The Role of Psychoneuroimmunology in Disease
In effect, PNI supports early ideas about the fundamental unity of the organism and the notion that health rests on proper balance. To disrupt that balance in any way imposes a stress on the organism that creates disequilibrium within the bodily systems that sustain life. It is during such times that the organism may demonstrate vulnerabil- ity to disease or effective response to the challenge. Psychosocial stress has neuroendocrine and immune effects in
humans. The effects start in the CNS and are transmitted to the PNS and endocrine system. Peripheral neuroendocrine activity that results from the stress will feed back to modulate CNS activity. This helps impact future psychosocial inputs to which the individual may be exposed.
Disease is a form of stress that starts within microenvironments.
Microenvironments may refer to DNA segments of a gene, the region around a single cell, or a small amount of tissue with a few interact- ing cells. This is particularly true of cancer, but also with allergic and infectious agents as well as autoimmune responses. At the level of the microenvironment, a complex interplay takes place between environmental irritants and gene expression in the cells in that area. The nutritional state of the organism influences the microenviron- ment as do signals from the endocrine system and local innerva- tions by the PNS. Psychosocial factors, in turn, modulate neural and endocrine signals in the area. The cascade of events increases the likelihood that pathologic change will ensue with clinically signifi- cant symptoms. Essentially, an individual’s state of health is a function of genetic
characteristics, age, and specific organ function as a response to the challenges posed by the environment. In this way, PNI underscores
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