At least two million British and one million Japanese practise yoga. In the US, a recent survey found that nearly half of all adults use non-medical interventions. They embrace practices ranging from deep breathing and muscle relaxation to meditation, hypnosis and guided imagery. Half of them use prayer. In Mauritius, we are not far away. Meditation centres, health clubs, sects, frequent prayers, fasting and other traditional practices have mushroomed. Thousands are embracing – consciously or unconsciously – alternative therapies that use mind-body techniques.

This new lifestyle can easily be explained against our modern materialistic trend. Today people are lured by possessions and luxuries. They work harder and longer for less. With economic slump, unemployment looms on over-loaded workers. People nowadays are stressed – a word that implies so much but means so little. Viewed through the lens of 21st-century science, the body responds to stress with rise in blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and breathing rate. Chronic stress, though not always fatal, can disrupt the digestive system, worsen symptoms of menopause and interfere with fertility. Scientists now believe that 90% of all doctor visits involve stress-related complaints.

As researchers chart the health effects of hostility and hopelessness, they are gaining unprecedented insights into the mind’s power to heal. The question we may ask is: can we teach ourselves to be healthier? This is the central question of mind-body medicine. Today with our education and the driving force of mass media, we, Mauritians, realise that mind-body techniques can improve our quality of life. We are aware that stress-related illness often defies conventional remedies and the cost of high-tech pills and procedures can easily outweigh the benefits. We also know that mind-body medicine offers a saner starting place. So why do we deprive ourselves of its benefits?

But before we jump into the mind-body universe, let us look at stress-related ailments and problems. Modern life is rife with potential stressors that are sometimes inescapable (no one chooses poverty or discrimination). Heredity and temperament also make some people more stress-prone than others.

Firstly, stress causes emotional distress, which is physically painful. Depressed people suffer three times their share of chronic pain, as sensory pain and emotional pain are rooted in the nervous system and processed by the same parts of the brain. When the circuitry is working properly, feeling fades and life goes on. But, if thoughts and behaviours invade our feelings of distress, the consequences can be devastating. Antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil are quite effective but are they safe?

The second victim of stress is the heart. Today scientists are using high-tech instruments to elucidate the mind-body connections that damage the heart. The classic stress-condition is the fight-or-flight syndrome. The heart shifts into high gear and blood pressure rises, as the body speeds delivery of oxygen and glucose to muscles. Platelets in the blood become more sticky. That is perfect in an emergency. But, when the body responds similarly to daily stressors like honking horns and looming deadlines, the cardiovascular system suffers. Chronic high blood pressure damages blood vessels, leading to inflammation and turbulent blood flow leads directly to a heart attack and even death by overwork. The solutions: low-fat diet, exercise and drugs. But are they enough?

The third and most frequent stress-related problem is a sensitive gut. Who has not experienced an intestine twist on remembering a neglected assignment due the same day? Who has not suffered from stomach ache on the eve of an examination or trial? Or under work pressure? When doctors examine such patients, blood tests and abdominal X-rays are usually normal. The brain and guts communicate though an impressive network of hormones, peptides and neurotransmitters. When emotional distress disrupts this dialogue, the effects can be seen on a brain scan while antacids and anti-diarrhoea medications can be prescribed. However, stress-related digestive problems often defy conven tional treatments.

<B>Unsatisfactory drug therapies</B>

If drugs and modern therapies are insufficient to combat stress and fatigue, what is the solution? Shall we wait for new treatments or shall we go back in time to see how and why our ancestors were healthier? How did they fight stress? How did they live with numerous children and in poverty?

The closest and easiest solution is traditional medication practised from times immemorial by all civilisations: sitting down quietly in a comfortable position and closing one’s eyes; relaxing muscles and breathing slowly. Now, due to unsatisfactory drug therapies, people have started paying attention. Scientists are using brain imaging and blood tests to study the biological effects of medication. Findings over the past thirty years have confirmed the “relaxation response”, a state of mental calm where blood pressure drops, heart and breathing rate slow down and muscles relax. The end-result is peace of mind and body.

But sitting down meditating and forgetting the outside world is not enough. Man is a social being and will be at peace and happy only with his fellow kind. Scientific research has shown that people with a strong social network – family, friends and neighbours – are healthier than loners. Villagers tend to be happier and healthier as they meet other people at the playground, clubs and even at the river. In towns, one lives a personal life, sometimes does not even know one’s neighbours. Sharing of emotions and possessions is the best therapy against a stressful material world. ‘You do good, you feel good and your heart is happy.’

Then comes another valuable mind-peace recipe. The one religious books have been teaching and that people have been neglecting for centuries – forgiveness. How far is anyone ready to forgive an unfaithful lover, a scheming colleague or a noisy neighbour? Forgiveness is a very hot research topic in clinical psychology, with more than 1,200 publications. Scientists have found that it is part of human nature and appears to work for not just our spiritual well-being but our physical health as well. It reduces the stress cropping from a potent mixture of bitterness, anger, hostility, hatred, resentment and fear (of being hurt or humiliated). Revenge is sweet but letting go of anger is a smart route to good health. The message is the same in all religions: “If you devote your life to seeking revenge, first dig two graves.”

<B>Soorab BOODHOO</B>