Blinded with Science

Tomorrow brings the start of a new semester. From now until May I will walk the halls of the VA Hospital soaking in all that I can about Med-Surg nursing and mental health. That's my professional life.

Personally, I am trying to challenge myself. Push myself to learn as much as I can, be as creative as I can, and love as much as I can. It was easy for one week, but my endurance is waining. It will come back.

Today I was affected by an emotional contagion that left me uninspired and unable to commit to the work of enjoyment. I needed to study. My brain would say, "need to study," the heaviness would reply, "can't study." The brain won - in a roundabout way.

Studying in the necessary way wasn't going to happen yet. I had to build towards it. What was I interested in and had yet to explore? Psychoneuroimmunology. (A field of study that examines our emotions effect on immune response.) I did it. The material online was more than enough to graze on. Over time the heaviness disappeared. It was replaced with inquisitiveness and the feeling of accomplishment.

So, I would like to know what the very few people who read this are interested in and have not allowed themselves to look further into. Often things cross our paths, they pique our interest, and time won't allow us to examine them further. What are your "things?"

Here is what my investigation of Psychoneuroimmunology revealed to me today:

• Studies show that increased stressors/chronic stress increases the number of white blood cells and decreases the number of our helper T cells, suppressor T cells, natural killer cells, cytotoxic T cells, and B cells.
• Stressors yield sympathetic nervous system and endocrine system changes, which then causes impaired immune function
• Simply explained: Stress manifests as anxiety/fear/sadness/tension -> increased heart rate, increased blood pressure. In a prolonged state this -> body's inability to maintain homeostasis. Bad news.
• Mid 20th Century studies indicated that psychotic patients had poor antibody response to whooping cough vaccines when compared to non-psychotic patients.

Hope this wasn't too nerdy or self-centered. I hope I will get to hear about subjects you readers are interested in and will try to look further into.

yours,

Tiffany