Treating disease with immunological components means also treating and managing psychological stress. Human immune function is mediated by the release of cytokines, nonantibody messenger molecules, from a variety of cells of the immune system, and from other cells, such as endothelial cells. There are Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Autoimmune and allergic diseases involve a shift in the balance of cytokines toward Th2. The autoimmune aspect of autism has been related to excessive Th2 cytokines resulting, in part, from vaccination.
Cytokines stimulate cellular release of specific compounds involved in the inflammatory response.
The effects of stress on immunity has been experimentally studied in animals. The stress of crowding prior to and following tuberculosis infection affects the outcome of the infection in mice 6 . Social disruption in mice causes reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus 7 . Stress enhances the reactivation of latent herpes viruses including the Epstein-Barr virus in humans 8 . All subjects had similar vaccine histories, rates of chronic illnesses, and medication usage, but caregivers showed poorer cellular and humoral immune responses to the vaccine than controls 9 - 12 .