HW410 Chapter 4: "Stress and Disease" Flashcards

Question

What is defined as also known as CD4, these cells help in the production of antibodies released by T-cells?

Answer 1

T-helpers. Clinically labeled as CD4, these cells appear to increase the production of antibodies released by T-cells. T-helpers and T-suppressors are referred to as immunoregulatory cells because they regulate cell-mediated immunity (T-cell) and humoral antibody (B-cell) response.

Answer 2

T-suppressors. Clinically labeled as CD8, these cells appear to decrease the production of antibodies necessary to assist T-cells in attacking and killing endogenous antigens. A reduction in CD8 is believed to keep cytotoxic T-cells in check so that they do not attack self-proteins and thereby cause degeneration of healthy tissue. A reduction in CD8 is thought to be associated with arthritis and lupus. (Borysenko notes that clinical tests show a 2:1 ratio of CD4:CD8 to be normal, whereas a ratio less than this is a signal that this aspect of the immune system is deficient.)

Answer 3

Natural killer (NK) cells. Unlike cytotoxic T-cells, these immune cells (large lymphocytes) appear to have an innate ability to detect endogenous antigens without the help of any neuropeptides to sensitize them or previous memory experience. NK cells collaborate with cytotoxic T-cells to destroy mutant cells, virus-infected cells, and transplanted grafts. NK cells have a unique role in immune surveillance to detect malignant cell changes. Among immunologists, NK cells are known as “psychosocial friendly cells” because they mirror emotional states (ups and downs) of the mind.

Answer 4

Germ theory of disease, which ushered in the age of antibiotics and vaccinations. The Genome Project, which seeks to link every disease to a defective gene in our DNA. The Human Microbiome. Researchers now call the intestinal flora, which is composed of trillions of healthy bacteria, the “microbiome.” The premise of the microbiome is that each human being is actually a multispecies superorganism. Perhaps the biggest take-home message about a compromised microbiome is its association with inflammation. Inflammation (excessive oxidation of tissues) is associated with many chronic diseases, and stress seems to be a major trigger for inflammation.

Answer 5

The result is immunological overreaction, underreaction, or perhaps both.

Answer 6

Allergies. Infections (cold and flu) Herpes can be caused in underreactions.

Answer 7

Arthritis and Lupus. Cancer. Herpes can be caused in underreactions.

Answer 8

Cancerous Tumors.

Answer 9

Cancerous Tumors.

Answer 10

Autoimmune diseases.

Answer 11

Note that you can have an allergic reaction (overreaction) and a cold (underreaction) at the same time because they are produced by different dynamics.

Answer 12

Acute psychological stress decreases NK cell activity through a profound effect on cytokine production. Chronic stress is observed to suppress NK cell activity, thereby increasing one’s susceptibility to infections and cancer

Answer 13

Stress-related changes in the immune system have been observed in secondary lymphoid tissue (spleen, lymph nodes) where T-cells are produced. Lymphoid tissues, bathed in a “hormonal milieu,” appear to be significantly affected by emotions and thought processing.

Answer 14

Researchers have isolated neural endings connecting the CNS to the thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow. Tonsils, adenoids, and some cells of the small intestine have been found to be innervated by sympathetic nerve fibers.

Answer 15

Neuropeptides. Different from the efferent/afferent system and they influenced by emotional responses.

Answer 16

Lymphocytes have built-in receptor sites for neuropeptides. Neuropeptides is also a recent discovery.

Answer 17

Its own (endogenous) opiates, neurotransmitters that have a similar effect to those manufactured externally, such as morphine.

Answer 18

Beta-endorphin.

Answer 19

Neuropeptide molecule that, like a chameleon, changes its configuration as a result of emotional influences.

Answer 20

May be accounted for by the wavelike oscillations or vibrations of the electrons in each neuropeptide molecule. Pert’s hypothesis parallels work conducted by German physicist Fritz-Albert Popp, who discovered that DNA is capable of sending out a large range of frequencies, with each frequency being associated with a particular metabolic function.

Answer 21

Originally thought that neuropeptides receptors were created in the brain because the hypothalamus as the largest preponderance of neuropeptide receptors. Her research revealed that throughout the body immune cells not only have receptors for neuropeptides, but also can manufacture them independently. These same immune cells seem to have a kind of memory that enables them to adapt and respond to emotional responses.

Answer 22

It is believed they are the means of communication between the brain and the T & B-cells (bidirectional where they talk to each other). This has given credence to the supposition that emotions may suppress the function of lymphocytes while others may act as immunoenhancers.

Answer 23

Influence of academic stress on the rate of secretory immunoglobulin (S-IgA) in dental student. S-IgA is the first line of defense of respiratory diseases. 5 samples were taken from saliva throughout the year, and conclusion stated that values were lower during stressful periods, particularly in the students who demonstrated high power motivation.

Answer 24

Most noteworthy was a classic study that found a decrease in the number of lymphocytes in Ohio State University medical students during their first day of exams, as compared with samples taken prior to and after the exam period (1984).

Answer 25

Kiecolt-Glaser’s research (2003) suggests that chronic stress accelerates the aging process (which entails many diseases) through the overproduction of a specific proinflammatory cytokine.

Answer 26

Studies investigating the relationship between emotional stress and immunosuppression have also been conducted using animals as subjects (Bovbjerg et al., 1984). For example, when rats were subjected to foot shocks they could not control, a significant reduction in immune function (i.e., decreased lymphocyte proliferation) was detected (Laudenslanger et al., 1983). The suppression of the immune system was considered a conditioned response. The researchers concluded that a helpless-hopeless attitude, initiated by an inability to control factors of the environment, can pave a path toward illness.

Answer 27

Immunosuppression has also been observed in individuals during bereavement. A study by Bartrop et al. (1977) indicated that people manifested lower lymphocyte proliferation within 8 weeks of the loss of a spouse. Similar findings were observed by Schleifer et al. (1983) in men whose wives had died of breast cancer, with results showing a significant reduction in lymphocyte proliferation. These studies have led some to suggest that humans, like rats, can be conditioned to suppress their immune systems by means of emotions and/or thought processes.

Answer 28

One of the most interesting studies regarding the effects of relaxation and coping techniques on immunoenhancement was conducted by Esterling et al. (1994). In this study, the effect of various stress-management skills on NK cell activity was investigated among nursing home patients. Subjects were divided into three groups: (1) those who were taught relaxation techniques, (2) those who were provided with abundant social contact, and (3) those who received no special techniques or contact. Results revealed that after a 1-month period, the NK cell count was significantly higher in those subjects who received stress-management therapy than in the controls. Other studies, inspired by the work of Norman Cousins, have also been conducted to determine the relationship between positive emotions and changes in the immune system.

Answer 29

Epigenetic theory - the study of molecular mechanisms in which environment controls gene activity of the DNA.

Answer 30

Its cell membrane or cell wall. The cell membrane holds a complexity of knowledge that allows your body to translate environmental signals into behavior.

Answer 31

Electromagnetic particles of energy.

Answer 32

- Promote growth | - Promote protection of their own integrity

Answer 33

More time spent on protection, the less time and energy for growth which in turn impedes not only the health of the cell but also the organ it is apart of (and because everything connects energetically, the health of the individual). A state of constant stress can ultimately compromise the health of the cell and hence its vitality. As each cell goes, so goes the organ or system that contains it. Lipton says being scared to death is no mere metaphor.

Answer 34

Take the effect of the nervous system on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Typically, the cells in the lining of your stomach are replaced every 72 hours. This naturally occurring growth process is suspended in the fight-or-flight response of chronic stress with more energy being provided for protection rather than growth. Over time, the functioning of the stomach and small intestine will be impaired significantly.

Answer 35

Lipton notes that stress hormones greatly affect the vitality of the immune system, so much so that patients undergoing an organ transplant are often given high doses of these hormones (e.g., cortisol) to suppress the immune system so that the new organ won’t be rejected.

Answer 36

Telomeres (a DNA protein) involved with cell division are greatly compromised by chronic psychological stress.

Answer 37

He states: “Your beliefs act like filters on a camera lens, changing how you see the world. And your biology adapts to those beliefs”

Answer 38

That all thoughts are merely the result of biochemical reactions occurring within the neurons and synapses of the brain’s gray matter.

Answer 39

That mind as conscious and unconscious thoughts exists as energy that surrounds and permeates the body, influencing a host of corporal biochemical reactions. From this perspective, stress-related symptoms that appear in the physical body are the manifestation of “problems” that have occurred earlier as a result of a disturbance at a “higher energy level.”

Answer 40

The human energy field is thought to be composed of layers of consciousness that surround and permeate the physical body.

Answer 41

Describes the human energy field of subtle matter as consisting of several layers of consciousnes, the etheric, that closest to the body; the astral, which is associated with emotional thought; the mental, three tiers of consciousness including instinct, intellect, and intuition; and the outermost layer, the causal, which is associated with the soul.

Answer 42

Subtle energy

Answer 43

Etheric energy

Answer 44

Kirlian photography. This technique is one of several technologies that substantiates the human energy field.

Answer 45

Subtle anatomy.

Answer 46

Energy psychology - the study of subtle energy and energy medicine It attempts to unite quantum physics and subtle anatomy with psychology to better understand and treat stress-related diseases at a psychospiritual level.

Answer 47

The concept of the chakras may begin to explain why two people with the exact same stressor manifest different symptoms of disease as their thoughts and emotions are processed energetically through the layers of subtle energy and the chakra system.

Answer 48

Sympathetic resonance

Answer 49

Entrainment

Answer 50

In humans, the result over time if several organs are influenced to entrain at a higher than normal frequency is a decreased ability to return to homeostasis, resulting in metabolic dysfunction or possibly irregular cell division in those organs.

Answer 51

He discovered that traces of the isotope followed a fine ductlike tubule system not related to the circulatory, lymphatic, or nervous systems; rather, they paralleled the acupuncture meridian system.

Answer 52

The first faults bioecological influences—that is, repeated exposure to those energy frequencies, natural (ultraviolet rays) or human-made (high-tension power lines), with a rhythm greater than 7.8 Hz, which distort some aspect of the human energy field. The second explanation for the loss of mind-body equilibrium is that self-produced emotional disturbances congest the energy field at the astral (emotional) layer and precipitate a host of physical maladies. Toxic thoughts that go unresolved, often referred to as emotional baggage, may translate into physical ailments that serve as a reminder of these issues.

Answer 53

First, the smallest particle within an atom is composed of energy, and energy and mass are interchangeable; thus, each object gives off a unified rhythm or series of oscillations. These oscillations are depicted in units of measurement called hertz (Hz), or oscillations per second. In turn, objects that oscillate, including the human body, create a magnetic energy field.

Answer 54

He concluded that an unequivocal relationship exists between extremely low frequencies (ELF)—the range in which electrical current oscillates (60 Hz)—and the development of diseases in people who are repeatedly exposed to them. Becker is of the opinion that oscillations of a higher frequency are somehow absorbed through the human energy field (what he calls the human electromagnetic field), resulting in alterations to the genetic makeup of cells at the atomic level.

Answer 55

Kirschvink speculated that exposure to various electrical impulses can alter the integrity of magnetite and affect the cells’ health or rate of activity. Disturbances produced by electrical interference can result in mutations at the cellular level, which may then become cancerous tumors.

Answer 56

In vitro T-lymphocytes exposed to a 60-Hz energy field significantly reduced their cytotoxic ability against foreign antigens over a 48-hour period. Becker also suggested that energy currents may affect mood and emotions, which are thought to be associated with the astral and mental layers of the human energy field.

Answer 57

At this time, the scientific evidence is absolutely conclusive: 60-Hz magnetic fields cause human cancer cells to permanently increase their rate of growth by as much as 1600 percent and to develop more malignant characteristics. These results indicate that power frequency fields are cancer promoters. Cancer promoters, however, have major implications for the incidence of cancer because they increase the number of cases of causing agents in our environment, ranging from carcinogenic chemicals to cosmic rays. As a result, we are always developing small cancer cells that are recognized by our immune system and destroyed. Any factor that increases the growth rate of these small cancers gives them an advantage over the immune system, and as a result more people develop clinical cancers that require treatment.

Answer 58

A study conducted at the Cleveland Clinic by Agarwal and colleagues (2008) revealed that cell phone usage is linked to a lower sperm count.

Answer 59

Thoughts, perceptions, and emotions, according to Gerber’s theory, originate in the various layers of subtle energy, cascade through the mind-body interface, and are decoded at the molecular level to cause biochemical changes in the body. He states, “Thoughts are particles of energy. [Negative] thoughts are accompanied by emotions which also begin at the energy levels. As these particles of energy filter through from the etheric level to the physical level, the end result is immunoincompetence”

Answer 60

For instance, a patient may be a diabetic under the influence of one personality, yet show no signs of this disease in the presence of another. Similarly, one personality may require prescription glasses or have asthma or severe allergies, whereas the remaining personalities show no traces of these symptoms. These disease states disappear within the individual when another personality becomes dominant. In most cases of MPD, the patient experienced some incredibly traumatic event as a child. Stress is thought to be strongly associated with the etiology of disease, yet its appearance and disappearance from personality to personality have medical experts baffled.

Answer 61

Spontaneous remission. What makes these reports so remarkable is that many people who were spontaneously cured were originally diagnosed as terminally ill. There are now even several documented cases of HIV remission. But a closer look into the matter reveals that in documented cases, some people who were given weeks to live seemed to go through an “about-face attitude” resulting in a “spontaneous cure.”

Answer 62

3000; and 15 percent.

Answer 63

Hypnosis. According to Pelletier, the following illnesses have been shown to be cured by hypnosis: warts, asthma, hay fever, contact dermatitis, and some animal allergies. Case studies of ichthyosis, a congenital skin disease, have also been successfully treated with hypnosis.

Answer 64

Placebos fall within the realm of faith healing, where a person so strongly believes that the medication he or she received will cure the illness that a healing effect occurs even when what was ingested is no “real” medication at all.

Answer 65

A cure rate of greater than 35% of that in comparison to using a placebo. The demarcation of a placebo. Some placebos have a cure rate of 70%.

Answer 66

Attending physicians that are supportive.

Answer 67

Cell memory. Although a vegetarian and a connoisseur of wine, Claire had cravings for KFC and beer—the last food Tim had before he died in a motorcycle accident. These and other stories like them suggest that cells retain some level of consciousness that is then passed on to the recipient of the organ. Similarly, some people, who, while in therapy, recount memories of childhood physical abuse, begin to manifest bruises in the places where they were beaten decades earlier.

Answer 68

Subtle energy and immunoenhancements.

Answer 69

Physical exercise is suggested as a means to enhance the integrity of telomeres. Could other relaxation techniques lead you to the fountain of youth? Perhaps!

Answer 70

Relaxation techniques like mental imagery and meditation.

Answer 71

Hostility.

Answer 72

Lyme disease, originating in Lyme, Connecticut (found elsewhere as well) and sources in the tiny deer tick. (other animals and bugs can carry it as well)

Answer 73

69% and 20%

Answer 74

Target organ. For some unexplained reason, during various stages of acute and chronic stress, certain regions of the body seem more susceptible to excessive metabolic activity than others. Any organ can be a target organ: hair, skin, blood vessels, joints, muscles, stomach, colon, and so on. In some people one organ may be singled out, while in others several organs may be targeted. Genetics, emotions, personality, and environmental factors have all been speculated as possible explanations for target organs, without conclusive evidence to support any of them.

Answer 75

Nervous system-related disorders.

Answer 76

Atherogenesis

Answer 77

Atherosclerosis

Answer 78

Arteriosclerosis

Answer 79

Broken heart syndrome.

Answer 80

Immune system-related disorders. The body becomes more vulnerable to exogenous and endogenous antigens.

Answer 81

Exogenous-underreactive. From Borysenko’s model of the immune system, we can see that as the number of B-lymphocytes decreases, the body becomes more vulnerable to the influences of the viruses that produce the common cold.

Answer 82

Exogenous-overreactive An allergic reaction is initiated when a foreign substance, or antigen (e.g., pollen, bee venom, dust spores), enters the body. In response to this intrusion, granulocytes secrete antibodies called histamines. When histamines encounter the antigens they form inactive complexes, in essence neutralizing their toxic effect. In an overreactive immune response to exogenous antigens, the excess of histamines causes swelling of mucous membrane tissue, in the case of inhaled antigens, or of skin tissue, in the case of infection. Some studies have shown that the introduction of foreign antigens isn’t necessary to trigger an allergic reaction. Borysenko suggests that B-lymphocytes have the capacity of memory that may induce the production of histamines and other antibodies (immunoglobulins) without direct contact with an antigen. In some people, allergic reactions can occur just by thinking about the stimulus that provoked a previous attack. Several studies have also shown that allergic reactions are more prevalent and severe in subjects prone to anxiety (Lehrer et al., 1993). Over-the-counter medications containing antihistamines and allergy shots are the most common approaches to dealing with allergies. New data suggest that relaxation techniques also minimize the effects of external antigens (Wright, 2003).

Answer 83

Endogenous-overreactive In this case, constituents of the immune system begin to attack apparently healthy tissue, mistaking it for a foreign substance. Rheumatoid arthritis, a joint and connective tissue disease, occurs when synovial membrane tissue swells, causing the joint to become inflamed. There is speculation that rheumatoid arthritis has a genetic link. It also has an association with stress, because it has been noted that the severity of arthritic pain is often related to episodes of stress, particularly suppressed anger. The treatment for this disease varies from pain relievers (e.g., aspirin) to steroid injections (e.g., cortisone), depending on the severity of pain and rate of joint deterioration. Relaxation techniques are now being recommended as a complementary treatment to help reduce symptoms. The series of events that lead to the destruction of this organ tissue begins with an excessive sympathetic neural drive. Increased secretions of norepinephrine are thought to cause a constriction of the vasculature in the lining of the stomach. This in turn is believed to decrease mucous secretions produced by the inner lining of the stomach wall. The purpose of mucus is to protect against the strong digestive enzymes that break down foodstuffs in the stomach. Ulcers were one of the first diseases associated with undue stress; Selye noted this in his earliest studies with rats. Similarly, physicians immediately noticed an association between anxiety and the symptoms of ulcers in their patients, most notably sharp pains in the stomach.

Answer 84

Endogenous-underreactive The two most prominent theories include the following: the first, falling back on the germ theory, suggests that all cancers are the result of an invading microbe or pathogen. The second theory suggests that there is a gene (called an oncogene) somewhere in the DNA structure that produces an abnormal or mutant cell (McClean, 1997). There is even a medical journal dedicated to this vein of research called Oncogene. Whether this gene can be inherited or is somehow externally triggered is yet to be determined; there are arguments both ways. The production of an abnormal cell in the body by itself is not uncommon. Some research suggests that the body produces about six mutant cells per day. In a precisely regulated immune system, T-cells and NK cells keep such endogenous antigens in check. T-lymphocytes have a commando mission to search for and destroy malignant cells. If for some reason their ability is suppressed, the likelihood of a cancerous tumor is increased. Although the life span of a mutated cell is markedly shorter than that of normal cells (this process is called relative inviability), if undetected, it proliferates much more quickly than a normal cell, producing a tumor. Because of their structural inability to manufacture various enzymes necessary to perform normal cellular functions, cancerous tumors rob healthy cells of their nutrients.

Answer 85

Appears higher among people who have a hard time expressing their emotions, have low self-esteem, and experience feelings of rejection. These same traits are said to characterize the codependent or addictive personality.

HW410 Chapter 4: "Stress and Disease" Flashcards

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