The Science of Healing
With Dr. Esther Sternberg
A NYC Urban Zen PBS Documentary Screening
The Science of Healing follows author and medical researcher Dr. Esther Sternberg to a village in Greece, where her own story of illness and recovery inspired her research into the role the brain and the emotions play in healing, a role the ancient Greeks understood well and used in their practices.
In this compelling PBS documentary, we learn how the brain helps us to heal emotionally and physically. Dr. Sternberg looks into the roles of light, vision, and environment in restoring health using advanced brain-imaging technology. At Philadelphia’s Monell Chemical Senses Center, Dr. Sternberg learns that what we smell can have a profound effect on mood, stress, and the immune system. She also learns why the Mediterranean diet may be effective in recuperation. Professor of Physiology Dr. Moni Fleshner of the University of Colorado researches the effects of exercise on immune function, while Dr. Julian Thayer studies the impact of music on the brain. At the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Richie Davidson, using MRI scanning, finds that meditation significantly improves the immune system’s response to the flu virus. And at Columbia University, Dr. Tor Wager researches the placebo effect, revealing that expectation and belief have a provable bearing on healing.
The screening will be followed by an expert panel including:
Dr. Esther Sternberg, Chief of the Section on Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior at the National Institute of Mental Health
Dr. Woodson Merrell, Chairman of the Dept. of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel
Medical Center
Dr. Joy Hirsch, Director of the Program for Imaging & Cognitive Sciences at
Columbia University Medical Center
David Kamp, Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects,
Founder of Dirtworks
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Dr. Esther Sternberg is internationally recognized for her discoveries in brain-immune interactions and the effects of the brain’s stress response on health and illness. She received her M.D. degree and trained in rheumatology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and was on the faculty at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, before joining the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland in 1986, where she is currently based. Dr. Sternberg is the author of two books: The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions and the recent Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being.
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Date: Monday, May 24, 2010
Location: Urban Zen Center, 711 Greenwich Street (at Charles Street)
New York, NY 10014
Tickets: Spaces are limited. To RSVP, e-mail
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or call 212 414 8520
