder, and skin. Doctors have been able to
observe in a patient who, as the result of a serious accident, had to be fed
through an opening made directly into his stomach that inflammation occurred
when he became angry or upset.
When food is in the stomach, it stimulates a
necessary flow of digestive juices. Emotional reactions also can stimulate the
flow. And if no food is present, the acid juices may irritate the stomach
itself, eventually causing an ulcer or open sore. It's important to remember
that an ulcer exists as an organic disease of the stomach.
Unless it is treated by medicine and diet, it may cause a
hemorrhage or perforate. But unless the emotional tension is relieved, the
patient won't be giving his ulcer its best chance to heal. Thus, psycho-
somatic diseases usually require treatment of both body and mind. In addition
to generating ulcers, emotional factors may be important in producing migraine,
mucous colitis, ulcerative colitis, asthma, hyper- tension, hyperthyroidism
(overactive thyroid), arthritis and rheumatism, and skin allergies.
Undoubtedly, many more diseases will be added to this list. As yet, evidence is
not as clear-cut for any of these diseases as it is for certain ulcers. It is
not known, for example, to what extent asthma may be due to a patient having an
inherited allergic constitution and to what extent it may be due to emotional
problems.
However, it is known that asthmatic patients generally
improve more rapidly when their emotional difficulties are relieved at the same
time that they are being treated for any sensitivities (to pollens or other
allergens) that may be involved in their attacks. Unfortunately, some people
still equate the term "psychosomatic ill- ness" with "imaginary
illness," something a victim could readily get rid of if he so chose
because "it's all in the mind.
This
is a serious misconception. Pain can be just as real and intense when
emotionally triggered as when physically based. It's important to remember that
emotions serve purposes.
