Health Education and Mind/Body Medicine

By Holly Avey, M.P.H.

Health EducatorOffice of Health Promotion

Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA

Doctoral StudentDepartment of Health Promotion and Behavior

University of Georgia, Athens, GA

What is Mind/Body Medicine?

“What is going on

inside our minds,

our hearts, and our spirits

may have tremendous impact

on what happens to our bodies.”

Mind/Body Health by Hafen, Karren, Frandsen, & Smith, 1996

Related Fields

• Psychosomatic medicine

• Health psychology

• Behavioral medicine

• Psychoneuroimmunology

Key Findings

Thoughts and emotions

create physiological responses.

Key Findings

Overstimulation of neurotransmitters

can lead to reactive inhibition

from tissue fatigue.

Key Findings

Allostatic Load - the body loses its ability

to adapt and adjust.

• Prolonged response (stuck in “on” position)

• Inadequate response (stuck in “off” position)

• Lack of adaptation (always turning on & off)

Implications for Disease: Immune System

• Prolonged response – allergies, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome,

rheumatoid arthritis

• Inadequate response– colds, flu, dental caries, herpes, ulcers, cancer,

HIV

Implications for Disease: Cardiovascular System

• Prolonged response– hypertension, hypercholesterolemia

• Lack of adaptation– arrhythmias

Implications for Disease: Endocrine System

• Prolonged response

– diabetes

Implications for Disease: Nervous System

• Inadequate response to pain

– headaches, back aches, fibromyalgia

Implications for Disease: Gastrointestinal System

• Lack of adaptation

– Irritable bowel syndrome

– Ulcers

Implications for Disease: Reproductive System

• Lack of adaptation

– menstrual irregularities

• Prolonged response

– decreased fertility

Population-Based & Long-Term Implications for Disease

• Health disparities– measures of chronic stress?

• Successful aging– optimism and good coping skills

Mind/Body Research: Public Health Perspective

• Education

• Public vs. individual perspective - underlying societal causes

• Multi-disciplinary/ multi-dimensional research

Barriers to Mind/BodyHealth Education

• Ignorance of mind/body research and treatments

• Fear of addressing mental health issues

• Segregation of existing programs into disease categories

• Funding by disease categories

Medical Disease Model Prevention

vs.

Biopsychosocial-

spiritual HealthModel Promotion

Where Do We Go From Here?• Include mind/body research in Health Education

curricula

• Challenge the disease prevention model in program conception & development

• Identify interested parties & organize

• Advocate for new & different funding opportunities

Useful Resources

• Journal Articles

• Books

• Organizations/ Websites

• Funding Opportunities