Anthony Browne, health editor,
The Observer
It's what
New Age healers have known all along: the mind does matter.
A study has
shown that a positive state of mind can be almost as effective
as drugs at fighting serious disease.
Researchers
found that therapy can significantly reduce the amount of HIV
virus in gay men suffering from the disease. It is the first to
show that counselling can have such a dramatic impact.
'From now
on every single doctor treating HIV - and many other serious diseases
- should think hard about helping patients with their mental health,
so the outcome of the treatment will be better. It's not enough
just to give people pills,' said Dr Alberto Avendaño, director
of HIV services at the University of Maryland's Department of
Family Medicine.
Earlier research
has suggested a link between grief and a weakened immune system.
Doctors also know that stress can exacerbate many illnesses.
However, the
study, published in the Journal of Human Virology , is the first
to show how actively giving therapy to people can lead to an immediate
improvement in their physical health.
More than
100 gay men who were HIV positive and had lost a partner from
Aids in the previous six months were split into two groups. One
set was given grief therapy and the other sent on a community
programme. The therapy encouraged crying and venting, figuring
out how to face the future, and learning ways to deal with stress.
Blood tests
were given before and after the 10 sessions, and it was found
that the therapy significantly reduced the amount of the HIV virus
in men. The changes reflected a marked improvement in the patients'
physical wellbeing.
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