The Mind Matters

Abstract

Some years ago, a study by Gill and associates1 regarding the use of alternative medicine among diabetic patients in the United Kingdom led the authors to conclude that there is cause for concern: insulin-dependent patients were found to have reduced or even stopped taking their insulin in favor of therapeutic approaches including prayer, faith healing, unusual diets, and supplements of vitamins and trace elements. The authors could understand that diabetic patients could experience their treatment as “somewhat unsatisfactory” and therefore seek alternative treatments making more attractive claims. A survey conducted in the United States by Astin,2 however, has shown that dissatisfaction with conventional medicine is not the main motive for using alternative medicine. Rather, most alternative-medicine users appear to be doing so because they find these health care alternatives to be more congruent with their own values, beliefs, and philosophical orientations toward health and life. Interestingly, many of the therapies commonly labeled as “alternative” in fact are psychological techniques, e.g., relaxation and hypnosis, and apparently there is a growing market for professionals in the field of “mind-body interventions.”3 As a psychologist trained in health psychology and behavioral medicine, I question whether applications of such psychological techniques …