| Author | Message | ||
     Kumar New member Username: Kumar5 Post Number: 2 Registered: 02-2009 |
Tom, Is it okay to close my eyes during the scalp exercises? The reason I am asking is because with my eyes closed, I am able to give my undivided attention to my scalp and concentrate my mind on it. According to the 'Yoga' principles and also my belief, focusing your mind on the body, in this case scalp, muscles, follicles and imagining that the hair follicles are being nourished while performing SE will have a added positive effect on the whole process. This is also known as 'Placebo effect' in modern science. We can also concentrate with our eyes open but based on my experience it is more effective with eyes closed. So, I wanted to discuss if its okay to keep the eyes closed. Let me know what you think. Cheers, Kumar | ||
| Tom Hagerty Moderator Username: Admin Post Number: 3854 Registered: 01-2003 |
Kumar: It's OK to keep your eyes closed while you're doing the scalp exercise if you're in a safe place. If I did the scalp exercise in Chicago with my eyes closed, someone would probably come up from behind me and steal my wallet or hit me on the head. You wrote, " This is also known as 'Placebo effect' in modern science." I think that perhaps you got the definition for the placebo effect wrong. The correct definition is: the improvement in the condition of a sick person that occurs in response to treatment but cannot be considered due to the specific treatment used. For example, some sick people respond well to sugar pills (inert substances). The sugar pills are the placebos. | ||
| Kumar New member Username: Kumar5 Post Number: 3 Registered: 02-2009 |
Tom, Thanks for your response. I will make sure I am at a safe place.:-) One other thing I wanted to clarify is that, is it possible that the contraction in the frontalis will be less when the eyes are closed. Should that make any difference? Coming to the placebo part, yes your definition is absolutely correct for the placebos used in the drug industry. I was referring to the more general phenomenon of 'Placebo effect' which partly involves the 'Belief' that something is working has a positive influence on the outcome. So, I am positive that if I do the scalp exercises believing that it is going to work, instead of being skeptical, I will have a definite advantage. I know, all this might sound crazy and philosophical to some, but I am talking based on my experience with Yoga and meditation also. I am sure that if you were to do a survey of all the members who practice SE, the people who saw some results and benefited the most would be the ones who believed to some extent that SE would work. Excuse my clinical language, I work for a pharmaceutical company. Below are some excerpts from wikipedia on this phenomenon "The placebo effect points to the importance of perception and the brain's role in physical health" - Wikipedia "The phenomenon is related to the perception and expectation which the patient has; if the substance is viewed as helpful, it can heal, but if it is viewed as harmful, it can cause negative effects, which is known as the nocebo effect." - Wikipedia The substance can be related to the SE here. If anyone thinks all this a load of crap, I don't blame you, you are right. As Albert Einstein says "It is easier to destroy an atom than a prejudice" and it applies to me too. All I am trying to say to the members who practice SE is that, please believe and think that it is going to work and it will help you. It wouldn't hurt to think that way, would it? I welcome bricks and bats. Cheers, :-) Kumar | ||
| Tom Hagerty Moderator Username: Admin Post Number: 3855 Registered: 01-2003 |
Kumar: "All I am trying to say to the members who practice SE is that, please believe and think that it is going to work and it will help you." Dr. Andrew Weil who I admire believes in the power of positive thought too. I still am skeptical as to its power to bring about results. A concept similar to this is "the illusion of control." In chapter 17, "Orientation Toward Life," of a book I just wrote I discuss this concept as it pertains to professional gambling on Thoroughbred horses. This feeling that one is in control of a situation is often strong. In gamblers it can be ruinous, leading to bankruptcy. My book, by the way, is The Psychology of the Winning Horseplayer. "is it possible that the contraction in the frontalis will be less when the eyes are closed?" The contraction of this muscle at the front of the head is just as strong with the eyes closed. I just tried it. | ||
| Kumar New member Username: Kumar5 Post Number: 4 Registered: 02-2009 |
Wow, Tom. I didn't know you were a writer, Congratulations on the new book! From the few pages I read, I can tell its good. You are right Tom, positive thoughts may not have a profound effect on external factors (horse races etc.) but I believe and it is also proven in many studies that they do have an effect on our bodies and health. I can say this with confidence because I come across this phenomenon on a day to day basis in clinical trials at my work. Below are the excerpts from an article on Placebo's at U.S FDA "Expectation is a powerful thing," says Robert DeLap, M.D., head of one of the Food and Drug Administration's Offices of Drug Evaluation. "The more you believe you're going to benefit from a treatment, the more likely it is that you will experience a benefit." To separate out this power of positive thinking and some other variables from a drug's true medical benefits, companies seeking FDA approval of a new treatment often use placebo-controlled drug studies. If patients on the new drug fare significantly better than those taking placebo, the study helps support the conclusion that the medicine is effective. Here is the link: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2000/100_heal.html Excuse me if this seems like an argument, I am just trying to have a healthy discussion and may be, learn something new in the process from someone as experienced as yourself. Do you atleast agree with me that positive thoughts wouldn't hurt as far as SE is concerned? I understand that we shouldn't be too positive about everything or sooo open minded that our brains fall out ;-) | ||
| Tom Hagerty Moderator Username: Admin Post Number: 3860 Registered: 01-2003 |
Kumar: Come back to the forum on Tuesday. "Do you at least agree with me that positive thoughts wouldn't hurt as far as SE is concerned?" I have a lot to say about that with examples from "testimonials." For the next few days I'm going to be busy playing chess and playing the horses. |
