Includes a biography of the professor, a course scope, a glossary, and bibliographical references.

"In less than half a century, medicine has gone from dismissing holistic approaches to health to actively studying and, in some cases, practising mind-body medicine. Few would disagree that stress and emotion affect our health in sometimes profound and important ways. However, a truly holistic approach is even broader still. It includes emotions and stress but also recognizes how our social environments, relationships, and beliefs are related to health and disease.
This course explores the history, development, and evidence base for an approach called biopsychosocial medicine, in which biology, psychology, and sociocultural factors are examined as both independent and interactive contributors to health and disease. This conceptual model is first introduced, followed by essential biomedical building blocks, an exploration of psychological and sociological variables, and finally, applications to organ systems and common chronic diseases. This course draws from diverse research traditions, poignant clinical narratives, and active demonstrations compiled from nearly 20 years of educational training programs in medicine, nursing, psychology, and anthropology.
This course seeks to answer three key questions: What makes us sick? What makes us well? What can we do about it? By exploring both biological as well as psychosocial factors related to health, you will graduate with a cutting-edge understanding of how the "outside" (e.g., stress, relationships, work) gets "inside" to alter the functioning of our minds and bodies. And, more importantly, you will finish this course with a toolbox of ideas and interventions useful in pursuing your personal health goals.
This course is organized into five interdependent sections: Introduction, Biological Pathways, Psychological Factors, Social Factors, and Diseases. In the first section (Introduction), the course begins by defining the biopsychosocial mode, its emergence, and its current application in modern medicine. The lectures in the first section attempt to define the health of individuals, families, and communities to assist you in doing your own health assessments.
The second section (Biological Pathways) covers basic and fundamental biomedical pathways that help you understand "how the outside gets inside". These four pathways include the autonomic nervous system, the neuroendocrine system, immunology, and genetics.
The third section (Psychological Factors) examines the evidence supporting links between cognition, emotions, personality, behavior, stress, and health. You will learn why we often engage in unhealthy behaviors and why behavior changes can be so difficult to make. You will have the opportunity to perform a number of psychological and behavioral self-assessments while critically appraising the promise of psychological interventions on health and behavior change.
The fourth section (Social Factors) analyzes social and ecological factors that are thought to be critical to health and disease. These factors include identity, culture, socioeconomic status, social support, occupational stress, and public health.
The fifth and final section (Disease) uses the three "braids" of the biopsychosocial model to help you understand the causes, consequences, and treatments of common chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, chronic pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Upon completion of this course, you will have a more complete and nuanced scientific understanding of what makes us sick, what makes us well, and what we can do about it. You will have a greater appreciation of the roles of the individual, family, community, and society in promoting health - in its most narrow and broadest definitions. And, lastly, you will have more insight into how our current, mostly biological medical system works, including where it excels and where it fails. When armed with this new insight and information, savvy patients and consumers may more efficiently partner with their medical provider and maximize their health" (Publisher's Website)

CONTENTS:
Disc 1:
01. Weaving the Biopsychosocial Braid
02. Vital Signs: Defining Health and Illness
03. Fight or Flight vs. Rest and digest
04. Simmering Soup - the Neuroendocrine System
05. Deploying the Troops - Basic Immunology
06. Nature vs. Nurture - Genes, Health, and Disease
Disc 2:

07. Forget Me Not - Cognitive Function
08. Mind Over Matter - Cognition in Everyday Life
09. Emotions Revealed - Psychology of Emotions
10. Agony and Ecstasy - Biology of Emotion
11. What's Your EQ, and How Can You Improve It
12. What's Your Type? Personality and Health
Disc 3:
13. An Apple a Day - Behavior and Disease Prevention
14. Staying on the Wagon - Making Changes That Last
15. Ease the Burn - Modern-Day Stress and Coping
16. The Iceberg - Visible and Hidden Identity
17. Ties that Bind - Relationships and Health
18. Building Bridges - Intimacy and Relationships
Disc 4:

19. Touched by Grace - Spirituality and Health
20. A Matter of Class - Socioeconomics and Health
21. A Cog in the Wheel - Occupational Stress
22. The Power of Place - Communities and Health
23. The Master Plan - Public Health and Policy
24. Heart and Soul - Cardiovascular Disease I
Disc 5:
25. Heart and Soul - Cardiovascular Disease II
26. The Big C - Cancer and Mind-Body Medicine
27. Bugs, Drugs and Buddha - Psychoneuroimmunology
28. Fire in the Belly - the GI System
29. Obesity - America's New Epidemic
30. The Strain in Pain Lies Mainly in the Brain
Disc 6:

31. Catching Your Zs - Sleep and Health
32. Chasing Zebras - Somatoform Disorders
33. Seeing the Glass Half Empty - Depression
34. Silencing the Scream - Understanding Anxiety
35. Lingering Wounds - Trauma, Resilience, Growth
36. Tomorrow's Biopsychosocial Medicine

"In less than half a century, medicine has gone from dismissing holistic approaches to health to actively studying and, in some cases, practising mind-body medicine. Few would disagree that stress and emotion affect our health in sometimes profound and important ways. However, a truly holistic approach is even broader still. It includes emotions and stress but also recognizes how our social environments, relationships, and beliefs are related to health and disease.
This course explores the history, development, and evidence base for an approach called biopsychosocial medicine, in which biology, psychology, and sociocultural factors are examined as both independent and interactive contributors to health and disease. This conceptual model is first introduced, followed by essential biomedical building blocks, an exploration of psychological and sociological variables, and finally, applications to organ systems and common chronic diseases. This course draws from diverse research traditions, poignant clinical narratives, and active demonstrations compiled from nearly 20 years of educational training programs in medicine, nursing, psychology, and anthropology.
This course seeks to answer three key questions: What makes us sick? What makes us well? What can we do about it? By exploring both biological as well as psychosocial factors related to health, you will graduate with a cutting-edge understanding of how the "outside" (e.g., stress, relationships, work) gets "inside" to alter the functioning of our minds and bodies. And, more importantly, you will finish this course with a toolbox of ideas and interventions useful in pursuing your personal health goals.
This course is organized into five interdependent sections: Introduction, Biological Pathways, Psychological Factors, Social Factors, and Diseases. In the first section (Introduction), the course begins by defining the biopsychosocial mode, its emergence, and its current application in modern medicine. The lectures in the first section attempt to define the health of individuals, families, and communities to assist you in doing your own health assessments.
The second section (Biological Pathways) covers basic and fundamental biomedical pathways that help you understand "how the outside gets inside". These four pathways include the autonomic nervous system, the neuroendocrine system, immunology, and genetics.
The third section (Psychological Factors) examines the evidence supporting links between cognition, emotions, personality, behavior, stress, and health. You will learn why we often engage in unhealthy behaviors and why behavior changes can be so difficult to make. You will have the opportunity to perform a number of psychological and behavioral self-assessments while critically appraising the promise of psychological interventions on health and behavior change.
The fourth section (Social Factors) analyzes social and ecological factors that are thought to be critical to health and disease. These factors include identity, culture, socioeconomic status, social support, occupational stress, and public health.
The fifth and final section (Disease) uses the three "braids" of the biopsychosocial model to help you understand the causes, consequences, and treatments of common chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, chronic pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Upon completion of this course, you will have a more complete and nuanced scientific understanding of what makes us sick, what makes us well, and what we can do about it. You will have a greater appreciation of the roles of the individual, family, community, and society in promoting health - in its most narrow and broadest definitions. And, lastly, you will have more insight into how our current, mostly biological medical system works, including where it excels and where it fails. When armed with this new insight and information, savvy patients and consumers may more efficiently partner with their medical provider and maximize their health" (Publisher's Website)

DVD CONTENTS:

Disc 1:
01. Weaving the Biopsychosocial Braid
02. Vital Signs: Defining Health and Illness
03. Fight or Flight vs. Rest and digest
04. Simmering Soup - the Neuroendocrine System
05. Deploying the Troops - Basic Immunology
06. Nature vs. Nurture - Genes, Health, and Disease

Disc 2:
07. Forget Me Not - Cognitive Function
08. Mind Over Matter - Cognition in Everyday Life
09. Emotions Revealed - Psychology of Emotions
10. Agony and Ecstasy - Biology of Emotion
11. What's Your EQ, and How Can You Improve It
12. What's Your Type? Personality and Health

Disc 3:
13. An Apple a Day - Behavior and Disease Prevention
14. Staying on the Wagon - Making Changes That Last
15. Ease the Burn - Modern-Day Stress and Coping
16. The Iceberg - Visible and Hidden Identity
17. Ties that Bind - Relationships and Health
18. Building Bridges - Intimacy and Relationships

Disc 4:
19. Touched by Grace - Spirituality and Health
20. A Matter of Class - Socioeconomics and Health
21. A Cog in the Wheel - Occupational Stress
22. The Power of Place - Communities and Health
23. The Master Plan - Public Health and Policy
24. Heart and Soul - Cardiovascular Disease I

Disc 5:
25. Heart and Soul - Cardiovascular Disease II
26. The Big C - Cancer and Mind-Body Medicine
27. Bugs, Drugs and Buddha - Psychoneuroimmunology
28. Fire in the Belly - the GI System
29. Obesity - America's New Epidemic
30. The Strain in Pain Lies Mainly in the Brain

Disc 6:
31. Catching Your Zs - Sleep and Health
32. Chasing Zebras - Somatoform Disorders
33. Seeing the Glass Half Empty - Depression
34. Silencing the Scream - Understanding Anxiety
35. Lingering Wounds - Trauma, Resilience, Growth
36. Tomorrow's Biopsychosocial Medicine