Mind over... Illness?

[Dio Brando]

Does anyone here think that the mind has some kind of effect on an illness you have? Here's what I mean;

My sister Jennifer and I caught the same cold, at the same time on Monday. However, mine has passed, and hers hasn't yet. We've taken the same medicine, etc. The only differences is that I don't acknowledge my colds, but she does.

When I was young, I had one hell of a fever, and after it passed, I decided to never acknowledge another cold or flu. I don't go into denial, I mean you'll never see me vomit and pass out, then say "I'm not sick, just ate too much." :chuckle:

I mean, I never baby myself when sick. I don't stay in bed, take it easy you know? Don't eat chicken soup, drink loads of water or anything like that. I go about the day normally. Or as normally as it will allow.

But my sister is the exact opposite, when she feels a cold coming on, she takes all the medicine, and takes the time off, uses home remedies, stays in bed, etc. Things like that. Yet her cold/flu always last longer then mine.

It's like, she accepts the sickness and surrenders to it, but I always fight the cold or flu, whatever it is.

So could it just be biology, or do you think the mind has/can have an effect on a sickness?

[newskittlz]

What you described is more of a superstition. I believe that the answer is simple. Your inmune system is better than hers and your body can fit diseases better to begin with.

[Crazy Jamie]

I actually think how you mentally deal with things and your perception of them does have a significant effect on how they play out in reality. Having a positive outlook on things makes a huge difference. I'm like you- unless an illness is so severe that it is physically draining me of the energy needed to walk, I just keep going. Haven't had a day off work or uni due to illness in years and years.

With regards to making things actually go away sooner, it probably can't do that. But it will make the minor symptoms of the illness affect you even less, which in practice may make it feel like it's passed. So yes, it certainly has an effect, just probably not the one that you're suggesting.

[Victoria]

Everything has an impact on it. Both your mind and your immune system. It's incredible how much you can convince yourself of, to the point where it becomes reality.

[Indiana]

The mind is such a powerful tool of course it can have an affect like that but the way your describing it like the first person said it seems like your immune system may be stronger than hers and everyones body is different so you never know. Your train of thought is an important tool when facing things like this though I have pinched nerves in the side of neck and shoulder on the left side of my body so most of the time when i dwell on it's alot worse than it actually is like one side of my face will feel real warm or sometimes it'll feel like I'm getting a cold chill in that side of my face. Whenever I take my mind off of it I never notice and now most of the time even when I think about it I'm not borthered by it just because I've gotten used to it. Your mind can make you have symptoms when you're not even sick depending on your thoughts....like Victoria said it really is amazing how you can get to the point where you can convince yourself of something to the point it becomes reality.

[Zen/Sin]

Placebo effect. You give a person with a bacterial infection a pill telling them it's a strong antibiotic that may make you very drowzy. In reality, it's a sugar pill. The mind convinces the body that there is something fighting the illness with it so the disease is ridded sooner. If you really watch them, they'll act drowzier, lethargic due to the mind convincing itself that it IS drowzy.

All Dio did was a placebo effect w/o medication

[Dro]

Ya it could be a placebo effect
there is even a disease were people belive theres something wrong with them for example they will see a medical commercial an say they have that disease