Using the Mind Against Disease
Using the mind to fight diseases
Psychology has a new application in the field of medicine．Many doctors, together with their patients, are looking for alternative methods of treatment of physical problems．In large hospitals and research centers, modern methods of therapy seem to focus on the physical disease without considering the patient's mental state．Patients may feel that they are being treated impersonally, like broken machines．Some doctors have recognized this as a problem．They are now using psychological therapy with patients to use their own minds to fight their diseases．Because the patient is working with the medicine and the doctors against the disease, his or her attitude changes．The patient does not wait for the medicine and treatment to cure him or her, but instead the patient joins in the fight.
Mental therapy
The doctor knows that a disease affects a patient's body physically．The body of the patient (in this case, a man) changes because of the disease．He is not only physically affected, but as the physician knows, he also has an emotional response to the disease．Because his mind is affected, his attitude and behavior．change．The medical treatment might cure the patient's physical problems, but the patient' s mind must fight the emotional ones．For example, the studies of one doctor, Carl Simonton, M.D ,have shown that a typical cancer patient (in this case, a woman) has predictable attitudes．She typically feels depressed, upset, and angry．Her self-image is poor and she feels selfpity．As a result, her behavior．changes．Because of her constant depression, she acts unfriendly toward her family, friends, doctors, and nurses．Such attitudes and behaviors pr the patient from getting well．Therefore, a doctor's treatment must help the patient change her attitudes．Simonton's method emphasizes treatment of the whole patient by treating both the body and the mind.
The attitude of a cancer patient who is receiving radiation therapy, an X-ray treatment, can
become more positive．The physician who is following Simonton' s psychological treatment plan suggests that the patient imagine that he or she can see the tumor (肿瘤) in the body．In the mental picture, the patient 'sees' a powerful beam of radiation like a million bullets of energy．The patient imagines the beam hitting the rumor cells and causing them to shrink．For another cancer patient, Dr．Simonton might make another suggestion．This patient, with a different kind of cancer, needs to take capsules and pills several times a day．The doctor asks the patient to imagine the medicine going from the stomach into the bloodstream and to the cancer cells．The patient imagines that the medicine is like an army fighting the diseased cells and sees the cancer cells gradually dying．His or her blood carries away the dead cells．Both the medical therapy and the patient's positive attitude fight the disease.
Doctors are not certain why this mental therapy works．However, this use of psychology does help some patients because their attitudes about themselves change．They become more confident because they use the power within their own minds to help stop the disease．
Suggestion therapy
Another application of using the mind to help cure disease is the use of suggestion therapy．Before the suggestion, the doctor helps the patient to concentrate deeply．The patient (in this case, a man) thinks only about one thing．He becomes so unaware of other things around him that he seems to be asleep．He is said to be in a trance (催眠状态)．Then the physician makes 'a suggestion' to the patient about the medical problem．The patient' s mind responds to the suggestion even after the patient is no longer in the trance (昏睡)．In this way, the patient uses his mind to help his body respond to treatment．
Suggestion therapy helpful for both s and chil