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Health Education and Mind/Body Medicine

Health Education and Mind/Body Medicine. By Holly Avey, M.P.H. Health Educator Office of Health Promotion Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA Doctoral Student Department of Health Promotion and Behavior University of Georgia, Athens, GA. What is Mind/Body Medicine?. “What is going on

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Health Education and Mind/Body Medicine

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  1. Health Education and Mind/Body Medicine By Holly Avey, M.P.H. Health Educator Office of Health Promotion Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA Doctoral Student Department of Health Promotion and Behavior University of Georgia, Athens, GA

  2. 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

  3. Related Fields • Psychosomatic medicine • Health psychology • Behavioral medicine • Psychoneuroimmunology

  4. Key Findings Thoughts and emotions create physiological responses.

  5. Key Findings Overstimulation of neurotransmitters can lead to reactive inhibition from tissue fatigue.

  6. 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)

  7. Implications for Disease: Immune System • Prolonged response • allergies, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis • Inadequate response • colds, flu, dental caries, herpes, ulcers, cancer, HIV

  8. Implications for Disease: Cardiovascular System • Prolonged response • hypertension, hypercholesterolemia • Lack of adaptation • arrhythmias

  9. Implications for Disease: Endocrine System • Prolonged response • diabetes

  10. Implications for Disease: Nervous System • Inadequate response to pain • headaches, back aches, fibromyalgia

  11. Implications for Disease: Gastrointestinal System • Lack of adaptation • Irritable bowel syndrome • Ulcers

  12. Implications for Disease: Reproductive System • Lack of adaptation • menstrual irregularities • Prolonged response • decreased fertility

  13. Population-Based & Long-Term Implications for Disease • Health disparities • measures of chronic stress? • Successful aging • optimism and good coping skills

  14. Mind/Body Research: Public Health Perspective • Education • Public vs. individual perspective - underlying societal causes • Multi-disciplinary/ multi-dimensional research

  15. 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

  16. Medical Disease Model  Prevention vs. Biopsychosocial-spiritual Health Model Promotion

  17. 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

  18. Useful Resources • Journal Articles • Books • Organizations/ Websites • Funding Opportunities

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