THINK YOURSELF WELL
Getting on well with your doctor could benefit your health, reports Dr Herbert Benson in his best-selling Timeless Healing: The Power And Biology of Belief.
Researchers at the New England Medical Centre discovered that patients who were coached in asking questions before their appointment with a consultant improved more than others who weren’t; those with diabetes even had lower glucose levels. The doctor’s sympathetic response triggered a healing interaction known as the placebo response. Doctors already know that a third of patients recover, whatever treatment they’re given, a factor that is built into trials of new drugs and procedures, but recent American research shows this number could be an astonishing 70%-90%. ‘Belief in a good outcome can have formidable restorative power,’ comments Dr Benson, ‘whether on the part of the patient, the doctor, or both.’
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