\n| covid\/coronavirus nocebo<\/td>\n | 0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n [Note that \u2018coronavirus\u2019 also comprises SARS and MERS, separate from Covid-19.]<\/p>\n Also, nothing related that I could think of. The zeros are additionally worrisome because the new coronavirus outbreak causes immense stress on the population worldwide. Panic plays a role in what causes more panic. First, another disclaimer.<\/p>\n Second disclaimer: Nothing in this article carries even the slightest form of disrespect.<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is my second article about mind and corona. People who don\u2019t see the role of the mind in the enfolding story may think that \u2018hard\u2019 facts are being denigrated. To me, it is the opposite.<\/p>\n Being intrigued by the above zeros, I read a substantial number of scientific articles about many aspects of Covid. In these too, there was no mention of the mind within an ocean of information on physical elements. Even I feel lured by this into a vicious circle: the whole domain doesn\u2019t look mind-related because no one mentions it. Therefore, no one mentions it.<\/p>\n One gets the impression of being drawn into a comfortable illusion, a silo devoid of mind. But of course, we know that viral infections (from infestation to disease) are immune-related, and that the immune system is mind-related. There is no doubt about either one. Research is more than clear. This includes \u2013 crucial to the present case of Covid \u2013 unmistakable proof of influence of acute psychosocial stress on immuno-inflammatory mechanisms in general and as measured in saliva and in the blood. Individuals vary markedly in the magnitude of change, logically, also in relation to age (called \u2018inflammaging\u2019). Little has been done with this knowledge until now.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, we are still at the beginning of being able to pinpoint the most relevant aspects. A lot lies in store. Not only the immune system in a strict sense is involved. In humans, acute viral infections often lead to inflammation in the lungs. More and more, stress is also being related to inflammation. Arguably, in extraordinary circumstances, both together may lead to a whirlpool of inflammation and the \u2018acute respiratory distress syndrome\u2019 that is so deadly in Covid-pneumonia.<\/p>\n Another especially stark example of negative clinical outcome is Takotsubo. This is an acute major-stress induced heart disease \u2013 also known as broken heart syndrome \u2013 with a prognosis comparable to myocardial infarction. The mechanism involves an acute inflammation of the heart muscle. On the other hand, we know that the maintenance of a positive outlook during acute stress protects against pro-inflammatory reactivity. With this in mind, we can have a different look at Covid fatalities.<\/p>\n One expert in personal communication: \u201cIf you ask ten virologists, you get ten different opinions about what to do.\u201d This is OK; it is science at its best. But it is what it is. Science, especially about people, seldom gives one definite answer.<\/p>\n For politicians, this is a puzzle. They follow the experts\u2019 advice, but which ones of the experts? One needs to take into account what seems absurd at first sight. I do have great admiration for virologists. They know much about coronaviruses. But about the human mind? Of course, \u2018no knowledge\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean there is nothing present. It\u2019s like with eyes closed, saying there is nothing to see. It\u2019s not comfortable.<\/p>\n Coming up with the psyche is even dangerous \u2013 career-wise \u2013 in a somato-scientific milieu. What about now? \u201cThis is not the time to come forward with such. People have serious things to attend to.\u201d Of course, this is precisely<\/em> the time to take every possible measure. It is never more necessary. Also, a crisis may set things in motion that would otherwise not occur.<\/p>\nTherefore, let\u2019s talk about the mind. At least, we know something about the influence of the mind on viral infections and disease. Since the nineties, AIDS research of high scientific level has shown a substantial impact of the mind on the progression from virus-infestation to AIDS. I describe this in my book Your Mind as Cure<\/em>, together with research by Cohen about the influence of psychic stress on the incidence of common colds after viral contact, even in a direct dose-response relationship. Note that among the common cold viruses, several are of the corona type, although, of course, much less dangerous than the Covid-19 virus. I also describe a lot of scientifically proven influences of the mind on many symptoms and diseases, including immune-related ones. In fact, medical research is brimming with all this.<\/p>\nI want to share a few quotes, not as causal proof but as a strong wake-up:<\/p>\n \n- \u201cThe studies summarized in this review indicate that there are important linkages between anxiety and depression and viral diseases such as influenza A (H1N1) and other influenza viruses, varicella-zoster virus, herpes simplex virus, human immunodeficiency virus\/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and hepatitis C.<\/strong>\u201c [Coughlin SS. Anxiety and Depression: Linkages with Viral Diseases.\u00a0Public Health Rev<\/em>. 2012;34(2):92.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cIn the Swedish population, stress related disorders were associated with a subsequent risk of life threatening infections, after controlling for familial background and physical or psychiatric comorbidities.<\/strong>\u201d [Song H, Fall K, Fang F, et al. Stress related disorders and subsequent risk of life threatening infections: population based sibling controlled cohort study.\u00a0BMJ<\/em>. 2019;367:l5784.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cThese data demonstrate support for the effectiveness of stress-reducing psychological interventions in improving immunity in studies that tested immune function by means of incorporating an in vivo, in vitro, or psychophysiological challenge.<\/strong>\u201d [Schakel L, Veldhuijzen DS, Crompvoets PI, et al. Effectiveness of Stress-Reducing Interventions on the Response to Challenges to the Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Review.\u00a0Psychother Psychosom<\/em>. 2019;88(5):274\u2013286.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cSocial disruption (SDR) is a well-characterized mouse stressor that causes changes in immune cell reactivity in response to inflammatory stimuli. In this study, we found that SDR in the absence of an immune challenge induced pulmonary inflammation<\/strong>\u201c [Curry JM, Hanke ML, Piper MG, et al. Social disruption induces lung inflammation.\u00a0Brain Behav Immun<\/em>. 2010;24(3):394\u2013402.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cThe present report meta-analyzes more than 300 empirical articles describing a relationship between psychological stress and parameters of the immune system in human participants. Acute stressors (lasting minutes) were associated with potentially adaptive upregulation of some parameters of natural immunity and downregulation of some functions of specific immunity. Brief naturalistic stressors (such as exams) tended to suppress cellular immunity while preserving humoral immunity. Chronic stressors were associated with suppression of both cellular and humoral measures.<\/strong>\u201d [Segerstrom SC, Miller GE. Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry.\u00a0Psychol Bull<\/em>. 2004;130(4):601\u2013630.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cCortisol also showed a continuous association with duration of viral shedding, an indicator of viral replication and continuing infection, such that higher cortisol concentrations predicted more days of shedding.<\/strong>\u201d [Janicki-Deverts D, Cohen S, Turner RB, Doyle WJ. Basal salivary cortisol secretion and susceptibility to upper respiratory infection.\u00a0Brain Behav Immun<\/em>. 2016;53:255\u2013261.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cBoth aging processes and psychological stress affect the immune system: Each can dysregulate immune function with a potentially substantial impact on physical health. Worse, the effects of stress and age are interactive.<\/strong>\u201d [Graham JE, Christian LM, Kiecolt-Glaser JK. Stress, age, and immune function: toward a lifespan approach.\u00a0J Behav Med<\/em>. 2006;29(4):389\u2013400. doi:10.1007\/s10865-006-9057-4]<\/li>\n
- \u201cStress-induced immune dysregulation has been shown to be significant enough to result in health consequences, including reducing the immune response to vaccines, slowing wound healing, reactivating latent herpesviruses, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and enhancing the risk for more severe infectious disease.<\/strong>\u201d [Godbout JP, Glaser R. Stress-induced immune dysregulation: implications for wound healing, infectious disease and cancer.\u00a0J Neuroimmune Pharmacol<\/em>. 2006;1(4):421\u2013427.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cThis study supports the hypothesis that maternal psychological stress affects the inflammatory response in their allergic children.<\/strong>\u201d [Tsuji M, Koriyama C, Yamamoto M, Anan A, Shibata E, Kawamoto T. The association between maternal psychological stress and inflammatory cytokines in allergic young children.\u00a0PeerJ<\/em>. 2016;4:e1585.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cImportantly, we concluded that nocebo studies outline how individual expectations may lead to physiological changes<\/u> underpinning the central integration and processing of magnified pain signaling. Further research is needed to develop strategies<\/strong>\u201d [Blasini M, Corsi N, Klinger R, Colloca L. Nocebo and pain: An overview of the psychoneurobiological mechanisms.\u00a0Pain Rep<\/em>. 2017;2(2):e585.]<\/li>\n
- \u201cStress is an external factor known to be a potent exacerbator of respiratory infections. Most explanations of how stress affects susceptibility to airway infections focus on the immune system. However, evidence is increasing that respiratory pathogens are equally responsive to the hormonal output of stress.<\/strong>\u201d [Stover CM. Mechanisms of Stress-Mediated Modulation of Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections.\u00a0Adv Exp Med Biol<\/em>. 2016;874:215\u2013223.<\/li>\n
- \u201cMedia reports about the adverse effects of supposedly hazardous substances can increase the likelihood of experiencing symptoms following sham exposure and developing an apparent sensitivity to it.<\/strong>\u201d [Witth\u00f6ft M, Rubin GJ. Are media warnings about the adverse health effects of modern life self-fulfilling? An experimental study on idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF).\u00a0J Psychosom Res<\/em>. 2013;74(3):206\u2013212.]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And on and on\u2026 Psychoneuroimmunology thrives.<\/p>\n Focusing on the Covid issue, I see people being careless in what they call \u2018infected persons.\u2019 In most cases, they mean \u2018positively tested persons.\u2019 Following this scheme of those who get infected:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid1-b.jpg?resize=707%2C354&ssl=1\") <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Note that the test is not a test of COVID-disease \u2013 of course \u2013 but of infestation. People get ill from a compound of causes, to which the test is not necessarily related in a straightforwardly causal way:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/aurelis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid2.jpg?resize=333%2C153&ssl=1\") <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n What might be the mysterious \u2018cause\u2019?<\/p>\n Now for a very, very bold assumption\u2026<\/p>\n Perhaps most importantly, the question is: Can someone, through massive suggestion (the \u2018global hysteria\u2019 from my first article) become heavily immune-labile in the short term? In two directions:<\/p>\n |