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[...] Years later, "he is completely off all medication and shows no psychiatric symptoms," Dr. Miyaoka told me in an email. Somehow the transplant cured the man's schizophrenia.
A bone-marrow transplant essentially reboots the immune system. Chemotherapy kills off your old white blood cells, and new ones sprout from the donor's transplanted blood stem cells. It's unwise to extrapolate too much from a single case study, and it's possible it was the drugs the man took as part of the transplant procedure that helped him. But his recovery suggests that his immune system was somehow driving his psychiatric symptoms.
At first glance, the idea seems bizarre — what does the immune system have to do with the brain? — but it jibes with a growing body of literature suggesting that the immune system is involved in psychiatric disorders from depression to bipolar disorder.
He Got Schizophrenia. He Got Cancer. And Then He Got Cured.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday October 02 2018, @01:53PM
Writing from what I remember, our immune system rebuilds when we rest, especially sleep. And a "fitful" sleep is not just a symptom but also a cause of further problems.
Years ago I had mononucleosis and the ONLY cure is bedrest. My doctor at the time was famously gruff; I asked if I could get up to go to the bathroom, and he snapped angrily "flat on your back for a week!" I barely obeyed, and in fact had a relapse six months later.
Ten years or so ago a friend ended up with mono and he learned much- that something like 80% of adults have it in them, but the immune system keeps it at bay. Any of us who get overworked, stressed, for whatever reason don't get enough rest / sleep, it starts to well up. The test is very specific, so people could be sick with mono and not know it unless a Dr. orders the test.
I wish for broad-range testing. Someday, right? Thanks for tainting that dream Theranos.
But I digress- I've noticed over the years that I start feeling mono symptoms after too many days / weeks of overwork, stress, etc. No question exercise is very good for you, including that motion makes the lymphatic system work, but balance is vital. It seems that significant muscle exertion (real physical work) makes it worse. Muscles produce quite a few poisons and maybe they suppress the immune system?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_fatigue [wikipedia.org] Yes, a Wikipedia link. If it's good enough for The Woz, it's good enough for me. :)