A cure for the pain, anxiety and fatigue of chronic stress

In The Mind-Body Cure we learn to control chronic stress and to heal ourselves from its negative effects.

LP: What is the message of The Mind-Body Cure book?

Dr. Pawa: While many books have explored the benefits of diet, meditation or exercise, none have clearly showed the role of biological, chemical, hormonal and even electrical connections between our minds and our physical bodies. Uniquely, The Mind-Body Cure reveals these intricate relationships between the mind, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the body.

In the book, I break down the neuroanatomy of the ANS, a brain-based system that automatically regulates the body through a network of nerves and hormones. This system can create health or illness. The aim is to regulate the nervous system by controlling stress and foster resilience. Our thoughts are inextricably linked to our nervous system, this connection has been largely ignored. Specifically, our brain (distinct from our mind) is wired to run automatically BOOK REVIEW and efficiently, but often running the same old negative programs formed from adverse experiences.

The Mind-Body Cure helps readers understand this connection and offers vital and practical tools that people can use to integrate this knowledge into their daily lives to create health and longevity.

LP: Why did you write this book?

Dr. Pawa: I’ve been a physician for over 30 years and see firsthand the consequences of our overburdened medical system. Over 75% of the symptoms that come to a doctors office are related to excessive stress and often disease can be prevented if people are given the tools and knowledge to manage their mental health. Naturally very sick people require intervention, such as medications and surgery, but we are using intervention more than focusing on prevention.

I’ve also been on every side of healthcare—first as a pharmacist, then a physician, and lastly as a patient. As I navigated my own health after a car accident, I realized the deficits in the medical system. Generally, people are not invited to be a part of their healthcare team, but it is imperative to involve yourself in your own health because healing begins in your own mind.

My main message in this self-help book is to take charge of your health by learning the role of the ANS and how to regulate it into receiving needed rest and repair. I take a complex neuroendocrine system and explain it in understandable terms that are accessible and digestible, so that people learn to connect the dots from their physical symptoms to their mental health.

LP: What is the REFRAME Toolkit in chapter 9?

Dr. Pawa: The REFRAME Toolkit is 7 steps to self-regulate the nervous system so readers can reset, reclaim, and reframe their health.

While most people know that we have to eat healthy, sleep properly, and exercise to maintain our health, what they also need to know is that stressed minds make poor choices in all three of these same areas.

The most important thing is to have a calm, conscious mind, with your nervous system functioning in “rest and repair” to reclaim your health. The REFRAME Toolkit is a proven strategic program that will arm readers with tools to protect and heal themselves. The new paradigm for health is to engineer health from the inside out—and I map out that strategic path to health in my book. —LP