Reply at end of post:

> It is common knowledge that most of the health affections that occur
> are psychosomatic and their origin lies in our wrong mental
> attitude.Continuosly disturbed emotional states result in development
> of disease.What medicines achieve is not permanent but temporary
> relief.To attain permanent good health we must develop a correct
> mental attitude suggest you should know about Bach Flower remedies a
> healing art for the common man by which he can eradicate illness
> himselves.I have had excellent results with these remedies
> regards
> sanjay
>

Dear sanjay,

I found your post quite provocative. I am curious. Based on your comment
that most of the health affections that occur are psychosomatic and that
their origin lies in our wrong mental attitude, I would like to
challenge your thinking, if I may, with a few questions.

What is the wrong mental attitude held by an infant born with AIDS?
What is the wrong mental attitude of populations of people in the third
world [western or eastern culture] who are born into poverty?
What is the wrong mental attitude of the person afflicted with
schizophrenia?
What is the wrong mental attitude held by someone affected with breast
cancer or prostrate cancer?

sanjay, while I do agree that our mental attitudes influence our health,
I would not go as far as to say that the 'origin' of disease exists in
our minds. Individual change is over-emphasized in health care and thus,
under-emphasizing the benefits of social change. I understand that
Health promotion is much more than placing all the responsibility for
change on the individual when they may be under social pressures that do
not allow them to make changes. For example, a post-war society is left
with all sorts of ramifications. Dare any of us say that the health
problems of the population are psychosomatic when there are leftover
landmines killing children or a short life expectancy due to the
stresses of a broken social network; poor drinking water if any, lack of
food, employment and broken families.

I think that there is a much broader picture that needs to be considered
when determining health.

Sincerely,
Mary Pat Dressler
Dept. of Community Health and Epidemiology
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK.