Healing Brain Seminar: May 1982

THE HEALING BRAIN II: STAYING HEALTHY

Medicine and medical care have understandably focused on those who become ill. Certain environmental, behavioral, and biological factors have been shown to increase the risk of disease – and yet the majority of people exposed to such factors remain healthy. While some people may be protected by good genetic backgrounds, most protection is conferred by our own behavior, including what we eat, how much exercise we get, how we manage stress, and how we take care of ourselves.

A new view of human health and disease is emerging—one which acknowledges the remarkable resiliency of the human organism and the critical role we can play in promoting optimal health. This continuing education symposium is designed to present the practical applications of current knowledge in nutrition, exercise, stress management, and medical self-care. The program will include lectures, demonstrations, panel discussions, questions and answers as well as the opportunity to form smaller interest groups.

FACULTY

William L. Haskell, Ph.D., is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University and a senior staff member of the Stanford Heart Disease Prevention Pro-gram. His major research interests include the health benefits of exercise, factors limiting human physical performance, and the role of exercise in heart disease prevention and cardiac rehabilitation. He is author of numerous articles on exercise, performance, and health. He is also involved in a community health education intervention trial to prevent heart disease.

Marion Nestle, Ph.D., is Associate Dean, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and Lecturer in the Departments of Medicine and Biochemisty. She directs the UCSF Nutrition Curriculum Development Project and teaches nutrition to medical and other health professions students and practitioners.

David S. Sobel, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief of Preventive Medicine, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center at Santa Teresa and Medical Director of The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge. He is also Instructor, Department of Epidemiology and International Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. His current areas of interest include behavioral medicine, health promotion, and public health education. He is editor of a book Ways of Health and contributing editor to Medical Self-Care.

C. Barr Taylor, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Director, Laboratory for the Study of Behavioral Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine. He also serves as Director of Community Health Education, Stanford Heart Disease Prevention Program. His research interests include the use of relaxation techniques to reduce blood pressure and stress as well as methods to alter cardiovascular disease risk. He has published widely in these areas and is co-editor of The Handbook of Behavioral Medicine.

PROGRAM

MEDICAL SELF-CARE
David S, Sobel, M.D.

CONSUMERS AS PROVIDERS OF HEALTH CARE
• lay people as primary providers of care current impetus to self-care
• individual behavior as determinant of health self-help and mutual aid groups

SELF-DIAGNOSIS
• lay symptom evaluation self-examination techniques home diagnostic tests
• lay health advice

SELF-TREATMENT
• self-medication non-drug self-treatment strategies
• self-care classes and groups

HEALTH APPRAISAL
• developing a health-oriented periodic health exam
• self-assessment strategies health risk appraisal

EXERCISE
William L. Haskell, Ph.D.

HOW MUCH EXERCISE DO YOU NEED?
• requirements of exercise for optimal health
• anatomic, physiological, and biochemical effects of exercise
• health benefits and risks of exercise
• psychological effects of regular exercise

FITNESS ASSESSMENT
• techniques for evaluating physical fitness role of exercise “stress” testing for exercise program clearance

HOW TO DESIGN AN ACTIVITY PLAN
• optimal intensity, frequency, and duration
• tips for developing personal fit-ness programs and exercise prescriptions

EAT MORE AND WEIGH LESS
• role of exercise in weight loss and maintenance of optimal body composition

STRESS MANAGEMENT
C.Barr Taylor, M.D.

LIVING WITH STRESS
• modern concepts of stress
• stress and life change
• Type A behavior
• stress and the work environment
• biochemical and physiological changes in stress
• stress and the development of disease

PHARMACOLOGICAL APPROACHES
• use and abuse of alcohol and anti-anxiety drugs
• comparison of relaxation techniques and drugs

RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
• relaxation and meditation
• biofeedback
• hypnosis

COPING WITH STRESS
• cognitive management strategies
• social support and friends as buffer
• life-style changes in schedule, environments, and work-loads

NUTRITION
Marion Nestle, Ph.D.

EAT, DRINK, AND BE HEALTHY
• confusion in popular dietary advice on nutritional deficiencies
• diseases of nutritional overconsumption dietary recommendations and goals
• unifying hypothesis for optimal nutrition

NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT
• how to obtain a diet history
• determination of adequate nutrient content
• biochemical and physical measurements
• evaluation of hair analysis

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT
• diet supplements, food extracts, vitamins and minerals
• safety and efficacy of supplements
• evaluation of Vitamin C and colds and cancer

FOOD ADDITIVES
• types and extent of additive use purposes for additives
• safety and regulation evaluation of food additives and hyperactivity