Positive thinking and self-healing

Helping to heal yourself through positive thinking might sound outlandish to those who consider medicine as the only way to treat illnesses.

Our parents, friends, doctors and media have programmed our minds to think that what our bodies need are pills to pop that fix practically anything from a bum stomach to depression.

There is however, another form of healing that works for many, and which doesn't include taking pills. And it starts with your mind.

The mind is a powerful source of energy. Because it isn't visible, many people are unaware of this. But there are many things that the eyes cannot see yet we are sure of their existence.

Gravity, radio frequency and magnetic force are examples. Quantum physicists confirm the energy that the human brain emits. When we think and feel, our brains give off energy at a particular frequency. Brain waves can be measured electronically.

In fact, brain activity is often used as an indication of life. Doctors can detect when someone is mentally "alive" by monitoring brain activity. When a person's brain registers a flat line, he may be pronounced "legally dead" in some jurisdictions. That is how important the mind is.

Placebo effect

Most of the time, you think automatically. You think as a result of how your mind has been programmed.

A simple illustration of this is that if you believe the pill you take will cure your headache, chances are your headache will go away.

The cure may have been caused by the pharmacological effects of the medicine but there are studies that show how people experience healing after taking non-pharmacological substances or a placebo. This is the famous "placebo effect."

The placebo effect confirms that the human body can heal itself without medicine, and by simply using the mind's thinking power.

To use positive thinking to heal yourself you need to start believing that you are healed.

Positive thinking

Notice how more and more illnesses are closely linked to stress or are referred to as stress-related diseases? Heart attack, stroke, migraine, allergies, chronic illnesses and even cancer has been related to stress.

Stress is the product of negative thinking. It starts with a negative thought that goes unchecked. A person who dwells on a negative thought subjects his body to stress.

Eventually, stress is manifested by headaches, an upset stomach or worse, by a fatal illness. If stress starts with a negative thought, then to eliminate it, you need to replace those thoughts with more positive ones.

Read an inspiring book, listen to music you enjoy - that makes you sing along, or master techniques that change your thoughts to happy ones.

Laughter is still the best medicine

Most of us find it hard to get past our personal problems that are sources of stress.

Instead of letting negative thoughts sink our bodies deeper into sickness, try turning your attention to something funny and laugh at it. Watch funny movies and share jokes with friends.

Laughter is the easiest way to get rid of negative thoughts. When you laugh, your mind is distracted from your problems and focused on more positive thoughts. When you laugh, you not only feel good but you help yourself heal.

Thus, many have included laughter as an essential part of their healing process. When someone you know is feeling poorly or down, offer something to make that person laugh. By doing so, you might just help them get well.