BRAIN CHECK

Placebos are just the beginning. Mounting evidence suggests that any number of soothing emotional experiences can improve our physical health. At Duke University, researchers have found that religious observance is associated with lower rates of illness and hospitalization. In studies of HIV-positive men, researchers at UCLA have found that optimism is associated with stronger immune-cell function. And research at Harvard suggests that the "relaxation response"--the deep sense of calm we can achieve through yoga, prayer or simple deep-breathing exercises--can help counter the effects of chronic stress. We now believe that the body produces more nitric oxide when deeply relaxed, and that this molecule acts as an antidote to cortisol and other potentially toxic stress hormones.

Can we teach ourselves to be healthier? That is the central question of mind-body medicine, and the answer is not an unqualified yes. Stressful life circumstances are sometimes inescapable (no one chooses poverty or discrimination). Heredity and temperament leave some of us more stress-prone than others. And prayer is clearly no substitute for penicillin or a decent diet. Yet mind-body techniques can improve almost anyone's quality of life. Meditation may not cure cancer, but by alleviating fear and softening the side effects of treatment, it leaves many patients feeling less victimized. Stress-related illness often defies conventional remedies, and when we persist with high-tech pills and procedures, the costs of treatment can easily outweigh the benefits. Mind-body medicine offers a saner starting place. If it fulfills half its promise, it could reduce medical costs while improving our health and our lives. And whatever its limitations, it has the advantage of doing no harm.

BENSON IS THE MIND/BODY MEDICAL INSTITUTE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL AND FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF THE MIND/BODY MEDICAL INSTITUTE IN BOSTON. CORLISS IS A MEDICAL WRITER AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL. COWLEY IS NEWSWEEK'S HEALTH editor. For more information go to health.harvard.edu/NEWSWEEK

© 2004