The psychosomatic approach in medicine

Abstract

"The influence of the mind on the body" and "mens san a in corpore sano" are old, well-known and even trite expressions but many practitioners fail to recognize the extent to which psychological factors can aggravate and even produce bodily disease. Vice-versa they do not appreciate the equally important influence of bodily disorder and defect on the patient's mentality. That strong emotions such as fear, anger, disgust can produce tachycardia, palpitations, temporary rises in blood pressure a sinking in the stomach, nausea and vomiting is universally realized, but that worry, frustration and resentment can be responsible for such organic diseases as gastric ulcer, ulcerative colitis, glaucoma and rheumatoid arthritis is not so well-known.