For a Healthy Mind and Body...
Talk to a Psychologist
Focus on Mind/Body Health
Cold and flu season...the holidays around the corner...back to school and work. There's a lot to be stressed about at this time of year, but it helps to know how your mind and your body can work to support each other.
Did you know:
- 93 percent of Americans say that perceptions, thoughts, and choices affect physical health (APA national poll, 2005)
- Two-thirds of all office visits to family physicians are due to stress-related symptoms (American Academy of Family Physicians)
- 58 percent of Americans believe that one can't have good physical health without good mental health (APA national poll, 2005)
- High levels of hostility have been found to predict heart disease more often than high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, or obesity (Health Psychology, November 2002)
- More than 1/3 of Americans say they have had an illness that was primarily caused by stress (APA national poll, 2005)
- Research supports the idea that having a positive outlook can extend one's life (Emotional Longevity: What Really Determines How Long You Live, Norman B. Anderson and Elizabeth P. Anderson, 2003)
Increasingly, we're discovering the mind/body health connection. But even though we know the two are linked, Americans are still more likely to seek help for the mind only in cases of depression or suicidal thoughts. People turn to diet after diet rather than deal with the emotional issues that lead them to overeat. They'll treat the physical ailment that may have been forestalled if they'd sought help for the stress that preceded the illness.
Here are some groups who want to change that thinking:
- American Council on Exercise
- American Institute of Stress
- American Occupational Therapy Association
- American Public Health Association
- Association for Community Health Improvement
- Health Enhancement Research OrganizationInternational Association of Fire Fighters
- International City/County Management Association
- The Mind/Body Medical Institute
- National Association of County and City Health Officials
- National Athletic Trainers' Association
- National Civic League
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- National Fitness Therapy Association
- National Women's Health Resource Center
- Partnership for Prevention
- Yoga Alliance
To read more about mind/body health, click below:
Next page: Life Can Take a Toll
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