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Article:
A Healthy Start to a Healthy Year by: Vicki Rackner, MD Can your mind help your body keep your New Year's resolutions? Mounting evidence says, *Yes.* The evolving field of psycho-neuroimmunology, or the study of the mind-body connection - often considered fringe beliefs - could help you keep your resolutions. This intriguing subject of scientific inquiry is still shrouded in mystery. Just as an experiment, put aside your skepticism, pretend that these ideas could be explained by science, and consider how you could harness their power to promote your health. Placebo Effect When new medications are tested, one group gets the new medication and another group gets the *sugar pill* or placebo. Why do this? Study after study shows that if you think you're taking real medicine, your body will respond as if it actually did get the active ingredient, even if it's a sugar pill. Somehow the belief in the power of the medicine creates the desired outcome of lowered blood pressure or heart rate or weight loss in about a third of people. Is this science? Yes. Is this mind-body medicine? Yes. Let your beliefs help your body achieve your desired goals. If regular exercise is your goal, tell yourself, *I'm invigorated by my daily 20 minute walk.* The placebo effect suggests that your belief that you have more energy with regular exercise makes it so. Nocebo Effect In November '1998
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