So claims Dr. Esther M. Sternberg, a medical researcher and author of the new book Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-being.

In an interview with AntiqueWeek, Sternberg says that surrounding yourself with antiques – as items rich in heritage and history – may help create a much-needed “place of healing” for people suffering from stress and even chronic illness.

“They (antiques) can have a very powerful effect,” Sternberg says. “I have in my office, a 19th century French fainting divan. And sometimes, when I sit on that item, it makes me feel different … almost transported back into those times … antiques have that aura.”

And it’s that aura, which Sternberg claims makes changes in the brain producing endorphins, which may be very beneficial for a physical “healing process.”

Sternberg compares these complex physiological responses to what some people experience when visiting a sacred site such as Lourdes – an area rich with legend and history. This is discussed in her book as the “placebo effect.”

“It’s all about expectations,” Sternberg says. “When you have an expectation that something will heal you, profound changes occur in the brain. It’s an effect that is usually dismissed, but the fact is that the placebo effect can account for up to 30 or even 50 percent of the effect of any medical intervention, whether that’s taking a pill, visiting a doctor or whatever.”

From there, Sternberg postulates that “creating a place of healing” whether it is within a home surrounded by antiques and fine art, or a garden, or just a pretty vista, is beneficial for not only mending our health, but keeping us healthy.

“Looking out a picture window on a beautiful setting – or looking at fine art – are shown to cause certain actions in the brain,” the doctor says. “A scientist in Los Angeles has discovered that these reactions release endorphins, and that’s not only good for the healing process, but also is good for the immune system.”

Although Sternberg does not specifically mention antiques as a “healing factor” in her new book, she told AntiqueWeek that antiques - by their special nature and history – may produce the same beneficial results.

“I have a set of my grandmother’s china tea cups which were used during my childhood. When I look at those, and my favorite cup, I think back on that particular part of my childhood … in a kitchen which was warm and comfortable. That kind of memory triggers positive emotions that can help you heal.”

Sternberg’s book is part of a developing field called environmental psychology, focusing on how our surroundings can influence our state of being. In her book, Sternberg explores how recent discoveries in the neurobiology of the senses impacts our emotions, immune systems and general health. The book examines how a Disney theme park or a Frank Gehry concert hall, a labyrinth or a garden can trigger or reduce stress, induce anxiety or instill peace.

She suggests possibilities for re-designing hospitals, communities and neighborhoods in ways that promote greater health and healing. She began her book on the relationships between architecture and neurological science nearly three years ago, she said.

“We’re trying to apply people’s responses to their physical environment in creating a more friendlier living area,” she says. Much her study has focused on how Modern architecture and furnishings – including the work of Herman Miller – is created to complement today’s lives.

Sternberg is internationally recognized for her discoveries in the brain-immune interactions and the effects of the brain’s stress response on health: the science of the mind-body interaction. She received her M.D. degree and trained in rheumatology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and was on the faculty at Washington University, St. Louis, before joining the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., in 1986, where she is currently based.

Healing Spaces was published by Harvard University Press, May 2009.

Eric C. Rodenberg