AVERILL PARK, N.Y., Mar. 10, 2020 — The nation’s only comprehensive training in Yoga Science and meditation as holistic mind/body medicine will be taught at The American Meditation Institute’s (AMI) 32 credit hour CME conference October 20-24, 2020 at the Wyndhurst Manor & Club Resort at Miraval in Lenox, Massachusetts. Entitled “The Heart and Science of Yoga,” this 12th annual event is accredited through the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association, and is designed to help identify, prevent and relieve stress and burnout experienced by physicians and healthcare professionals in dealing with the extraordinary demands created by today’s medical culture and the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.
According to the annual “National Physician Burnout, Depression & Suicide Report” recently published in Medscape Report the rate of burnout among physicians has remained high over the past few years. This is troubling given that an average of 69% of physicians across all generations report that burnout has a moderate to severe impact their lives. The fallout from burnout symptoms follows physicians into their personal lives as well. Approximately 73% of physicians say burnout has an impact on their relationships.
The dedication, enthusiasm, and teaching methodology of the entire AMI faculty 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. This year’s faculty includes Leonard Perlmutter, AMI founder and conference director; Michael Greger MD, founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and internationally recognized speaker and best-selling author; Sat Bir Singh Khalsa PhD, Director of Research for the Kundalini Research Institute, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School; Anthony Santilli MD, board-certified in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine; Jesse Ritvo MD, Assistant Medical Director, Inpatient Psychiatry, University of Vermont Health Center; Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote MD, Medical Director of the Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center; Joshua Zamer MD, Medical Director for Addiction Medicine at Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center and Chairman of the Department of Family Practice; Anita Burock-Stotts MD, board certified in Internal Medicine; Janine Pardo MD, board-certified Internist emphasizing Preventive Care, and founder of the Weston Internal Medicine and Wellness Center in Weston, MA; Gustavo Grodnitzky PhD, Chair of the AMI Psychological Education Committee; Kristin Kaelber, MD, board-certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics in Cleveland, Ohio; Jenness Cortez Perlmutter, faculty member of The American Meditation Institute, and Lee Albert, NMT, acclaimed neuromuscular therapist and gentle yoga instructor.
As part of its ongoing effort to redress the physician burnout issue, The American Meditation Institute in 2009 conducted a retrospective case study of participants who previously completed “The Heart and Science of Yoga” curriculum. The findings included these positive, reproducible, long-term health-promoting changes: significant reductions in stress and fear, decreased anxiety and depression, lowered blood pressure, lowered heart rate, improved restorative sleep, improved energy levels, Increased creative capacity, diminishment of migraine headaches, elimination of irritable bowel syndrome, enhanced happiness and optimism, reduced cholesterol levels, diminished or extinguished acute and chronic pain, weight loss and increased breathing capacity.
According to AMI founder and conference director Leonard Perlmutter, “The interface of lifestyle, inflammation and allostatic load is where meaningful change can happen. The more consistently the therapeutic practices of Yoga Science are incorporated into the daily lives of physicians and other healthcare professionals, the better equipped they will be to redefine every “problem” as simply a situation that they are confident to deal with.”
Keyvan Hariri MD is board certified in Family Medicine in Manhattan Beach, California, and a “Heart and Science of Yoga” conference alumni. In his final evaluation he wrote, “This curriculum has been transformational, inspiring and self-empowering. I highly recommend this conference to every healthcare practitioner.”
