Mind-Body Models

There are different approaches to understanding mind-body integration. Some researchers argue that body-mind integration is crucial in medicine since patients don’t feel an obvious division between their bodies and their minds. Thus, physicians shouldn’t make diagnoses that separate the mind from the body (McGuire et al., 2016).  However, many allopathic practitioners don't agree... and it's frustrating.  

According to the dualist, the mind (or the soul) comprises a non-physical substance, while the body comprises the physical substance known as matter. According to most substance dualists, mind and body can causally affect each other (Baker & Morris, 1996).  Disease was seen as a deviation from the biological norms, caused by some identifiable physical or chemical event, and intervention involved the introduction of a corrective physical or chemical agent; however, living systems have come to be seen as systems (of which mind and body are a unit) that are integral parts of larger systems, in permanent interaction with their environment and capable of constructing their own subjective realities (Mehta, 2011).

While many have come to understand the relationship between the mind-body as a whole, our medical knowledge is based on centuries of research and understanding of the biomedical model, and it's difficult for people to stray from that model/belief (in this case, especially allopathic practitioners).  Fortunately, with the presence of naturopathy and more and more people leaning toward the understanding of the strong connection between the two, we are making headway in terms of understanding the relationship between the mind and body. 

I wish we could produce more research on naturopathy and homeopathy (as there are already so many studies done in biomedicine)... I know funding of studies is a big barrier, which saddens me, but one of my long-term goals is to produce more concrete evidence of the benefits of natural remedies and therapies.

Baker, G, & Morris, K. J. (1996). Descartes’ Dualism. Routledge.

McGuire, C., Gabison, J., & Kligler, B. (2016). Facilitators and barriers to the integration of mind-body medicine into primary care. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 22(6), 437-442. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2016.0043

Mehta N. (2011). Mind-body Dualism: A critique from a health perspective. Mens Sana Monographs, 9(1), 202–209. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1229.77436