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YOUR WELLNESS SPA Mind-Body Health 70 DAYSPA | APRIL 2014 The relationship between the mind, body and spirit has been analyzed since the dawn of man. The belief in a su- preme power greater than that of humans or other earthly things is recorded in almost every civilization in history. Many have believed, and many still believe, that a higher power or spirit can cause illness, and can cure it as well. When in- dividuals arose from societies with skills and knowledge to heal, they were thought to be messengers of that supreme power. Early "doctors" were member of the clergy. Ultimately, Christianity-based religions went on to form hospitals and organized medical care, as science-based medical knowledge was also amassed in India, China and throughout the Muslim world. Still, around the globe, in small villages and within families, homegrown folk medi- cine was faithfully shared and practiced. And some of those practices—specifi cally, those rooted in magic and mysticism—didn't mesh with Christian beliefs. And so, with a convergence of traditions and the migration of populations, spirituality and religion began to separate it- self from health and medicine in the Western world. Today, we seem to have come full circle: even the most conventional medical disciplines acknowledge that health and wellness must be viewed and evaluated holistically, and that spirituality is part of the whole. Although diffi cult to quantify and qualify, and completely subjective, the im- pact of spirituality on health has been the subject of many studies. Research has looked at organized religion; prayer for oneself; prayer for another; spiritual and religious expe- riences in groups versus individuals; meditation; transcen- dence; inner connection; inner peace; connection to na- ture—the list goes on. And for each of these ideas we can fi nd study results to support and/or discredit their merit. One thing does seem conclusive: people who consider themselves spiritual or religious tend to have a more opti- mistic approach to their own health and healing, and that in itself can foster many positive changes. MAKING WAVES Whether or not a religious belief or practice really has the power to, for example, cure cancer, is impossible to prove scientifi cally. But scientifi c methods of study are able to measure some of the effects spiritual practice has on the brain and body. The studies of Dr. Andrew Newberg, di- rector of research at the Myrna Brind Center of Integra- tive Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Medical College in Philadelphia (jeffersonhospital.org), focus on neurotheology, the study of how religious and spiritual experiences affect the brain. "There's no 'God' part of our brain," explains New- berg. "Because people adopt such a wide variety of spiri- tual practices, it's no surprise that such practices pertain to different parts of the brain. For instance, someone whose practice is centered on feelings of love will be affected in the emotional part of the brain. But for someone focusing on 'oneness' and his or her relationship within a whole, that's another area of the brain: the one in which we make connections. For someone who uses spoken prayer, the language area of the brain responds." Newberg confi rms volumes of research demonstrating that time spent engaging in a spiritual practice produces changes in neurotransmitters (brain chemicals), and that there might even be a lasting effect. "There can be a re- lease of endorphins or dopamine," he says. "The clinical effect might include lower levels of stress, anxiety and de- pression. And that can in turn lower heart rate and blood pressure. The body may produce less [of the stress hor- mone] cortisol, thus boosting the immune system. There may even be genetic changes on a cellular level." With all this good news, Newberg does caution that not every religious or spiritual practice yields positive re- sults—in fact, sometimes the opposite is true. Someone whose practice embraces a God who is punitive or punish- ing might experience a negative effect, such as anger, fear or stress, which in turn leads to illness. And then there are those who demonstrate hate or violence against others in The Power of the Spirit Spirituality isn't a one-size-fi ts-all proposition—but those who fi nd it stand to reap many benefi ts. By Andrea Renskoff © WEBPHOTOGRAPHEER/GETTY Y o u r W e l l n e s s S p a 4 1 4 . i n d d 7 0 Your Wellness Spa 414.indd 70 3 / 7 / 1 4 9 : 5 8 A M 3/7/14 9:58 AM