Mind and body in biobehavioral perspective

Self is formed because of the interaction between the body and the society. Culture defines the range of options for being a human within a certain time, place and group. The self is developed within the sociocultural context, which tells us what we should be, how we should interact with society, what we should feel and what those feelings mean, as well as how our body should look, be used and be cared for. This multidimensional model of culture allows us to define the dimensions of the self, and explain how the culturally derived self understands, reacts to and acts upon the individual body within a social context. The view of the self posited here allows us to research the experiential connection between the mind, the body and the society.     

Mind over matter

A pioneering unit in Cambridgeshire is helping people with brain injury by taking a pragmatic approach to their long-term difficulties. Their work is now creating interest and changing practice in Russia.     

Mind the gap

The "oxygen saturation gap" is the difference between the calculated oxygen saturation from a standard blood gas machine and the reading from a pulse oximeter. If it is greater than 5%, the patient's hemoglobin may be abnormal, representing carbon monoxide poisoning, methemoglobinemia, or sulfhemoglobinemia. We report a case where awareness of the saturation gap led to the diagnosis of carbon monoxide poisoning.