Mind, Body, and Medicine

Writing from the unusual perspective of an internist who heads a behavioral medicine unit in a major academic medical center, Raphael Melmed analyzes the mind-body interplay from a physiological viewpoint while drawing on diverse disciplines to demonstrate in a well-rounded way the scientific basis and clinical picture of psychosomatic disorders. He provides a comprehensive analysis of how stress mediates psychosomatic conditions and - for the first time - a description of the physiological basis of the placebo response. He also includes a unifying account of the effects of stress on the immune system consistent with the principles of modern immunology. Among the medical disorders that he discusses in detail are ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, migraine, lower back pain, other chronic pain syndromes, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. He also covers important psychiatric conditions present in the medical clinic such as panic, other anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome. An analysis of the physiological principles underlying cognitive behavioral therapy helps define the essential elements of this widely used technique, and many other chapters contain practical advice on treatment. The book will be a rich original resource for physicians and mental health practitioners.