Psychoneuroimmunoendochrinology

No, it’s not a spelling bee word. It is the name of a new discipline which studies the unity between our mind, brain, nervous, hormonal and immune systems. These can each be studied separately, of course, but psychoneuroimmunoendochrinology studies them as an entire body, i.e. the whole picture. Through this study, we know that what we think, believe consciously or unconsciously and feel, or are prevented from feeling, affect our body. The effects can be positive or negative, but they are there. In turn, what our bodies experience affects what we think, believe and how we behave.

In The Myth of Normal, Maté gives the example of the link between the brain’s amygdala, which is its fear centre, and heart disease. The risk of heart problems increases when someone is under stress and their amygdala becomes more active. Amygdala overactivation runs through bone-marrow activity and results in arterial inflammation, resulting in heart problems.

Emotional stress results in heart problems as well. A 2012 study from Harvard showed that women who have high stress in their jobs are 67% more likely to have a heart attack, than women who have lower stress in their jobs. A University of Toronto study in 2012 showed that men who were sexually abused as children have triple the rate of heart attacks.

Have you, or do you, suffer fear or stress in your life? How is your heart doing?