Mind-body medicine

Mind-body medicine uses a variety of techniques designed to enhance the mind s capacity to affect bodily function and symptoms. Mind-body healing techniques include meditation, prayer, mental healing, and therapies that use creative outlets such as art, music, and dance. 

D. S. Sobel. 2000. The cost-effectiveness of mind-body medicine interventions. Progress in Brain Research 122 393—412. 

Lee, K., Carlin, P. (1997, January/February). Should you try mind-body medicine Health, 77-78. 

Coleman, D. (Ed.). (1993). Mind/body medicine. Yonkers, NY Consumer Reports Book. 

The Adrift or Denial Type People who are prone to low dopa/norepi levels and sluggish depression —what Mind-Body medicine calls Earth types—are likely to react to stress with confusion. These are Denial types who feel frequently adrift. If you re a Denial type, you ll notice that difficult situations often inspire you to turn off, numb out, or freeze, seemingly without emotions or opinions. Awareness is your route to joy, waking up to life s many possibilities and to your own vital nature. 

TO supplement my understanding of Western brain chemistry, IVe found it extremely useful to draw upon the centuries-old healing system from India known as Ayurveda, the science of life. A comprehensive and time-tested approach to health and wellness. Ayurvedic medicine may well be the oldest system of healing in the world. It is still widely practiced in India, as well as among some practitioners in this country, including the famed holistic physician Deepak Chopra, from whom I ve learned what I know about this Mind-Body medicine. 

SO far, weVe focused on the physical the Western brain-chemistry focus and the Ayurvedic tradition of Mind-Body medicine that can help you identify the food, supplements, exercise, and habits to help you overcome your depression. 

Western brain chemistry connection When depressed, likely to be diagnosed with anxious depression or serotonin depletion may be helped by dietary and exercise recommendations for serotonin deficiency. Ayurvedic connection Corresponds in many ways to Air type, or vata may be helped by Ayurvedic Mind-Body medicine recommendations for Air types. 

Ayurvedic connection Corresponds in many ways to Fire type, or pitta may be helped by Ayurvedic Mind-Body medicine recommendations for Fire types ... 

H. Benson. The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. 

Complementary and alternative medicines A group of practices and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, including alternative medical systems (e.g., homeopathic medicine and naturopathic medicine), mind-body interventions (e.g., meditation and mental healing), biologically-based therapies (e.g., dietary supplements, vitamins, herbs, and other natural products), manipulative body-based methods (e.g., acupuncture and massage), and energy therapies (e.g., therapeutic touch and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies). 

Walters (1993) divides cancer therapies into biologic and pharmacologic therapies, immime thaapies, herbal therapies, nutritional therapies, metabolic therapies, adjunctive treatments, raiergy medicine, and the mind-body connection. 

A second type of medicine practiced in this country is referred to as complementary medicine. In this q)proach to medical care, clients generally receive traditional adjuncts to therapy such as prescription medications, which are often complemented by noninvasive approaches that use the mind-body interaction (Cheng, 1995). Strategies like those described in chapter 6 for anxiety that involve deep breathing, meditation exercises, yoga, and other means of relaxing are frequently used. 

Around that same time, the growing problem of alcohol abuse began to be confronted by the pioneers of modern medicine. In the United States, Benjamin Rush published an Inquiry into the Effects of Ardent Spirits on the Human Body and Mind. He referred to the intemperate use of distilled spirits as a disease, not a moral failing. He also estimated that at least 4,000 people a year were dying due to alcohol abuse—this at a time when the nation s population was only about 6 million. 

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