Neuroimmunomodulation
With the rapid advances being made in the field of medical and biological research, certain new age techniques have emerged which can very well change the way the world as a whole looks at diseases and their treatment. Neuroimmunomodulation is one of the new, promising and upcoming fields. The advances made in this field are so dramatic in their execution that only the first few clinical trials have been conducted, or are being conducted, for most of the treatment modalities in various diseases in many parts of the world. One of these diseases is the dreaded condition known commonly as cancer.
It has been known for quite some time now that the neurological system communicates with, and helps in the functioning and development of, the somatic system in many ways other than purely neural transmission. For example, while it was already well known even by a lay person that nerves conduct sensory perception via certain chemicals called neurotransmitters that act as messengers to and from the brain to the various parts of the body, what has been discovered recently is that the nervous system is also involved in certain responses and regulatory functions that are not associated with the transport of these messenger molecules. This is the basis of neurosomatic regulation which starts with the development of various tissues and is involved in various processes of the body and its organ systems, and some say it continues even for sometime after death.
What connects the fields of oncology and Neuroimmunomodulation, then, is the discovery of communication and regulation of the immune system by the nervous system via various channels: hormonal, neural as well as via the paracrine route. In simple terms, the nervous system can affect and control the immune system, which, in turn, affects the body’s reaction to the cancer cells.
Therefore, various breakthroughs have been made and are still being made in this field in order to allow and enable our immune system to fight against cancer cells, either as an adjunct to, or preferably, as a lone option when compared to the other, more invasive treatments that come with their own side effects. Surgery has its complications, risks and limitations. Radiotherapy can cause reduced circulation and local tissue vascularity, and chemotherapy has diverse side effects, perhaps the best documented of these is the iconic hair fall. Therefore, Neuroimmunomodulation stands to be one of the most sought after and anticipated research topics in the field of oncology.
The immune system, the neural system and the endocrine system work together in harmony and this has been shown in various clinical trials, reports The Treasure of Health. Hormone dependent cancers like breast cancer can be treated with this new technology because the endocrine system is involved. The role of psychotherapy has also been studied with great interest because of its potential and dynamic influence on the way the brain, the body and the patient themselves respond to treatment.
The field, though promising, is still in its initial clinical trial stage for which registrations can be sought out.