The relationship between mental health and physical health

Mental health and physical health are by no means two independent categories. Instead, there is a symbiotic relationship of bidirectional causation and dynamic mutual plasticity - mental state will directly affect physiological functions through neuroendocrine pathways, and organic diseases of the body will also significantly affect psychological indicators such as mood and cognition. Currently, academic circles have recognized that the two are the core twin pillars that jointly determine human health.

When I was a trainee in the clinical department of psychosomatics, I met a 62-year-old aunt who had suffered from chronic urticaria for three years. She stopped eating fish, shrimp, eggs, and dairy products. She underwent two courses of desensitization treatment for dust mites. She also tried three or four generations of antihistamines. She still had sores all over her body when she scratched her body and couldn't sleep. Later, during the consultation, I learned that the first large-scale outbreak of her rash happened to be the second month after her only daughter got married abroad. After that, whenever her daughter said she had to work overtime or did not come back for half a year, her rash would definitely get worse. Later, she was given cognitive behavioral therapy once a week, and she was allowed to dance with the square dance team in the community. In just 3 months, her medication was reduced to 1/4 of the original dosage. She occasionally got one or two rashes, but she never scratched them again.

Don't think that this is some kind of "psychological" metaphysics. There are real physiological pathways behind it. There is a regulatory system in our brain called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). To put it bluntly, it is the body's "stress switch." Long-term negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and depression will keep this switch stuck in the "on" position and continue to secrete excess cortisol. This thing can be troublesome for a long time. First, the immunity will be messed up - the immune cells that are supposed to attack pathogens will start to "fish" or attack their own normal tissues. Urticaria, oral ulcers, and repeated colds are all mild. In the long run, the risk of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid and Hashimoto's thyroiditis will increase by 2 to 3 times. Further down the line, cortisol also affects blood vessel constriction and blood sugar metabolism. People with long-term emotional instability are about 40% more likely to develop high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes than people with stable emotions. This is supported by large sample epidemiological data and is not made up.

Oh, by the way, there are actually different voices in the academic community regarding the weight of the two. For a long time, the traditional biomedical school has believed that physical diseases are caused by physiological reasons, and psychology is at best an "icing on the cake" influencing factors. They even think that linking illness with psychology is a secondary harm to patients - for example, there are always people who say, "If you have cancer, you will not be affected." "I think too much." This kind of statement is of course wrong. Now many scholars are specifically calling against overgeneralizing the impact of psychology on the body. All judgments about the relationship between mind and body must be based on the elimination of organic diseases. All diseases cannot be attributed to "bad mood." The emerging school of integrated mind-body medicine emphasizes the linkage between the two and advocates simultaneous psychological intervention when treating physical diseases. For example, oncology departments now generally arrange psychological counseling for patients, which can indeed significantly improve the five-year survival rate after surgery. This is also supported by clinical data.

In fact, everyone may feel the reverse impact more. Not long ago, I had a visitor. He was a cheerful person at first. He suddenly suffered from insomnia and irritability for half a month. He even felt that life was boring. He took antidepressants for half a month but did not get better. Later, a routine physical examination revealed that he was hyperthyroid. After the indicators were adjusted, his mood stabilized immediately. There are also many people who suffer from chronic pain and chronic diseases for a long time. They are more or less depressed and irritable. This is not a "bad personality". It is because the body's inflammatory factors will affect the secretion of serotonin and dopamine in the brain through the blood-brain barrier, directly depleting your happiness hormone, and you will not be happy even if you want to be happy.

When I usually do consultations, the most common misunderstandings I come across are two types. One is a complete disbelief in the influence of psychology on the body. They always feel that "I am strong and strong, and it will be okay no matter how much I think." The other is over-superstition of psychological effects. If you have a fever, you will meditate at home without seeing a doctor. Both of these are not advisable. There was a young man who had just graduated. He had chest tightness for almost two weeks. He always thought it was caused by the stress and anxiety of having just found a job. He refused to go to the hospital. In the end, he fainted and was sent to the emergency room. It was found that it was viral myocarditis, and he almost had a serious accident. Therefore, we now have a consensus in the industry: as long as there is clear pain or functional abnormality in the body, physical examination should be done first to rule out organic problems, and then psychological intervention should be considered. The order must not be messed up.

It’s quite interesting to say that now people are using more and more ways to maintain their health, such as soaking wolfberry, taking liver-protecting tablets, and getting a fitness card. No matter how much they spend, they don’t feel bad. However, few people are willing to spend 10 minutes to sit down and think about whether they have accumulated undisclosed anger or suppressed grievances recently. In fact, the body and mind are like roommates living in the same house. If one loses his temper, the other will definitely not be able to live in peace. You don’t have to wait until there is a problem before you think about fixing it. Giving yourself less time is the most cost-effective way to maintain your health.