Bernie S. Siegel, M.D., who prefers to be called Bernie, practiced general and pediatric surgery in New Haven, Connecticut, until he retired in 1989. In 1978, he began talking about patient empowerment and the choice to live fully and die in peace. He founded ECaP (Exceptional Cancer Patients) based on "carefrontation," a loving, safe, therapeutic confrontation that facilitates personal change, empowerment and healing. The resulting physical, spiritual and psychological benefits led Bernie's desire to make everyone aware of his or her healing potential.

As a physician who has cared for and counseled innumerable patients, Bernie embraces a philosophy that is at the forefront of a society grappling with medical ethics and spiritual issues. His books, Love, Medicine and Miracles published in 1986, Peace, Love and Healing in 1998, have broken new ground in the field of healing. Bernie's efforts have now turned toward humanizing medical care and medical education, and he continues to travel extensively with his wife, Bobbie, to speak and run workshops, sharing his techniques and experiences. Bernie and Bobbie have five children and five grandchildren (so far).

Since writing Love， Medicine and Miracles， I ve received an<br > outpouring of letters and calls from people thanking me for<br > helping them find the path to healing. I hope what I ve learned<br > in the intervening years will help you， too， to find that path.<br > My emphasis in this new book and in Love， Medicine and<br > Miracles is on self-healing， that ability given to us by our Crea-<br > tor and too long neglected by medicine. That does not mean<br >that I am advocating turning one s back on the medical profes-<br >sion-but I also do not believe in relying on it alone. Modern<br >medicine and self-healing need not and should not be mutually<br >exclusive. I advise using all your options， which include your<br >innate ability to heal， as well as what science can offer you.<br >Drawing on my experience and that of the many exceptional<br >people I have encountered， I explore the role of the self-heal-<br >ing system， explain the science behind it， and show why love<br >is physiologic.<br > Woody Allen tells us that human beings are divided into<br >mind and body: The mind embraces all the nobler aspirations，<br >like poetry and philosophy， but the body has all the fun. I<br >believe， however， that the body and mind are a unit， bound<br >together via nerves and messenger molecules. Love， hope， joy<br >and peace of mind have physiological consequences， just as<br >depression and despair do. That s what the science of mind-<br >body communication is all about.<br >