They Will Have To Re-Write The Textbooks For This One {brain & immune system connection}

a reply to: Lassiecat

When I went to China, I was fairly derisive of the whole of Chinese medicine.

However, I traded English lessons for massage 2-3 times a week with 2 Chinese traditional medicine Docs.

And, my "Chinese 'Dad' " was an expert in herbal stuff though he believed at least equally in western medicine.

Anyway--15 years later, I left with a much greater respect and appreciation for a lot of Chinese traditional medicine.

It's a mixed bag, however. Thankfully, they have been doing a lot of good studies and finding that much of their system has a lot of merit.

Is this a system beyond the paralymphatic that is already known? because it seems to be describing the paralymphatic.

I think the discovery has been known for awhile, but is just expanding a bit. For several years researchers have noted that while you sleep, your brain comes alive with activity in this secondary vascular system, and it seems to be responsible for removal of beta amlyoids from the brain.

Support for the vaccines autism connection?

a reply to: BO XIAN

I have been wondering about this Idea and actually playing with it myself. I sat down to write an entire thread on it here (I may still) and it reset on me and I lost everything. Lesson 1 on ATS, always type large articles in Word 1st!

As far as why I was suspicious of this being a possibility in the 1st place without very little medical training to begin with? I was recently diagnosed with Grave's Disease AND Hashimotos disease. (I think I trust my Throid specialist a little more than my Ophthalmologist on this one but until I am officially told I do not have both, I am going to roll with it.) For those who don't know, Grave's is basically hyperthyroid with a twist. Not only does it overproduce but it also attacks the good cells in your body that are tI was also diagnosed with anemia and a multitude of vitamin deficiencies. My doctor put me on a pretty high dose of Levothyroxin to get my thyroid regulated but I still felt horrible. I was still gaining weight despite going to the gym 6 days a week and eating nothing but veggies, fruit and protein. Nothing made sense and I fell into a deeper depression than I already was.

Then I decided to see a psychiatrist and it ultimately has changed my life. I was put on what is called an SSRI which essentially inhibits the brain to be able to absorb the chemicals it is already producing instead of flushing them out (Dopeamine, Serotonin and so on). I noticed an instant change. Without any routine change to my eating habits I began to melt off weight. I was happier, I could function more, I did get sick, my sleep patterns returned to normal (normal for me is 4-6 hours a night but I am also working on that) and my mood was stabilized.... all the things they told me would happen with the thyroid medication was suddenly happening.

I spoke with my psychiatrist about it and he said that, indeed, the thyroid that controls your entire immune system and internal temperature can be massively effected by stress and depression and make the matters worse. I am no expert, I can only tell you my experience but that is one of the major reasons that I am convinced I do not actually have any thyroid issues, my brain was just flushing out the chemicals it needed to help regulate my body and my brain alike.

I'm under the impression that everyone here believes all science is a lie. Why this now?

a reply to: BrokedownChevy

Uhhhhhhh . . . hello?

This is NOT, imho, a binary issue!

The light switch is not on OR off. It is a rheostat . . . has a turnable dimmer switch!

Sigh.

The continuum goes from little to no corruption in the data, research, process, reporting to virtually 100% wholesale corrupt and distorted and near totally lying.

Sigh.

originally posted by: BO XIAN
I'm merely suggesting that it's a logical conclusion--logically related to this finding as well as to constructions on such realities from other disciplines

The brain has a lymphatic system --> therefore, happy thoughts cause immune system changes doesn't seem like a logical conclusion to me. More of a desperate stretch.

Why not "the brain causes hormonal modulation based on stress, more stress = more cortisone, more cortisone = immune system depression, therefore, stress can cause immune system depression"? It is something that's at least known science.

I'd have to have explained how the presence of a lymphatic system = immune system control by happy thoughts before I could call that 'a logical conclusion'.

originally posted by: GrandCourtJester
Support for the vaccines autism connection?

Considering that the function of a lymphatic system is to drain extracellular fluids into circulation, I'd say no to hell no.

Just a word of cautious skepticism.

"The brain" doesn't necessarily mean "the mind," and neuroimmunology is hardly a new thing. This is an important development in it, though, for sure.

Peace.

originally posted by: Lassiecat
a reply to: BO XIAN

Chinese medicine (traditional) is very good about it. They do not speak of Immune system thou, however if you look deeply in the philosophy, you'll see how far behind and childish is the west looking in comparison. So its not only dating back in various religions...

Would that be the "traditional Chinese medicine" that's currently driving multiple species to extinction, and horrifically abusing several more? There must be a huge market in China and Japan catering to clueless westerners who still believe in the whole "mysterious and ancient Asia" myth.

originally posted by: AceWombat04
Just a word of cautious skepticism.

"The brain" doesn't necessarily mean "the mind," and neuroimmunology is hardly a new thing. This is an important development in it, though, for sure.

Peace.

It is slightly annoying when a connection is established between the brain and immune system that there's a sudden correlation in some people that this means you can think yourself well. Yes, a healthy mind does have a positive effect on the body however I don't imagine this research is purely one of mind over matter. There are some happy people with terrible diseases and some miserable in perfect health. This shows a mechanism by which there is a immune exchange between brain tissue and the rest of the body, which is exciting enough on its own id have thought without 'gigantic' leaps into all sorts of biased conclusions. Yes, possibilities exist and are opened but it's healthy to have modest scepticism.

I have a degenerative neurological disease myself and it won't be cured by psychology. I am at peace with it and do understand the importance of being positive, indeed I partake in meditation, breathing and mental exercises. It helps from a psychological perspective however it will not cure it. That's the difference between the 'mental' psychological and the 'mechanical' neurological.

a reply to: ObsidianEclipse

Precisely.

A positive attitude and being hopeful are useful tools, and, in some cases, might even make the difference. But they're not a cure for all things, and I don't think this research even necessarily has anything to do with that. Hence saying the brain doesn't necessarily mean the mind. Neuroimmunology doesn't necessarily have anything to do with our conscious mind, but rather with the neurological functions influencing our immune systems.

I used to have to see immunologists a lot as a teenager due to health issues, and back then they referred to neuroimmunology as sort of a still amorphous emerging field, and they never characterized it as having anything to do with the mind or thoughts. They talked about ion channels and neurotransmitters affecting and regulating various immune functions, but never "mind over matter" as some seem to envision.

Which is not to say there's no truth to the latter - I'm agnostic, and willing to try anything. But I don't think that's what's being suggested by this research.

Peace.

so i guess laughter may actually really be the best medicine awesome article, thank you for posting.