The Science of Healing by Jon D’Auria
Dr. Esther Sternberg brings the premiere of her new documentary to the Fox Theatre in Tucson with the help of Andrew Weil and Victo- ria Maizes.
“The Science of Healing with
Dr. Esther Sternberg” premiered to a packed Fox Theatre audience on De- cember 8th, 2010, making Tucson the third city (after Washington, D.C., and New York) to experience the premiere event. This movie, currently airing on PBS, is a documentary that follows Dr. Sternberg’s personal experience of the power of place in healing inspired by her research. The movie joins her as she explores the ruins of ancient Greek healing temples and visits cut- ting edge science labs to uncover the source of her healing. We learn more about the scientific basis of the mind-body connection, and the role of environment and emotion in the healing process. The movie intro- duces research that reveals the many ways our brain helps us heal, emo- tionally and physically, and teaches us that we can each take charge of our own health and create a place of peace even in troubled times. The film introduced Dr. Esther
Sternberg’s medical plight: she de- veloped rheumatism shortly after the passing of her mother. Dr. Sternberg has an M.D. in Rheumatology, is a member of the National Institutes of Health, is currently Chief of the Sec- tion on Neuroendocrine Immunology
20 Tucson Dr. Esther Sternberg
and Behavior at the National Institute for Mental Health, and is the Director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program. She is interna- tionally recognized for her discoveries in brain-immune interactions and is the author of several revered books and
textbooks. The onset of her condition fol-
lowing the death of her mother con- vinced Dr. Sternberg that stress and emotional trauma is directly linked to our physical well-being. It wasn’t until she took a trip to a beautiful and tiny village in Greece that Dr. Sternberg’s rheumatism began to subside. The gor- geous ocean views; the local Mediter- ranean cuisine; the festive music and dancing; the wondrous smells of the beach; and the calming sound of the sea led to Dr. Sternberg’s full recovery, as well as to a detailed theory about how our senses and surroundings af- fect our health and healing. The film explains that ancient
civilizations believed that worry made
you sick and that maintaining a clear head aided proper health. Today, be- cause fully one-third of Americans are living under diagnosed extreme stress, it may be time to re-embrace the old ways of thinking. Dr. Sternberg’s mis- sion is exactly that. The second half of the documen- tary explores the way our brains react to different forms of sensory stimula- tion, and how this can be used to aid healing. Dr. Sternberg traveled all over the country to take part in investiga- tions into how the architecture and visual aesthetics of a place can add or reduce stress, how exercise can fight depression, how music can calm our nervous systems, how meditation can balance our lives, and how different
“…ancient civilizations believed that worry made you sick and that maintaining a clear head aided proper health. Today, because fully one- third of Americans are living under diagnosed extreme stress, it may be time to re-embrace the old ways of thinking.”
smells and images can conjure deep emotional reactions. One of the most convincing moments of the film was when Dr. Sternberg visited a hospital in which similarly diagnosed patients were placed in two different types of rooms. Some of the patients had rooms with windows that looked out onto a lush forest with beautiful trees and
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