K-Geist 100

dr elisabeth salch-klauser, anesthetist:

what happens,

when something takes effect?

Effectiveness is a question of effects.

Have you ever wondered what actually happens when something takes effect? The latest brain research proposes a simple model consisting of two elements: a stimulus and a recipient. A stimulus, which could be an active substance or person, for example, has an effect upon a recipient.

To be more precise, it provokes a response in the recipient. Such responses are wide-ranging, occurring in the head, body and brain as well as the nervous, muscular, immune and enzyme systems. Besides being reciprocal, they recur within a matter of seconds, creating a unique neural pattern, otherwise known somatic markers.It is this new pattern that allows new ways of thinking, new perspectives, new patterns of behaviour and new feelings and emotions to be generated.

The exact nature of this unique pattern is determined not only by the stimulus and by active ingredients but also by the neural pattern that happens to be active in the recipient at the moment the stimulus is administered. The individual may be in a particular mental or physical state, for example, have certain expectations, or be experiencing feelings of happiness.

All these factors then combine to produce a unique effect. It is this effect that makes an active ingredient both significant and effective.

Ultimately, there is one thing we must all understand quite clearly: The fact and nature of an effect are determined by ourselves.