News Release

October 19, 2004

Contact: Maureen McGuire, 860-679-4523
e-mail: mmcguire@nso.uchc.edu

Mind Body Skills Group: This Winter at UConn Health Center

Farmington, Conn. – A physician with the University of Connecticut Health Center will lead a 12-week class this winter to help people embrace a new approach to health and wellness. Karen Prestwood, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine, will teach a Mind Body Skills Group, starting in January, to help men and women adopt new attitudes about health and healing.

The class will be limited to 10 participants so all can receive individualized attention, Dr. Prestwood explained. Special emphasis will be placed on health-enhancing tools such as meditation, visualization, journal writing, yoga, nutrition, deep breathing, biofeedback and more.

“The Mind Body Skills Group is ideal for anyone who wants to change their approach to health. The program will give participants skills they can use for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Prestwood said.

Cost for the class is $600, including all materials. Sliding scale fees will be available, Dr. Prestwood said. Dr. Prestwood will interview all potential participants to provide additional information about the expectations and requirements of the class. To schedule an interview with Dr. Prestwood, call 860-679-3958.

Dr. Prestwood is board certified in internal medicine and holistic medicine. She was trained to lead Mind Body Skills Groups, at the Center for Mind Body Medicine, a non-profit organization led by James Gordon, M.D., chairman of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The Mind Body Skills Groups are based largely on principles identified in Dr. Gordon’s 1996 book, Manifesto for a New Medicine. Here, Dr. Gordon asserts that “self care is the true primary care,” and “health promotion is a way of life.” He urges patients and physicians to embrace a holistic, individualized approach to health and draw upon the wisdom of ancient medical traditions, such as Chinese herbal medicine, native-American healing, and others.

At UConn Health Center, the Mind Body Skills Group will be held in the Charlotte Johnson Hollfelder Center for Women’s Health, off the main hospital lobby.

Dr. Prestwood is also available for individual integrative medicine consultations. For more information, call 800-535-6232.

The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, John Dempsey Hospital, the UConn Medical Group and University Dentists. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. To learn more about the UConn Health Center, visit our website at www.uchc.edu.

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