Book review of “Affection – the other half of The cure”
The evolutionary psychologist Leander stone head has published “Affection – the other half of The healing,” a book devoted to the care of the sick. He sees a Problem of modern medicine that they neglected the “pastoral care”.
A sick person to turn to, to take care of him, listen to him, was not only an ornament, but in the Evolution of anchored essential part of the healing. The condition of the “ill form” biologically as a Signal to others as to themselves and require a reaction to take care of what triggers the symptoms, to promote healing. Steinkopfs approach is by no means a religious man, but biologically.
Table of contents
Disease – A social phenomenon
Not only the appropriate drug and the correct diagnosis, but patience, Empathy, care and concern belong to the author, inextricably linked to the therapy. Disease is a social phenomenon, based on human (and animal) interactions. These mechanisms were created for social living things evolutionary.
We feel the defense
We do not feel for a cold, the Virus, but with cough, runny nose and fever, rather, the defense of the body to the pathogen, so the stone head. This has a social significance, because other people react to it. Fever and Sneezing are also a warning to others, not with the disease to infect. Because you will notice, the defensive reaction of the body, Strangers at a distance, colleagues, relieve the Fever of their obligations and the partners take care of the people who show these defence symptoms, explains the author. The state of “being sick”, so a clear-to-understand Information to the Patients and to other fellow human beings.
Ill the correct behavior forces be
Ill the correct behavior would be. It demotiviere and the defense reactions of the body would keep us from energy-consuming activity. Could focus the body on the fight against the pathogen. This applies not only for humans but also for animals. Ill be convince us to change behavior-saving mode.
More: Ill be convince even other to relieve the sick, so that the body could oppose with full force to the pathogen. The body can do, even allies, to support the defense of the organism.
Symptoms are social signals
The author also asks whether disease symptoms are signals that the body sends out to get support. Thus, the physical expression of a disease would also be the message of the individual to the people around him. Their behaviour, the invitation and the help as well as rejection and disinterest had their impact in turn on the transmitter, the sick, the.
Not an accessory, but is biology
It follows from this that treatment always requires the care of the sick, because the symptoms of the sick body demanded exactly this. The human is not only a nice accessory, but an integral biological component of the therapy.
A system of health care, the Affection, regarded as a waste of working time of skilled workers, over treat, consequently, to the nature of the people. The man should be of his biology as a social being, and social disinterest in the patient is getting worse the disease.
Symptoms and prevention
Symptoms may also occur, to prevent infection, without that this is already broken out. The author gives the example of a woman who had to vomit involuntarily, when she heard shoots in the television of infected soybean. They had bean sprouts eaten, which, however, were not infected. Alone, the Signal that she could have eaten something Infectious, was enough symptoms to trigger, commonly a Grassi agents repel.
Symptoms of a immune symptom, which engages in the run-up and preventive acts are so. Psychological associations release physiological reactions.
People could even develop symptoms, if you know of a food intolerance, without this. False information will result, according to the stone head sometimes to real symptoms.
If we warn the body with a Information, prepare himself to the danger. Nocebo-effects can even lead to more people suffering from side effects of medications, if you read the leaflet about these side effects. The body system although not smart, but I always right.
Disease Symptoms Disease Symptoms?
Symptoms would be the only visible sign of a disease, could this explain why human creation symptoms, without suffering from a disease, and conversely, many infections symptom free.
Rather, symptoms are not unlenkbare biochemical reaction, but are under the control of the body. The author believed that the symptoms arose in the course of Evolution for communication, to properly respond to pathogens and other hazards.
Pain – Signal, protection, and forced to action
Pain will send a message. Of the pain say “do something against me”. It was an extended protection function. Load of pain with a sprained foot, lead to the fact that we behaved properly and the foot unloaded. The more the healing walk, the more we would charge him again. The pain would, therefore, step by step, the right treatment.
Pain causes and leg keep healing behavior. He was a need as Hunger and thirst, at the same time, Information such as the Motivation for a specific behavior. If we followed the commands of the pain, to let his motives: When we eat, the Hunger; when we drink, the thirst; if we have a sprained foot can relieve the pain disappears. Pain tells us so directly what we should do and refrain from.
Pain – A social System
Messages of pain, for example, a distorted face, a loud vocal (Ouch, Aaah), and the like. A different person can understand immediately that the person Concerned, something Painful happened to you. At the same time, he could see where the pain is located, what is its cause and what behavior is prohibited. The Other is to see the burnt Hand as the center of the pain, and the hot stove as the cause and not react automatically, by touch the stove.
A man must make a painful experience, it is rich, if he observes them in another. At the same time, from the pain, draw the attention Infested to the Problem and motivate others to help. Pain is therefore a complex social System.
The social core of the pain will be significantly the fact that the pain is forcing us to communicate it. This is done, go back, he, like Hunger when we have eaten. If we call cursing or “Ouch”, to leave the pain, and other to understand that pain is there. It was a motivation system, of healing serve.
Pain-off – in survival mode
That pain is not a purely physiological reaction, without social sense, show according to Stein, the head of the soldiers in the war. Severe damage such as gaping wounds, no pain, if the pain of survival to distract the necessary actions, according to the author. So soldiers would feel with severe injuries in battle is often no pain, after the fight in the hospital but scream in pain. First in security, first, then, if someone takes care of you, the pain.
Pain without damage
At the same time, there is, conversely, the pain, the onset, without injury. Anticipation alone could be a cause for pain. This makes it difficult, for example, people who have suffered severe pain, everyday life. The pain will force conservation, but the fear of the pain was so great that the Affected become frozen in this conservation, and in your everyday life to a standstill.
Pain, fear and expectation
For the therapy, he mentioned an important aspect: Were behind a pain, no injuries, but the Fears and negative expectations, then we would get rid of the Fears and expectations of pain.
Pain contain, according to the stone head messages to ourselves and others, and people adapt to this information through your behavior. However, this can be right regardless of the damage to the tissue.
Depression – In Energy Saving Mode
Not only pain, even Depression can be, according to the author, a Information to other people. For the Depressed self, the Depression was an existence mode, the spare energies and force to Wait. A Depression is forcing us, for example, a life goal that is unattainable. This depression might differ in what functions they fulfil. Who will not change anything in his life, did the symptoms. A Depression suggesting to the outside: “I give up”, “help me” or “forgive me”.
Depression, such as pain activate similar areas of the brain. Physical pain is in the Evolution of the ancestor of the emotional pain, and the Evolution’ve clamped your existing System for a new purpose.
Cure through Suggestion
Fantasies are no “foams”, but could often work better than insufficient medication. Alone, the photo of a partner to ease the pain of a patient in the hospital. The Partner should, therefore, give a comforting Hand.
Doctors who are convinced of a medicine, to create according to Stein, head better results. Acupuncture, for example, is not interactive, although there is the in Chinese medicine, suspected acupuncture points. You don’t work, but interactive. Why? Because she did not meet the patient’s need for recognition and attention. Explain why pain patients whose Doctors have not cause can find, losing by acupuncture your pain.
The pain is on call to take care of the patient and his Suffering to be recognised. The do is the one who uses the acupuncture. In addition, he touching the body, is also an important aspect of the therapy. Recognition, touch, and listen to – and not “acupuncture points” to explain according to the stone head, the effect of this method.
Grant – Over thousands of years therapy number one
According to the author, attention was on the sick for thousands of the Best knew of the medicine. Shaman’s have fulfilled the biological need of the patient for recognition of his illness and turned toward him. Suffer recognize the symptoms mean relieve.
Today, the modern medicine not be detected evolutionarily anchored in the needs, just because of the helpful apparatus, the causes of diseases can be treated well. A perspective for the future is personalized medicine, because each man is ill in a different way. To take good conversations and the time to heal efficiently.
The healing spectacle
The spectacle of shamans with their dances and colorful costumes of the modern Doctors in white coats in a similar – and important. So, for example, the antibacterial effect of mouth waters had nothing to do with your biting and fresh taste. The taste suggest, rather, the Freshness and sharpness against “musty” bacteria.
Shamanism heal, therefore, really, because he did not fulfil the social needs that claim the symptoms of the sick. It was a spectacle, not to quackery, but the Aura of the Extraordinary suggest to the patient that it will taken care of and is therefore essential for the healing. Shamans are experts on the Unknown, the spectacle to be your main task.
To give to the patient the importance of a therapy. One of them today for professionals, the suffering of the people, comes to you and him.
Conclusion
Leander stone head has written an important book, the in-depth research invites you. Usually apply to the biochemically well-informed modern medicine and classical pastoral care as a two different Pair of shoes. Stone head busy, however, that communication is an essential aspect of disease symptoms and “pastoral care” is, therefore, a biological basis of healing. This book do not come around, if you are involved in therapy that includes the whole person. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)
