The prerequisite for any therapy is a model which explains  and justifies it. Medicine applies a simple model. The organism is a complex linear machine. Disease causes a malfunction of one or more of its  components. Therapy is designed to repair the malfunction or eventually replace it.

Complex linear machine

This model ignores two important attributes of the organism: It operates optimally and  repairs many malfunctions (diseases)  by itself.  Medicine is well aware of these qualities yet belittles their role in therapy.  Which is highlighted in cancer. The tumor is caused by  a genetic malfunction, and has to be therefore eradicated at all cost.  In the future medicine hopes to replace the faulty  cancer genes and so cure cancer. Here optimality, and self healing are not even considered. All along cancer progression, the organism is indolent, and the outcome depends only on the treatment. Cancer is perceived as an ongoing decay accompanied by the loss of optimality.

A new  kind of Medicine

The model underlying the "New kind of Medicine", is based on two premises:

1. The organism is non linear, extremely complex and its workings cannot be fully understood. The set of processes in the organism is called Wisdom of the Body (WOB)
2. The organism operates optimally in health and disease. Its optimality is controlled by WOB.

For all practical purposes WOB is
a non linear black box, and  therapy responds to  its outgoing signals. The following image illustrates what is meant.

WOB has two meanings. It  is the set of all processes in the body, and  also their controller, hence its name: Wisdom of the Body. We shall be less concerned with how WOB controls processes, since WOB is optimal and we hardly comprehend its wisdom. Rather we intend to  listen to WOB messages, like dis-ease, which indicate  when it needs assistance.  We shall distinguish  between outgoing , and ingoing messages.

There are two  outgoing
signals:

1. Informing the mind when WOB requires assistance (Green arrow, dis-ease).
2. Messages to other WOB (Black arrow , shamanism)

There are four kinds of ingoing signals:

1. Direct messages  from  the mind, which transmit its will   to WOB.
2. The effect of  the environment.
3. Messages from other minds reaching WOB indirectly (culture).
4. Direct messages from one WOB to another (shamanism).

Each message represented by a black arrow, modifies biophysical processes in WOB. For instance:

1. In order to raise my hand, my mind transmits my will to WOB which  executes it.
2. When it gets cold, environment induces WOB to shiver.
3. When  one mind hears the other mind saying "I love you!" it  translates this message  and transmits it to WOB, which modifies some of its biophysical  processes.  Generally culture is a set of messages  transmitted from mind to mind,  forwarded to WOB for process modification. 
4. Shamanism are messages from one WOB to another, and affect  its processes.

WOB messages to the mind (green arrow)

As long as WOB succeeds controlling  processes in the body it remains silent and does not send signals to the mind. When it lacks resources, like water, it sends to the mind a signal of thirst, and mind gets water. Mind serves as interface between  WOB and the outer world, and  supplies WOB needs. When WOB  sends  unpleasant messages, like pain, malaise and dis-ease mind  calls the doctor. When WOB is silent it is healthy
.

We may thus distinguish between two kinds of messages:
1. WOB demands fulfilled by the mind, like thirst  or hunger.
2. WOB demands which require medical treatment.

There is no essential difference between the green and black arrows, since WOB messages to the mind  actually modify  its processes.

Mind messages

Mind  is an interface
between WOB and the outer world. Like  the Greek God Janus, mind faces two directions. Inward it listens to WOB signals and satisfies its demands. Outward, it interprets the outer world and guides WOB to resources. Mind is the site of our will. Whatever we undertake starts as a will. At first our will is imagined, and we see it in our minds eye. The image is then transmitted to WOB, and executed.

When deciding to touch my nose, in a split second the image of touching my nose crosses my mind, and is transmitted to WOB for execution. This sequence of events is more obvious when undertaking new tasks, like when learning to play a piano. When I decide to hit the C key, I first imagine this action,, then look for it, transmit its image to WOB which drives my finger to it. Generally,  imagination is the only channel by which mind communicates with WOB
.


Mind disease

Occasionally WOB  may disagree with my will. Suppose I  decide to lift weights. Mind transmits my will to WOB, and after executing it WOB will respond with muscle ache, as if saying : "Stop it!  I lack  resources to support your will." The ache is a message that WOB needs assistance.  It is a dis-ease initiated by the mind, or mind disease. You may fulfill WOB demand either by stopping weight lifting, which will cure the mind disease,  or  ignore its objection, and continue weight lifting. WOB will than grow new muscle fibers, and stop aching, whereupon your mind disease is cured.

Mind disease results from a conflict between mind and WOB. We may distinguish between two kinds of mind disease:
1. WOB demands are ignored for a while, until the conflict is settled and mind disease cured.
2. The conflict cannot be settled  and WOB demands require medical treatment.

Homosexuality

Many mind diseases are  initiated by our society, and are transmitted from mind to WOB. Like homosexuality when WOB sends to the mind a signal to search for a male lover: In the (not so distant) past homosexuality  was forbidden, initiating a conflict between mind and WOB, which  was settled in two ways. Either WOB desire was channeled by the mind to a creative activity (sublimation), or the conflict turned into  a mind disease called paranoia,
which according to Freud,  originated in an individual's repression of homosexual desire.

Today when homosexuality is  regarded as normal love, it does not initiate a mind disease anymore,  which illustrates the fact that many modern mind diseases can be cured by emancipating the society.

Additional reading:
WOB and  Gender.

Cancer of the mind

Cancer of the mind appears when cancer is diagnosed. A small and silent lump in the breast drives the woman to the doctor.  Upon hearing the diagnosis she sinks into a profound misery. Biologically she is healthy
since WOB is silent. Yet her mind transmits to WOB  the prejudice of our society, which regards cancer as evil and deadly. Diagnosis initiates  her cancer of the mind, which might be cured by  emancipating  our society. 

Facial  hemangioma

An eye-catching hemangioma covers part of the face of a person. Since WOB is silent the patient might be healthy, yet he is not. He is bothered by a manifestation  which the society regards as abnormal. He  suffers from a mind disease, which requires medical treatment.

Broken bone

Following an accident a person broke her  leg.  The excruciating pain indicates that WOB is sick (WOB disease). However WOB can handle this situation by itself. The pain message is directed to the mind as if saying: "Go and lie down, and  don't move your leg!". The mind yields and the pain disappears. In the following weeks WOB will heal the fracture (without medical assistance). Yet the bone may remain deformed leaving the patient in a wheel chair. The person is miserable and suffers from a mind disease which drives the mind to seek the help of a doctor. He breaks the bone (under anesthesia), straightens its deformity, and  places the broken extremity in a plaster cast. When the patient starts walking her mind disease is cured.

Interim summary and the role of the doctor.

What medicine conceives as organic disease, is called here WOB disease. Mind disease includes among other psychosomatic and psychiatric diseases. Yet it is broader than that. Any WOB mind conflict is labeled as mind disease. A person with a WOB or mind disease, may handle it (cure it, resolve it) by himself. If not it is treated by a doctor.  When confronting a WOB or mind disease, the doctor has to decide whether it requires treatment or might  be handled by the patient. Whenever WOB  and mind are silent the patient is healthy and may not require treatment.

Hitherto we have ignored an important dimension of health. We have not asked how healthy the person is. Which will be dealt with  in the following  chapter.

The next image illustrates the role of the doctor.

1. Modification of WOB processes by manipulating cultural messages.
2. Modification of WOB processes by manipulating shamanistic messages.
3. The supply of resources and raising tolerance

Actually, the supply of resources modifies processes, and may be regarded as a signal to WOB. Now the doctor’s task is to manipulate signals and raise tolerance..

 

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