IX Mind Body Medicine (more...)

1. Cassileth, B. and Drossman, D. Psychosocial factors in gastrointestinal illness. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 59: 131-143, 1993.

2. Cohen, S., Doyle, W.J., Skoner, D.P. Rabin, B.S., & Gwaltney, J.M. Jr., (1997). Social Ties and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. JAMA, 277(24), 1940-1944.
The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that diverse ties to friends, family, work and community are associated with increased resistance to infection. After reporting the extent of participation in 12 types of social ties (e.g., spouse, parent friend, workmate, member of a social group), 276 subjects were given nasal drops containing I of 2 rhinoviruses and monitored for the development of a common cold. The results showed that subjects with more types of social ties were less susceptible to common colds, produced less mucus, were more effective in ciliary clearance of nasal passages, and shed less virus. The authors conclude that more diverse social networks are associated with greater resistance to upper respiratory illness.

3. Cohen, S. Tyrell, D.A. & Smith A.P. (1991). Psychological Stress and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. New England Journal of Medicine, 325(?), 606-612.
The relationship between psychological stress and the frequency of documented clinical colds among subjects intentionally exposed to respiratory viruses was measured in this study in order to determine whether psychological stress suppresses host resistance to infection. After completing questionnaires assessing degrees of psychological stress, 394 healthy subjects were given nasal drops containing one of five respiratory viruses. The rates of both respiratory infection and clinical colds increased in a dose-response manner with increases in the degree of psychological stress.

4. Henry, J.P. The relation of social to biological processes in disease. Soc Sci Medicine 1982; 16: 369-380.

5. Herbert, T. and Cohen, S. Depression and immunity: A meta-analatyc review. Psychological Bulletin, 113: 472-486, 1993.

6. Hoffman JW, Benson H, Arns PA, Stainbrook GL, Landsberg L, Young JB, Gill A. Reduced sympathetic nervous system responsivity associated with the relaxation response. Science 1982; 215: 190-2.

7. Kobasa, S.C. (1979). Stressful Life Events, Personality and Health: An Inquiry Into Hardiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(1), 1-11.
This study identifies personality characteristics that play a role in the ability of highly stressed people to remain healthy. Executives from high stress/low illness and high stress/high illness categories were identified. Three elements of the personality were measured: control, commitment, and challenge. High stress/low illness executives were more in control, more committed and more oriented to challenge than high stress/high illness executives.

8. Lazar, S.W., Bush, G., Gollub, R.L., Fricchione, G.L., Gurucharan, K., Benson, H. Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation. NeuroReport 11: 1581-1585, 2000.

9. Levenstein, S., Prantera, C., Varvo, V., Scribano, M., Berto, E., Andreoli, A. and Luzi, C. Psychological stress and disease activity in ulcerative colitis: A multidimensional cross-sectional study. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 89: 1219-1225, 1994.

10. Lutgendorf, S., Logan H., Kirchner H.L.; Rothrock N., Svengalis, S. < inverson, K. Lubaroff, D. Effects of relaxation and stress on the capsaicin-induced local inflammatory response. Psychosom Med 62: 524-534, 2000.

11. Mandle CL, Domar A, Harrington DP, et al: The Relaxation Response in Femoral Angiography, Radiology 174: 737-9, 1990.


12. Pert, C.B., Dreher, H.E., & Ruff, M.R. (1998). The Psychosomatic Network: Foundations of Mind-Body Medicine. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 4 (4),30-41.
In this comprehensive review article, the authors update the concept of the human organism as a psychosomatic network rooted in neuropeptides and their receptors. They give a historical perspective on the field of psychoneuroimmunology. They also review recent data on the clinical relevance of neuropeptide interactions for various human diseases. Finally, they offer new evidence to showing emotions as the bridge between mind and body, including data demonstrating that mind-body interventions which facilitate emotional expression can result in physiological healing.

13. Simonton, S.S., & Sherman, A.C. (1998) Psychological Aspects of Mind-Body Medicine: Promises and Pitfalls from Research with Cancer Patients. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 4(4), 50-67. .
Psychological interventions for cancer patients are reviewed in this article. The following four areas are examined: (1) adjustment and quality of life, (2) symptom control, (3) immune function and (4) disease progression. In each area, psychosocial dimensions of risk and resilience, the efficacy of current interventions, and the directions of future research are discussed.

14. Sobel, D.S., (2000) The Cost-Effectiveness of Mind-Body Medicine Interventions. Progress in Brain Research 122,393-412.
This article presents evidence on the cost-effectiveness of mind-body medicine interventions including mental health treatment and consultation, group behavioral medicine interventions, virtual communities and online support, and preparation for surgical and medical procedures. Studies which specifically examine the cost-effectiveness of group behavioral medicine interventions in the context of psychosomatic complains, stress-related disorders, heart disease, arthritis, chronic disease, chronic pain and cancer are discussed. The author also addresses barriers to integrating mind-body medicine into medical care.

15. Whitehead, W. Behavioral medicine approaches to gastrointestinal disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60: 605-612, 1992.

16. Whitehead, W., Crowell, M., Robinson, J., Heller, B. and Schuster, M. Effects of stressful life events on bowel symptoms: Subjects with irritable bowel syndrome compared with subjects without bowel dysfunction. Gut, 33: 825-830, 1992.

17. Williams, R., Suarez, E., Kuhn, C., Zimmerman, E. and Schanberg, S. Biobehavioral basis of coronary-prone behavior in middle-aged men. Part I: Evidence for chronic SNS activation in Type A's. Psychosomatic Medicine, 53,: 517-527, 1991.