When I was a young teenager, I had the very unpleasant experience of having a plantar wart on the sole of my foot. I used every medicinal and natural treatment I could get my hands on, but without success. It was unrelenting. And after two years it had become very troublesome.
One day out of the blue, someone suggested I sell it to the moon. How ridiculous, I laughed. Yet then again, what did I have to lose?
So, at the next full moon, with a family member standing by my side on the moon lit lawn, I did just that. I sold my wart to the moon, exchanging the money with my family member.
Remarkably, within a few weeks, the wart shrank until the whole thing just fell out. I had done no other treatment other than selling it to the moon.
How bizarre, I thought.
But guess what was more bizarre?
That same family member who had been standing by my side, whom I exchanged money with when selling the wart, grew their own plantar wart on their right foot too, never having them before!
Was it all accidental? Just coincidental? Or was it more?
In selling my wart to the moon, a giant orbiting rock 384,400 km away from us, where perhaps the Easter bunny lives, did the mere psychology of the process manifest itself physiologically?
Did the belief itself, become my medicine?
My mind went first, and then my body followed?
And vice versus, in my family member believing they had bought the wart, their body manifested the wart?
I’m not the first to wonder this. In the medical world- Clown Doctors, sports psychology, hypnotherapy and placebo all work off similar principles. But the point is, could a simple idea potentially contribute, start or end whole genetic and hormonal pathways of expression?
What does science say?
Prof. Iris Schrijver from Stanford University sees it in the world of disease, where “there is a firm connection between heart disease and depression” as well as mental health and stroke, iris continues on to explain, while people with IBS, often have anxiety and depression.
But what comes first?
Iris asks the same question in her book, “On the Path to Health, Wellness and Fulfilment; To Your Health”, does the negative impact on heart health occur before or after the depression, anxiety, thought or feeling? “Interestingly, it works both ways.” Iris says, There are many feedback pathways where our mind, thoughts and feelings can be a predetermining factor for disease. And it also occurs the other way around too, “It’s not straightforward.” Iris confirms, there’s a lot of moving parts involving psychology, hormones, physiology, genetics, diet, gut bacteria, wellbeing and even the subjective experience of the person.
Further scientific investigations into mind-body practices such as meditation, mindfulness training, yoga, and breath regulation and how they affect gene expression patterns and how these molecular changes might influence general health” are being studied, Iris states. And it was found that these practices all lowered pro-inflammatory gene expression. “It is a good thing.” Iris confirmed.
So, does this give any validity to the well-known quote at the top by bestselling author, world-renowned speaker, business coach to Nike, GE, Starbucks, Microsoft, FedEx, PwC, HP and Oracle to NASA, Yale University and YPO- Robin Sharma,
“What you focus on Grows, what you think about expands, and what you dwell upon determines your destiny.”
Could be!
From the smallest things we tell ourselves to the largest. A change in belief as simple as- “You can do it,” Works! So, could we take the concept further? And if so, how far? Because it’s starting to look like you could go as far as you want to take it.
Which leads to my last question-
What do you want to sell to the moon this week?
Iris Schrijver is a certified lifestyle medicine physician, also specialized in clinical pathology and molecular genetics. She is an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pathology at the Stanford University School of Medicine and a former President of the Association for Molecular Pathology.
Professor Iris Schrijver’s Path to Health, Wellbeing, and Fulfilment; To Your Health, can be found here- ttps://www.cambridgescholars.com/product/978-1-5275-7476-2
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