I'd like to share an interesting quote from an interesting book.

[RYL]

According to the book, "Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About", Kevin Trudeau states the following: "Medical science believes that thoughts could never alone cure or cause disease. However, it is interesting to point out that medical science can not dispute the "placebo" effect. The placebo effect is when a person is given a "placebo," which is in effect nothing, yet their disease is cured. This occurs because the patient believes that what he is taking will cure the disease. His thoughts basically cause the cure. This happens in as many as 40 percent of the cases. Imagine, up to 40 percent of the time a person with a dreaded disease cures himself with his own thoughts!" Right when I finished reading that statement, the book, "Think and Grow Rich", by Napoleon Hill, popped up in my mind. Anyways, I would appreciate your comments on Trudeau's statement.


P.S. Another statement Trudeau makes several paragraphs below the one above: "Words have power. Most people speak words that increase body stress and turn the body's pH from alkaline to acidic. Words can change the way we think and feel. Researchers have concluded that speaking the correct form of words and thinking the correct thoughts actually changes a person's DNA." I would appreciate your comments on this statement as well. Thank you guys for taking the time to read this. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[purnell]

1) I think it is not unreasonable that one can heal (or harm) himself if he believes he can. Projecting the healing power onto an outside source makes people more comfortable than believing in some "magical" self-cure.


2) I don't know what to make of this second statement. Yes, words are used to communicate ideas, which change the way we think and feel. As for the Ph of the body, I have no idea what he's talking about.

[PairTheBoard]

RYL -
"Researchers have concluded that speaking the correct form of words and thinking the correct thoughts actually changes a person's DNA."

I doubt you are right about this. If you are you should provide some sources because it would be a major development as far as the Theory of Evolution goes. It's something I've thought might be possible but difficult to prove. If true it would add a major powerful element to the mechanism of Evolution that could explain the puzzling speed with which evolution evidently occurs at times.

PairTheBoard

[RYL]

[ QUOTE ]
RYL -
"Researchers have concluded that speaking the correct form of words and thinking the correct thoughts actually changes a person's DNA."

I doubt you are right about this. If you are you should provide some sources because it would be a major development as far as the Theory of Evolution goes. It's something I've thought might be possible but difficult to prove. If true it would add a major powerful element to the mechanism of Evolution that could explain the puzzling speed with which evolution evidently occurs at times.

PairTheBoard

[/ QUOTE ]

You're quoting the wrong person.

[Shakezula]

Perhaps the true healing power comes from within. With reports and cases of illnesses or diseases being changed or reversed without doctors being able to explain why, something else is going on. Perhaps it is the belief in the placebo that causes it to work. Then the body's ability to heal itself is triggered. Certainly if I scratch my finger my body initiates the actions to begin repairing the damage. Some injuries or states of dis-ease are more extreme than a simple scratch of the finger of course, but we have heard of stories where the bad health of an individual is suddenly changed or altered, and explanations from medical science are not given.

[Jordan Olsommer]

[ QUOTE ]
Researchers have concluded that speaking the correct form of words and thinking the correct thoughts actually changes a person's DNA.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is complete crap. The only way you can change your DNA by speaking is if you stuff your mouth full of radioactive waste before you talk.

[tek]

In the book "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell studies were discussed wherein facial expressions can change one's mood and outlook. For example, smiling can change your mood from mad to happy. There is some connection between facial muscles and nerves going to the brain.

So, book Napolean Hill, W. Clement Stone, etc probably work the opposite way. You influence the nerves which influence facial an body muscles. In poker, this would make you relaxed and confident looking, which would affect your opponents adversely.

I play at casinos where there is zilch chance of table selection. I use the positive thinking strategy to turn a negative into a positive. I think thoughts (and mean them) such as "I hope I get the table with the lags and maniacs so if they bet big when I have a hand I'll clean up". etc.

My confidence against them has caused the chief lag to comment out loud that I scare him.

So think about what your greatest fear is at the table and actually look for the opportunity to play at that fear and slay it. For some it may be to seek out lags. For others it may be to play shorthanded. Go up against your fear with the thought that the more times you face it, the better you will be at it. Be relaxed and confident (fake it til you make it) and the others at the table won't know you are afraid, but you can make them afraid. Think of it as behavioral bluffing which becomes real (fear of a situation through experience and confidence becomes mastery of that situation).

[RYL]

[ QUOTE ]
In the book "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell studies were discussed wherein facial expressions can change one's mood and outlook. For example, smiling can change your mood from mad to happy. There is some connection between facial muscles and nerves going to the brain.


[/ QUOTE ]

I have personal experience. I used to be a stockbroker and I read a book on sales. Forgot the exact title but it states to smile even if you don't want to. Let me tell you, it works!

[andyfox]

"up to 40 percent of the time a person with a dreaded disease cures himself with his own thoughts!"

I would love to see the statistical evidence to back this up. I would imagine that people with more positive thoughts do better than people with more negative thoughts, but might that not have to do with A) they're not as far along in their disease, thus their positive thoughts are a result of the stage of their illness, not a cause of it; and B) they have more resources with which to fight their disease, thus have more objective reason to be positive, and thus have a higher remission rate because of their resources, not because of their positiveness?

[Matt Flynn]

[ QUOTE ]
According to the book, "Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About", Kevin Trudeau states the following: "Medical science believes that thoughts could never alone cure or cause disease.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes and we are all hiding the cure for cancer because we don't want you to know about it. It's a massive conspiracy. Buy me a beer and I'll show you the secret handshake.


Of course thought influences disease.


People always say these things at the start of their sales pitch for some totally fabricated supposed supercure.

"Docotrs don't want you to know about it."

"Medicine refuses to study it for fear it might work."

"Proven by [insert foreign mystic or mystic equivalent]."

"Known for generations to [insert same mystic]."

"Only available in [insert remote foreign country.]"

How much was it? $19.99? Or $399.99? Just want to get an idea of how much money I'm missing out on because I have a conscience and don't make stuff up to sell product.

Matt

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]

How much was it? $19.99? Or $399.99? Just want to get an idea of how much money I'm missing out on because I have a conscience and don't make stuff up to sell product.

Matt

[/ QUOTE ]
The guy is a big time scam artist. The Fair Trade Commission shut him down. Story here. (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/09/trudeaucoral.htm)

[parttimepro]

Short answer: This is total bullplop.

Long answer: The placebo effect does exist. However, it is nowhere near as robust as some would have you think. There are at least three possible explanations for the placebo effect: 1) As Trudeau says, thinking you'll get better makes you get better, 2) Patients will claim they're getting better because they want to please the doctor, or 3) Some patients spontaneously recover from whatever condition is being studied, and they would have recovered with a placebo or with no treatment whatsoever.

In order to distinguish between those possibilities, we should look at studies which have included both a placebo and a no-treatment condition. Here's a meta-analysis (http://www.biopsychiatry.com/placebovnot.htm) of many such studies. These authors conclude that placebos cause a mild improvement in subjectively reported criteria (i.e. those reported by the patient), but have no effect on objective criteria (e.g blood platelet levels). These results are consistent with explanations 2 and 3 rather than 1.

[ QUOTE ]
Most people speak words that increase body stress and turn the body's pH from alkaline to acidic.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is totally and completely untrue.

[ QUOTE ]
Researchers have concluded that speaking the correct form of words and thinking the correct thoughts actually changes a person's DNA.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is totally and completely untrue.

[Dan Mezick]

Reality is experienced through the aperture created by the sum total of your perceptive filters.

The largest perceptive filter you have going is your set of beliefs.

[parttimepro]

Yeah, but no matter how many filters you use, you'll never make Barbara Bush look like Angelina Jolie.

[Al Schoonmaker]

You should have quite while you were ahead. Trudeau's first quotation made sense.

The second one: "thinking the correct thoughts actually changes a person's DNA." This statement is absolute BS.

Regards,

Al

[PairTheBoard]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
RYL -
"Researchers have concluded that speaking the correct form of words and thinking the correct thoughts actually changes a person's DNA."

I doubt you are right about this. If you are you should provide some sources because it would be a major development as far as the Theory of Evolution goes. It's something I've thought might be possible but difficult to prove. If true it would add a major powerful element to the mechanism of Evolution that could explain the puzzling speed with which evolution evidently occurs at times.

PairTheBoard

[/ QUOTE ]


You're quoting the wrong person.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah. Right. My mistake. If you have the book and Kevin Trudeau provides any sources for that statement it would still be nice to look at them. Thanks.

PairTheBoard

[Jordan Olsommer]

[ QUOTE ]
"up to 40 percent of the time a person with a dreaded disease cures himself with his own thoughts!"

I would love to see the statistical evidence to back this up. I would imagine that people with more positive thoughts do better than people with more negative thoughts, but might that not have to do with A) they're not as far along in their disease, thus their positive thoughts are a result of the stage of their illness, not a cause of it; and B) they have more resources with which to fight their disease, thus have more objective reason to be positive, and thus have a higher remission rate because of their resources, not because of their positiveness?

[/ QUOTE ]

As best I can tell, the author of this book is gravely misunderstanding what the Placebo Effect actually is. All it is is someone essentially fooling themselves unconsciously into believing that they're being healed. The author misinterprets this as meaning "healing oneself with one's thoughts", as if you could heal an ailment on which the placebo effect is known to operate simply by retiring to the woods and meditating ("I think I can, I think I can.."), which is just silly.

[Matt Flynn]

[ QUOTE ]
You should have quite while you were ahead. Trudeau's first quotation made sense.

[/ QUOTE ]

Only if he's selling something.

[RYL]

[ QUOTE ]

How much was it? $19.99? Or $399.99? Just want to get an idea of how much money I'm missing out on because I have a conscience and don't make stuff up to sell product.

Matt

[/ QUOTE ]

23.99 @ amazon.com.

At the end of the book he lists 100's of books as sources.

The book is definitely biased, but he makes some really great points, and some ridiculous ones. You really need to have an open mind when you read this book.

[wildwood]

Words do have power, but they don't usually perform miracles. The second tier seats on airlines are called "coach" because noone wants to sit in second class. I read a story long time ago that they named a hospital "hospital for incurable diseases" and most of the people admitted to it died. They then renamed the hospital "sunnyvale" and the death rate dropped dramatically. Coincidence? maybe...maybe not...The part about the dna changing doesn't make sense. The immune system maybe...The will to live...maybe


my 2cents

[Irieguy]

The placebo effect has nothing to do with people using their minds to cure disease.

The placebo effect is a statistical phenomenon, with a little bit of lying added to it. If you track people with a complaint over time, some of them will get better no matter what they do. It is not because they are using their minds to cure themselves... sometimes people just get better. In addition, some people when asked will say that they are better even though they are not... because sometimes people lie.

Irieguy

[FredJones888]

the ph part is true. I recently had a health problem due to having too much acid in my body. This was diagnosed by a doctor so its not new age baloney. Stress can contribute to excess acid in the body. Words and attitudes can cause stress.

[scottgiese]

Kevin Trudeau is one of the pioneers of the infomercial biz. His "Mega Memory" 30 minute commercial ran for years and years, and I see him pop up on late night TV with some new product every now and again.

He's very good at what he does, and he seems like a nice enough guy, but he's not exactly an expert at anything but salesmanship. He's not accredited scientifically.

The placebo effect is a very interesting and little-understood but well-documented psychological effect. But I wouldn't put a lot of stock in whatever Kevin Trudeau has to say on the matter.

When you need brain surgery, you don't call up P.T. Barnum.