[Jackie07]

A local cardiologist's wife (both of them my college alumni and she'd given me a wedding shower just two years prior) gave me the book entitled 'Head first' by Norman Cousins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Cousins after learning about my upcoming brain (tumor) surgery in summer, 1990.

That was the first time I heard of the term 'psychoneuroimmunology'. But it made sense. The Chinese have always emphasized the importance of a 'pleasant environment' for patients: never impart bad news to the patient! Learning from evidence cummulated from hundreds/thousands years of experience, they know that patients fare much better, heal much faster if they are insulated from outside pressure/bad news/psychological traumas..., etc.

They also know certain genetic traits could lead to illness/shorter life/deformities ... etc. Thus a young lady ready for marriage would be scrutinized by the match-maker carefully to be sure there're no 'moles/birth marks' in unwanted area (mostly on the face), no unusual skin color/shade ...

Evil spirits were blamed for many illnesses, but there were always remedies to counter the effect - burning insense, praying to the gods, burning paper money for the ancestors so they could help out in the 'other world' ...

From modern research we know that excercise helps the release of endorphin which is the 'happy hormone' that aids our immune system to fight disease, rebuild cells/tissues, and speed up recovery. That's why I 'tap' my feet on the floor everyday while typing on my computer...

And it does apply to cancer survivorship:

It applies to cancer survivorship:

Brain Behav Immun. 2013 Mar;30 Suppl:S1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.01.003. Epub 2013 Jan 16.
Psychoneuroimmunology and cancer: A decade of discovery, paradigm shifts, and methodological innovations.

Green McDonald P, O'Connell M, Lutgendorf SK.
Source

Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences Branch, Behavioral Research Program (BRP), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), United States. Electronic address: mcdonald.paige@mail.nih.gov.

Abstract

This article introduces the supplement Advances in Cancer and Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and outlines important discoveries, paradigm shifts, and methodological innovations that have emerged in the past decade to advance mechanistic and translational understanding of biobehavioral influences on tumor biology, cancer treatment-related sequelae, and cancer outcomes. We offer a heuristic framework for research on biobehavioral pathways in cancer. The shifting survivorship landscape is highlighted, and we propose that the changing demographics suggest prudent adoption of a life course perspective of cancer and cancer survivorship. We note opportunities for psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) research to ameliorate the long-term, unintended consequences of aggressive curative intent and call attention to the critical role of reciprocal translational pathways between animal and human studies. Lastly, we briefly summarize the articles included in this compilation and offer our perspectives on future research directions.