Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health

What does it mean to be healthy? Here, look at definitions of health, sickness, and disease as multidimensional constructs. Examine how we measure health, both individually and publicly. Review health determinants such as human behavior, geography, the environment, genetics, and economic factors in approaching a more holistic model of health.

Begin to look at the biological pathways whereby psychological and social phenomena affect the body. Study the autonomic nervous system, the biology of the "fight or flight" response, and its opposite, the relaxation response. Also learn about the body's stress-response system and the medical consequences of chronic stress.

What is the relation of the mind to the immune system? Study how the immune system fights foreign organisms, destroys altered cells, and heals wounds. Then examine studies showing the effects of stress on front-line immune response, susceptibility to disease, and wound healing. Learn also how meditation can boost immune function.

Review the basic science of genetics and inheritance as a lead-in to the fascinating field of epigenetics. Grasp how genes are biologically expressed or "turned on" and how our behaviors and environment can alter our genetic material (for better or worse) within our lifetimes - alterations that can be passed on to subsequent generations.