Examination
of psychosocial issues related to health and disease in today's society.
There is no syllabus for the Health and Social
Environment course. After an introduction, there is a list of topics from
which the students choose and then present to the class in addition to
turning in a written copy. In the course, evidence-based information
on the mind-body connection, particularly in relation to our social
environment is discussed.
Objectives in the course include:
How our thoughts, feelings, emotions and
behaviors can influence our health, whether we recover from illness, and
how well we cope with illness.
We all live in a larger social
environment that continually shapes how we feel, think and behave.
Unhealthy, impoverished and disadvantaged environments shape health in
profound ways despite individual heroic efforts to be healthy.
That enlightened medical care treats not
only the body but also helps people to learn how to mind their bodies.
That enjoying daily health pleasures can
measurably improve and enrich their own and their patients health.
The importance of psychosocial factors in
health and disease.
