This is the transcript of the
speech I presented at Toastmasters Club in Los Angeles last Wednesday, February
24, 2016. Due to popular demand from
staff and friends, I’m posting it here in this blog for the last day of
February of a Leap Year…
Introduction:
Mind, Stress, and Modern Chronic Diseases
Have you heard of this song,
“Photograph” by Ed Sheeran?
“Loving can hurt, loving can
hurt sometimes;
And it’s the only thing that I
know…”
“Loving can heal, loving can
mend your soul:
It’s only thing I know. know…”
Well, before we let the song
carry us away as it could very well do, I want to let you know that today I’m going
to present the subject that the song mentions: Power of Mind, Love, and healing.
You probably have heard
before that health is wealth, but in modern days, people are facing chronic
health problems trying to gain more wealth by working hard. There are pressures of
life that cause emotional stress, which together with bad diet and life style,
a lot of people develop modern chronic diseases (MCD) such as high blood
pressure, diabetes, heart decease, cancer, and so on.
Recently, I attended health
seminars, read some articles, and learned that the power of mind could either heal
or cause stress. The mind is actually in
our brain, and it’s important to know that humans display five different types
of electrical patterns or “brain waves” across the cortex of the brain. Scientists observed the brain waves through
use of EEG or ElectroEncephalograph—a tool that allows researchers to note
brain wave patterns. Each brain wave has
a purpose, and helps serve us in optimal mental functioning or coping with
various situations.
5 BRAIN WAVES
Picture Taken From Seminar By Dr. Jason Baek
The
brain’s ability to become flexible and transition through various brain wave
frequencies plays a large role in how successful we are at managing stress,
focus on tasks, and getting a good night’s sleep. If one of the five types of brain waves is
either overproduced and/or under-produced in our brain, it can cause problems.
Let’s
look at the Powerpoint slide and look at the brain waves in this order:
· Gamma Waves (not in the
picture)~Extremely high frequency waves.
They are in involved in higher processing tasks and cognitive
functioning. Gammas are important for
learning, memory and information processing.
Too much of Gamma means anxiety, high brain arousal, and stress. Too little may cause depression and learning
disabilities.
· Beta Brain Waves ~ are
high frequency low amplitude brain waves that are commonly observed while we
are awake. They are involved in
conscious thoughts, logical thinking, and tend to have stimulating effect. Having the right amount of Beta allows us to
focus and complete our tasks easily.
Having too much Beta may lead to excessive stress and/or anxiety.
· Alpha Brain Waves ~ This
frequency range bridges the gap between our conscious thinking and subconscious
mind. It helps us calm down when
necessary and promotes feelings of deep relaxation. If we have too much Alpha wave, we will be
daydreaming, too relaxed and will be unable to focus. Too little
means there is anxiety, high stress, and insomnia.
· Theta Waves ~ This
particular frequency is involved in daydreaming and sleep. Theta waves result from us experiencing and
feeling deep emotions. Too much theta
activity may make people prone to bouts of depression and may make them fall
into a deeply relaxed, semi-hypnotic state.
Theta has its benefits of helping us improve our intuition, creativity,
and makes us feel more natural. It is
also involved in restorative sleep. As
long as Theta isn’t produced in our waking hours, it is very helpful brain wave
range.
· Delta Waves ~ These are
the slowest brain waves in human beings.
They are found most often in infants and young children. As we age, we tend to produce less Delta even
during deep sleep. They are associated
with the deepest levels of relaxation and restorative, healing sleep. Adequate production of Delta waves helps us
feel completely rejuvenated after we wake up from a good night’s sleep. Too much
or abnormal Delta activity may result in learning disabilities or have
difficulties maintaining conscious awareness such as in case of brain
injuries. If the brain is dead, the wave looks
flat.
What’s Love Got to Do
With This?
The
brainwaves that love can help increase in activities are Alpha type. People who have love in the heart can help
create morphine-like endorphins, which is the healing hormone of the
brain. So it is important to be
forgiving and love others like brotherly love, love for God, service for
others, because the love we have in our heart helps heal us from many diseases. With proper diet and lifestyles, they can even
heal people from cancer.
The benefits of love are explicit and measurable:
- Protects your heart A University
of Pittsburgh study found that women in good marriages have a much lower
risk of cardiovascular disease than those in high-stress
relationships.
- Leads to a longer life The National
Longitudinal Mortality Study, which has been tracking more than a million
subjects since 1979, shows that married people live longer. Plus, they have
fewer heart attacks and lower cancer rates, and even get pneumonia less frequently
than singles.
- Helps beat cancer University of
Iowa researchers found that ovarian cancer patients with a
strong sense of connection to others and satisfying relationships had more
vigorous "natural killer" cell activity at the site of the tumor
than those who didn't have those social ties. (These desirable white blood
cells kill cancerous cells as part of the body's immune
system.)
What Happen to You If
You Are Heartbroken?
Not
good at all if you are heartbroken.
According to Sara Sirna MD in Sciencedaily.com, people who undergo
divorces, have spouse cheating on them, or spouse pass away may experience a
condition similar to heart attack. According to experts, the
underlying cause is unknown but is thought to work an opposite way to the release of
adrenalin and other stress hormones that have destructive effect on the heart.
Conclusion
In
conclusion, state of the mind and love can affect your brain waves and your
health, both positive and negative. As
you learn about the five types of brain waves, learn how to regulate them, be
in control of your own emotion so that you are not stressed out and become
ill. Maintain an attitude of love
towards others, willing to take risk and fall in love when the right one comes
along, and when heartbroken, get over it with other activities and interests
such as exercise, read a book, and so on, then move on....
Note:
Note:
I'm not an expert in this field, but speaking and writing from the perspective of some one who is very interested in healthy lifestyle. The speech was just my exercise in doing research, and using visual aids to enhance the speech. Apart from knowledge gained from Dr. Jason Baek's seminar, these are a couple of references used in the speech:
