Read the history and Practice of  of MInd Body Medicine as defined by The NCCAM
Below:
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, training complementary and alternative medicine researchers, and disseminating  authoritative information to the public


Mind-Body
Influences
on Immunity

There is considerable evidence that emotional traits,
 both negative and positive, influence people's susceptibility to infection.
Following systematic exposure to a respiratory virus in the laboratory,
individuals who report higher levels of stress or negative moods have
been shown to develop more severe illness than those who report less
 stress or more positive moods.¹¹ Recent studies suggest that the
tendency to report positive, as opposed to negative, emotions may
be associated with greater resistance to objectively verified colds.
 These laboratory studies are supported by longitudinal studies pointing
to associations between psychological or emotional traits and the incidence
 of respiratory infections.¹² 

 

Meditation and Imaging

Meditation, one of the most common mind-body interventions,
is a conscious mental process that induces a set of integrated
physiological changes termed the relaxation response.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used
to identify and characterize the brain regions that are active during
 meditation. This research suggests that various parts of the brain
 known to be involved in attention and in the control of the autonomic
 nervous system are activated, providing a neurochemical and
anatomical basis for the effects of meditation on various physiological
activities.¹³ Recent studies involving imaging are advancing the
understanding of mind-body mechanisms. For example, meditation
has been shown in one study to produce significant increases in
left-sided anterior brain activity, which is associated with positive
emotional states. Moreover, in this same study, meditation was
associated with increases in antibody titers to influenza vaccine,
suggesting potential linkages among meditation, positive emotional
 states, localized brain responses, and improved immune function.¹⁴

 

Physiology of Expectancy
(Placebo Response)

Placebo effects are believed to be mediated by both cognitive and
 conditioning mechanisms. Until recently, little was known about the
 role of these mechanisms in different circumstances. Now, research
 has shown that placebo responses are mediated by conditioning when
unconscious physiological functions such as hormonal secretion are
involved, whereas they are mediated by expectation when conscious
physiological processes such as pain and motor performance come
 into play, even though a conditioning procedure is carried out.

Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning of the brain is providing
 evidence of the release of the endogenous neurotransmitter dopamine
 in the brain of Parkinson's disease patients in response to placebo.¹⁵
Evidence indicates that the placebo effect in these patients is powerful
and is mediated through activation of the nigrostriatal dopamine system,
the system that is damaged in Parkinson's disease. This result suggests
 that the placebo response involves the secretion of dopamine, which is
 known to be important in a number of other reinforcing and rewarding
conditions, and that there may be mind-body strategies that could be used
in patients with Parkinson's disease in lieu of or in addition to treatment with
dopamine-releasing drugs.

 
Stress and Wound Healing

Individual differences in wound healing have long been recognized.
 Clinical observation has suggested that negative mood or stress is
 associated with slow wound healing. Basic mind-body research is
now confirming this observation. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
and the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), whose
expression can be controlled by cytokines, play a role in wound healing.¹⁶
 Using a blister chamber wound model on human forearm skin exposed to
 ultraviolet light, researchers have demonstrated that stress or a change in
mood is sufficient to modulate MMP and TIMP expression and, presumably,
 wound healing.¹⁷ Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and
sympathetic-adrenal medullary (SAM) systems can modulate levels of MMPs,
 providing a physiological link among mood, stress, hormones, and wound
 healing. This line of basic research suggests that activation of the HPA and
SAM axes, even in individuals within the normal range of depressive symptoms,
could alter MMP levels and change the course of wound healing in blister wounds.

 

Surgical Preparation

Mind-body interventions are being tested to determine whether they can help prepare
 patients for the stress associated with surgery. Initial randomized controlled trials--in
 which some patients received audiotapes with mind-body techniques
(guided imagery, music, and instructions for improved outcomes) and some patients
 received control tapes--found that subjects receiving the mind-body intervention recovered
more quickly and spent fewer days in the hospital.¹⁸

Behavioral interventions have been shown to be an efficient means of reducing discomfort
and adverse effects during percutaneous vascular and renal procedures. Pain increased
linearly with procedure time in a control group and in a group practicing structured attention,
but remained flat in a group practicing a self-hypnosis technique. The self-administration of
analgesic drugs was significantly higher in the control group than in the attention and
hypnosis groups. Hypnosis also improved hemodynamic stability.¹⁹

 

Conclusion

Evidence from randomized controlled trials and, in many cases, systematic
reviews of the literature, suggest that:

• Mechanisms may exist by which the brain
•  and central nervous system influence immune,
• endocrine, and autonomic functioning, which is
•  known to have an impact
• on health.
•  
• Multicomponent mind-body interventions
• that include some combination of stress
•  management, coping skills training,
•  cognitive-behavioral interventions, and
• relaxation therapy may be appropriate
•  adjunctive treatments for coronary artery
•  disease and certain pain-related disorders,
•  such as arthritis.
•  
• Multimodal mind-body approaches, such as
• cognitive-behavioral therapy, particularly when
• combined with an educational/informational component,
•  can be effective adjuncts in the management of a
• variety of chronic conditions.
•  
• An array of mind-body therapies (e.g., imagery,
• hypnosis, relaxation), when employed presurgically,
•  may improve recovery time and reduce pain following
• surgical procedures.
• Neurochemical and anatomical bases may exist for
• some of the effects of mind-body approaches.

Mind-body approaches have potential benefits and advantages. In particular, the physical and emotional risks
of using these interventions are minimal. Moreover, once tested and standardized, most mind-body interventions
can be taught easily. Finally, future research focusing on basic mind-body mechanisms and individual differences
in responses is likely to yield new insights that may enhance the effectiveness and individual tailoring of mind-body
 interventions. In the meantime, there is considerable evidence that mind-body interventions, even as they are being
studied today, have positive effects on psychological functioning and quality of life, and may be particularly helpful for
 patients coping with chronic illness and in need of palliative care.