well-being
in healthy adults in an emotional self-management program,/42
with DHEA enhancement correlating with positive affective states and diminished
cortisol correlating with stress. Hechter et al/34 have
proposed that diminished DHEA-to-cortisol ratios increase the risk of initiation
and progression of a wide range of diseases. Van den Berghe et al/43
found that suppression of DHEA-to-cortisol ratios in critically ill patients
may aggravate or maintain the anergic state of prolonged severe illness.
The finding of elevated DHEA-to-cortisol
ratios in experimental subjects in the present study suggests a shift in
adrenal steroids in an immunoenhancing direction. This shift could potentially
enhance cell-mediated (TH1) immune reactivity and is consistent with enhanced
LAK cell activity observed at the end of the drumming session in the experimental
group. It is unlikely that the DHEA-to-cortisol ratio was elevated solely
because of the exercise component of the drumming. Milani and coEeagues/44
showed that exercise training alone has no significant impact on DHEA sulfate;
however, behavioral therapy in combination with exercise training did elevate
DHEA sulfate. In addition, qigong training in humans did not elevate DHEA
sulfate or change cortisol levels./45 Furthermore, data
from preliminary studies failed to demonstrate elevations of DHEA-to-cortisol
ratios associated with other drumming interventions, one of which included
higher levels of exercise than ultimately used in the treatment group.
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Based
on the failure of some of the researchers' preliminary drumming trials
to modulate neuroimmune parameters, the unique combination of components
in the composite drumming sessions, including the music therapist's approach,
exercise, music, and guided imagery, may have exerted a collective effect
on immune modulation and adrenal steroids to elevate the DHEA-to-cortisol
ratio.
Van der Berghe et al/43
have shown that DHEA and cortisol secretions are under separate central
nervous system regulatory control, thereby providing ample opportunity
for a complex activity such as drumming to exert emotional and cognitive
influences on this central regulatory circuitry. In one preliminary study
group, subjects listened to drum music generated by an experimental group.
Other groups drummed without introductory warm-up activities or drumming
guided imagery according to the present protocol. Another performed intense
drumming without these associated activities. No significant results in
any measures other than cortisol reduction were found from subjects who
participated in these drumming groups. According to the present protocol,
then, drumming appears to be a complex composite activity with key individual
components that, in unique combination, appear to be responsible for the
measured neuroendocrine and neuroimmunological changes.
NK cells are large granular lymphocytes,
major components of the innate immune system, with mixed lymphocyte/mono-cyte/granulocyte
surface markers. MORE.. |