Mind-Body Medicine: The New Science of Optimal Health

Begin by contemplating three of the course's core questions: Why do people get sick? How do people get well? What can we do about it? As a guiding context for the lectures, learn about the biopsychosocial paradigm, which looks at the relationship between the biological, psychological, and social factors in human 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.

Here, study the anatomy and function of the endocrine system as it affects the body's stress response. Learn how the endocrine system releases cortisol, the "stress hormone," into the bloodstream, and the physiologic changes that cortisol produces. Review the problems caused by cortisol imbalance and key approaches to controlling 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.