New concepts about health, illness and disease

In the last two decades, especially with the advent of hi-tech & modern technology, India has witnessed many revolutionary changes and developments in the concepts, approach & methodology of health science. The impact of these changes has been so much that man’s understanding of illness or disease and also of health and wellness has changed enormously. With modern methods of diagnosis, old concepts have been totally discarded or have gone obsolete.

Of late, a lot of research has been done in genetic engineering to find the cause of various diseases in genes & find ways to prevent or treat them. However, in spite of so much advancement in the field of medical science, it’s quite strange that still hundreds of millions of people are suffering from life-threatening diseases for which there is no known cure yet. Covid-19 is one of the latest about which we all have been dreadfully reading in newspapers. 

Today with years of experience & proven tests, medical professionals all over the world have realized that stress or mental tension is the greatest killer & the root cause of all the diseases that we suffer from. As mentioned above that, in spite of marvellous advancement in the science of healing, the number of patients are still increasing & no disease has completely been eradicated from the earth.

This is mainly because certain aspects of the patients, such as their thinking habits, old memories, emotional traits, attitudes etc.. are not being given as much attention as is necessary. It is not the fault of doctors, but of society, which must provide for training in man’s emotions, because in reality the disturbance that’s caused at the emotional level results in many diseases. Similarly, our habit of reviving memories of our traumatic past, again and again, serves as a big setback to our mental & physical health. 

While studying the effects of meditation on human health, researchers in medical professions found that the relaxation response obtained by practising meditation affects a man’s subconscious mind as well as every cell of his body & it also raises his level of immunity, tolerance, self-control and will power which are very useful in the treatment of ailments. This relaxation response, according to researchers, comes from the area of the pituitary-hypothalamus combine.

Also Read: Depression: Why does it affect so many Indians?

One gives out alpha and delta waves from this sub-cortical region when he/she engages their mind in a special form of positive thinking, called Meditation. Thus, the importance of positive thinking for good health & harmonious nature is well established and meditation is considered the easiest tool to achieve it. Proper understanding of the sympathetic-parasympathetic nervous system & hypothalamus, thalamus & hypophysis should leave no doubt in our mind that, unless a man’s mind is cured & his will to become well is strengthened, no long-lasting results can be assured through medicine or surgery.

So let us make a strong resolve to strengthen ourselves mentally by applying principles of positive thinking & create an aura of wellness around us to cure ourselves as well as the people around us.