Ellen White wrote that, “Sickness of the mind prevails everywhere. Nine tenths of the diseases from which men suffer have their foundation here” [Testimonies for the Church 5:442 (1897)], and “A great deal of the sickness which afflicts humanity has its origin in the mind…” [Testimonies for the Church 3:184 (1872)]. I heard my mother repeat these words many times, and always wondered how physical illness could originate in our minds rather than our bodies. Doctors and scientists didn’t really begin to understand and accept these concepts until very recently.
A 2019 study showed that traumatized women suffering from PTSD had twice the risk for developing ovarian cancer than those who had not been traumatized. A 2022 study of 278 people with head, neck and pancreatic cancer found that the majority of these patients had faced a major stressful life event at some point in the five years preceding their cancer diagnosis. Even stronger links occur between severe or long-term stress and diseases like heart disease, inflammatory conditions like arthritis, chronic pain disorders, and autoimmune conditions. Even the Mayo Clinic says that chronic stress puts your physical health at risk [Mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management].
This knowledge of the link between mental stress and physical illness is what prompted EGW to encourage people to be thoughtful about their relationship with God, casting all their cares upon Him instead of internalizing and enshrining those cares and worries within the mind. This is a practice that Seventh-day Adventists try to follow, and is one of the many reasons we are part of the Blue Zone family.