The stress/immunity theory has its critics

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  August-Sept, 2005  by Robert A. Anderson

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

In this meta-analysis of 24 stress studies and ten relaxation studies vis-a-vis immunity, objective measures of immunity were insignificantly related to stress and relaxation with the exception of greater interleukin-2 receptor expression on lymphocytes and antibody titers against Epstein Barr virus (p<.0001).

Rood YR et al. The effects of stress and relaxation on the in vitro immune response in man: a meta-analytic study. J Behav Med 1993 Apr; 16(2):163-81

COMMENT: There is never 100% agreement on anything in medicine. And just to prove my unbiased nature, I report here that not all researchers agree that the effects are as ubiquitous as most of their colleagues believe. Even so, two laboratory measures were altered by stress in this meta-analysis, so we are discussing the degree to which stress causes negative effects. This study did not measure or analyze psychological and mental/emotional effects.

COPYRIGHT 2005 The Townsend Letter Group
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group