Medical Treatment and the Belief System . . .

A medical patient’s attitude is so important to surgeons that many of them will delay a major operation until they become convinced that the patient is reasonably optimistic about the outcome. A negative attitude, coming from the sense of helplessness, in its most severe forms, can lead to tragic consequences. There have been many cases of "unexplained" deaths of people who believed themselves in hopeless circumstances.

The placebo effect can work in the reverse. In some cases, for example, persons have died after ingesting toxic substances that were otherwise often too small even to make them sick. In addition, numerous studies have shown a marked correspondence between increased health problems and the amount of stress from multiple life changes (for example, unemployment, relocation, bereavement, divorce, death in the family). Such health effects are much more prominent among persons already having low self-esteem.

What is surprising is that dramatic events even on the good side can have harmful effects on people not expecting them, What can overtax a body's defensive resources, then, is the amount of adjustment following change, or the interpretation of stressors, or environmental or internal factors that aggravate stress levels within an individual.

The point is that patient does not always have a realistic grasp in the actual physical condition. Therefore, one's perception can actually be altered by one's belief system.

Without the proper concept of reality, effective treatment may become difficult. As I mentioned, this means the proper optimism as well as overcoming any denial. Because I believe that stress, or more properly the interpretation of stressors, is the most influential factor on health, the patient must master these techniques before going on to others. The others, then, will be addressed accordingly, such as deciding on a purpose in life, educating oneself in the disease that afflicts, diet, etc.


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