How Our States of Mind May Affect Our Diseases

The effect of emotions on human disease is a popular discussion at this time. Despite articles such as Cousins’, the reality of the situation is that both sides of this argument can point to studies that support their positions. It is tempting to think that the human psyche can assist the body to heal itself. Although this is something I believe can occur, I do not for a moment consider it to be a proven effect in diseases such as cancer. It is understandable that individuals who are gravely ill, when confronted with the inability of medicine to promise a cure, will be particularly attracted by this belief. Must we draw the conclusion that some of the people who die more quickly than their physicians would have predicted are somehow to blame for their early demise?

Although Cousins’ statements indicate a misunderstanding of the conclusion that may be correctly drawn from the article in the New England Journal of Medicine, these may not be his only errors. Along with the overwhelming majority of people involved in this controversy, he falls victim to one of the most common mistakes in modern medicine. That is to evaluate every treatment on the basis of its results alone.

Often this involves simply examining which statistical subset in a study population lives longest. Hope and a sense of improved well-being are not simply a means but are an end onto themselves. If helping a person to feel better does not add one second to their lives it is still a worthwhile pursuit.

NORMAN PARADIS MD

Resident Physician

Los Angeles County Hospital