The Importance of Thoughts

Our Thoughts Are More Important to Our Health than Our Genes

By Else Byskov, author of ”Death Is an Illusion”, ”The Art of Attraction”, “Ten Great Ways to Understand the World”, “The Undiscovered Country”.

Author website: www.deathisanillusion.com

You very often hear people say that it is their genes that determine if they are well or ill. The notion that it is our genes that determine the state of our health is called genetic determinism, and for many years it has been the foundation of our understanding of the origin of illnesses. But now this way of viewing the origin of illnesses has been questioned, and the latest research suggests that the importance of genes has been vastly overestimated. It seems that we can ”turn the genes off and on” with the power of our thoughts. With our thoughts we can influence our health much more than we think.

For several decades medical science has led us to believe that our life and health are determined by our genes. We have the genes that our parents provided us with at conception, and thus our health has been predetermined. If our genes predetermine us for a certain illness, then it has been viewed as practically certain that we would get the same illness sooner or later. Indeed, this conviction has been so deep-rooted that healthy people have had healthy organs removed surgically because they had been told that they have a gene for e.g. breast cancer.
But now parts of medical science have changed its tune. The new tune is a showdown with genetic determinism: It is our thoughts that are the most important factor in our health. As thoughts are electromagnetic radiation and thus a form of energy, it is the inherent force in the thought that affects our physical health.
Thoughts are ”something”. They are not nothing, but fine electromagnetic waves on different wavelengths and frequencies. Thoughts can be measured as fine electrical currents. An electrical current holds force, and consequently it becomes clear that thoughts can affect the body through the force or magnetism that the electrical current of the thought holds. It means that the magnetism of thoughts can affect the tissues of the body.
Today medical science has realized that positive, happy and optimistic people get over illnesses much faster than negative and worried people. Positive and optimistic thoughts about one´s healing have a noticeable effect on the time of healing, for instance after a major operation. Positive thoughts heal.
This is a change of tune which clearly undermines the genetic determinism which still predominates how 95 % of the population view the rise of illnesses.
It was also the genetic determinism that was the philosophical foundation for the ”Human Genome Project”, in which the aim was to map the human genome. The philosophy behind the project was that a certain gene would produce a certain physical expression such as blue or brown eyes. At the start of the project it was believed that around 100.000 genes would be found, as it was supposed to be the necessary number to account for the many characteristics humans have. Based on this expectation it was a great surprise when ”only” app. 25.000 genes were found in the human genome.
The human genome has exactly the same amount of genes as that of the mouse. This means that a human and a mouse have the same amount of genes at their disposal. This was quite problematic for the scientists, because now the philosophical basis of the genome project collapsed. That was not how things worked!! There were other factors that determined the functioning of the genes, but what were they? For many years there was silence from the genome project. There is still silence from that front, but now other scientists have entered the scene and are giving the genetic determinism its deathblow. Two books should be mentioned: Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.:”The Biology of Belief” (Hay House 2005) and David Hamilton, Ph.D.:”How your mind can heal your body” (Hay House 2008).
They are an uplifting read, because now parts of the scientific community confirm that our thoughts have precedence over our genes. The genes are not as important as it has hitherto been believed. The thoughts are more important and they can overrule the importance of genes. Actually a gene is ”just” an option, a possible outcome, and whether this option will be manifested depends on other external factors. The genes can be seen as ”lamps” that can be turned on or off. And who turns them on or off? We do. And where is the switch? It is in our thoughts.
Simply put, we can say that we turn off undesired genes by being happy and thinking positive thoughts, and we turn them on by focusing on worry, anger, fear, dissatisfaction and illness. If we have been born with a gene that predisposes us for e.g. breast cancer, then it is not a good idea to focus on this illness and think ”now I´ll get it”. If you are convinced that you will get, then you will get it, because your focused attention to it will activate the gene. It is a much better idea not to focus on any type of illness and see yourself completely healthy and well, totally free from illnesses and 100 % fit. Happy and healthy thoughts may well prove to be the foundation for the optimal functioning of our body.
Bruce Lipton is a cell biologist, and it was his research into the reactions of cells that made him reject the linear way of thinking that for centuries has characterized biology as a science. Conventional biologists are reductionists in the sense that they think that we can understand the functioning of the body by studying a single cell and looking at its chemical building blocks. They think that the biochemical reactions arise as on a conveyer belt, where one chemical gives a certain reaction, which is followed by a new reaction further along the belt, which then gives rise to a new reaction further along etc. This reductionist model has given rise to the belief that if there was a problem somewhere on the conveyer belt, then all one had to do was to replace the defect element with one that worked, and then the belt could roll again. Even though the science of physics has long ago rejected the linear model, based on the teachings of Newton, and replaced it with a holistic quantum model, in which all elements interfere with each other in all directions, biology is still stuck in Newtonian reductionism.
The holistic quantum perspective points out that the universe is an integral unit of interacting energy fields, which influence each other in all directions in a network of interactions. The energy fields interact with each other in a crisscross pattern and not lineally. There is nothing lineal about the functioning of the universe. Quantum physics have long ago thrown the lineal model over board, but both biology and medical science seem to be lagging behind.
This is Lipton’s model:



The complex pattern of interaction between matter and energy made Lipton realize that the reductionist model did not stand a chance to give an accurate understanding of the treatment of illnesses. Within the linear way of thinking certain illnesses have been treated with certain types of medication with the belief that the medication would only have influence on the specific malfunction or the specific gene that was targeted with the treatment. But as the latest groundbreaking research into the mapping of the interactions of proteins confirms the presence of these complex patterns of interaction between the proteins, well, then it must be evident that we cannot only influence a single element or a single protein. This explains the many side effects that most types of medicine have. Because the lineal model isn´t valid, it is impossible only to influence something in only one place. The influence will spread like rings in the water to all other neighbouring proteins with unforeseen consequences as a result. The mutual interactions of proteins make it impossible to achieve a one-sided effect. The biological systems are quite simply multiplex in the sense that an abundance of information goes out in all directions from a single protein.
According to Lipton that is the reason that we can make do with so relatively few genes. The same signals can be used in different organs or tissues, where they can give rise to very different patterns of reaction. We may say that the ”message” in a certain signal depends on the context, in the sense that its meaning depends on which organ ”reads” it. In the liver the signal may mean one thing, and it may mean another thing in the brain. If, for instance, one is given a certain type of medicine to correct a malfunction in a signal of the heart, then logically this medicine will be taken by the blood all around the body. The heart medicine may use the same signals as e.g. the nervous system, but in the nervous system the signals have a different meaning, and then they may unintentionally affect other functions with undesired consequences.
Lipton is not at all impressed with the standstill of biology. It is now 75 years ago that the science of physics rejected the Newtonian model and replaced it with quantum mechanics as its philosophical foundation. It is quantum mechanics that is directly responsible for the development of television, computers, CAT scanners, laser, space rockets and cell phones, so there is every reason to throw the reductionist model over board as hopelessly outdated.
In the year 2000 an article in the scientific magazine Nature revealed that it is the laws of quantum physics and not those of Newton that control the reactions of molecules. This article is based on hundreds of studies that consistently have revealed that ”invisible forces” of the electromagnetic spectrum have a strong influence on each and every facet of biological regulation. In other words, it is energies that have an effect on the biological systems. Specific electromagnetic frequencies and patterns regulate DNA, RNA and protein syntheses, they change the shape and function of the proteins, and control the regulation of genes, the division of cells, morphogenesis, the secretion of hormones and the function and growth of nerves. And not only that. It has also been established that these electromagnetic signals are hundreds of times more efficient as carriers of information than the physical signals such as hormones.
And of course they are, because they are transmitted with the speed of light (all electromagnetic radiation moves at light speed), whereas a chemical moves at less than 1 cm. per second. This strongly indicates that electromagnetic signals have precedence over the chemical signals.
As thoughts are electromagnetic signals it is obvious that they influence the biological systems.
Lipton points out that genes do not control their own activity, but that it is the receptors of the cell membranes that control the switching on or off function of the genes. The various receptors of the cell membrane receive both chemical signals via the blood stream and electromagnetic signals from the surroundings. The electromagnetic signals originate from the thought function, and it is these signals which, together with the chemical signals, control the behaviour and function of the cell. Depending on the contents of the signal, the receptors of the membrane will send messages to the targeted parts of the DNA string and these will be activated. It is likely that it is the vibration of the signal that is decisive for its effectiveness of penetration, so that a high vibration gives the signal a stronger effect. As the vibration of positive and happy thoughts is high, it is both likely and probable that they can influence the biological systems in a positive way. In that way we can activate our genes ourselves with our thoughts. And consequently it has been rendered probable that we can create our health with our thoughts.
The healing potential of thoughts is confirmed in a big way in David Hamilton’s book ”How your mind can heal your body”. The book is full of wonderful examples of how thoughts and visualizations have led to healing. Hamilton writes in the introduction that we now have so many examples of how changed patterns of thought and positive visualizations can heal even serious illnesses that we can no longer just ignore these facts and wait for the established medical profession to accept what has now become evident: Thoughts heal. Hamilton writes that the healing potential is so huge that it would be a pity and a shame if we didn´t right here and now begin to think ourselves healthy. Because there are only advantages involved: It is easy, painless and free. And if we, at the same time, want to continue with the allopathic treatment, then positive visualizations can be an excellent supplement. But the most crucial aspect of the effectiveness of thought healing is that you yourself are completely convinced that it works. You cannot heal yourself with half-hearted thoughts. You need belief, hope and positive expectations.
It has been known for many years that healing can take place on the basis of thoughts through intense investigation into the placebo effect. This effect has now been so well studied that it is irrefutable. If a patient is given an ineffective chalk tablet and at the same time is told that it will make his headache go away, well, then this tablet will in many cases work just as well as a tablet with a pain killer. And if the tablet is administered by a doctor, who in the eyes of the patient is very clever and experienced, then it works better than if it has been administered by a young medical student. Lipton is convinced that 2/3 of all healing is due to the placebo effect and consequently on our own belief that we can be cured.
Hamilton mentions an investigation from The University of Keele (England) from 1981, which included 835 women. This investigation confirms the importance of the trust that the patient has to a specific type of medication. The investigation used two types of Aspirin tablets. One type carried a ”stamp” from a well known medical firm and another type had no stamp. Placebo tablets (chalk tablets with no active ingredients) were also administered and they had been marked in a similar way. The women were now divided into four groups, which would each be given one of the four types of tablets.
The result showed that the stamped tablets worked the best, and that was irrespective of whether they were the real Aspirins or the placebo tablets. The investigation also showed that the placebo tablets were almost as effective as the real Aspirins. The largest effect lay in the belief that the tablet worked, and if it came from a well known producer, who had designed the packaging well, shaped the tablet well, and made it look attractive, and even put his stamp on the tablet itself, then it worked better than the plain tablet without the wrapping. The more trust and confidence the patient had to the effectiveness of the tablet, the greater was the effect.
This also means that the doctor´s attitude to a specific type of medicine is of great importance. If the doctor is sceptical of the effectiveness of the medicine and lets the patient feel his scepticism, then it is only 30 – 40 % of the patients that are healed. If, on the other hand, the doctor shows great enthusiasm about the treatment, it can mean that 70 – 90 % of the patients can be healed. This aspect has to be an ethical challenge to the doctor who is to present the results of an examination to a patient and suggest a treatment.
Our thoughts not only affect our health via their electromagnetic influence on the DNA and RNA, they quite simply produce chemicals in the brain. And this process happens very quickly. In just a few minutes genes have been activated or deactivated by a specific type of thinking. The presence of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine can be traced after only a few minutes’ thought process.
If a person is irritable and dissatisfied, then neuropeptides are produced that signal this state of mind. And these peptides are circulated to all corners of the body with the blood. If the dissatisfied person has cut his finger, then it has been established that his healing process will be slower than it would in a happy and positive person. Both irritation and stress reduce the speed of the healing process, because the genes that are important to healing will be partly deactivated or not activated at all. This can be compared to the dimming function of a lamp. The more irritated and stressed we are, the more has the healing activity been ”dimmed”.
Hamilton’s book is full of examples of healing through visualization. Let us look at just one example. A woman by the name of Petula had been diagnosed with an inoperable breast cancer. She had been told that she only had a 15% chance of survival. The cancer had spread to the lymphatic system and to her neck. She had chemotherapy and radio therapy and the plan was that she would then be operated when the treatment had reduced the size of the cancer. While Petula was being treated she visualized a rabbit, which she called ”Pure health” , which jumped into her body and ate all the cancer cells. The cancer cells were the favourite food of the rabbit and it loved to eat them. The rabbit looked very healthy and it was happy with all the wonderful food it had. Its fur was shiny and radiant. When it had eaten its full, it jumped out of the body and ran into the wood where it defecated in a specific place. In that place a beautiful and healthy tree grew up. Everybody who saw the tree or sat underneath it felt great wellbeing and peace. It was a healing tree. Petula carried out this visualization 2- 3 times a day and every time she had treatment. When the chemotherapy treatment had been completed, the doctors were very surprised with the result. Her cancer had completely disappeared and no operation was necessary. Today, 10 years later, Petula is completely healed.
The two books mentioned here confirm that it is our thoughts that are the most important factor in our health. We are what we think. The genes play a much smaller role than we have hitherto believed. The genes are a potential that we can activate or inactivate with our thoughts.
What gives good health is: positive thoughts and an optimistic attitude to life, less dissatisfaction, less enmity, less moaning and groaning, less worrying and intrigues, more acceptance and tolerance towards others, more focusing on things and persons we like and are grateful for, a warm attitude towards others, and faith, hope, and love.