No one gets out of this world alive, and few people come through life without at least oneserious illness. If we are give a serious diagnosis, it is useful to try to remain free of panic anddepression. Panic can constrict the blood vessels and impose an additional burden on theheart. Depression, as medical researchers all the way back to Galen have observed, can set thestage for other illnesses or intensify existing ones. Is is no surprise that so many patients wholearn that they have cancer or heart disease---or any other catastrophic disease---becomeworse at the time of diagnosis. the moment they have a label to attach to their symptoms, theillness deepens. All the terrible things they have heard about disease produce the kind ofdespair that in turn complicates the underlying condition. It is not unnatural to severelyapprehensive about a serious diagnosis, but a reasonable confidence is justified. Cancertoday, for example, is largely a treatable disease. A heavily damaged heart can bereconditioned. Even a positive HIV diagnosis does not necessarily mean that the illness will moveinto the active stage.
One of the interesting things researchers at the UCLA medical center have discovered is thatthe enviroment of medical treatment can actually be enhanced if seriously ill patients can be keptfree of depression. In a project involving 75 malignantmelanoma patients, it was learned that adirect the connection exists between the mental state of the patient and the ability of theimmuse system to do its job. In a condition of emotional devastation, immune function isimpaired. Conversely, liberation from depression and panic is frequently accompanied by a anincrease in the body's interleukins, vital substances in the immune system that help activatecancer-killing immune cells. The wise physician, therefore, is conscious of both the physicaland emotional needs of the patient.
没有一个人能活着离开这个世界，极少有人一生—世没生过一次重病。如果医生诊断说你得了重病，力戒恐慌和沮丧是大有益处的。恐慌会使血管收缩，增加心脏负担。而沮丧，正如自占希腊名医盖伦以来的医学专家们所指出的.可诱发其他疾病或家中目前的疾病，难怪许多患者一听说自己得了癌症或心脏病—或其他什么灾难性疾病，病症立即就会恶化。一旦给自己的各种症状贴上某种标签，病情便随他们想起听到过的有关疾病的种种可怕的事情，感到绝望，而这反过来又使病情愈发严重。诊断得了重病，忧心忡忡，本属合情合理，但也应保持一定的信心。例如，癌症现在已基本上是一种可治之 症。严重受损的心脏也可以重新修复。即使诊断出HIV呈阳性。也不一定就意味着疾病会进入活跃期。
加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校医学中心的研究人员有一个有趣的发 那就：让重病患者摆脱沮丧心情，实际上就能使医疗环境得以改善。一项包括75名恶性黑瘤患者的研究显示，病人的心理状态和免疫功能之间存在直接联系。在心情十分恶劣的情况下，免疫系统也会受损。相反，摆脱了沮丧和恐慌，常常会使得体内白细胞间素增多，而这种物质在免疫系统中至关重要，它有助于激活克癌免疫细胞。因此明智的医生对病人的身体和心理需求都会加以重视。
People who have heart attacks are especially prone to despair. After they come through theemergency phase of the episode, they begin to reflect on all the things they think they will beunable to do. They wonder whether they will be able to continue at their jobs, whether they willbe able to perform satisfactorily at sex, whether they can play tennis or golf again. In short,they contemplate an existence drained of usefulness and joy. The spark goes out of theirsouls. It may help for these people to know that in addition to miracles that modern medicinecan perform, the heart can make its own bypass around the occluded arterirs and thatcollateral circulation can provide a rich supply of oxygen. A heart attack need not bereggarded as consignment to a mincing life-style. Under circumstances of good nutrition, areasonable amount of exercise and a decrease in the wear and tear of stressful events, lifeexpectancy need not be curtailed.
Plainly, the American people need to be re-educated about their health. They need to know thatthey are the possessors of a remarkably robust mechanism. They need to be de-intimidatedabout disease. They need to understand the concept of a patient-physician partnership inwhich the best that medical science has to offer is combined with the magnificent resources ofmind and body.
We need not wait, of course, for a catastrophic illness before we develop confidence in ourability to rise to a serious challenge. Confidence is useful on the everyday level. We arestronger than we think. Much stronger.
心脏病患者尤其容易心情沮丧。闯过急救阶段以后，他们便开始思考所有那些他们认为自己再也不能做的事情。他们担心是否还能继续工怍，是否还能正常发挥性功能，是否还能打网球或高尔夫球。总之，他们臆想出一种没有一点奉献和换了的生活。他们灵魂中的火花熄灭了。 让这些人了解下事实将是有益的：一方面现代医学能创造奇迹，另一方面，心脏本身也可以使血液绕过阻塞的动脉，而这种旁侧循环同样可提供足够的氧气。无须认为患上心脏病就意味着要战战兢兢地生活，只要营养良好，适当运动，减少重大事件对自己的压力，寿命就未必会缩短。
显然，美过人需要接受一次健康问题的再教育。他们应该知道，自己拥有十分强健的肌体，不必为疾病所吓倒。他们需要理解这样一个概念：患者和医生要建立一种伙伴关系。这样，医学可提供的最佳治疗就能与患者身体和心理的奇妙功能结合起来。
当然，我们不必等到了灾难性疾病才对自己奋起对抗严重挑战的能力树立其信心。信心每时每刻都是重要的。我们比自己想象中的要更强健。强健得多。（李运兴 译）
责任编辑：admin
上一篇：没有了
下一篇：英文散文翻译示例——A Bouquet for Miss Benson/送给卞老师的一束花
微信公众号搜索“译员”关注我们，每天为您推送翻译理论和技巧，外语学习及翻译招聘信息。