Bangalore: The mind rules the body, and modern medicine is accepting this fact.

A senior ENT specialist, who did not want to be identified, recalls a case where a 26-year-old woman came to him with earache and periodical infection of the ear.

"Detailed questioning showed she worked in a relatively noise-free environment but was fond of loud rock music, often listening to music on her Discman or an expensive music system at home. The decibel level was certainly high," says the doctor. This resulted in irritation in the ear, which she tried to get rid of by using cotton buds a bit too forcefully. The result was the infection.

"I did not suggest that she stop listening to loud music but instead recommended some soothing soft music such as a sitar concert for half an hour before sleep. It worked because it spared her ears at a crucial time and also reduced her stress level," the specialist says.

All of us may not need the soft strains of a sitar to rid us of anxiety, but a calm mind does help in reducing the stress level and boosting the body's natural immunity and healing powers.

Hypochondriacs

There are also examples of healthy people reading an article about a disease and its cure and starting to imagine that they have all the symptoms. Many physicians have found this happening and also the opposite: patients frequently told that their condition is improving do indeed get well. Their state of mind combined with medication hastens the healing process.

A few health clubs and fitness centres here have started using the powers of imagery and auto-suggestion to help their clientele slim down and get fit. Health club trainer Natasha Singh explains the process: "We ask a member, who needs to shed 20 kilos, to build an image album. She keeps a scrapbook with pictures, perhaps from family albums or from magazines, of slim people having fun and even advertisements for hip-hugging jeans that they want some day to wear... looking at these images adds to the motivation to slim down and avoid rich and fattening food."

Other images that help those on a fitness drive are those of sportsmen and women in action, showing off the kind of toned bodies that come only with exercise and a healthy diet. "Even those well above 40 can get fit, and being healthy has nothing to with one's calendar age at all," Ms. Singh adds.

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