Psychoneuroimmunology and health from a nursing perspective

Nightingale's Legacy: Old Holistic Insight Supported by New Science

Nursing today could benefit from building on Florence Nightingale's legacy. The aim of this article is to describe and discuss how her holistic approach to nursing is supported by scientific discoveries within human ecology, psychoneuroimmunology, and communicology. This combination may bridge the gap between current nursing practices and Nightingale's ethos.

Self-care and yoga-academic-practice collaboration for occupational health

High rates of stress and burnout among nurses and other health care providers justify the exploration of innovative interventions designed to reduce stress and promote self-care among this population. A growing body of evidence supports the physical and psychosocial benefits of yoga and suggests the potential for yoga to support self-care and reduce stress among health care providers. This article describes the formation of an academic-practice collaboration to use yoga as a model for occupational health and wellness among nurses employed at a tax-supported urban health system. In addition, recommendations for program sustainability over time are discussed.

The role of psychoneuroimmunology in personalized and systems medicine

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) may provide the scientific basis for personalized and systems medicine. The exploration of the extensive interactions among psychological and behavioral factors, the nervous system, the immune system, and the endocrine system may help understand the mechanisms underlying health, wellness, and diseases. PNI theories based on systems biology methodologies may contribute to the identification of patient patterns for establishing psychological and physiological profiles for personalized medicine. A biopsychosocial model will help elucidate the systemic interrelationships between psychosocial and bio-physiological factors for the development of systems medicine. Many evidences have supported the close relationships between stress, depression, inflammation, and disorders including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, skin diseases, infectious diseases, and sleep disorders. As inflammation is a critical connection among different diseases, the elucidation of the associations may contribute to the findings of systemic therapeutic targets. With the understanding of the translational implications of PNI, integrative interventions in multiple dimensions can be applied to modulate stress responses and promote healthier behaviors. These interventions include combination drug therapies, diets, nutritional supplements, meditation, and other behavioral and mind-body strategies.

Translation of psychoneuroimmunology into personalized medicine: a systems biology perspective

With its multidimensional features and systems biology approaches, developments in psychoneuroimmunology may provide the basis for the translation of scientific discoveries into personalized and systems medicine. To achieve this goal, several key issues need to be emphasized and resolved. These key issues include the identification of biomarkers for accurate diagnosis and treatment, the understanding of the systems interactions and networks, and the systemic profiling of patient subgroups. Recognition of systemic biomarkers may provide insight into the complex multidirectional interactions among psychological and behavioral factors, the nervous system and the immune system. Systems biology studies of complex mechanisms such as inflammation at various levels may enable the discovery of common targets for different diseases from depression to cancer. Such elucidation would enable the classification of patient patterns and subgroups for personalized interventions. Understanding of these key issues would contribute to the establishment of systems models and the development of integrative prevention and treatment strategies in multiple dimensions.