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What is MindBody Medicine?
Among the more profound accomplishments of modern science has been the discovery that mind and body are not separate and independent, but rather the same entity seen from two different angles. Descartes, in setting the mind and body apart, was wrong and Western medicine was equally wrong in discounting the significance of patients’ mental states for their physical condition. The emotional centers of the brain are tightly connected to the immune, endocrine and cardiovascular systems, pain and sleep centers, among others.
In last few decades many studies demonstrated over and over again that people who are chronically distressed have double the average risk of getting a major disease in upcoming years. By contrast, a mind at peace with itself protects the body’s health. That is why our MindBody Medicine Clinic’s programs are specifically designed using “mind-body approaches such as:
- relaxation techniques
- cognitive behavioral therapy
- stress management
- communication skills
- all for treatment of chronic medical illnesses such as chronic pain and weight control.
By themselves, "mind-body" approaches are often not sufficient for treatment of medical illnesses and should be combined with traditional/allopathic medicine. They are, however, essential components of health and wellness and, if used carefully and systematically, they can prevent and alleviate many stress-related medical symptoms. The logic is simple: If outer stress and inner distress can exacerbate illness, then we must manage that stress, improve coping and heal psychological traumas, in order to stay healthy. Otherwise, we miss a vital piece to achieve health. Because mind and body are inseparable, we believe that by keeping healthy mind we will have positive effect on the rest of the body.
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The Mind-Body approach is any method in which we use our minds to change our behavior or physiology in order to promote health and recovery from illness. These include: 1) Any technique that elicits a state of relaxation; 2) Cognitive therapy; 3) Stress Management; and 4) Improvement of communication skills hypnosis
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