(To jump ahead to Monday’s Christmas Passage, click “Keep Reading this Article.”)

Visit the Benson-Henry Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital

The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital is a non-profit scientific and educational organization dedicated to research, teaching and clinical application of mind/body medicine. For those of you looking for the “science” behind the mind/body connection, the Benson-Henry Institute website is a great place to start. And, since Prayers and Apples is all about promoting understanding of this area of science, today’s post is focused on introducing readers to the research philosophy behind the Benson-Henry Institute. The following information comes directly from the Benson-Henry website:

What is Mind Body Medicine?

Mind/body medicine integrates modern scientific medicine, psychology, nutrition, exercise physiology and belief to enhance the natural healing capacities of body and mind. The end result is self-care, a complement to the conventional medical paths of surgery and pharmaceuticals.

What is the Benson-Henry Institute Research Mission?

The research mission of the Benson-Henry Institute is based on the following five mind/body medicine hypotheses:

1. The human psychosocial environment is emulated and experienced in the biology of the brain and thus mind and body form a unity.

2. Psychosocial stress leads to cellular oxidative stress.

3. Severe oxidative stress leads to selective disease vulnerability based on genetic vulnerabilities.

4. Disease vulnerability can be gauged with the use of a Mind Body Medicine Equation: Stress Factors/ Resiliency Components = Selective Disease Vulnerability.

5. Stress reduction through the use of relaxation response (RR) and resiliency strengthening through cognitive skills training, social support and prosocial behavior, optimism and belief and spirituality, and nutrition and exercise will reduce disease vulnerability and enhance health.

How Can I Learn More?

As the Benson-Henry Institute points out,

“The Institute’s mind/body interventions are scientifically proven, and have the same foundation in traditional medicine as surgery and pharmaceuticals, as opposed to alternative medicine that is not scientifically validated.”

To learn more about the history of mind/body medicine, click here.

For a list of peer-reviewed research articles on mind/body medicine, click here.

And, to read about founder, Dr. Herbert Benson, click here. (Benson has been featured previously in Prayers and Apples posts, including: Physical Benefits of Meditation and Faith and Healing: Time Magazine.)

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Matthew 1:18 – 21

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”