This week on NBC Nightly News, we're presenting a series on alternative and complementary medicine called "The Mind-Body Connection," in which we take a look at growing trends such as medical clinics that look like high-end spas, the practice of Tai Chi and a new emphasis on "mindful eating."

I'll be available to answer some of your questions about the series this Thursday, May 8, from noon-2 pm ET. Please feel free to submit your questions here.

Disclaimer: I will not be providing medical advice - rather, I'll be offering some of the insight and perspective I've gained from my reporting.

For more information about each installment, see below:

MONDAY: Complementary Medicine: It's one of the fastest-growing trends in modern medical treatment and it's catching on around the country. I traveled to the largest center for such treatments in the US - Duke University Medical Center - which shows us all that modern mind-body connection medicine can be. Using hypnosis, meditation, massage, acupuncture and other holistic methods in conjunction with conventional treatments (chemotherapy, etc), patients face and experience their healing in a different way…and with results. We also looked into alleviating pain through non-traditional methods.

TUESDAY: Mindful Eating, or, How to make your meals a more sensory experience. Mindful eating is using your senses to retrain the way you eat what you eat. Nutritionists say this is a huge trend on the horizon and will revolutionize weight loss and maintenance . Government-supported research shows we can retrain ourselves. Its not a diet -- it's a change in one's relationship to food.

WEDNESDAY: Tai Chi. It may be a centuries-old practice, but it's finding modern-day devotees who swear the practice increases blood flow, promotes relaxation and helps alleviate pain. At the Integrative Medical Center at UC/Irvine, a Chinese-American former bio-physicist changed his professional focus in mid-life and now teaches patients the flowing and graceful movements now recommended by the Mayo Clinic and others to help people get stronger and live longer.

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A decade after it first approved devices for laser eye-correcting surgery, the Food and Drug Administration is taking a closer look at grievances from Lasik surgery patients, including blurred vision and dry eyes. Tonight on NBC Nightly News, I'll be reporting on the health risks associated with Lasik surgery. Tomorrow, on April 25th at Noon ET, I will be available here on this Newsvine thread to answer your questions about the procedure. Some of you may also be interested in viewing and discussing my report on rising concerns about chemicals found in plastic bottles.

Feel free to start submitting your questions in advance.

For those of you visiting us here for the first time, please know that Newsvine is an interactive web site designed for members to participate in thoughtful discussions about news-related topics. Feel free to take a look at the Newsvine Code of Honor, it's a short list of standards that existing members hold themselves to here.

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