the science behind love: let’s get chemical
It’s no surprise that, for centuries, people thought love (and most other emotions, for that matter) arose from the heart. As it turns out, love is all about the brain – which, in turn, makes the rest of your body go haywire. According to a team of scientists led by Dr. Helen Fisher at Rutgers, romantic love can be broken down into three categories: lust, attraction, and attachment. Each category is characterized by its own set of hormones stemming from the brain
Lust is driven by the desire for sexual gratification. The evolutionary basis for this stems from our need to reproduce, a need shared among all living things. The hypothalamus of the brain plays a big role in this, stimulating the production of the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen from the testes and ovaries. While these chemicals are often stereotyped as being “male” and “female,” respectively, both play a role in men and women. As it turns out, testosterone increases libido in just about everyone. The effects are less pronounced with estrogen, but some women report being more sexually motivated around the time they ovulate, when estrogen levels are highest.
Attraction, on the other hand, seems to be a distinct, though closely related, phenomenon. While we can certainly lust for someone we are attracted to, and vice versa, one can happen without the other. Attraction involves the brain pathways that control “reward” behavior which partly explains why the first few weeks or months of a relationship can be so exhilarating and even all-consuming.
Dopamine, produced by the hypothalamus, is a particularly well-publicized player in the brain’s reward pathway – it’s released when we do things that feel good to us. In this case, these things include spending time with loved ones and having sex. High levels of dopamine and a related hormone, norepinephrine, are released during attraction.
Finally, attraction seems to lead to a reduction in serotonin, a hormone that’s known to be involved in appetite and mood. Interestingly, people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder also have low levels of serotonin, leading scientists to speculate that this is what underlies the overpowering infatuation that characterizes the beginning stages of love.
Last but not least, attachment is the predominant factor in long-term relationships. While lust and attraction are pretty much exclusive to romantic entanglements, attachment mediates friendships, parent-infant bonding, social cordiality, and many other intimacies as well. The two primary hormones here appear to be oxytocin and vasopressin
When You're Falling in Love
When you are falling in love, it's as though a chemical storm has been unleashed in the brain. The brain's neuromodulatory system is rapidly pumping out large quantities of dopamine and noradrenaline. It's that chemical explosion that makes you feel excited and warm all over.
The same system is releasing noradrenaline because of the newness and excitement of it all. It's the brain's way of accentuating that there is something novel going on that should be noticed. It makes you feel brighter and more alive. There is almost no time in your life when you feel more alive than when you are falling in love.
Craving Your Beloved
As the relationship deepens, the pleasure that you associate with love makes you crave more. One of the wonderful things about dopamine is that it is initially only released at the time of the excitement, but then the brain is smart enough to release it in advance of the excitement — in anticipation of the hug, the kiss, or the presence of the beloved. You actually begin to feel warm before the moment of connection. That contributes to you craving it. It becomes an addiction. You want to see that person again — to connect again.
As Love Matures
As the relationship matures, it becomes more than an addiction. It becomes an "attachment," which arises in two ways. The first is that when you really connect with someone — when you are really rewarded by being in that person's presence — the brain releases oxytocin. Oxytocin contributes to the feeling that the person with you is trusted, is someone who should be one with you. A chemical bonding occurs. This is also the kind of bonding between a parent and child. It occurs between two people who are so positively and continuously connected that they form a chemical bond — both when they are together and when they think of one another.
The consequence of that is that your brain — through its plasticity (its ability to reorganize, chemically, structurally, and functionally) — grows that person whom you love into your "self." That person becomes a part of you. Ultimately, you are bonded, you are wedded in your brain — just as you may be wedded in life.
For more information on this topic, please follow this link:
Michael Merzenich, PhD, is often credited with discovering lifelong plasticity, with being the first to harness plasticity for human benefit (in his co-invention of the cochlear implant), and for pioneering the field of plasticity-based computerized brain exercise. He is professor emeritus at UCSF and a Kavli Laureate in Neuroscience, and he has been honored by each of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He may be most widely known for a series of specials on the brain on public television. His current focus is BrainHQ, a brain exercise app.
Kyle Wilhelm
Kyle Wilhelm has been a board-certified music therapist since 1998 serving a wide variety of individuals. He is currently an instructor in the music therapy area at Colorado State University.
music and the brain
There is a lot of confusion about music therapy. The definition of music therapy by the American Music Therapy Association is “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a certified individual who has completed an approved music therapy program.” A very important piece of this definition is that for the use of music to be called music therapy it needs to include a therapeutic relationship from someone trained in an approved music therapy program.
This article, published in the Journal of Music Therapy, has some promising results from the use of music with individuals with dementia. It looked at the effect of six different music interventions, two of which are music therapy and four are “technology-based music interventions,” which are listening to recorded music. The results showed a decrease in agitation, apathy, and depression and an increase in quality of life in persons with dementia with the music. The greater amounts of music participation by the individual, the greater the effects. The authors also found that guided interventions by a music therapist or personal trainer were more effective than non-guided interventions.
Unfortunately, the authors grouped results from the music therapy interventions and the technology-based music interventions together making it is difficult to see which was more effective. However, the article does show how music can make an impact on the lives of individuals with dementia.
Dahms, R., Eicher, C., Haesner, M., & Mueller-Werdan, U. (2021). Influence of music therapy and music-based interventions on dementia: A pilot study. Journal of Music Therapy, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thab005
For more information about Music and the Brain I would recommend this website https://www.msinharmony.com It is endorsed by the American Music Therapy Association and is featured on the AMTA website.
Healing, Healing, Healing, You CAN do it!!!
Hi, I’m Shannon Hake. I was diagnosed with MS in 2001. I was 32 years old, yet I had symptoms as early as age 6. I have tried many diets, exercise programs, supplements to see if I could heal my body. Nothing worked…until now.
In 2015, I came across the book, “Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal”, by Anthony William. I read it openly, and without judgment. Since the information he provides is not yet discovered by medical research & science, you won’t find it on the internet. I read about mystery illness, which is an ailment that perplexes anybody for any reason. MS, an autoimmune disease, is a mystery illness. I learned the body does not attack itself. Pathogens do…specifically, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV is a complicated virus that’s been living and mutating for over 100 years. Because it's been around so long, there are over 60 varieties. The MS varieties eat away at the myelin sheath. This is what gives MS the distinct set of symptoms associated with it. The book describes that EBV can be put into six groups of escalating severity. It goes through 4 stages, with the ultimate goal of inflaming your central nervous system.
This viral inflammation creates all kinds of issues… joint pain, back pain, tingling and/or numbness in the hands and feet, dizziness, fatigue, and so much more. Also, the EBV mutation that causes MS is typically accompanied by a unique combination of bacteria, fungi, and heavy metals. These are cofactors such as Strep A & B bacteria, H. pylori bacteria, Candida fungus, Cytomegalovirus and the heavy metals copper, mercury, and aluminum. “While these cofactors help give MS its particular characteristics, at its core multiple sclerosis is just a form of EBV.”
I found knowing the truth is half the battle and critical to my healing. The other half is becoming empowered with knowledge about how to move toward healing… killing the virus and other pathogens that create symptoms.
So, in January 2016, I did my best to follow the 28-Day Healing Cleanse from the book. I expected to have completely killed the virus and to be healed…No, didn’t happen. But I did notice some interesting changes… NO migraines the whole cleanse, random red swollen areas would pop up, then disappear, pre-cancerous, dry patches on my face vanished. Since then, I’ve come to realize it takes patience and persistence to put a dent in the viral load inside my body…and bacterial load, and heavy metals load, etc. Even though I wasn’t ready to fully commit and continue at that time, I kept what I read in the back of my mind and continued gathering information and reading the books he put out every year.
“Life Changing Foods: Save Yourself and the Ones You Love with the Hidden Healing Powers of Fruits & Vegetables”, came out in 2016. It explains the Holy Four: Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs & Spices, and Wild Foods. It explains how symptoms and conditions are the body’s way of telling you what it needs. Knowing this, you can determine the foods best for your healing or prevention. Also, to reap the benefits of these groups, it’s important to eat plenty of them.
I learned which foods help my condition and symptoms & what they contain, really contain. For example, Cilantro’s living water in its stems and leaves contains mineral salts comprised of sodium, potassium, and chloride. These are bound to potent phytochemicals. As these mineral salts travel through the bloodstream, lymph & spinal fluid, they bind onto the amino acids, glycine and glutamine, forming the ultimate neurotransmitters. The brain draws up these precious compounds through the blood-brain barrier. Attached to the mineral salts are these phytochemicals that deliberately remove toxic heavy metals... and everyone’s brain contains toxic heavy metals of one kind or another.
Also explained is the wild food, raw honey. Since “bees collect from plant species far and wide, the fructose and glucose in honey are saturated with over 200,000 undiscovered phytochemical compounds and agents.” These include pathogen-killers and anti-cancerous phytochemicals. Also, honey’s highly absorbable sugar and B12 coenzymes make it an immensely powerful brain food. It repairs DNA and is extremely high in minerals.
Also explained are the Unforgiving Four: radiation (Chernobyl, Nagasaki), toxic heavy metals (lead, nickel), the viral explosion (human herpesvirus family), and DDT (pesticides). (Yes, DDT is still around harming us)
What I’ve shared barely touches the information found inside the book. I started incorporating what I learned, making recipes from the book, and finding new ways of enjoying fruits, vegetables, wild foods, herbs & spices. It also gave me reasons why these things are so important for my health and healing. This is another huge part of healing…knowing why you are eating what you are eating.
“Thyroid Healing: The Truth Behind Hashimoto’s, Graves’, Insomnia, Hypothyroidism, Thyroid Nodules, & Epstein-Barr” came out in 2017. It gives a more detailed explanation of the EBV stages. Stage One has mild symptoms, lies dormant or quietly replicates in the bloodstream. Stage Two when diagnosed is mononucleosis. Undiagnosed is listlessness, mild fatigue, a cold, earache, etc. It picks an organ/s, recedes from the bloodstream and nests. Some make their way to the liver to feed on their favorite foods…toxins, poisons, and unhealthy fats – Its goal is taking down the lymphatic system. Stage Three is the Thyroid Stage. It may feel like another bout of mono but won’t show up on blood tests. EBV is very active in this stage filling the liver with toxins that release into the lymphatic system and bloodstream. It confuses the lymphocytes that are specifically assigned to protect the thyroid. These lymphocytes are a major part of the thyroid’s individualized immune system. Stage Four is The Mystery Illness Stage. This is when the virus begins to affect a person neurologically. The ultimate goal of EBV is the central nervous system. The excrement it releases into your body is highly toxic to your nerves. (neurotoxins)
It also talks about the thyroid being the body’s data center, cataloguing the markers of homeostasis, then delegating tasks and responsibilities to keep everything in balance. It does this by producing two additional hormones, R5 & R6. The thyroid emits radio-like frequencies in its messaging and monitoring of the body, and these hormones play a pivotal role.
Also talked about are Great Mistakes in the medical establishment that put blame on the wrong things when it comes to chronic illness. Things like your body is attacking itself (It’s not), It’s your genes (It’s not), or Hashimoto’s (or another illness) is the answer (It’s not…It’s a label for your symptoms). It goes on to explain how you can resurrect your thyroid (even if it’s been removed) and rebuild your body; complete with what not to eat, healing foods to eat and supplements to incorporate for your healing...and again, reasons why to do all this.
“Epstein-Barr is responsible for an overwhelming number of so-called autoimmune conditions…These conditions have nothing to do with a faulty body and everything to do with your immune system putting up the fight of its life against this invader.”
“Liver Rescue: Answers to Eczema, Psoriasis, Diabetes, Strep, Acne, Gout, Bloating, Gallstones, Adrenal Stress, Fatigue, Fatty Liver, Weight Issues, SIBO, & Autoimmune Disease”, came out in 2018. This book gave me an enormous appreciation for my liver and all that it does. It processes fat, protects our pancreas, stores glucose & glycogen, stores vitamins & minerals, neutralizes and detains harmful materials, screens and filters our blood, and has a personalized immune system to protect us from pathogens that threaten to harm it and hurt our health. In the pages are details about how these functions happen, and these are only a few of over 2,000 critical functions the liver performs. It talks about the real meaning of liver enzyme tests and reveals there are dozens of more enzymes yet to be discovered.
It has detailed chapters on so many symptoms and conditions; a few are Diabetes and Blood Sugar Imbalance, Adrenal and Methylation Problems, even Acne, SIBO and Mystery Hunger (it’s the liver hungry for Critical Clean Carbohydrates, not fat). It also gives details about a sluggish/stagnant liver and how there are warning signs that it’s in overload and needs our help. Signs like weight gain, mystery heart palpitations, hot flashes, acid reflux, canker sores, varicose veins, and so many more. These signs give us an opportunity to respond and bring our liver back to health. The book tells us how we can bring it back in a gentle, loving way. It explains how we can work with our liver and show it the ultimate kindness— “a kindness that your liver will repay a hundredfold with renewed health and vitality.”
In truth, none of us were taught how important it is to clean our liver, and even how to do it. Cleaning mine is how I started to really heal my MS. (My liver was filled with junk and still needs more cleanup. Ideally, we should clean it twice a year.)
“Liver care is the real key to creating health in the rest of the body, and cleansing is the ultimate liver care.”
The next book, “Celery Juice: The Most Powerful Medicine of our Time, Healing Millions Worldwide”, came out in 2019. This is the book that ignited my commitment to heal. It details the benefits of celery juice, what it contains, and what these things do. I was hooked. I bought a celery juicer and painstakingly started juicing celery…everyday…on an empty stomach.
Why? Because the book talks about celery juice containing hydrobioactive water (its alive and has a system to it), sodium cluster salts (mineral salts able to neutralize toxins), electrolytes (complete living ones), a bioavailable, pre-methylated form of vitamin C (the liver doesn’t have to convert it for the body to use it), antioxidants (remove fatty deposits from around toxic heavy metal deposits), digestive enzymes (there are three varieties), a prebiotic factor (kills unproductive bacteria, cleans them, then feeds them to good bacteria), and plant hormones (feed and replenish every single gland in the endocrine system). It explains how each of these works and opened my mind to not only the possibility of healing, but the probability.
The book also has a large chapter called Relief from Your Symptoms and Conditions. e.g., Constant Hunger, Edema, Weight Gain/Loss, Fatigue, Cold Hands & Feet, Insomnia, Tinnitus, and Emotional Struggles… Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia, Cancer, Autoimmune Conditions, Diabetes, Thyroid conditions, OCD…
When I started this book, I had preconceived ideas about the benefits. I was SO wrong about every one of them. I learned that celery is an herb. The juice made from it, is a medicine, a nutritional powerhouse, an herbal extract and so much more.
The book has a chapter called How to Make Celery Juice Work for You. It shows how to juice celery (with pictures), either with a blender or a juicer. It explains why 16 oz. and why on an empty stomach. It has a chart detailing amounts for younger ages, from 6 months to 11 years old. It has a chapter on Rumors, Concerns, and Myths around celery juice. Other chapters on More Healing Guidance, and Alternatives to celery juice. Complete with the Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie recipe and other recipes important for your healing. It made it simple and easy for me to get started.
The last book came out in 2020, Cleanse to Heal: Healing Plans for Sufferers of Anxiety, Depression, Acne, Eczema, Lyme, Gut Problems, Brain Fog, Weight Issues, Migraines, Bloating, Vertigo, Psoriasis, Cysts, Fatigue, PCOS, Fibroids, UTI, Endometriosis, & Autoimmune. I thought, “I don’t need to cleanse. I’m fine.” The opening image to Part I, made me reconsider:
Medical Medium, Cleanse to Heal p. 1
It shows toxic heavy metals and pollutants we breathe in every day, and we have no control over it.
The chapter A Wake-Up Call to What’s Inside Us talks about what kind of poisons and toxins are inside us and how they got there. And we all have a different combination. Some are from pharmaceuticals (traces of mercury—weakens our immune system), others are pesticides/herbicides/fertilizers (denature and damage our cells in critical places—like our brain), air fresheners/laundry detergent/perfumes/colognes (hazardous toxic chemicals—can lower our immune system rapidly and hinder our white count), gasoline (breaks down the immune system & weakens nerve cells), radiation (X-rays, MRIs, flying & associated luggage, cell phones—also lowers the immune system), plastics (petroleum based by-product, found in pharmaceuticals, PVC pipes, baggies, appliances, etc.—creates a barrier not allowing cells to breathe), fungicide (new clothing, new money, plug-in air fresheners, new sporting goods—contains a tremendous amount of copper and gets into our brains and livers), etc. The intent is to make us aware, not afraid; aware that we can’t get away from any of it, so we need to cleanse it out of our bodies.
The chapter Troublemaker Foods explains what they are, and specifically why they cause problems. e.g. Any kind of vinegar is dehydrating on a deep, deep, organ level, keeping toxins inside the body.
Your Guide to Choosing a Cleanse has 10 cleanses from which to choose. The Overview of Cleanse Options describes the Purpose of each one, what it is Especially Useful For, and the Length of each. Other topics in this chapter are The “Why” of Cleansing, Food Intolerances, Children, and Counting Macros: The New Counting Calories.
What You Need to Know about Supplements (Quality matters, etc.) is an important chapter to read before you dive into The True Cause of Your Symptoms and Conditions with Dosages to Heal chapter. (“in order to understand what the proper herbs and supplements even are for a health problem, we need to discover what the underlying issue is.”)
Critical Cleanse Dos and Don’ts is important to read to understand more about the cleansing process. “These are critical understandings and insights to make your cleanse a catalyst for change in your life.”
As with all books in the Medical Medium series, every page is filled to overflowing with so much excellent information—accurate, unbiased, untampered with information.
What I’ve shared here is a tiny portion of what I've learned and what has kept me on my healing path. Peace to you on your healing path. “Your suffering is real, you don’t deserve it, and your body hasn’t let you down. With the proper information, you can heal.” -- Anthony William
As of August 2021, it’s been 18 months of committed actions and I’m only getting better and better.
what type of physical therapy is the most appropriate for me?
Gwynne Jones, PT, DPT
Gwynne grew up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont before attending Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, where she double majored in biology and dance. Her love of movement and mountains led her to Regis University’s DPT program. She has gained clinical experience treating children and adults in various locations and settings including acute care, outpatient orthopedics, and outpatient neurological physical therapy. She takes a holistic approach with consideration for physical, emotional, and psychosocial well-being. She particularly enjoys enabling patients with neurological conditions to be confident and as independent as possible. She became a Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist in Feb, 2020
Gwynne also participates in the use of hippotherapy (using the movement of horses as a therapeutic intervention) with hopes that she will one day contribute to research regarding the efficacy of hippotherapy as an intervention for individuals with neurological conditions, such as Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, vestibular impairment, and balance deficits. In her free time, she loves dancing, exploring in nature, and spending time with her two horses.
"As research continues on the effectiveness of physical therapy for individuals with multiple sclerosis, many types of interventions have proven beneficial. Sebastiao David Santos-Filho in 2019 highlighted recent evidence for various approaches to rehabilitation with consideration for the range of fluctuating symptoms that classify this condition.
Over the last few years, research has demonstrated a significant difference in the functional status between MS patients who undergo rehabilitation and those who are not rehabilitated.
The current algorithm is based on symptoms and tasks. The symptom-based therapy is oriented towards reducing disability through targeting current neurological deficits. Functional rehabilitation and physiotherapy play an important role here. In contrast, the task-based therapy involves the introduction of physical effort into the rehabilitation program.”
We all learn from each other
This is your space, a place for you to share your stories, your thoughts, the life experiences that taught you the most in your journey. We believe that we learn something valuable with every person we meet. We are constantly inspired and impacted by the people we support in one way or another.
