Brain-Body Connection 2

First and perhaps foremost, Western thought typically speaks of brain and body as separate entities. There is no such separation. Dr. Candace Pert talked about the bodymind and others have talked about the mindbody. It is one. Whatever impacts the body impacts the brain; whatever impacts the mind impacts the body. It's true that some choices may impact part of that equation more than another, but both are always impacted. Smoking, for, example. Studies have shown a link between smoking and lung health (including an increased risk for cancer). There is a corresponding impact on the brain, as well, in that the brain has been subjected to decreased amounts of oxygen with every puff. Decreased oxygen levels over time has not been shown to promote brain health over the long term. All things being equal, everyone will eventually experience some illness and eventually death. The more that people learn about mindbody collaboration and the choices they can make to increase their potential for health and longevity, the less likely they are to become, as Dr. Mate put it, "passive victims." More tomorrow.