Health is maintained by the coordinated operation of all the biological systems that make up the individual. The Introduction to Psychoneuroimmunology, Second Edition, presents an overview of what has been discovered by scientists regarding how bodily systems respond to environmental challenges and intercommunicate to sustain health. The book touches on the main findings from the current literature without being overly technical and complex. The result is a comprehensive overview of psychoneuroimmunology, which avoids oversimplification, but does not overwhelm the reader. Single authored for consistency of breadth and depth, with no redundancy of coverage between chapters Covers endocrine-immune modulation, neuro-immune modulation, and the enhancing or inhibiting processes of one or more systems on the others Expanded use of figures, tables, and text boxes

Psychoneuroimmunology has emerged as a discipline advancing our knowledge of the relationships among psychosocial factors, the central nervous system, the immune system, and disease. The growing volume of evidence suggests that psychological states, including exposure to stressors and the presence of depressive states, may influence health and disease by altering immunologic states. Psychoneuroimmunology, a collaborative work of 50 international experts, expands on the American Psychiatric Association's symposium on this topic to present never-before-compiled scientific research from this evolving field. Maintaining a clinical focus, this book illustrates clinical effects by examining relevant research studies and models including Psychoneuroimmunological factors involved in specific illnesses such as cervical cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDS The role psychoneuroimmunology plays in carcinogenesis and the progression of established tumors, as well as findings on the progression of cancer that have general clinical relevance The effects of specific psychotropic medications; the effects of life stressors, bereavement, and and social support; the response to those stressors; and stress management and psychosocial predictors of disease The impacts of gender-specific factors, diurnal variation, and behavioral genetics on the immune function The Stressor-Support-Coping model, which integrates existing psychoneuroimmunology findings and lays the groundwork for use in support group intervention This book is a first step toward organizing psychoneuroimmunology findings into coherent theoretical models and concludes with a look at future clinical applications. Complete with charts, references, and a detailed index, it is the most comprehensive source on psychoneuroimmunology.

Harmal: The Genus Peganum is an in-depth treatment of one of the most commanding plants in the botanical kingdom. Humble in appearance, modest in its needs, Peganum harmala has been venerated for millennia as a Deity-manifesting entheogen and a powerful medicine. This book traverses harmal’s medicinal chemistry, its possible role in the origins of religion, and its employment from ancient times to the present in the therapy of patients suffering from infections, infestations, metabolic derangements, neurological degeneration, visual weakness, and cancer. Its peculiar indolic compounds, known as harmala alkaloids, are now appreciated as exerting profound effects on the mind and on the body. These effects are the result of the alkaloids’ interactions with, and binding to, serotonin receptors on the cell surfaces of neurons in the brain and lymphocytes in the blood, the latter constituting the diffuse structural basis of the immune system. This biphasic modulation by harmala alkaloids has led to a novel pharmacologic re-visioning presented herein for the first time, the concept of a "lymphoneuric syncytium" and its possible long term tuning via "somatodelic" as well as "psychedelic" effects. The scientific rationale underlying the use of harmal in the medicines of the past and the healing technologies of our future is developed through exhaustive and meticulous explorations in both ethnopharmacology and modern phytochemistry. The presentation is enhanced through appraisals of the effects of harmal in two clinical cancer case scenarios, and of intentional inebriation and "provings" by one of the authors and a psychiatric colleague. The noted and esteemed botanically-trained physician Dr. Andrew Weil states in his Preface that this "monumental" volume will become the standard reference work in the field. Harmal: The Genus Peganum will be an invaluable addition to the personal libraries of professional pharmacognosists, botanists, physicians, psychologists, neuroscientists, and all persons interested in the interrelationship of consciousness, medicine, and coevolution.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

The definitive text in the field, this comprehensive volume provides state-of-the-science coverage of biofeedback research, applications, clinical procedures, and biomedical instrumentation. With contributions from leading experts, the volume offers a unique combination of practical know-how and scholarly expertise. A wealth of information is presented in an accessible, streamlined style, including helpful glossaries throughout. Featured are detailed protocols for helping patients cultivate lower physiological arousal and for addressing an array of specific clinical problems: headaches, temporomandibular disorders, Raynaud's disease, essential hypertension, neuromuscular problems, elimination disorders, and much more.

This comprehensive volume is widely regarded as the definitive practitioner resource and text resource in the field of biofeedback and applied psychophysiology. Leading experts cover basic concepts, assessment, instrumentation, clinical procedures, and professional issues. Chapters describe how traditional and cutting-edge methods are applied in treatment of a wide range of disorders, including headaches, temporomandibular disorders, essential hypertension, pelvic floor disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, tinnitus, and others. Applications for optimizing physical performance among artists and athletes are also reviewed. A wealth of information and empirical research is presented in an accessible style, including helpful glossaries. New to This Edition *Incorporates significant technological developments and new research areas. *Expanded focus on specialized applications, such as electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback/neurofeedback and heart rate variability biofeedback. *Chapters on surface electromyography, quantitative EEG, and consumer products. *Chapters on cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation training. *Chapters on additional clinical problems: anxiety disorders, asthma, work-related pain, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorders, and substance use disorders.

This volume of ARNR addresses the wide-range of chronic illnesses that nurses encounter in their work. The format is the same as previous volumes, with each chapter presenting a careful and systematic review all available research on specific topics. Important issues in chronic issues are reflected throughout, such as a prolonged and uncertain course of illness, lack of easy resolution, rarity of complete cure, frequent unknown etiology, and multiple risk factors. The book ends with a milestone chapter by Susan Donaldson which overviews significant breakthroughs in nursing research over the past 40 years. Volume 18 introduces a new dimension to the Review. In order to better reflect the increasing specialization of nursing, a nurse expert in a particular specialty area has been selected to edit each volume. Dr. Joyce Fitzpatrick continues to oversee the Review as Series Editor. The majority of each Review will be devoted to the focus area, with one or two chapters addressing important research issues that are of interest to all researchers.