The American Diabetes Association reports that research shows relaxing can help some diabetics to control blood glucose levels, which can be harmed by stress. Stress also can raise the need for insulin while blocking its release.

The relaxation response can be induced in several ways. I learned how with a method introduced back in the 1920s by Dr. Edmund Jacobson of the University of Chicago. He taught patients to unwind by progressively relaxing muscle groups, from their soles to their scalps. “Curl your toes,” he would say. “Hold them in that position. Feel the tension in the muscles of your feet [soles, toes, arches, heels, ankles]. Now, slowly release the muscles; let the tension drain away. Think of something pleasant.”

Here are some other tools to help you induce a relaxation response:

•   Biofeedback. By recording biological changes in your pulse rates, temperature, muscle tension, and sweat, machines can show your body’s feedback. A TV monitor shows your heart speed up or slow down in response to your thoughts, to see which relax you.

•   Hypnosis. A hypnotist might put you into a quiet state. By self-hypnosis, some can learn to do this for themselves.

• Imagery. Imagining quiet scenes often seems to trigger the relaxation response. Some researchers contend that imagery can help patients to slow their cancer, but doubt persists.

•   Breathing. Most of us don’t breathe deeply enough. Shallow breathing will lead to shortness of breath and chest tightness – symptoms of stress. Focus on deep breathing for relaxation.

The World Health Organization has approved the relaxation response as part of the treatment for high blood pressure. Combined with nutrition and exercise, doctors see it easing depression, painful AIDS symptoms, headaches, back pain, and other ills.

Dr. Williams, of Duke, in his study of the impact of hostile feelings on the heart, found that angry people suffered more heart disease than calm ones. “These studies of relaxation and other stress management techniques,” he says, “suggest stress management is ready for more extensive clinical trials.”

The wide range of research on relaxation, and the role the mind plays in healing the body, offer hope for controlling an ever-widening range of diseases.

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GENERAL HEALTH