Mind Body Medicine

Does stress cause diabetes or aggravate arthritis? Are you sick because you want to be, or healthy because you have a good attitude? Gurin and Goleman acknowledge that many of the popular claims made for the power of the mind to heal the body are distorted or inflated. To be sure, there are connections between the body and the mind, and in this series of well-written, easy-to-understand articles, physicians, psychologists and researchers discuss some of them. They include the mind's role in, among others, pain management, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and even skin problems such as psoriasis. Also discussed are the ways in which thoughts and emotions may affect the immune system, as well as the need for patients to become active partners in their own medical care. In addition to helpful charts on how and where to seek professional help, the authors give counsel on relaxation, hypnosis, biofeedback and stress management. Although many questions still remain unanswered about the relation between the body and the mind in health, this is an excellent, well-researched look at it. Gurin is the science editor of Consumer Reports ; Goleman is a former editor of Psychology Today . (Feb.)