TAPESTRY OF HEALTH

Weaving wellness into your life through the new science of Integrative Medicine

A book by Drs. Daniel A. Monti and Anthony J. Bazzan

 

Read the chapters that speak to you.

Daniel Monti, MD

CEO of the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health

Thomas Jefferson University Medical School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“Could I see you in my office for a minute, please?”

This and other stressors elicit the “fight-or-flight” response, readying your body to defend itself as needed.  This changes your body’s chemistry.

That stress response is supposed to be “reset” by a period of relaxation and recuperation.

Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist, set out to help his patients control their blood pressure without medication.

He recommended meditation, focusing on your breath and ignoring any troublesome thoughts.

Don’t worry if other thoughts come up — just say “Oh, well” and continue.

Meditation is one way to “reset” that stress response with the “Relaxation Response”

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This show is also available as a video.  Click here to watch on YouTube.

Dr. Daniel Monti speaks with Joyce Graff and Megan Conley about his new book, Tapestry of Health, providing guidance on supporting your own wellness.  There has been a growing trend in the population for the past 50 years toward exploring techniques such as meditation, acupuncture, and nutritional support — not replacing, but adding to the normal standards of medical care.

In these tense times of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is particularly important to manage our nearly constant stress.  A little stress is fine, and in fact makes life more interesting. Too much stress, or stress without a break, can be very damaging to our bodies and minds.  It is important for all of us to take care of ourselves, now more than ever.  As the late great Lena Horne said, “It’s not the load that you carry, it’s how you carry it.”

Too often in America, “medicine is done to us” — we as patients simply nod our heads and accept the doctor’s recommendations.  But each of in fact has more control than we think we do — we need to be active participants in our health care, working with a caring physician who brings medical knowledge and expertise as a trusted advisor.  It can be a powerful combination.

Dr. Monti heads the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University Medical School in Philadelphia.  This is the first medical school in the United States to include a division focusing on integrative health, equivalent to other medical disciplines.  There is now a rising interest among physicians to include these “complementary” techniques to enhance traditional medical treatments.

For more on his book, co-authored with Dr. Anthony J. Bazzan, and a series of podcasts and webinars on this topic, see http://tapestryofhealth.net