The Healing Brain. A scientific reader, A Scientific Reader

It has long been known that the body may respond positively when an individual believes that he or she has been given medication. For years the placebo effect remained an isolated and unexplained phenomenon. Recent research has shown, however, that psychological states and life traumas, including divorce and loss of employment, can adversely affect immune system responses. This volume, composed of contributions by noted researchers in psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience, explain the fascinating investigations of brain-mind-body relationships that are changing the way we think about health and illness.

The book's first three chapters demonstrate how the brain operates as a health maintenance organization and describe the brain's growth in response to experience. Psychosocial factors in healing are explored in chapters that examine the social environment's effect on susceptibility to illness, the mechanisms and implications of the placebo effect, and the ways in which social support and health are related. Included is a chapter entitled ``The Broken Heart,'' an exceptional explication of the psychobiology of human contact.

Because healing does not merely return the mind or the body to its presymptomatic condition, but more usually brings about lasting change, chapters on psychoneuroimmunology examine the neuropeptide and emotions interactions that promote healing. Possible psychoneuroimmunological mechanisms are considered, and the emerging field as a whole is discussed with a special note on the timely question of AIDS.

The section on coping and stress investigates why demanding situations affect some people's health adversely whereas others thrive under the same duress. Topics include stress resistant personality and coronary-prone behaviors, and examinations of environmental factors that influence health. Other chapters on diet and nutrition, examine how food affects the brain and how the brain regulates body weight.

Together, the articles in this volume describe a world of scientific research that offers potent possibilities for the future of mental and physical health care. It will prove invaluable reading for all mental health clinicians and researchers, physicians, and serious readers interested in the health and well being of the human organism.