ABSTRACT
The relationship between stress and health has long been one block in the foundation of behavioral medicine research and intervention. The contribution of stress to a wide variety of physical illnesses and to mental health are widely believed to be important, and research has addressed stress as a factor in heart disease, hypertension, stroke, cancer, and many other illnesses. Hormonal changes, hemodynamic responses, and other bodily reactions during stress have been considered to be risk factors for illness. Of some interest is the relationship between stress and immunity and whether the changes that have been observed are meaningful. Yet, we still know relatively little about how stress affects immune function, why such effects occur, and whether these changes have any real clinical significance.
