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Insight: Sept 13

How much power do our brains have over our bodies? Insight discusses Mind Over Body.

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This week Insight discusses Mind Over Body and asks: How much power do our brains have over our bodies? Is that power strong enough for us to think ourselves sick?

A twinge in your back; a sudden headache; a feeling of numbness in a limb; an inexplicable lump. Would
you ignore the unusual feeling or assume the worst?

For many Australians, just ignoring such feelings is not an option. Formally known as hypochondriasis, illness anxiety disorder can see people become preoccupied by the possibility that changes in their body might be the sign of a serious illness. They experience high health anxiety.

Stephanie Huynh convinced herself that a lump in her back was cancer.

Often these thoughts can lead us to consult ‘Dr Google’, in search of a diagnosis. The tendency to head to the internet when we’re feeling sick is so common it even has a name: cyberchondria.

But can the stress of a possible illness exacerbate symptoms? Is it just the anxiety that’s making us feel worse? Or can the internet actually help?

For others, the power of the “mind over body” is less simple. Miranda Licence was suddenly unable to move in her legs without explanation.

Guests include:

Stephanie Huynh, 21, (WA) – Stephanie would often find lumps or bumps on her body, and assume the worst. A bruised fingernail would automatically make Stephanie think that she had melanoma under the nail. Any slight change in her bowel habits would prompt her to worry about bowel cancer. However, Stephanie currently works in a pharmacy but says that it actually helps her feel less anxious about her constant health concerns.
Lana Nguyen, 22, (NSW) – Lana is a final year medical student at Western Sydney University. She is also one of many students who has experienced ‘medical student syndrome’. Whenever she sees anything similar to something she is studying, she starts to think that she may have that same condition. Lana’s boyfriend is also a medical student and has similar issues to her.

Miranda Licence, 25, (QLD) – Miranda Licence found herself unable to move without an explanation after waking up from a nap. Her scans came back clear, with no physical illness that could have caused her paralysis. During a physio session, when she was still having trouble walking, her doctor took a risk and put her on the treadmill and Miranda started running. Today, Miranda is walking with a gait.

Paul Bonner, 53, (QLD) – In 2012, Paul started having seizure like attacks; yet medical tests and scans didn’t present any physical illness. In 2013, and after seeing several doctors, Paul was diagnosed with epilepsy and put on medication. He suffered major side effects and the attacks didn’t go away. In 2016, fed up, he scheduled for brain surgery. After 4 days of tests, his doctor told him he did not have epilepsy. As a result of that revelation, Paul stopped having the attacks, and went into therapy to resolve issues from his past.

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