I recently had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Shahram Jacobs who runs an Internal Medicine practice in Encino, California. He has also studied mind-body medicine extensively, and is currently writing a book on the topic. Mind-Body medicine is a subject I have had great interest in for a long time, so I am excited that Dr. Jacobs will be a regular guest contributor to Fit After Thirty. The following is a recent interview I conducted with him about the topic of mind-body medicine.

Suzy: Can you describe the basic premise of mind-body medicine?

Dr. Jacobs: It is the idea that your mind and emotions affect your physical body and overall health. It involves various practices aimed at improving and maintaining health and promoting spiritual growth.  These practices include meditation, hypnosis, visual imagery, intercessory prayer, biofeedback and others, all of which focus on a sense of awareness and presence.

Suzy: One of the things we want to do with this site is to help women create a new image in their mind of what fat means (Fit After Thirty), thereby training their mind to associate themselves with a more positive vision. Is that kind of the same concept that you are talking about?

Dr. Jacobs:  Absolutely.  The way a person perceives herself has a profound effect on his or her health and wellbeing and that includes weight.  I’m glad you brought this up since it gives me a chance to let you know what a great service I think you’re providing for all women by starting this site. 

Suzy: Thank you very much. And thank you for your willingness to participate to help educate our readers. 

Dr. Jacobs: Your goal will not only help women feel better about themselves, but will help them become more motivated to live healthier and more active lives.  Simply stated, if someone has the self perception of being fat they’re also prone to think of themselves in other negative ways which our society has come to associate with being overweight or fat, such as laziness and overeating. 

Suzy: So true!

Dr. Jacobs: On the other hand, if someone thinks of herself as f.a.t. (Fit After Thirty) then she’d be a lot more likely to be active and to change or improve her eating habits.  Mind-body medicine provides the practices and tools to enable people to make the change from a self perception of fat to a self perception of f.a.t. and thereby allows the process of emotional and  physical healing to take place.

Suzy:  One of the criticisms about mind-body medicine has always been that it is unsubstantiated, but I understand there are now studies that have proven that people who are prayed for have greater rates of recovery than patients who are not prayed for. Are there similar studies proving that people can cure themselves with their mind?

Dr. Jacobs: There have been many studies performed over the last few decades with several well controlled and randomized studies showing a significant positive effect of intercessory prayer on outcomes in hospital patients.  But prayer is not the only form of mind-body medicine that’s been shown to be effective with controlled studies.  Other forms include meditation, guided imagery and hypnotherapy. They have been shown to be effective in a wide range of conditions from coronary artery disease to chronic pain.

Suzy: Does the mind work both ways - meaning, you can make yourself ill with the mind, as well as make yourself better?

Dr Jacobs: That’s a very good question. The short answer is yes.  The idea is that the mind, brain, emotions, and body are all interconnected and can profoundly affect one another both positively and negatively.

Suzy: A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a friend whose parents have both had cancer. One of his grandparents had it as well. Both his parents were treated with success and are still living, but he said he is certain he is going to get cancer. Obviously, he is predisposed, and knows to take precautionary measures, but isn’t thinking in terms of inevitability pretty much like programming himself to get cancer?

Dr. Jacobs: I think it would be more accurate to say his negative thoughts are helping to bring on cancer or make him more susceptible to cancer.  The reason I made the change in the wording is that it’s important to understand that our thoughts and beliefs have a direct effect on our bodies. That’s not to say that your friend can “think” himself to have or to be cured from cancer.  But his negative thoughts and his anxiety can weaken his immune system and make him a lot more susceptible to various disease including infection and cancer. 

Suzy: And with a family history like that, isn’t it almost impossible to NOT think like that? What kind of match can the mind be to counteract a family history where the cards seem stacked against someone?

Dr. Jacobs: I agree that it would be difficult not to entertain those thoughts from time to time, but I also believe that this is exactly where mind-body medicine comes in and can have a profound effect on your quality of life and even on your chances of “getting” cancer.  Multiple modalities can be useful in this situation including meditation, guided imagery, and prayer.  Through dedication and consistent practice these techniques can help by allowing you to train your mind and by helping you to control your thoughts so that you do not focus on the negative and seemingly inevitable.  At the same time you would benefit from the physiological changes that would take place concurrently such as strengthening of the immune system.

Suzy: This is such useful information! I am really looking forward to covering this topic further with you in future articles!

Dr. Jacobs: My pleasure.

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Dr. Shahram Jacobs can be contacted at:

16133 Ventura Blvd #370
Encino, CA 91436
Tel: (818) 981-1555
Fax: (818) 981-1510