Considering the brief time that psychoneuroimmunology has existed as a bona fide field of research, a great deal of data has been collected in support of the proposition that homeostatic mechanisms are the product of an integrated system of defenses of which the immune system is a critical component. It is now clear that immune function is influenced by autonomic nervous systems activity and by...

In 2008, the 50th anniversary of ASCH, hypnosis is used increasingly for healthcare applications in hospitals, clinics, and psychotherapy practice. A substantial body of research demonstrates the efficacy of hypnosis as part of the integrative treatment of many conditions that traditional medicine has found difficult to treat (e.g., Pinnell & Covino, 2000; Elkins, Jensen, & Patterson, 2007). Th...

In this third of a four-article series on religion and medicine, I describe a theoretical model to illustrate the complex pathways by which religion may influence physical health. Genetic factors, childhood training, psychological and social influences, health behaviors, and healthcare practices are discussed as part of this model. Considerable space is given to recent advances in psychoneuroim...

Although the last decades have provided ample evidence for deleterious effects of stress on immunity and on cancer development and suggested mediating mechanisms, no psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)-related intervention has become a standard of care in conventional cancer treatment. We believe the reasons for this include the unique nature of cancer evolvement and interactions with the immune system...

Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of interactions between behavior, the brain, and the immune system. This article is designed to provide an overview of this new field for the general psychologist. The existence of bidirectional communication pathways between the brain and the immune system and the implications of this network for behavior are emphasized. Implications are that behavioralpsycho...

Psychoneuroimmunology is a relatively new discipline which deals with CNS-immune system interactions. The evidence for such interactions was reviewed, as was the neuroendocrinologic response to stress. Recent evidence indicates that the behavioral, nervous system, and neuroendocrine responses to stress are mediated by hypothalamic CRF, which acts on both the sympathetic nervous system and the H...

Psychosomatic plasticity, defined as an extreme capacity to turn suggestions into bodily realities, is as phenomenon well worth investigating because it challenges mainstream conceptions about the relationship between mind and body in health as well as illness. The field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) offers a framework within which to understand this phenomenon because PNI makes a compelling c...

Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis (RAS) is a prevalent oral disease that detrimentally impacts the quality of life for those affected. One several factors can trigger emergence RAS stress. Psychological stress adversely affect health and decrease immune system. Studies in field Psychoneuroimmunology have shown relationship between human behaviour, nerve function, psychological stress, which potenti...