Mind-body medicine and stress management Tradition-tested
therapies for modern lives By Marcia Murphy, LCSW What is Mind-
Body Medicine? Mind-Body Medicine explores the influence of the
mind and emotions on the body and immune system, and vice versa.
Mind-body specialists are typically therapists or other mental
health professionals who examine the effects of the mind –
thoughts, attitudes and beliefs – on physical health and well-
being. Specialists use a variety of techniques to promote
health, such as talk therapy, deep breathing, guided imagery,
relaxation therapy, meditation and yoga. Using these techniques,
mind-body medicine helps direct energies toward healing and
health. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), according to Dr. Kenneth
Pelletier, is “the study of the intricate interaction of
consciousness (psycho), brain and central nervous system
(neuro), and the body’s defenses against external infection and
internal aberrant cell division (immunology).” Dr. Pelletier
serves as a medical and business consultant