Lissa Rankin And The Theory Of Self-healing

It is not a new topic. From time immemorial there has been talk about the human body’s self-healing or ability to heal itself. Now, Dr. Lissa Rankin has published a book called Mind Over: The Scientific Proof. You can heal yourself  where you return to this approach.

What doctor Lissa Rankin does is bring up the eternal enigma of placebo drugs. It is clear that for science the suggestion of a person acts as a self-healing mechanism. What little has been studied is the way this mechanism operates.

How does the body heal itself? That is the central question of the investigations that Lissa Rankin has carried out. His book talks about six essential steps for the body to voluntarily heal itself. It also outlines the main measures to build a “preventive” mind, in terms of physical health.

An emblematic antecedent

In 1957 a case was documented that became paradigmatic, in relation to the famous placebos. Dr. Philip West was treating a patient whose last name was Wright. This one had a lymphosarcoma, which is a form of cancer. The disease was very advanced and had already metastasized in various areas of his body. The man was in a terminal condition.

However, Mr. Wright had heard of an experimental drug called Krebiozen. He kept urging his doctor to try it on him. Wright was not fit to enter the experiment. But his insistence was so much, I almost beg, that the doctor agreed, knowing that he only had a few days to live.

West applied the Krebiozen on a Friday. On Monday the patient was very vital and did not present symptoms of pain or other discomfort. Upon examination, his tumors had shrunk by 50%. The most startling thing is that some time later a study appeared in which it was declared that the drug was useless. The patient became ill again. The doctor then misled him. He told her that there was a new version of that medicine, much more effective. He applied distilled water and the patient improved again.

Despite all the evidence, the American Medical Association did not want to give more credit to the facts. He revealed that West had cheated on his patient. When he found out, he became ill again and did not recover. There are countless similar cases. It was these that Lissa Rankin took up for her study.

Lissa Rankin and self-healing

What Lissa Rankin did was begin to document the large number of cases in which the placebo effect had worked. Such cases covered several serious diseases: cancer, hypothyroidism, diabetes, ulcers, and even baldness and HIV.

He also found several experiments in which, for example, patients were told that they were undergoing chemotherapy. They were actually given a placebo. Still, people lost their hair and vomited non-stop after receiving the substance. All of this led Lissa Rankin to postulate, without any doubt, that the mind is capable of healing the body.

In particular, he showed that if the conditions are created for the patient to think that he will be fine, he will be fine. The body receives that command, that instruction from the brain, and acts accordingly. Also if you think you are sick, you will get sick.

The means of self-healing

Dr. Lissa Rankin refers to several pathways that help the body to be more efficient in this self-healing process. However, he basically insists on two elements that he considers definitive in that task.

The first element is preventive medicine. This includes all the healthy practices incorporated into daily living. Beyond their specific effect on the body, these lifestyles lead people to feel healthy. Under these conditions they are not very receptive to disease.

The second aspect has to do with stress. According to Dr. Lissa Rankin, stress, in all its forms, has excessively harmful effects on the mind and the body. Stress negatively activates what the doctor calls the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. It is the way the body reacts to a threat. But the organism cannot distinguish if it is a relationship problem, or an earthquake. He experiences it the same.

Although Lissa Rankin’s studies have not been formally endorsed, most doctors agree with her that the efficacy of the so-called placebo effect is a fact. It would be good for everyone if studies and research are increased in that direction.