Breath for the Soul Aims to Empower Readers to Practice Self-Care
Dr. Jan Patterson is an integrative medicine and infectious diseases physician who has been studying and practicing medicine for more than 30 years, but she is also a cancer survivor and bereaved parent who concedes that traditional medicine often overlooks the benefits of self-care for treating certain conditions.
“I realized that while conventional medicine is very helpful and can do wonderful things, it’s not all that’s needed for dealing with the difficulties in life, like stress, anxiety, depression and grief,” Dr. Patterson said in a recent interview. “And through my training in integrative medicine, I’ve learned that there are simple yet effective things that people can do to be empowered for their own self-care.”
She teamed up with award-winning author Phyllis Clark Nichols (who has been the caregiver to her husband through three battles with cancer) to share practical self-care strategies in the new book, Breath for the Soul: Self-Care Steps to Wellness.
The book is organized into four sections that address stress, anxiety, depression and grief — conditions everyone will encounter at some point in life. Then, the authors discuss how breath, movement, nutrition, and spirituality and mindfulness can be incorporated to ease the symptoms.
“You are a soul, a complex person, a total self, needing nurture and care,” Nichols added. “Breath for the Soul is a full toolkit of evidence-based information, inspiring stories, trusted resources, healthy recipes and a simple plan to give you control over your self-care. Empower yourself with these simple tools using an innovative approach. Put yourself on the path to health, wellness and wholeness.”
About the Authors
Dr. Jan E. Patterson went to medical school in Texas, trained in internal medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and in infectious diseases at Yale University School of Medicine. She completed an integrative medicine fellowship at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at University of Arizona. She currently practices integrative medicine and infectious diseases at UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine. Dr. Patterson is medical director of Integrative Medicine at University Health. She and her husband, Thomas Patterson, MD, live in San Antonio, Texas.
Phyllis Clark Nichols, a pioneer in health programming for cable television, is an award-winning writer who weaves her faith and her Southern culture into her writing and speaking. A seminary graduate and a classically trained musician, she enjoys art, books, music, nature, cooking, travel and stories about ordinary people who live extraordinary lives. She is the author of nine character-driven novels that bring hope and light as she explores profound human questions. She and her artist/theologian husband live in the Texas Hill Country.
