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Mindshock is a new series devoted to intriguing and extraordinary medical cases that shed new light on the workings of the mind.

The first film of the series, Transplanting Memories? considers whether it is possible that in receiving a transplanted organ, a patient could inherit some of their donor's memories and tastes as well.

This edition of MindShock, shown on Channel 4 in the UK on 26th June 2006 deals with the idea of heart transplant patients reporting that they experienced memories belonging to their heart donor.

Doctors are finding that many people manage to get cured when they are given fake medication, called placebos, which usually consist of nothing more than sugar pills or distilled water, and then told by their doctors that they were taking real medication.

There is no explanation for why the placebo effect works, except that somehow, the patient's belief that they are getting cured triggers some sort of self-healing ability within the patient. The placebo effect is probably the best-documented way in which the mind is known to affect the body.

Click here to read more.

In  1950, a new drug called Krebiozen had received sensational national publicity as a “cure” for cancer and was being tested by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One of the researchers involved in this testing was a doctor called Bruno Klopfer.

One of Dr. Klopfer's patients, a Mr. Wright was suffering from cancer of the lymph nodes. All standard treatments had been exhausted, and Wright appeared to have little time left.  His neck, armpits, chest, abdomen, and groin were filled with tumors the size of oranges, and his spleen and liver were so enlarged that two quarts of milky fluid had to be drained out of his body each day.

The following story will challenge your idea of just how much your mind influences your body.

You can read the story here.