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 | "Enter the Endorphins" |  |
| Breakthroughs in the ways in which we as individuals can boost our immunity have come in the wake of research by such brilliant bio-chemists as Candace Pert, one of the leaders in advanced immunology. The search began when she set out to find why it is that people become addicted to the opiates. Those chemicals in our blood streams are not the sole cause of their end results. They are actually keys that can turn on the mechanisms, the results of which are seen as the effect. Like all keys, they have to find a keyhole into which they will fit. Each chemical will only fit into a specific receptor. Each receptor exists to await the arrival of its particular key. This begot the question: How come that there exists in human bodies, receptors for a chemical that is derived from poppies that only grow in specific areas of the world? Nothing within us exists without purpose. Investigation revealed that the poppy was purely incidental. The receptors exist because we are naturally able to produce those messenger chemicals. Researchers found a morphine-like substance that is available to receptors in the brain. This was the first of the known Endorphins - derived from endogenous (internal) and morphine - chemicals that give us our natural highs. Furthermore, the highest density of those receptors are to be found in the Limbic Brain, the emotional centre referred to in the chapter dealing with feedback. Another receptor grouping occurs in the dorsal horn, a part of the spinal cord that receives incoming data concerning touch, sight, smell and taste. It became clear that these opiate-like chemicals could be produced by enthusiastic activity. By a combination of planned actions and wishful thinking. |
| The pieces were coming together to solve the puzzle of why, where and how. The dorsal horn is inundated with information that must be dealt with in order of priority. Pert's scrutiny has convinced her that the order of requisite actions is decided upon by our emotions. It is the emotions that control the keys to the process. She had uncovered a psychosomatic network, a communications web that links the mind to the body. Other receptor groupings came to light, situated in the kidneys, gonads and intestines. A startling find was that our previously mentioned component of the immune system, the monocyte, was also studded with receptors. But the monocyte is not a fixed part, it is a free-floating agent; it does not have to sit on station waiting for a message to come down through the lines of communication. Neuropeptides - the brain's messengers - swim through the body until they find the correct receptors, then deliver their encoded message. It is in this way that monocytes can be instructed to swim towards an invasion of aliens of which they had previously been unaware. More important to us is the fact that, under the stimulus of emotion, the brain can manufacture a range of biochemicals that will produce marked physiological changes. They can produce bursts of energy, feelings of wellness, relief from pain and tiredness. Our brains can initiate direct communication with our immune system. By learning to open correspondence between our brains, we open lines of intercourse between consciousness and our bodies. We are not mechanistic stick figures, robots locked into rigid patterns of behaviour that are only open to adjustment by outside events. We have the means to adjust and readjust our moods and feelings, to suit the occasion. |
| This can be tested and proved by simple experiment. When we find ourselves in an expansive, outgoing mood, we tend to be mobile and fluid in our actions. We want our music to match our feelings. When we sit down, our mood dictates the positioning of our limbs. We open up. Arms and legs spread out from the trunk, shoulders descend to a relaxed position. We feel good. Conversely, an attack of the blues, with its feelings of dejection and defensiveness, has its own body language. We want to be still, undisturbed by externals, closed in on ourselves with moody music to match. Our body movements and our mind-set are the end product of the emotion which in turn is the result of our attitude towards events. A series of descending cause and effect. Feedback gives us a tool to reverse the procedures. Few us enjoy the blues; so why let the mood persist? The next time that you find yourself in its grip, see it as a chance to affect a change. Do not choose music that suits the mood that you are in. Choose music that suits the mood that you would prefer to be in. Sit down and make the conscious effort to adopt the position of well-being. Sprawl a bit. Not in the ungainly slump that cries, "Poor me.", but in the position of relaxed readiness. If it all seems to be a bit artificial, and it will, work at seeing the humorous side of it. Paste a smile on your face. By now you will probably be feeling the resistance to change; building up reasons to quit the whole silly game. Hold the smile and work at relaxing the muscles of the face. Feel the smile becoming easier, as the fixed grin dissolves. Move about. Just easily, no need to fling yourself around the room. Walk around the house, go upstairs on the balls of the feet. Stretch, flex your shoulder and chest muscles. Let the feeling of enjoyment grow in you. If this experiment sounds rather mundane, consider the fact that one has to start somewhere. However, it does have a validity of its own in that it is a successful way to change one's outlook within a very short time. Emotions are like muscles; the more they are flexed, the more flexible they become. |