Yoga

The Psychoneuroimmunology of Stress: Acute and Chronic

The Psychoneuroimmunology of Stress: Acute and Chronic

Research by: Shannon Connell

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is a field of research that deals with the interaction of the central nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system, and how these systems can be altered through behavior and stress. The immune, nervous, and endocrine systems communicate to maintain health. PNI is interested in the effects of thoughts and emotion on immune functioning. Stress affects the entire being, nerves, cells, tissues, and systems of the body. Stress if held, can disrupt nervous, endocrine, and immune system functioning resulting in “dis-ease” of body and mind.

Yoga for Stress Reduction and Injury Prevention at Work

Every day, employees cope with various forms of stressors on the job. Increased risk for psychological and physical disorders may be due to work related trends such as working in repetitive and monotonous tasks, performing in a fast-paced environment, and or fearing a layoff during an unstable period in the economy. Psychological stress can be induced by extremely low or high demands on the individual and is a typical situation of many simple and repetitive work situations, in which health problems are common. This has innumerable health and financial implications for both employees and employers. Low job satisfaction and little variation in job task are significantly associated with back and shoulder pain. The majority of headaches people experience are tension headaches resulting from contraction of neck and shoulder muscles. Carpel tunnel and arthritis are associated with the repetitive strain from spending greater amounts of time at a computer. Job stress also can lead to burn out, and mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety.