Dr David Hamilton, PhD
The Placebo Effect
Thought provoking science from the field of body-mind medicine can be seen in the work of Dr David Hamilton. Dr Hamilton gained a PhD in organic chemistry and was a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. But he became struck by the nature of the placebo effect. The placebo effect offers clear evidence of the effect of the mind on the body, but it is brushed over in medical science, and even seen as an inconvenience to medical research. When Dr Hamilton repeatedly saw patients receiving placebo pills and reporting the same level of improvements as those receiving the actual drugs, he became fascinated by the body-mind connection. He started to research scientists, mystics and healers working in this field, and left his career in medical research to become a motivational speaker.
Dr Hamilton reveals how lots of research has been done on the placebo effect in recent years and that most scientists agree that it works because of three main factors:
- a person's desire to be healed;
- the expectancy that they are going to be healed, or that something positive is going to happen;
- their belief that they will be healed, either because they believe in the medicine or because they believe in the competency of the medical staff looking after them.
The Bodymind and Emotions
In his book It's The Thought That Counts, Dr Hamilton explores how the mind and emotions can influence the wellbeing of the body and the DNA. He introduces readers to the field of psychosocial genomics, explaining how your DNA is influenced by how you think and feel. He explains how when you experience something such as meeting a new person or enjoying a meal it is stored as memory in the brain, forming a neural connection. But if the experience is intense and accompanied by a high emotional charge, then it produces a neuron (brain cell).
Any experience that is mentally or emotionally significant forms a strong long-lasting memory because it is played over and over in the mind. As it is replayed, the genes repeatedly express their information, building up an indelibly etched memory, or biological equivalent, which can be a neuron if the experience is significant enough.
David Hamilton, PhD
Dr Hamilton explains how we are rarely stuck with a dis-functioning set of genes. He explains how visualisation can switch genes on, as can positive thoughts and feelings.
Feeling and faith are much more than 'mind over matter.' It is really a case of 'mind creates matter'.
He goes on to explain how love aids the healing process whilst fear suppresses it:
Consistent anger and frustration, both qualities of fear, can suppress the immune system and make the heart rhythms shaky. Appreciation, care and compassion do the opposite.
Dr Hamilton brings together the research of many scientific experiments to support his work. He helps us to see the importance of healing our past on a biological level, and supports the understanding that the body is self-healing, given the right circumstances.
For more info on Dr David Hamilton visit: www.drdavidhamilton.com
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