99 Tribute to Dr. Herbert Benson Leader in Mind-Body Medicine and Author of the Relaxation Response

In this episode, I'm joined by my fellow mind-body physicians, April Hirschberg MD, Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatrist and Cardiologist Robert Rollings MD. We remember and celebrate Dr. Herbert Benson, a Harvard cardiologist, best selling author of "The Relaxation Response", founder and Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute of Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mind Body Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Most of all, he was a leader in the field of mind body medicine and a mentor to so many of us. Excerpt from The Passing of Herbert Benson, MD: "A pioneer of mind body medicine, Dr. Benson defined the relaxation response, the physiological counterpart of the fight-or-flight response. Throughout a career spanning five decades, he researched the efficacy of the relaxation response in counteracting the harmful effects of stress.  His research extended from the laboratory, to the clinic, to Asian field expeditions and served as a bridge between medicine and spirituality, East and West, mind body, belief and science. “Herb was a visionary, and a father of mind body medicine. He believed that humans have a great capacity for healing, and that self-care techniques, along with medication and medical procedures, can form ‘the three-legged stool’ of an ideal healthcare model,” said Gregory L. Fricchione, MD, Director of the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI). “Early on, when some others scoffed at his work in this area, he persevered and history has proven him to be prescient; as we live through this pandemic for example, we find that self-care and stress management and resilience are tools and skills that we need to survive and thrive.” Dr. Benson was the author or co-author of more than 190 scientific publications and 12 books, including The Relaxation Response (1975), a New York Times bestseller that sold more than 6 million copies and was translated into multiple languages.  The small, red paperback was read far and wide and influenced generations of trainees and researchers; many of whom became leaders in the field, Dr. Fricchione said." Read on here: https://bensonhenryinstitute.org/the-passing-of-herbert-benson-md/ Read his book The Relaxation Response: https://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Response-Herbert-Benson/dp/0380006766