Asthma And The Mind – A Duo With A Close Connection
Researchers often think about the relationship between asthma and the mind. In fact, they have been doing this for a very long time now. It is quite easy to notice the connection in a sick person. What is most obvious is the link between stress, anxiety and an asthma attack. However, what science has discovered in this connection is not so clear.
So the question remains: is there really a relationship between asthma and the mind? Or is it just a story? A few decades ago, people still thought that the idea of how emotions affected asthma was just speculation. We now know with our scientific advances that this connection is undeniable.
Science defines asthma as a chronic disease characterized by inflammation and respiratory obstruction. It is the most common chronic childhood disease.
Calculations indicate that at least 60% of all asthma cases affect children. Many of their triggers are definitely psychological . The relationship between asthma and the mind is thus undeniable.
The relationship between asthma and the mind
Dr. Zofel Marx and his colleagues conducted a study with asthma patients to determine if their emotions actually triggered their seizures. His research consisted of comparing the feelings of healthy patients with the feelings of people with asthma to determine if there were any differences.
In the end, they concluded that those with asthma had more hostile attitudes, greater feelings of helplessness, and were sadder than the healthy patients. To verify this, the researchers exposed both groups to different stimuli to observe their reactions. However, the emotional difficulties they observed may only be an effect of asthma and not the very cause of it.
In any case, other studies confirmed these findings. They proved that up to 50% of those with asthma have symptoms of depression. Similarly, those who show these symptoms, or manifestations of anxiety, have more frequent seizures and doctor visits. Similarly, antidepressants reduce asthma symptoms.
A neuroscientific breakthrough
A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that there is a clear link between asthma and the mind. This research led to the conclusion that asthmatic processes are linked to two areas of the brain that are closely related to emotions: the anterior cingulum cortex and the insula.
Professor Richard Davidson, director of this research, used magnetic resonance imaging to demonstrate this. To do this, he started with a group of six volunteers who had asthma and gave them a number of drugs that aggravated their disease.
When Davidson observed the brains of the volunteers, he found that stimuli activated both the anterior cingulum cortex and the insula. As we mentioned above, these areas are strongly related to emotions. Although he published his research, it is still not crucial because he conducted it with a very small group of people.
Research on asthma and the mind continues
Science has already established a link between asthma and the mind. What we do not yet know is the extent of this compound or the exact mechanisms that regulate it. What is clear is that psychological factors are crucial in the course of this disease. Depression or anxiety definitely leads to asthma attacks.
Dr. Antonio Cano Vindel, from Complutense University of Madrid , points out that anxiety affects asthma in two ways:
- By generating episodes of agitated breathing and hyperventilation. This physiological condition is present in various emotional events such as crying, fear, stress, etc. In contrast, he points out that each strong emotional event increases bronchoconstriction.
- He also points out that patients with asthma tend to have high levels of depression, sadness and anger due to the limitations that come with the disease. We now know that the prognosis for asthmatic people improves significantly when these psychological conditions are treated properly.
There is thus a relationship between asthma and the mind. You can neither distinguish the physical from what is happening in your brain in this case or in the case of other diseases. The old adage is confirmed again: a sad soul can be as deadly as a bacterium.
