The Science of Spontaneous Healing
How to Tap Eternal Healing Power Within Us All
Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
The concept of spontaneous healing, often seen as miraculous, inexplicable recoveries, has captivated the scientific and medical community for ages.
It appears counterintuitive to our understanding of chronic and severe diseases. Yet, numerous cases reported worldwide indicate the possibility of our bodies' intrinsic ability to restore health, asserting the power within.
This article will discuss the science behind spontaneous healing and my direct experience. I'll also share three case studies that further illustrate this phenomenon.
Let's dive into helping more of us tap the eternal healing power within us all.
What is Spontaneous Healing?
“Healing yourself is connected with healing others.” — Yoko Ono
Spontaneous healing, also known as spontaneous remission or regression, is an unexpected improvement or cure from a disease that appears to be progressing in severity.
This healing isn't linked to any known medical treatment and usually occurs in patients suffering from severe illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, or autoimmune conditions. Spontaneous healing is often underreported due to its inexplicable nature and rarity.
My Direct Experience
“There is no wound so terrible, no scourge so profound, that it cannot be healed by the power of love.” — Paulo Coelho
In 2005, while training for an Arizona State tennis tournament, I herniated my disk, L4/L5, to be specific. The first pain felt like I had been shot with a large caliber rifle in the lower back. The first shot took me to the ground in excruciating pain.
Over the next year, I did everything I could to stop the pain; doctor consults, physical therapy, and, worst of all, my pain and suffering were so dark, unfamiliar, and profound that I became depressed. I completely lost my way in the business of life, and I haven't touched a tennis racket since the fateful day I fell to the court.
Through my dark night of the soul, I walked on a walker. I had surgery. I went back to physical therapy, and I began to reinvent myself. I quit drinking alcohol. I stopped playing and competing in tennis, the sport of my entire life. I had to change my way of life in all aspects. And it wasn't easy.
Fast forward about five years, and the business of life has become stressful again. I worked hard to scale a digital marketing agency I started on a credit card. My revenue was climbing, my income was flat because I was reinvesting profits, and my stress levels were unsustainable.
My wife drove me to the doctor. I primarily had been working with my Chiropractor for intermittent pain relief in my back. I suffered ongoing sciatic pain that could make a grown-up cry. In disbelief, and for no apparent reason, the MRI revealed three new herniated discs.
The doctor suggested another steroid injection for temporary relief. He also offered me a "pain program." That's the doctor's code for prescribing drugs that don't numb the pain much. In my experience, the two pain pills I tried leading up to my surgery made me hurl buckets of puke faster than when I lost keg races in college.
For some reason, God built into me a wicked aversion to pain pills. The only other ways to deal with pain are the mind-body connection, changing lifestyle, and believing in the biology of belief enough to experience spontaneous healing. At my worst, I sometimes take a few Advil. But mostly, I've learned to manage chronic pain naturally, which has made all the difference over the last 19 years.
My direct, spontaneous healing happened after the last doctor visit I just told you about. My wife drove me home from the doctor's. I was in denial. I walked into our house, reclined in my recliner chair for pain relief, and turned on YouTube.
Here's the video that changed my life. It’s a video of John E. Sarno, M.D., being interviewed by John Stossel of then 20/20 fame and fortune. The video explains how Dr. Sarno helped people heal their back pain naturally. His premise is most pain is "in our minds." We feel pain in our bodies through the mind. Most doctors don't know doodly squat about nutrition, the mind-body connection, or the new science of Epigenetics, also known as the Biology of Belief.
I watched the entire video. I bought the Kindle version of Sarno's earth-shattering book, "Healing Back Pain — The Mind-Body Connection. Within two hours of reading the book, the primary prescription read, and I paraphrase, "For most people suffering from back pain, it's in the mind. Knowing the source of the pain, resume all normal activity."
I finished the book and dug out the foam roller to use on my body as I bought into the book's premise. I rolled, stretched, bounced, and walked, standing almost upright within an hour of starting the routine.
When my wife got home from her sales calls, I walked around the house smiling, bouncing around, and ready to tell Janice what had happened and that I felt good enough to reschedule and take the long overdue drive to Colorado for some mountain time.
Now you know my spontaneous healing story. If you don't believe me, ask my incredible wife! Come ride bicycles with me. Play Pickleball, hike a mountain, and do your best to keep up with me.
I turn 62 this month. I now weigh what I weighed in college. I'm 6'1" and 185 pounds. I eat cleanly. I don't drink booze. I use no prescription drugs because, for me, they ALL suck.
I've not had to see a Chiropractor or medical doctor for pain since I finished the book and "resumed all normal activity."
I experienced a life-changing event that most doctors won't believe could happen.
Screw that!
Ready to learn the science of quantum freaking healing?
The Science Behind Spontaneous Healing
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” — Rumi
The precise mechanisms behind spontaneous healing remain a mystery to modern science, primarily due to its infrequent occurrence and lack of comprehensive study.
However, some theories suggest a combination of biological and psychological factors.
Immunological Response. Our immune system plays a vital role in identifying and eliminating pathogens and abnormal cells in the body. Sometimes, the immune system can mount a successful response against diseases, including cancer, leading to spontaneous remission. This response might be triggered by infections that boost the immune system's activity or through unknown mechanisms that suddenly make the immune system recognize the disease.
Psychosocial Factors. Research has shown that mental, emotional, and social factors can significantly affect physical health. Chronic stress, for example, is linked to various health issues, including heart disease and cancer. On the other hand, positive emotions, stress management, and social support may boost immune function and promote healing. A sudden change in these psychosocial factors could lead to spontaneous healing.
Epigenetics. Epigenetics is a branch of biology that studies changes in organisms caused by the alteration of gene expression, not by the genetic code itself. These modifications, which determine when and where genes are switched "on" or "off," are influenced by age, environment, lifestyle, and disease state. Fundamental mechanisms include DNA methylation and histone modification. In essence, while DNA provides the blueprint, epigenetics dictate how that blueprint is used.
Three Case Studies
“What drains your spirit drains your body. What fuels your spirit fuels your body.” — Caroline Myss
Spontaneous Remission in Lung Cancer. A 2018 study published in the medical journal 'Lung Cancer' presented the case of a 61-year-old man diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. The patient refused any conventional treatment but surprisingly experienced spontaneous remission. A T-cell-mediated immune response may have contributed to this spontaneous regression, highlighting the immune system's potential role in such events.
Spontaneous Recovery from Heart Disease. A 2012 study in the 'American Heart Journal' described a patient with severe ischemic heart disease. Despite the patient refusing invasive interventions, his symptoms remarkably improved, indicating a spontaneous recovery. The researchers proposed the theory of 'hibernating myocardium,' where the heart muscle adapts to decreased blood flow and can restore function when the conditions improve.
Spontaneous Remission in Multiple Sclerosis. A case reported in 2019 in the 'Journal of Neuroimmunology' involved a patient diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (M.S.), a chronic autoimmune condition affecting the central nervous system. Despite a poor prognosis, the patient exhibited complete remission without disease-modifying treatments. The case suggested that fluctuations in immune response and changes in environmental or psychosocial factors could play a role in spontaneous remission in M.S.
Implications for Medical Practice
“Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.” — Tori Amos
Although spontaneous healing is not something healthcare professionals can currently induce or rely upon, understanding its mechanisms might transform medical practice. It could lead to breakthroughs in harnessing the body's innate healing abilities, resulting in innovative treatments and therapies for various diseases.
Moreover, the potential role of psychosocial factors in spontaneous healing emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to healthcare. Mind-body therapies, stress management techniques, and social support may improve patients' quality of life and potentially enhance their physical health.
Spontaneous healing also highlights the importance of hope in the healing process. Even when the prognosis seems grim, there may still be potential for improvement or recovery. Healthcare professionals should bear this in mind when communicating with patients, helping to foster hope and resilience alongside administering medical treatments.
Future Research
“We must be willing to encounter darkness and despair when they come up and face them, over and over again if need be, without running away or numbing ourselves in the thousands of ways we conjure up to avoid the unavoidable.” — John E. Sarno, M.D.
Despite the challenges in studying spontaneous healing, it holds vast potential for understanding diseases and discovering new treatments. Future research should focus on collecting detailed case reports of spontaneous healing to identify common patterns and potential triggers.
Furthermore, interdisciplinary studies involving immunology, neurobiology, psychology, and sociology could shed more light on this phenomenon.
In conclusion, spontaneous healing underscores the power within our bodies to combat disease. While we don't yet understand this phenomenon, the documented case studies and existing research theories suggest a complex interplay of biological, environmental, and psychosocial factors.
Despite the rarity of these events, their existence inspires optimism about the inherent healing capabilities of the human body.
Tap Into the Power Within
“The purpose of all physical symptoms is to distract attention from emotions.” — John E. Sarno, M.D.
The power within — spontaneous healing — is a fascinating yet understudied area of medical science. While we are still in the early stages of understanding its mechanisms, case studies and research theories suggest potential biological and psychosocial triggers.
These spontaneous events, where the body recovers from severe or chronic illnesses without conventional treatment, illustrate the extraordinary capabilities of our bodies. The ongoing research in this field promises to expand our understanding of disease processes, resilience, and the remarkable potential for healing within us all.
This inherent potential is a powerful testament to the human body's resilience and the indomitable spirit of life. This God-given power is within us despite the fact most of humanity takes it for granted or is completely unaware of “it” as they sit without a clue to the way while in their Sunday pew.
As medical science continues to explore this remarkable phenomenon, we look forward to the novel insights and treatments this research could bring.
Despite the mystery surrounding spontaneous healing, these remarkable stories of recovery hold a powerful message of hope — that sometimes, against all odds, the human body can make a comeback, showcasing the real power within.