Mark Pettus, MD Joins American Meditation Institute Faculty for the Sixth Annual CME Course on Meditation and Yoga as Mind/Body Medicine for Physicians

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Mark Pettus, MD

Meditation can help us change our lifestyle choices and positively alter our genetic proclivities.

AVERILL PARK, NY (PRWEB) May 14, 2014

Board-certified internist and nephrologist Mark Pettus, MD will join the faculty of The American Meditation Institute (AMI) for a 30 credit hour mind/body medicine CME course on meditation, yoga and breathing for physicians and other health care professionals, November 5-9, 2014 at the Cranwell Resort and Spa in Lenox, Massachusetts. Entitled “American Meditation: The Heart and Science of Yoga,” this comprehensive physician training is accredited through the Albany Medical College Office of Continuing Medical Education.

Now in its Sixth year of providing physicians continuing medical education credits, the American Meditation Institute’s comprehensive training in holistic mind/body medicine course will present an in-depth study of the historical, philosophical and scientific nature of Yoga Science as taught in both the East and West. Practical skills will be taught to physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals that can positively enhance the making of health-affirming lifestyle choices.

Do your genes represent your destiny? Not according to Mark Pettus.

Presenter Mark Pettus, MD is a board-certified internist and nephrologist currently serving as Medical Director of Translational Education, Wellness and Population Health at Berkshire Health Systems, and Associate Dean of Medical Education at UMass Medical School’s western campus at Berkshire Medical Center. Dr. Pettus is the author of “The Savvy Patient” and “It’s All in Your Head: Change Your Mind, Change Your Health, & Change Your Life.” He also has made several appearances in television talk shows such as ABC’s Good Morning America, The 700 Club, Good Day NY, Geraldo Rivera, PBS and is a regular contributor guest on WAMC’s Northeast Public Radio.

During AMI’s four day mind/body medicine course, Dr. Pettus will present a lecture entitled, "Epigenomics/Inflammation/Allostatic Load." He provides a science-based overview of an integrative-holistic approach of chronic complex diseases that have reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century. His talk will draw on the new, burgeoning fields of epigenomics and nutrigenomics which are generating unprecedented medical understanding and insight into how meditation, yoga and diaphragmatic breathing can influence—in a fundamental way—how our genes might or might not express themselves. According to Dr. Pettus, “We’ve left behind the genetic perspective in which everything is sort of preordained; the belief that ‘Whatever the translation of your genetic coding is, will manifest over the course of your life, and ultimately, there’s very little you can do about it.’ To the contrary, current clinical research is now suggesting a very, very different picture, in which genetic predisposition is no longer considered destiny.”

As part of AMI’s “Yoga of Medicine” program, this 30 CME course is dedicated to providing quality, comprehensive and evidence-based education to physicians and other health care providers. This CME course will offer a broad curriculum of Yoga Science as mind/body medicine. Topics will include meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, mantra science, Yoga and chakra psychology, mind function optimization, nutrition, functional medicine, epigenomics, ayurveda, easy-gentle yoga and lymph system detoxification.

The devotion, enthusiasm, and teaching methodology of the entire AMI faculty will combine to create a dynamic and interactive course for their students. Each faculty member is committed to the advancement and training of Yoga Science as holistic mind/body medicine. In addition to Dr. Pettus, presenters will include faculty director Leonard Perlmutter, founder of the American Meditation Institute, meditational therapist and award-winning author; Kathie Swift MS RDN LDN, a leading educator and practitioner in the field of integrative nutrition; Susan Lord MD, lecturer and holistic health consultant for Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health; Beth Netter MD MT, holistic physician, Albany, NY; Rosy Mann BAMS, senior faculty member of Kripalu School of Ayurveda with experience of clinical Ayurveda for over 15 years; and Jenness Cortez Perlmutter, co-founder and senior faculty member of The American Meditation Institute.

The National Institutes of Health report that approximately 38% of adults in the United States aged 18 and over, and nearly 12% of U.S. children 17 years and under use some form of complementary and alternative medicine. Significant among these therapies are meditation, yoga and deep breathing exercises––all of which are offered in “The Heart and Science of Yoga” CME course. “We are grateful to the Albany Medical College for their continued dedication to the teaching of mind/body medicine for physicians,” Perlmutter said. “The content of this program will provide many benefits for the health and well being of physicians and their patients.” According to recent graduate, Joel M. Kremer, MD, who is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology in Albany, New York, “This teaching has been an enormous benefit in my personal and professional life. I have less stress, more focus, and am able to serve my patients with greater clarity. It becomes surprisingly easy now to recognize the many clinical situations in which patients with somatic manifestations of 'dis-ease' could greatly benefit from Yoga Science.”

In addition to Dr. Kremer, numerous medical pioneers and healthcare professionals such as Mehmet Oz MD, Dean Ornish MD and Bernie Siegel MD have also endorsed this curriculum. Previous conference attendees have also noted that the material presented has made a beneficial impact toward their personal and professional efforts at self-care.
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About the American Meditation Institute
The American Meditation Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization devoted to the teaching and practice of Yoga Science, meditation and its allied disciplines as mind/body medicine. In its holistic approach to wellness, AMI combines the healing arts of the East with the practicality of modern Western science. The American Meditation Institute offers a wide variety of classes, retreats, and teacher training programs. AMI also publishes “Transformation,” a bi-monthly journal of meditation as holistic mind/body medicine. Call 800.234.5115 for a mail or email subscription.

Media Contact:
Mary Helen Holloway
60 Garner Road, Averill Park, NY 12018
Tel: 800-234-5115
Fax: 518-674-8714

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