Psychosomatic Medicine

Psychosomatic medicine may be definite as a comprehensive, interdisciplinary framework for: assessment of psychological features affecting separable vulnerability as well as course and outcome of disease; biopsychosocial consideration of patient care in clinical practice; specialist interventions to assimilate psychological therapies in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of medical disease. The aim of this review was to provide an updated description of psychosomatic medicine, to outline its boundaries with related disciplines and to illustrate its central contributions to clinical and preventive medicine. A study of the psychosomatic literature, using both Medline and manual searches, with certain reference to articles, which could be related to clinical practice, was performed.

Strategies that may be helpful for reducing stress levels include:

• Avoiding smoking and alcohol
• Deep breathing
• Focusing on the things you can control
• Getting regular exercise