Psycho Neuro Immunology (PNI)

"For this is the great error of our day that the physicians separate the soul from the body" - Hippocrates

The name Psychoneuroimmunology was provided in 1975, by Dr. Robert Ader, director of the division of behavioural and psychosocial medicine at New York's University of Rochester. Dr. Ader believes that there is a link between what we think (our state of mind) and our health and our ability to heal ourselves. In particular, this was borne out in a study conducted by Dr. Ader and his colleagues which showed that it is possible to classically condition the immune system. The experiment that caused this development consisted of feeding mice with saccharin while simultaneously injecting a 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.

Dr. Ader hypothesised that the conditioning had been so successful that saccharin alone suppressed the immune system enough to kill the mice

Psychoneuroimmunology then is the scientific field of study investigating the link between two way communication among the nervous system, the endocrine (hormone) system, and the immune system and the implications of these linkages for physical health.

Looking at the ancients, one can see a strong connection in their beliefs that the mind and the body should be treated as the whole. Hippocrates, often referred to as the father of medicine, would caution against not including all of the possibilities in healing. In Chinese medicine the belief is held that certain organs of the body represent various mental or emotional conditions. In addition, a lot of connections are made to nature, through energy meridian lines and hands on manipulation (accupressure). The practitioner will take the time to look into the person's life and see what is happening that may cause a change in the 'balance of the organism within their environment'. Knowing what psychological situations are going on in someone's life becomes important when deciding upon what course of treatment to follow.

In the 1920's onwards, Hans Selye experimented with animals putting them under different physical and mental adverse conditions and noted that under these conditions the body consistently adapted to heal and recover. He referred to this as the general adaptation syndrome. Selye also noticed during this adaptation the thymus and other major organs of the immune system shrank. In these studies it was found if the stress of the environment was continued then the immune system reduced and the animal would be overwhelmed and die. These studies validated the path for the connection between emotional states affecting physiological behaviour and states.

Research over the past twenty years has seen the development of Psychoneuroimmunology, which is based primarily upon the neuro sciences of the central nervous systems, the neuroendocrine system and the immune system and their inter-relationships. The central nervous system is a huge array of connections throughout the body incorporating sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. It allows the brain to send information throughout the body via chemicals generally referred to as information substances (IS).

What has become clear is that the central nervous system virtually controls the body's defence mechanisms. This being said, "Every thought, emotion, idea or belief has a neurochemical consequence".

These natural chemical messengers, called Neuropeptides, were at one time thought to be found in the brain alone. Pioneering research by neuropharmacologist, Candice Pert, revealed that these neuropeptides are present on both the cell walls of the brain and in the immune system. These information substances affect our emotions as well as our physiology. These cells of the body have their own receptors on the surface that act like satellite dishes. These receptors receive the chemical information substances being released by the brain and sometimes return messages at the appropriate times. Pert believes that peptides probably provide solutions to every medical problem. As these complex messengers travel throughout the body they provide vital information and sometimes almost instant physical feedback. If you have ever encountered something unpleasant, possibly by surprise, you may have found yourself instantly shivering, then literally shaking off the feeling produced. This is a simple example of how fast the information can be transmitted from thought to physiology.

The emotions we create are just that, created. This requires input from the brain. The centre for the brain that deals with emotional issues is the limbic system and in particular the hypothalamus. The discovery by Candice Pert, that neuropeptides and neurotransmitters are also on cell walls of the immune system shows a close association with emotions and suggests that emotions and health are deeply interdependent.

Showing that the immune and endocrine systems are modulated not only by the brain but by the central nervous system itself has had an impact on how we see disease and how its created. For its part, the endocrine system is a series of hormone secreting glands that themselves moderate the function and balance of the body. Primarily the pituitary, thyroid and adrenal glands send these hormonal chemicals to regulate the function of other organs. Using this network of transmitters and receivers the body is in constant adjustment to ensure balance.

The balance is kept as long as the immune system is functioning optimally. The immune system is literally on patrol throughout the body and is a complex surveillance system. The immune cells, called Lymphocytes (white blood cells) are the keys to the immune system. Produced initially in the bone marrow of long bones, some of these cells known as stem cells will migrate to the thymus where they multiply and are known as T cells. Those cells that remain in the bone marrow mature to become B cells. Each attacks the enemy in different ways. Circulating the body, when these antigens are discovered an army of appropriate cells (antibodies) is produced to attack the invader. To prevent this army of cells taking over, they in turn are suppressed and attacked. On this continuous patrol, natural killer (NK) cells attack and destroy cells that are produced by the organism which are mutated or abnormal. It is this action which prevents most people contracting cancers or other immune deficient problems such as A.I.D.S.

Research has indicated that an inextricable chemical link exists between our emotions, which includes all stress in our lives, both good and bad, and the regulatory systems of the endocrine and immune systems through the central nervous system. This research emphasises the importance of expressing our emotions both verbally and physically in an appropriate way.

When strong emotions generate fear, anger or rage and these are not expressed in a healthy way then the body's natural response is that of the sympathetic nervous system as demonstrated in Cannon's research on homeostasis and the fight or flight syndrome. At this point, inappropriate storing of these stressful emotions produces an excess of epinephrine. This excess of epinephrine causes a chemical breakdown, resulting in internal weakening of the immune system and an increased potential for disease.