Ten reports presented in the International Journal of Psychophysiology (2008; doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2008.09.002) highlight how technological improvements are enabling more detailed measurement of mind-body interactions. For example, researchers noted that a response such as sweating, which occurs on the outside of the body through the peripheral nervous system, is regulated by the brain, and that when this… [Continue Reading]

Mind-Body-Spirit News: Prominent medical institutions are integrating more body-mind practices into patient care as evidence of the benefits of these practices mounts. At the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in downtown Baltimore, 7,500 patients come for treatment annually. Medical professionals are now offering these trauma patients acupuncture and Reiki, as well as music and… [Continue Reading]

Mind-Body-Spirit News: One of the barriers to consistent meditation practice is that people feel they do not have enough time. A small study conducted in China has shown that meditating as little as 20 minutes daily over a 5-day period can improve both attention and mood. [Click here to read full article]  

Mind-Body-Spirit News: Practicing mindfulness reduces stress. Could it be helpful for other issues like binge eating or weight management? A small, preliminary study published in Complementary Health Practice Review (2006; 11 [3], 133–43) has shown that a modified mindfulness program with a special focus on eating can help adults reduce binge eating, anxiety and depressive… [Continue Reading]

Mind-Body-Spirit News: The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends the use of mind-body therapies, in combination with each other or alone, to reduce symptoms of migraine, tension and mixed-type headaches, according to a research review published in the journal American Family Physician (2007; 76 [10]; 1518–22, 1523–24). Authors of the review defined mind-body medicine as… [Continue Reading]

Mind-Body-Spirit News: In 2007, designer Donna Karan founded the Urban Zen Initiative, a nonprofit organization, to promote integrative medicine. Her initiative is inspired in part by her experience with her late husband, Stephan Weiss, during his challenge with cancer. [Click here to read full article]

Mind-Body-Spirit News: If the genetic cards are stacked against you, do not give up hope. Intensive lifestyle changes may be able to influence powerful genetic factors, according to recent studies. Dean Ornish, MD, president of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, led a… [Continue Reading]