In response to ‘Lashes outdated way to punish children’ https://www.nationnews.com/2023/05/21/lashes-outdated-way-punish-children/

A controversial one but a much needed conversation. Even though I grew up in the culture of scbigystcf, (If you get that, you get it!) I don't believe in physical punishment for children. My reasons are plentiful but as brief as I can explain:

Can you guarantee the "lash" will be the same strength each time? Or, after the car breaks down, a busy day at work, a stain on your favourite top and an argument with your partner, will the lash have a bit of weight behind it?

Do you find you have to give lashes for repetitive behaviours? Maybe, just maybe the lashes are not as effective as believed to be. The child may wince at the sight of a slipper but it begs the question does the child really understand why they are getting hit? Is the lash accompanied by a discussion - is the child required to give words of accountability for their behaviour? Are they taught or given the tools to develop emotional intelligence or conflict resolution? If not, it is likely the behaviour will be repeated. 

Psychoneuroendocrinology may sound like something straight out of a sci-fi movie but it is the interdisciplinary approach to “psycho” – psychology, psychiatry; “neuro” – neurology, neurobiology; and “endocrinology” – the study of our hormones. In a nutshell, the way in which our thoughts and emotions can affect our nervous, endocrine, immune systems and overall physiology. It is the butterflies we feel in our stomach before taking an exam or the racing heart when we see someone we are attracted to.

Psychoneuroendocrinology is a fairly new discipline that fuses together a range of health sciences that had previously overlooked the significance of the emotions in the onset, deterioration or improvement of disease. Stressful triggers, or our inability to adequately process them can be indicated in cases of asthma, eczema, digestive disorders and cancer.

One of the interesting things about this branch of medicine is that it helps us to understand, not only the way our emotions affect our own bodies, but also how our emotions can affect or be affected by others. For example, the hormone oxytocin is produced during breastfeeding. This conditioned response, the oxytocin reflex or “letdown reflex” may be produced when a nursing mother hears her baby cry or thinks about her baby. If the nursing mother is emotionally overwhelmed or in pain, the reflex may stop.