Chronic Stress, Anxiety? - You Are Your Best Doctor! | Dr. Bal Pawa | TEDxSFU
Summary
TLDRIn this inspiring talk, a physician turned patient shares her journey of recovery from a life-altering accident. She explains how chronic stress can lead to serious health issues and introduces the 'BMW' meditation technique: Breathe, Word, and Mind. This practice helps activate the vagus nerve, promoting rest and digestion, and ultimately transforming her life and the lives of her patients. The speaker emphasizes the power of the mind-body connection and encourages everyone to become their own best doctor by managing stress.
Takeaways
- 🚗 The 'BMW' stands for Breath, Word, and Mind, a meditation technique to help manage stress and promote healing.
- 🐕 Stress can cause a 'fight-or-flight' response, which is useful in acute situations but harmful if experienced chronically.
- 🚑 Chronic stress can lead to various health issues such as heartburn, headaches, hypertension, and even serious diseases like diabetes and cancer.
- 🧠 The autonomic nervous system controls the body's stress response, and it can be managed through techniques like the BMW meditation.
- 🌪 The vagus nerve is a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system that helps to calm the body and counteract stress.
- 🏥 Even medical professionals are not immune to stress-related health issues, as illustrated by the speaker's personal story.
- 🤔 Mind-body connection is crucial for health; stress affects both mental and physical well-being.
- 🧘♀️ The BMW meditation technique involves deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and focusing the mind to achieve a state of calm.
- 💊 Medications can provide temporary relief, but addressing the root cause of stress through techniques like BMW meditation can lead to long-term healing.
- 📚 The speaker's personal transformation and healing were achieved through a combination of research, practice, and the application of the BMW technique.
- 🌟 The BMW meditation technique can be a powerful tool for anyone, including patients and medical professionals, to manage stress and improve overall health.
Q & A
What is the fight-or-flight response?
-The fight-or-flight response is an acute short-lived stress reaction that occurs when faced with a perceived threat, preparing the body to either confront or flee from the situation.
What are the negative effects of chronic stress on the body?
-Chronic stress can lead to heartburn, headaches, muscle tension, hypertension, gut problems, sleep problems, high anxiety, and low sex drive. It can also contribute to serious diseases like diabetes, depression, heart attacks, and even cancer.
What is the autonomic nervous system and its role in stress?
-The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that controls bodily functions such as heartbeat and digestion. It revs up in response to stress, preparing the body for the fight-or-flight reaction.
What is the role of the vagus nerve in the autonomic nervous system?
-The vagus nerve acts as a brake in the autonomic nervous system, promoting the rest and digest response, which slows down bodily functions and helps the body recover from stress.
How can the mind-body connection affect health?
-The mind-body connection can significantly impact health. Chronic stress can lead to physical ailments, while relaxation techniques can promote healing and improve overall well-being.
What is the significance of the speaker's car accident in the narrative?
-The car accident led to severe injuries and chronic pain for the speaker, causing her to experience firsthand the devastating effects of chronic stress and the necessity of mind-body healing techniques.
What is the BMW meditation technique mentioned in the script?
-BMW meditation stands for Breath, Word, and Mind. It is a three-step relaxation technique involving deep diaphragmatic breathing, muscle relaxation, and focusing the mind on a single word to reduce stress.
How did the speaker's approach to medicine change after her accident and study at Harvard?
-After her accident and study at Harvard, the speaker shifted her medical practice to integrate mind and body, focusing on empowering patients with tools like the BMW meditation technique to take charge of their health.
What was the outcome for the speaker after practicing the BMW meditation technique?
-The speaker experienced significant improvements in her physical and emotional health, allowing her to come off all medications and regain a sense of wholeness and healing.
What advice does the speaker give to individuals dealing with stress?
-The speaker advises starting a daily BMW meditation routine, even if just for ten minutes, to help manage stress and improve overall health.
How does the speaker define the role of an individual in managing their own health?
-The speaker defines the role of an individual in managing their own health as taking charge and becoming their own doctor by understanding their stressors and reactions, and using techniques like meditation to mitigate stress.
Outlines
🚗 Introduction to Chronic Stress
The speaker begins by using a vivid analogy of Oprah giving away cars to illustrate the sudden and acute stress response known as 'fight-or-flight.' This is followed by an explanation of how chronic stress can lead to various health issues such as heartburn, headaches, hypertension, and even serious conditions like diabetes, depression, heart attacks, and cancer. The American Medical Association is cited to emphasize the prevalence of stress-related symptoms. The autonomic nervous system is introduced as the body's engine that activates during stress, and the modern-day triggers are contrasted with ancient threats to highlight the constant state of fight-or-flight many people experience today.
🚑 Personal Experience with Stress-Induced Illness
The speaker shares a personal story of a car accident that led to severe and chronic pain, exhaustion, and depression, affecting her both personally and professionally. Despite being a physician, she found herself overwhelmed by the stress response and the physical toll it took, leaving her unable to care for her children or patients. This narrative serves to humanize the speaker and to emphasize the profound impact of chronic stress on one's life.
🧘♀️ Discovering Mind-Body Medicine
The speaker recounts her journey to recovery through mind-body medicine, which she learned about at Harvard Medical School. She explains the concept of the vagus nerve, which is responsible for the 'rest and digest' response, counteracting the fight-or-flight mode. The speaker's skepticism, grounded in her scientific training, led her to conduct her own research, which confirmed the benefits of relaxation techniques. She developed a simple three-step meditation method—breath, word, and mind—which she practiced diligently to achieve healing.
🌟 Transformation Through Mindful Meditation
The speaker describes the transformative effect of her meditation practice, which not only helped her heal but also allowed her to help others. She emphasizes the importance of starting the day with mindfulness and shares a success story of a patient who used the meditation method to overcome stress and achieve academic success. The speaker concludes by encouraging everyone to take charge of their health by becoming their own doctor, using the BMW meditation technique to manage stress and promote overall well-being.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Fight-or-flight
💡Chronic stress
💡Autonomic nervous system
💡Vagus nerve
💡Rest and digest
💡Mind-body connection
💡Meditation
💡Endorphins
💡Melatonin
💡Serotonin
💡BMW meditation
Highlights
Experiencing acute short-lived stress, like almost hitting a dog while driving, can trigger the fight-or-flight response.
Chronic excessive stress can lead to various health issues such as heartburn, headaches, hypertension, and sleep problems.
75% of all the symptoms doctors treat can be traced back to excessive stress, according to the American Medical Association.
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for the body's stress response, which was crucial for survival in prehistoric times.
Modern stressors like fear of failure and rejection can keep the body in a constant state of fight-or-flight.
The vagus nerve acts as a brake for the autonomic nervous system, promoting rest and digest.
Consistently applying the brakes, or managing stress, is crucial for health.
The speaker's personal story of a life-altering car accident and the subsequent chronic pain and stress.
The realization that traditional medicine was not healing the speaker physically or emotionally after the accident.
The introduction of mind-body techniques as a potential solution to chronic stress and pain.
The speaker's career transition to studying mind-body medicine at Harvard Medical School.
The three-step BMW meditation technique (Breath, Word, Mind) to activate the vagus nerve and promote relaxation.
The transformational effect of the BMW meditation on the speaker's own life, leading to healing and a new outlook.
The speaker's transition from skeptic to believer in the power of mind-body medicine.
The creation of a clinic integrating mind and body approaches to empower patients.
The story of Michelle, a patient who used the BMW meditation to overcome stress and succeed in medical school.
The importance of taking charge of one's health by becoming one's own doctor in managing stress.
The practical application of the BMW meditation technique for daily stress management.
The long-term benefits of daily meditation for overall health and well-being.
The potential for mind-body techniques to improve emotional and physical health, as supported by neuroscience.
Transcripts
[Applause]
let's pretend that I'm Oprah and all of
you are getting a brand-new car a BMW
whoo
you're excited you rev up the engine and
you hit the road you're enjoying the
ride and suddenly a little white poodle
jumps right in front of you you panic
the dog panics you're going right Yeah
right and just when you think you're
gonna hit the dog or crash into the
ditch you slam on your brakes swerve and
shoot the dog scampers off but you're
left shaking what just happened you just
experienced an acute short-lived stress
called fight-or-flight sound familiar
now imagine if your body lived in this
state all the time chronic excessive
stress leads to distress heartburn
headache muscle tension hypertension gut
problems sleep problems high anxiety low
sex drive sound familiar
as I can tell you the American Medical
Association also reports that an
astonishing 75% of all the symptoms that
doctors treat can be traced right back
to excessive stress as a researcher and
as a physician I see these symptoms and
eventually these symptoms lead to
serious life-threatening diseases
diabetes depression heart attacks and
even cancer
there is an undeniable mind-body
connection
when it comes to stress and disease but
today I'm going to show you how to use
your mind to stress proof your body by
becoming your own best doctor but first
a little anatomy 101 like a car your
brain has a little engine and it's
called the autonomic nervous system and
this autonomic nervous system revs up
when there's stress and that's great
when we had to run away from external
dangers like saber-toothed Tigers that
fight/flight reaction was important but
nowadays those prehistoric Tigers are
replaced by tigers that roam in our mind
fears fear failure fear of rejection
loneliness a toxic boss busy to-do list
you can't run away from those fears in
their mind they're with you all the time
so what happens your body goes into
fight-or-flight all the time becomes
your new norm your default option your
engine is revving up all the time and
your gas pedal is stuck so what happens
you're bombarded with stress hormones
cortisol adrenaline and they wreak havoc
with your body the more stress the more
you get sick cause and effect but wait
the autonomic nervous system has a break
it's called the vagus nerve but unlike
that other Vegas what happens in this
Vegas doesn't stay there
this Vegas runs from your brain all the
way and it wanders this nerve collection
wanders to all the different organs in
your body and it does the opposite of
fight-or-flight
it's called rest and digest it slows
everything down so it's taking you out
of that survival brain into your calm
cool rational brain much better for your
health but the problem is we don't apply
the brakes consistently and I know this
too well both as a doctor and as a
patient at age 32 I wasn't perfect but
my life sure was I'm married to an
adoring man
an optometrist who si is only for me
we've moved into our brand-new home we
have two beautiful children and one more
on the way and I'm doing something I
love delivering babies and keeping
families healthy life is good one rainy
Vancouver evening I've just finished
delivering a baby I'm heading home the
baby is a nine pound beautiful future
wrestler big boy you should have seen
the mother tears of joy streaming down
her face and it's the best part of my
job I get to share that joy and I
couldn't wait to get home and hug my two
children when I walked through the door
they say that your life can turn on a
dime and mine turned in my prime out of
nowhere a speeding truck rams into my
little white sedan the impact catapults
me and my car into oncoming traffic in
the other lane
screeching tires crunching metal
smashing glass and sirens screaming and
lights flashing
and the paramedic is asking me questions
how old are you what's your name and
then total blackout when I wake up I'm
now a patient in the neck brace in the
same hospital that I just left as a
physician a few hours ago but this time
I'm the one who's getting poked and
prodded x-rayed and examined that
role-reversal very scary and sobering
that accident
ruined seven years of the prime of my
life I was left with debilitating
injuries to my neck shoulder fractured
ribs collapsed lung my chronic pain
exhaustion I couldn't sleep I lost my
baby I was sad depressed
and on top of that I was woken up with
nightmares because my autonomic nervous
system was revving up all the time I was
reliving the accident over and over and
over again I couldn't look after myself
how could I look after my children or my
patients my medicine cabinet was
overflowing with drugs you name it I had
it but I was not healing physically or
emotionally at age 39 I I felt like I
was 59 and my dreams and careers were
washing away if you've ever had a
serious setback and you've been down in
that dark place you know how it feels
hopelessness and despair but I had to do
something my crushed shoulder meant I
couldn't deliver babies anymore so as a
career transition I signed up for a
mind-body course at the Harvard Medical
School and dr. Benson
was a leading researcher there so one
day after class I approached him and I
said dr. Benson I've been suffering for
seven years after an accident I've had
multiple surgeries I've seen so many
different specialists I've tried every
kind of medication but I'm still not
getting better
could your research help me he said
definitely bout
chronic pain and chronic stress
triggered the autonomic nervous system
you are living in constant
fight-or-flight you can't heal in that
state you have to turn on your vagus
nerve rest and digest but how he said
look stress is automatic but relaxation
is not you have to relax your diaphragm
relax your muscles in your body and
repeat a word put the three together try
it what have you got to lose
and you know he was right
I had nothing left to lose at that point
I had everything to gain so I returned
to Vancouver with renewed hope and
determination but my science based
training evidence-based medicine made me
very skeptical so I had to do my own
research study after study confirm that
relaxation techniques definitely slowed
down this automatic autonomic nervous
system but more compelling was the
neuroscience that showed when you do
mind-body medicine and connect this you
get remarkable dramatic improvements in
your emotional and physical health I was
convinced I've got to take this so I
combined the research that I did with
the relaxation techniques I learned from
dr. Benson and I made it very simple I
said three steps that I could do breaths
mind and word BWW meditation
so that was gonna be easy I started I
got up in the morning and I started to
routine found a quiet small comfortable
space started with deep diaphragmatic
breath then two minutes in I would relax
my muscles and I remembered what the
research said relaxed muscles slow down
your autonomic nervous system and very
tense diaphragm tense muscles do the
opposite fighter flight the second thing
the mind that was more challenging
especially when you have chronic stress
and you have chronic pain it's going
thought thought thought thought I had to
slow the mind down I had to go and be
with in that moment and just be present
I realized what a powerful force the
mind has over the body because the mind
is inextricably linked to your autonomic
nervous system state of mind equals
state of body so when I went quiet when
in the moment that meant being mindful
not letting my past thoughts my future
thoughts hijacked me had to stay there
and it helped when I focused on my
breath third thing I had to repeat a
word he said repeat a word so I chose
the word home because it rhymes with
home and I was so desperate to come back
to my pre-accident body and reclaim my
home so I would start breathing putting
the mind into it putting the breath into
it focusing and every morning I created
a routine ten minutes in the morning ten
minutes in the evening and soon I was
able to get to one minute little mini
meditations throughout the day
and then I started to feel a shift my
body was changing my brain was producing
endorphins natural painkillers melatonin
a sleeping pill that is just natural and
serotonin a natural antidepressant
within a few months the skeptic
scientist
had her proof I was off all my
medications I felt whole
I felt healed I felt I had a new mindset
and a new outlook what was supposed to
be a career transition course at Harvard
turned out to be the most radical
transformation of my life today I'm
closer to 59 but I feel like I'm 39
[Applause]
it was this BMW meditation and not
medication that transformed my life and
then helped me to transform the lives of
thousands of my patients since then I
completely changed the way I practice
medicine co-founded a clinic where we
look at mind and body integrating the
whole person empowering patients with
tools like this so that you're a part of
the solution the health solution I was
so inspired I wrote a book called the
mind-body cure because I truly believe
that every single one of us has an
innate ability to heal ourselves cure
ourselves when we provide the right
environment for the body breath mind and
word works this meditation works a few
years ago a young lady I'll call her
Michelle came to my office she was in
serious distress she said dr. power I
flunked my medical school qualifying
exam I'm a straight-a student and I
panicked and now my dreams of becoming a
doctor are crushed and she had a huge
meltdown size of Manhattan right there
in my office
her autonomic nervous system was so
revved up I calmed her down we breathed
through it and I said Michelle
meditation is the thoughtful act of
creating order in your body you need to
get your mind to control your autonomic
nervous system she went home she soon
started following the BMW meditation
steps reset her nervous system and came
back after few months guess what I got
95 percent of my exam Wow
that was fantastic but the best part
Michelle is now an integrative physician
and she is using BMW meditation for her
patients now does this mean that if you
meditate and I meditate we don't need to
see our doctors absolutely not you mean
we all need to see our doctors for
essential treatments but let's face it
if many of your symptoms are due to
stress
then the responsibility falls on you to
take charge to become your own doctor
right you know your mind the best you
know what your stressors are and you
know how your body reacts to them so
soon as you wake up in the morning and
before you touch that phone start start
if you're already doing some mindful
meditation great but if you're not
please start now because just ten
minutes a day will have profound and
huge benefits for the rest of your life
so when you get up get into your BMW
start with your breath deep inhales and
exhales then just focus your mind then
start a word repeat a word peace Oh amen
whatever resonates and ten minutes in
you will feel more calm more energized
and more refreshed the best part is when
you live like that and rest and digest
your brain is more calm cool and
rational and the biggest thing when you
learn to master your mind to control
your autonomic nervous system you have
ultimately become your own best doctor
right and you start seeing the
difference you feel better you heal
better because your stress hormones are
not wreaking havoc with your tissues you
start feeling more creative more
resilient more focused and when your
mind and body are connected you connect
better with others especially your
significant other and let's face it
stress is not going away all of us are
affected no one is immune to stress not
even Oprah
but you don't have to let chronic stress
and anxiety and setbacks cause you
distress so go ahead use your BMW to
bring you back home to health and
vitality and joy and enjoy the rest of
your ride
[Applause]
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