Well, I don't know if we'll find exactly 101 ways, but lets start looking at the all the various actions and attitudes that negatively affect the immune system.

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What happens when you take married couples, put them in a room, give them something to argue about, then draw blood every hour for 8 to 24 hours?

Research done at Ohio State University on both newlyweds and couples who had been married an average of 42 years showed some interesting results. And the news isn't good for women especially.

More than a century ago, Ellen White wrote this about women:

I was shown that infirmities and disease especially affect females. The happiness of the family depends much upon the wife and mother. If she is nervous and weak, and is suffered to be overtaxed with labor, the mind is depressed, for it sympathizes with the weariness of the body; and then she too often meets with cold reserve from the husband. If every thing does not move off just as pleasantly as he could wish, he blames the wife and mother. He does not always seem to know how to sympathize with her, and is almost wholly unacquainted with her cares and burdens. He realizes not that he is aiding the great enemy in his work of tearing down. He should by faith in God lift up a standard against Satan, but he seems blinded to his own interest and hers. He treats her with indifference. He knows not what he is doing. He is working directly against his own happiness, and is destroying the happiness of his family. The wife becomes desponding, discouraged. Hope and cheerfulness are gone. She goes her daily rounds mechanically, because she sees her work must be done. Her lack of cheerfulness and courage is felt through the family circle. There are many miserable families like this, all through the ranks of Sabbath-keepers. And angels bear the shameful tidings to heaven, and the recording angel makes a record of it all. The husband should manifest great interest in his family. {RH, April 22, 1862 par. 7}

Females possess less vital force than the other sex, and are deprived very much of the bracing, invigorating air, by their in-doors life.{Appeal to Mothers 27.1}

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For I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
_________________________

Linda

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Here I go, shortening those "~~~" lines again.

[This message has been edited by Daryl Fawcett (edited February 09, 2001).]

Compare what the researchers found with what is quoted above. The newlyweds were tested first.

During that project, they asked each couple to spend up to 24 hours at the University's Clinical Research Center. Husband and wife both had an IV inserted so that blood samples could betaken at hourly intervals throughout their stay.

After a short interview, the couple was asked to discuss a topic known to be a source of disagreement. Invariably, an argument ensued. The couple would remain together for the rest of the 24-hour stay, during which time, blood samples were drawn for analysis of hormone levels and immune system markers.

The researchers wanted to know what long-term changes, if any, the argument would cause in the couple's hormone levels. The were also looking for any correlation between the way the couples fought and the differences between husbands and wives.

They looked specifically at epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol, as well as ACTH, growth hormone and prolactin. The half-lives of all these hormones are very short and any averaged increase over the duration of the experiment would signify more than a simple spike caused by the morning argument.

How the husbands and wives reacted to each other during the argument was key to the experiment. Earlier research suggested that men generally seek to "tune out" their wives during an argument, seeking to escape or withdraw from the conflict. Wives, on the other hand, are seen as being more likely to complain, criticize or demand change in a relationship. The husband's withdrawal is acutely frustrating to these women.

Blood analysis showed that among women who reacted negatively to their husbands' withdrawal during the arguments, the average levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol and prolactin all rose. The more negative the wife's response and her husband's withdrawal, the greater the hormone level rise. . . .

"If those hormone levels stay up long enough, it can have immune consequences," explained Ronald Glaser, professor of medical microbiology and immunology. Earlier work by Institute researchers has shown that psychological stress can cause weakened immune responses and a slowing of wound healing.

Similar results were found in the older couples.

The results of this research are similar to those found in a study of newlywed couples, said Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State who was involved in both studies. But, in some ways, she believes the results in these older couples were more surprising. . . .

"Despite the advantages these older couples had compared to the newlyweds, they still showed negative effects related to the amount of hostility in their disagreements," she said. . . .

"We found that the more negative behaviors the couples showed toward each other, the more their immune measures were weakened," Glaser said. Couples with weaker immune measures also described their usual marital disagreements as more negative.

The blood levels of several hormones -- such as cortisol, ACTH, and norepinephrine -- were also measured during the couples' arguments. "We tested these hormones, which are released during stress, because they can affect the immune response," Malarkey said.

The results showed that these hormonal levels varied in women depending on the amount of negative behavior during the arguments and their overall marital satisfaction, Malarkey said. However, there was no changes in men's hormone levels.

The surprising results are bad news for women the wives who argue with their husbands. Over time, the effects on the immune system will open the way for disease. God showed it to a little lady 140 years ago. Isn't it time we stopped and learned.

Another cause that weakens the immune system. This time the study involved pneumonia vaccines.

In this study, the researchers looked at 52 older adults (three-quarters of them women) who had never received a pneumonia vaccine before. They were divided into three groups - 11 were currently the primary caregivers for spouses suffering from dementia and 13 former caregivers. The remaining participants filled a control group.

In this study, the researchers looked at 52 older adults (three-quarters of them women) who had never received a pneumonia vaccine before. They were divided into three groups - 11 were currently the primary caregivers for spouses suffering from dementia and 13 former caregivers. The remaining participants filled a control group.

Dealing with the daily needs of dementia patients is known to cause chronic stress and changes in caregivers' immune systems.
All participants completed psychological tests to determine their current stress level and blood samples were taken to gauge their immune status. They received a vaccine against pneumococcal bacteria, the causative agent for much post-influenza pneumonia. Similar blood samples were taken and analyzed two weeks, one month, three months and six months after the vaccinations

Among other indicators, the researchers were interested in the levels of immunoglobin-G (IgG), an antibody formed by the body to fend off pneumococcal bacteria. Strong IgG levels indicated a healthy immune response ready to protect against the disease while weaker levels mean that a person could be at risk for pneumonia.

When they analyzed the data, they found that all three groups - current caregivers, former caregivers and members of the control group - showed an initial positive response to the vaccine. But after six months, the immune status of the current caregivers dropped precipitously while controls and former caregivers remained the same.

The reseachers were quite surprised by the response. Their advice is that if you are going to take a pneumonia vaccine, take it when you stress levels are low.