492 Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1057: 492–505 (2005). © 2005 New York Academy of Sciences. doi: 10.1196/annals.1322.038 Mind–Body Medicine Stress and Its Impact on Overall Health and Longevity L. VITETTA, a B. ANTON, b F. CORTIZO, c AND A. SALI c a Centre for Molecular Biology and Medicine, Epworth Hospital Medical Centre, Melbourne, Australia b PathLab, Melbourne, Australia c National Institute of Integrative Medicine, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia ABSTRACT: The belief that adverse life stressors and the emotional states that can lead to major negative impacts on an individual’s body functions and hence health has been held since antiquity. Adverse health outcomes such as coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal distress, and cancer have been linked to unre- solved lifestyle stresses that can be expressed as a negative impact on human survival and ultimately a decrease of the human life span. Psychological mod- ulation of immune function is now a well-established phenomenon, with much of the relevant literature published within the last 50 years. Psychoneuroimmu- nology and psychoneuroendocrinology embrace the scientific evidence of re- search of the mind with that of endocrinology, neurology and immunology, whereby the brain and body communicate with each other in a multidirectional flow of information that consists of hormones, neurotransmitters/neuropep- tides, and cytokines. Advances in mind–body medicine research together with healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices can have a significant impact on health maintenance and disease prevention and hence the prolongation of the human life span. KEYWORDS: mind–body medicine; psychoneuroimmunology; psychoneuro- endocrinology; psychosocial stress; longevity MIND–BODY MEDICINE The concept of the mind and human thought is not a novel one. Many tentative explanations have been advanced, even in the form of art—notably in Michelange- lo’s Creation of Adam, in which man’s mind and thought are depicted by a sagittal section of the brain that is strikingly similar to current anatomical drawings of the brain (FIG. 1). The most important factor in why a person becomes ill lies in the brain. Stress and pleasure play a critical role in wellness and disease, with stress contributing Address for correspondence: Dr. Luis Vitetta, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fel- low, Centre for Molecular Biology and Medicine, Epworth Medical Centre, 185-187 Hoddle St. Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3121. Voice: +61 3 9426 4200; fax: +61 3 9426 4201. lvitetta@cmbm.com.au