Neuroimmunology: Can you think yourself healthy?

Hai Qi studies the connections and interactions between the brain and the immune system, a field called neuroimmunology. The hope is that one day our thoughts could help fight infection.

Hai and his colleagues have identified nerves in mice that transmit signals from the brain to modulate production of immune cells, and found a physical stimulus that triggers this response.

They hope that their work could open the door to new drugs designed to enhance the immune system by targeting the brain and nervous system, or even to prescribed thought exercises like meditation or qigong that might improve drug effectiveness.

[djayjp]

Need to normalize volume between narrator and interviewee.

[MrMBSonic]

These studies should be carried out with people suffering from ADHD. I argue that this could very well confirm these results.

[ll-szfl]

There's a reason why stressed people get immune depressed and usually get sick... the other way around it's also true.

[alperbulbul]

The concept of crosstalk between neurons and immune cells plays a pivotal role in neuroimmunology. One clear illustration of this interaction can be seen in conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, where immune cells affect brain function. Such interplay might offer a more comprehensive understanding of neuroimmunology in its broader sense.

[GiacomodellaSvezia]

Watching this, I think the question should rather be: "Can you feel yourself healthy?"

[raulbeienheimer]

How do u know that the removal of the nerve isn't placing the organism to stress itself that results in the immune impairment?

[stevenjones]

There's that documented case of the tough old war commander fully exposed to the Black Death in the 1300's. The small party went directly back into Florence searching for loved ones (I think), and everyone got it but him. It's as if he DECIDED not to become infected.

[SubSkrub]

This is definitely a thing. There are times i feel like I should have literally died, but mentally refusing that was all it took. Sounds like anime logic or something, but it's definitely true.

[gokoacar]

Why did we jumped the conculsion of the nerve that innervates spleen has to be about emotional response ? How do we eliminate the possibilty of the nerve that connects to spleen is a merely a fight response nerve when brain realizes sickness via receptors and stimulates the spleen to make immune cells ?

[ruggecirso]

Amazing! That could mean that in emotional events like survival contests or relaxing one like yoga or happiness in general can influence positively our immune system. On the other hand sedentarity or depression could influence negatively the production of lymphocytes. Am I right?

[djayjp]

Pretty sure it is understood that stress releases cortisol which suppresses the immune response.

[Kosnoros]

It seems like a key component in this could be to recommend specific exercises to different individuals, depending on a measurment of what their immune system lacks.

[Darkmatter]

A smile will strengthen your immune system

[최원호-sb]

this is the mechanism of the placebo effect? lol

[rhyothemisprinceps]

Interesting, but I hope clinicians don't try to run too far ahead with this. Unfortunately, I know of cases where they have done so based on results of mind-body studies. I have been meditating since age 12 and I still have problems with allergies & eczema. Meditation, CBT, 'think positively', are not cure-alls. The fact that some illnesses are often co-morbid with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression could be the result of a particular neuro-immune phenotype manifesting in multiple ways. And problems with depression, anxiety or attention can make implementing such treatment modalities very difficult in the 1st place. As for drugs, Dr Hai should look into sodium bicarbonate - yes, baking soda - see Ray et al. 'Oral NaHCO3 Activates a Splenic Anti-Inflammatory Pathway: Evidence That Cholinergic Signals Are Transmitted via Mesothelial Cells'

[fendoroid]

I couldn't not think about chubbyemu when I saw the thumbnail 😂

[Chickenmasala-]

The last line you told, had already mentioned in AYURVEDA 5000 years ago.. Yoga is the best thing to improve our immunity

[roberteischen]

Isn't Qi Gong a weird cult though?

[bingeltube]

Too bad this video is largely based on the interview of only one scientist!

[betula-pendula]

It's interesting, when you need to be healthy at a certain day of the week and you believe seriously that you are healthy at that day, you will be.