Psychoneuroimmunology or PNI is the study of the complex interactions that occur between the nervous, immune and endocrine systems...and their influences on our health.
In the 6th Century B.C. Hippocrates wrote that "For this is the great error of our day that the physicians separate the soul from the body." Today, despite scientific advances showing how our emotions and spirit affect our health, some physicians refuse to make the connection. This despite the fact that in 1975, Dr. Robert Ader, Director of the Division of Behavioral and Psychosocial Medicine at the University of Rochester in New York, first reported that our immune system, nervous system, and endocrine system work together, each system influencing the other systems. The study of these complex interactions was originally termed psychoneuroimmunology or PNI although today it is more commonly referred to as the mind-body connection. By 1980, the early studies of Ader were reproduced and confirmed by researchers at Harvard University, and today PNI is taught at most leading medical schools.
Immune System Influences
The early studies of Dr. Ader showed that the immune system can be conditioned. In one early experiment consisted of feeding mice with saccharin while simultaneously injecting a second drug that caused upset stomach. By association, the mice learned to avoid the saccharin. An additional side affect of the drug used was that it suppressed the immune system. When the experiment was repeated without the drug to reverse the aversion Dr. Ader found a high proportion of the mice formally injected died when receiving saccharin alone because of immune suppression.
Dr. Ader hypothesized that the conditioning had been so successful that saccharin alone suppressed the immune system enough to kill the mice. It is possible then, that when there is stress on the organism, mental or physical, that there is a corresponding link between the two systems. That is, if a person is depressed, this state can be interpreted by the body, and, in response, the person experiences lethargy and other corresponding ailments. Conversely, if the body is diagnosed as ailing from a serious disease, for instance multiple sclerosis, a negative mental state may ensue. By conditioning the immune system behaves accordingly. Providing the patient with some feeling of control over their circumstances may create a positive outlook and attitude.
Psychoneuroimmunology then is the scientific field of study investigating the link between bi-directional communications among the nervous system, the endocrine (hormone) system, and the immune system and the implications of these linkages for physical health.
In similar studies at Harvard University, Dr. Joan Borysenko described a study on rabbits that were treated with a potent cancer-inducing agent. Although all of the rabbits in the upper cages developed the expected cancer, the rabbits in the lower cages remained free of cancer. Upon investigating, the researchers learned that the laboratory assistant who administered the medications consistently petted the rabbits in the lower cages since they were easier to reach. Their emotional well being caused their immune system to fight the effects of the administered medication, and they remained healthy.
Stress and Emotions in Autoimmune Disease
Stress is a well-known trigger of autoimmune disease. The flares and exacerbations that are characteristic of autoimmune disorders correspond to periods of heightened stress. In studies of patients with Graves' disease, the stress associated with bereavement is a significant disease trigger.
Candace Pert, in her book on the mind-body connection explains how hormones produced during times of stress affect our emotions, and both hormonal and emotional changes produce peptides that influence immune function. In her work on Metaphysics, Louise Hay explained how specific emotions induce specific disease states and how disease states can be reversed through changes in attitude that influence emotions.
Resources:
Louise L. Hay, Heal Your Body, Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 1982.
Elaine Moore, Autoimmune Diseases and Their Environmental Triggers, Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2002.
Candace Pert, Molecules of Emotion, The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.
