Dr Lissa Rankin realized that fear is not just a nuisance emotion that makes us unhappy; it's a serious risk factor for disease that threatens our longevity. The body's physiological response to fear raises patients' risk for conditions from heart disease to diabetes to cancer - and even when patients know what they need to do in order to heal, fear often holds them back. In The Fear Cure, Dr Rankin presents a breakthrough understanding of fear, courage and health, exploring the psychospiritual roots of disease and charting a path back to wellness in body and soul. Using peer-reviewed studies and scientifically proven techniques, she shows readers how fear operates and what can be done to reduce its damaging effects. Featuring a practical six-step process aligned with New York Times bestseller Mind Over Medicine , The Fear Cure also includes: . How a fearful thought translates into physiologic changes throughout the body that disable the body's natural self-healing mechanisms . The difference between 'clean fear' (the kind that arises from a genuine, present threat) and 'dirty fear' (which leads to unnecessary stress responses that put us at risk for disease) . How mustering up courage not only heals our body, it heals our entire life.