
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 28, 1991                   TAG: 9103280291
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: PHOENIX                                LENGTH: Short

CONDITIONED DREAD TIED TO IMMUNE SYSTEM

People conditioned to dread such unpleasant experiences as chemotherapy may temporarily weaken their immune systems, according to a study suggesting yet another link between the brain and the body's defenses.

The research, outlined at a meeting of the American Cancer Society, was conducted on women who received repeated doses of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.

Such treatment frequently causes nausea and vomiting, and after a few doses, many people begin to feel sick when they see anything that reminds them of the therapy.

This triggering is known as a conditioned response. The work suggests that immune system suppression can also be a conditioned response. - Associated Press

by CNB