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Copyright © 1997, Jay Ligda.  All rights reserved.  Published by Humans in the Universe and Jay Ligda.

Stress and the Immune System

      The immune system mirrors the mind.  The feelings that are produced through mental activity are "felt" by the immune system.  When stress is chronic, so too are the feelings associated with it such as fear and anger, and can lead to depression.  Depression, caused by a "loss of the self" (Miller, 1981, p. 38), is a sign that an individual is "out of touch with his [her] body" (Lowen, 1974, p. 26).  The stressors of the mind are in conflict with the stressors of the body.  When a person becomes depressed, there is a depletion of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in the brain (Pearson and Shaw, 1982).  It follows that the immune system becomes depressed (Pearson and Shaw, 1982) & (Martini, 1992).

      Norepinephrine is also a part of the fight-or-flight reaction (Pearson and Shaw, 1982, p. 734).  Because a certain amount of norepinephrine is necessary to avoid depression and keep the immune system healthy, it implies that a certain amount of stress is actually necessary to keep the immune system functioning.  However, too much stress will produce an unhealthy imbalance of chemicals in the body.  A "heaven on earth" for individuals or a community would be a place where there are no more stressors than one can affectively deal with, but enough stressors that each individual is challenged and can grow.

by Jay Ligda

(This work is a all or part of an original work first published/written for John. F. Kennedy University:  Final Integrative Project., Mar1996.)


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References

  • Lowen, A. (1974).&nbps; Depression and the Body:  The Biological Basis of Faith and Reality.&nbps; Baltimore, MD:  Penguin.
  • Miller, A. (1981).  Prisoners of Childhood:  The Drama of the Gifted Child.  New York, NY:  Basic.
  • Martini, F. (1992).  The Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology. 2nd ed.  Englewood Cliffs, NJ:  Prentice-Hall.
  • Pearson, D. & Shaw, S. (1982).  Life Extension:  A Practical Scientific Approach.  New York, NY:  Warner.
  • Pearson, D. & Shaw, S. (1982).  Life Extension:  A Practical Scientific Approach.  New York, NY:  Warner.

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