The nocebo effect: when thoughts create illness
06.Jul.2020
We know what the placebo effect is - you take a “pill” that does not contain any drugs, but you feel better. Unfortunately, the placebo effect has a lesser-known antipode - the nocebo effect. This means that if we wait for illness, we can get sick without objective reasons.
The nocebo effect often manifests itself in anxious people with neurotic disorders, but during the coronavirus pandemic, people with a stable nervous system have succumbed to the influence of the media, beginning to identify symptoms and concluding that they have COVID-19. This phenomenon can be given the following explanation: “The effect of mass suspiciousness.” Below we will take a closer look at what the “nocebo effect” is.
The development of almost any illness is influenced by the emotional sphere of a person. For example, the root cause of peptic ulcers is Helicobacter pylori, which is present in 90% of people. But those who get sick are those who, as a result of emotional experiences, have conditions in their bodies for the successful reproduction of bacteria.
Strong imagination creates an event
Word of mouth has a nocebo effect. “As soon as a person who has nothing to do with professional medicine spreads a rumor that a certain medicine has a negative effect, everyone immediately refuses it. Although they were often treated with it for many years and were satisfied with the result.
Sometimes television plays the role of word of mouth. For example, once on TV they spread information that a French antidepressant was used by drug addicts. Immediately there was a wave of refusals, although the drug had excellent performance indicators and is used throughout Europe.
Everything is material, even anxiety
Placebo and nocebo effects have very real manifestations in the human brain and are explained by material reasons. They were identified by John-Kar Zubieta from the University of Michigan using positron emission tomography (PET). The scientist demonstrated that the nocebo effect is associated with a decrease in the production of the hormone dopamine, which is involved in the production of opioid peptides that have an analgesic effect. This explains why nocebo increases pain.
Nocebo effect in men and women
Anxiety in the form of a nocebo effect occurs more often in women than in men. But men can also be anxious, and their problem is that they push their anxiety inside themselves and do not discuss their suspicions with a doctor.
In men, the development of the nocebo effect is more strongly influenced by the expectation of illness than by life experience and information about the illness. The opposite is true for women. “Women rely more on past experience, while men are very reluctant to take the past into account when analyzing a specific situation,” says Paul Enck, a psychologist at the University Hospital of the University of Tübingen (Germany).
Useful tips
Remember that the emotional state syndrome develops gradually against the background of prolonged psycho-emotional stress and leads to the depletion of personal resources. This occurs as a result of a long-term accumulation of negative emotions without a corresponding “discharge”, which in turn affects the emotional sphere of a person and creates the ground for “nocebo”.
As the experience of psychologists shows, the most effective are natural methods of self-regulation of the body:
Love of life. “My advice is to avoid the nocebo effect, trust articles in the non-professional press less;
Think that a new fine day is coming, you are surrounded by family and friends, you have an interesting job, and you will meet friends on the weekend”;
Changing worldview. “A person always has a choice - what to do, what to think and feel. He can “drown” in negative emotions and, as a result of the nocebo effect, become drawn into an illness that he might not have had at all. In this case, you need to radically change your worldview and lifestyle.”
- looking at photographs or paintings;
- certain physical activity (exercise);
- listening to the sounds of nature;
- Fresh air.
There are other methods besides natural technologies:
1. Control your breathing.
This practice is an effective means of influencing muscle tone and emotional centers of the brain. Deep and slow breathing reduces the excitability of nerve centers and promotes muscle relaxation.
2. Monitor muscle tone and movement.
Under the influence of mental stress, muscle clamps and tension occur. The ability to relax them allows you to relieve mental stress and quickly restore strength. As a rule, it is impossible to completely relax all the muscles at once; you need to focus on the most tense parts of the body.
3. Control over thinking.
The process of self-hypnosis affects a person’s emotional state. It is necessary to formulate wording in the form of short sentences with a positive focus.
4. Drawing.
It is important to understand that drawing ability does not play any role, but it is important to use pencils, markers and paints to express emotions in an abstract form.
Think positively and live positively, even if you are at home! Take care of yourself and your loved ones!
Orthodox prayers for healing eyes
Oh, all-validated and all-honorable bishop, great miracle worker, saint of Christ, Father Nicholas, man of God, and faithful servant, man of desires, chosen vessel, strong pillar of the church, bright lamp, shining star and illuminating the whole universe, you are a righteous man, like a flourishing phoenix , planted in the courts of your Lord: living in Mireh, you were fragrant with myrrh, and you exuded the ever-flowing grace of God.
By your procession, holy father, the sea was sanctified, when your many-wonderful relics marched to the city of Barsky, from east to west to praise the name of the Lord. Oh, most graceful and wonderful miracle worker, quick helper, warm intercessor, kind shepherd, saving the verbal flock from all troubles, we glorify you and magnify you, as the hope of all Christians, the source of miracles, the protector of the faithful, the wise teacher,
the hungry for the feeder, the weeping for joy, the naked for clothing, the sick for the physician, the sea-floating steward, the captive liberator, the widows and orphans for the nourisher and intercessor, the guardian of chastity, the gentle chastiser for babies, the old fortifications, the fasting for the mentor, the toilers for rest, the poor and wretched for abundant wealth.
Hear us praying to you and running under your roof, show your intercession for us to the Most High and intercede with your God-pleasing prayers all that is useful for the salvation of our souls and bodies: preserve this holy monastery (or: this temple), every city and all, and every Christian country
and people living, from all bitterness with your help: we know, we know that the prayer of a righteous person can do much, hastening for good: for you, the righteous one according to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, intercessor to the All-Merciful God, imams,
and to yours, most kind father, we humbly flow to your warm intercession and intercession: watch over us like a cheerful and good shepherd, from all enemies, destruction, cowardice, hail, famine, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners, and in all troubles and sorrows ours, give us a helping hand and open the doors of God’s mercy;
We are still unworthy to behold the heights of heaven, because of the multitude of our iniquities: we are bound by sinful bonds, and neither have we created the will of our Creator, nor have we kept His commandments.
By the same token, we bow our contrite and humble hearts to our Creator, and we ask for your fatherly intercession to him: help us, servant of God, so that we do not perish with our iniquities, deliver us from all evil and from all things that are resistant, guide our minds,
and strengthen our heart in the right faith, in it, through your intercession and intercession, we will not be belittled by wounds, nor rebuke, nor pestilence, nor by any wrath from our Creator, but we will live a peaceful life here, and may we be honored to see good things on the lands of the living, glorifying Father and Son and Holy Spirit, One in the Trinity, glorified and worshiped God, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Petition to the Mother of God
If a severe attack of pain finds you outside the home, at work or on a trip, you can mentally turn to the Mother of God. It is recommended to know the words of the prayer for headaches to the Mother of God by heart: then healing of the illness will come faster.
Before turning to the Mother of God, confessors advise reading “Our Father” three times. And before reading the prayer request, you must say one of the five suggested phrases:
- First. Virgin Mary, cleanse me from harmful thoughts and imposed illnesses. Amen.
- Second. Holy Mother of God, calm my headache, high blood pressure and severe colic. Amen.
- Third. Most Holy Theotokos, reduce the pain in the head and the stupidity in the forehead. Amen.
- Fourth. Blessed Virgin Mary, may the headache subside, and may faith in Christ not wane. Amen.
- Fifth. Most Holy Theotokos, protect me from sinful tar and headaches. Amen.
In order for the ill health in the head to go away as soon as possible, you need to read the prayer to the Mother of God silently (several times). If conditions allow, light a candle and watch the flame flicker.
Causes of high blood pressure
To accurately determine the diagnosis and choose the right course of treatment, you need to visit doctors and undergo an examination. The primary signs of hypertension are:
- nausea, increased irritability;
- headache, increased body temperature;
- redness of the face, neck, possible sweating;
- rapid heartbeat, possible irregular heart rhythm;
- dizziness, general weakness.
This is a dangerous disease, the development of which can be stopped by a complex effect:
- taking medications;
- normalization of daily routine and nutrition;
- reading a prayer for pressure.
Vascular disorders occur due to various factors. Often the cause is a hereditary predisposition, previous operations, or infectious diseases. However, increasingly, blood pressure increases due to constant stress, lack of sleep and poor nutrition, which leads to obesity.
If you do not adjust your lifestyle and do not try to get rid of the factors that provoke the symptom, then the spell for high blood pressure, as well as the whispers for low blood pressure, will not have the desired effect.
Preparatory activities
You need to prepare for the ritual:
- It is recommended to fast on the day of the ceremony. If possible, visit church, go to confession, take communion.
- Prepare all the necessary attributes in advance and make sure that you will be alone in the house.
- Turn off the electric lights, turn off the telephone, the doorbell, and eliminate any factors that could distract from the ceremony.
- Take a shower before the ritual. Pay special attention to your hair, because... Negative energy often accumulates in them. You should put on clean clothes, change your bed linen, and clean your room (this will ensure physical cleansing).
On the day of the ceremony, visit the church.
Prayers and magical spells help improve well-being. But if weakness, headaches and blood pressure problems appear constantly, then it is better to undergo a medical examination and consult a doctor.
How to pray correctly
- with a pure heart. Read the prayer with a pure heart, with boldness (deep faith in the omnipotence of God), but without insolence (confidence in his forgiveness).
- with the right feelings. The person praying must have reverence for God. There is no need to seek spiritual pleasure from prayer. Sometimes when reading a prayer a person may experience heaviness and boredom. There's nothing wrong with that.
- prayer or in your own words. A prayer composed by saints is more useful. The Holy Fathers compare it to a tuning fork that tunes a person’s soul.
- the beginning and end of the prayer. Before starting prayer, be quiet and concentrate. Sign yourself with the sign of the cross and read a prayer. Then make the sign of the cross again. Stay for a short time in a prayerful position, comprehending the prayer you read.
- do not be distracted during prayer. Sometimes while reading a prayer, extraneous thoughts come to mind. Resist such thoughts and be sure to continue prayer, no matter how hard it is.
Prayer for a headache in a child is the same as for an adult. Therefore, if your baby is sick, prayer will definitely help.
Hexes for the treatment of blood vessels
Properly selected rituals will help improve the condition of blood vessels, strengthen the walls of veins and arteries, and normalize blood pressure.
By candlelight
At night, during the waning moon, you need to retire, stand in the middle of the room, make a ring of salt on the floor and place 9 church candles around its perimeter. Then stand in the center of the circle, put a red woolen thread in front of you and read the magic text 3 times:
Candle spell.
At the end of the ritual, tie the thread on your right wrist. After this you can go to bed. Do not remove the amulet until the symptoms completely go away.
"Black Kite"
This ritual helps to cope with physical weakness, eliminate migraines and chest pain. You need to wash your face with holy water, dry yourself with a clean yellow towel, and then recite the spell:
The Black Kite conspiracy.
“The illness will pass, and the baby will come to me”
During pregnancy, women often face the problem of high blood pressure. To relieve the symptoms of hypertension, you can perform a ritual.
You should prepare a silk ribbon (blue or pink depending on the gender of the child), make a bow out of it, and put hand-knitted baby booties on top. Then you can start casting the spell:
Plot: “The illness will pass, and the baby will come to me.”
"Healthy Ancestors"
Fill a clear glass glass with holy water and place 5 coins in it. Then read the text:
Conspiracy “Healthy Ancestors”.
Effective conspiracies from Natalia Stepanova
Natalya Stepanova has been helping people fight illnesses, find their purpose, and achieve harmony for many years. The healer's collection consists of hundreds of spells that help in any life situation.
If we are talking about improving the condition of blood vessels, then you can use the spell of a Siberian healer. At dawn you should go to the spring and, sitting on the shore, say:
Natalya Stepanova's conspiracy against pressure.
After this, you need to wash your face with spring water and go home.
If we are talking about general health promotion, then Natalya Stepanova recommended reading the spell every evening:
Conspiracy of Natalia Stepanova for general health promotion.
Such white spells and whispers can be used daily, because they are addressed to great saints and the forces of nature. It is not recommended to use black magic for healing, because after the rollback, health problems may worsen.
Benefits of alternative treatment
Using magic and the power of prayer has its advantages:
- Symptoms of hypertension often appear unexpectedly, so patients do not always have the right medication on hand. In such a situation, prayer or ritual will help improve your well-being.
- The rituals are safe and cannot harm the human body.
- Medicines to normalize blood pressure are often expensive, and some of them are difficult to obtain. The prayer can be read at any time of the day, and to perform a magical spell, objects available in every home are used.
- Rituals help the body heal itself independently, without outside influence, using only its own resources.
Prayer will help you feel better.
Rituals with plant attributes
Plants have healing properties, so they are often used to improve the cardiovascular system. The effects of home remedies can be enhanced with the help of magic.
With St. John's wort
To carry out the ceremony you will need a metal ring for sewing and fresh St. John's wort herb. At midnight you need to light the candles and in their light weave a ring with the stems of the plant, whispering the spell:
Conspiracy with St. John's wort.
It is recommended to keep the ring under your pillow until the pressure problems disappear. After the grass dries, the amulet can be burned.
With bay leaf
At night, place a bay leaf on the windowsill and place a glass glass filled with water next to it. After this, you should read the hex:
Spell with bay leaf.
Drink water after the ritual and hide the laurel leaf under the pillow (the amulet should remain in your bed until your health improves).
Infusion of honey and onion
Peel a small onion, chop, place in a glass jar, add 200 ml of vodka and 2 tbsp. l. natural honey. The product must be infused for 3 weeks. It is recommended to take the medicine 2-3 times a day, 5 ml, after reading the magic text:
Spell for an infusion of honey and onions.
With oak leaves
To make a talisman, you need to find an old oak tree, pick a few branches with green leaves, weave a wreath from them and say:
Spell with oak leaves.
It is recommended to hang the amulet wreath in the bedroom at the head of the bed.