Psychoneuroimmunology

By Ivan Mancinelli-Franconi, Ph.D, Psychology
 
While attending graduate school in San Francisco, I had the privilege of taking a class on Psychoneuroimmunology given by Dr. Jeanne Achterberg, internationally recognized for her pioneering research in medicine and psychology, and featured in Time Magazine as one of the six innovators of alternative and complementary medicine for the coming century. Saddly, Dr. Achterberg passed away on March 7, 2012. What I learned from my relatively short interaction with her, left quite a large impression on my professional development. 

The term Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), coined in 1975, by Dr. Robert Ader, from New York's University of Rochester, refers to the field of study which looks at the link between the mind and the body’s immune system. However, before Psychoneuroimmunology could be a field of study and healing modality, many centuries of scientific knowledge would have to be examined, challenged and revised beginning with Plato’s (429–347 BC.) Soul (intellect)-Body dualism and René Descartes’s (1596 – 1650) Mind-body dualism. Both Plato and Descartes “…argued that we consist of something incorporeal , whether one calls it ‘mind’  or ‘soul,’ which for the time being  is somehow united with a body that is part of the physical world” (Broadie, 2011). The body, according to both philosophers, behaved according to physical laws, and the spirit and mind existed in a dimensionless and immaterial realm. Yet Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) and Hippocrates (460-380 BCE) believed that the soul and the body were symbiotically linked to each other.

The Platonic and Cartesian dualism, however, permeated Western thought, accepting unchallenged the notion that all diseases were caused by pathogens or germs. It was not until American neurologist and physiologist Walter Cannon (1871-1945), found in the 1920s that the human body or even a cell is able to seek and maintain internal equilibrium when presented with external changes. He called this concept "Homeostasis." When homeostasis is interrupted by a stressor, the body restores the equilibrium through adjustment of the sympathetic and parasympathetic responses that trigger the “fight or flight response.” Severe stressors can cause severe imbalance causing not only psychological distress but also psycho-somatic disorders in animals and humans.  Cannon’s research on the relationship between emotion, perception and the ‘flight or fight response’ was later studied by endocrinologist, Hans Selye (1907-1982). Selye studied animals subjected to physical and mental adverse conditions, and how they recovered, adapted and healed from the stressful experiences. His experiments revealed that major organs of the immune system decreased in size during stressful conditions and consequently lowered the immune system to such low levels those animals eventually died. Selye coined the term “General Adaptation Syndrome” (GAS) to explain this phenomenon.  Selye’s studies validated Cannon’s research on the connection between emotional states and their impact on physical well-being.

Psychoneuroimmunology, however, as a distinct field of study dates to the Ader and Cohen (1975; 1982) experiments. Their study of taste aversion in mice prone to Lupus led to the discovery that the immune system can be classically conditioned, much like Ivan Pavlov’s experiment with dogs salivating in response to a bell. Their experiment showed that the immune system can be conditioned just like the mind. Dr. Ader found a correlation between our conscious thoughts and health and the ability to heal ourselves. If the mind is powerful enough to create an illness, it then has the ability to heal it.

Research found a chemical link between our emotions and the regulatory systems of the endocrine and immune systems through our central nervous system and maintained by neuron activity, neurochemicals, hormones, peptides, endorphins, encephalin and cytokines. According to Dr. Candice Pert, from Georgetown University School of Medicine “We know that the immune system, like the central nervous system, has memory and the capacity to learn. Thus, it could be said that intelligence is located not only in the brain but in cells that are distributed throughout the body, and that the traditional separation of mental processes, including emotions, from the body is no longer valid.” 

The brain communicates with the body’s immune system through bidirectional pathways -- autonomic nervous system and neuroendocrine activity. These pathways send signals, which the immune system picks up through receptors on the surface of lymphocytes and other immune cells. The activated immune system then generates cytokines, or chemical signals that are picked up by the nervous system. This biphasic pathway connects the brain to the immune system so they can fight the diseases, viruses, pathogens, etc., that are threatening the equilibrium of the body (Dhabhar and McEwen,1997;2001).

Acute stress and chronic stress have played a major role in the breakdown of the immune system. Several studies showed a correlation between stress and the immune system. Among these studies,  stress and immune functions associated with the common cold were studied by  Cohen et al.(1998) and Herbert & Cohen, (1993)) and showed a correlation between stress and the common cold. Students and examination stress was also studied by Kiecolt-Glaser et al. (1987, 1988); Kiecolt-Glaser et al (1984); and); Glaser et al. (1986). Heart disease risk and chronic stress was studied by Krantz, Sheps, Carney, & Natelson, (2000); O.Connor, C.M.,Gurbel, P.A., & Serebruany, V.L.,( 2000). McEwen(2000) found a correlation between chronic stress and the devastating effects it has on the brain. McEwen study showed that stress decreased the size of the brain’s hippocampus. The hippocampus stores memories associated with trauma or stress. Whenever there is a stressor similar to a previously stored one, the resulting stressor reinforces the trauma from the first stressor (Bloom & Lazerson, 2000).

Also studied were Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in divorced and separated men and women by Davidson & Baum (1986). Psychological stress and anxiety was studied by Locke et al., (1984); Cohen et al., (2002). Alexander et al. (1989) examined reduction in mortality rate among the elderly in nursing homes who used meditation techniques.  Witek-Janusek et al. (2008) examined mindfulness among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, and McCain et al. (2008) examined the use of tai chi, with HIV patients. . Fawzy and colleagues (1990a, 1990b, 1993) examined the effect of group psychotherapy on coping strategies for stress management and increased immunity activity.

The research in this field is extensive and supportive of the role of stress on the immune system. Herbert and Cohen (1993) conducted a meta-analysis of 38 studies relating stressor and immune functions. Segerstrom and Miller (2004) also conducted an extensive meta-analysis on 293 independent studies covering the period between 1960 to 2001, and reported that short-term stress may enhance immune function as an adaptive response, but chronic stress suppresses immune response due to excessive depletion of the body’s resources to fight back.

Dr. Howard Hall, a scientist from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, proved that the immune system can be consciously conditioned by guided imagery, bio-feedback, self-hypnosis, and other self-regulatory practices to fight the stressors which break down the immunity of the body to fight disease (Mason, 2014). 

Buddha’s statement "What we think, we become" is exactly what researchers are finding out about our capacity to heal ourselves without external invasive interventions. Staying positive while facing adversity is the first step, but it must also be reinforced by some form of pro-active healing modalities.

Each one of us is unique and the response to medical intervention will also vary. Always seek advice from a medical professional about your specific situation.

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