301 pages ; 25 cm

The authors here describe "the brain as the central factor for each individual's health. They relate how the brain regulates pain, the immune system, heart function, etc. They {contend} ... that our emotions, social bonds, worldview, and way of defining and solving problems all affect the brain. The result impacts in either positive or negative ways on our health."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-288) and index

In sickness and in health -- Bodyguards -- The self-ish brain: feeling our way through an unstable world -- Powerful placebo -- Pharmacy within: beliefs, endorphins, and the intrinsic pain relief system -- Great expectations: on the mental reduction of warts and enlargement of breasts -- Small worlds, small brains: making up your mind -- People need people -- From the individual to the social body -- Mind-made immunity: on grief, lymphocytes, and sharks of the mind -- Pressure: social and blood -- Heart fell apart: on self-centeredness, hostility, and sudden death -- Friends can be good medicine -- Feeling bored, feeling blitzed -- Of hardiness, coherence, and stability

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