We bandy this phrase about, but it may be true your stress is killing you. And worse, your kids.

The rapidly growing field of psychoneuroimmunology provides confirmation daily that stress effects our immune systems.

According to Christopher Coe, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, it has already "shattered many traditional scientific beliefs about the clear separation between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems."

Coe has found that both the number and performance of our "killer" white blood cells decline when we're stressed. These are the cells that seek out microbial invaders and damaged cells and take care of them.

The purpose of research is to understand so as to predict and therefore prevent. True to form, Coe and fellow UW-M researcher, Richard Davidson, Ph.D., found they could predict decrease in the immune system by brain electrical patterns
reflecting an individual's emotional state -- happy, lonely, depressed, stressed.

The research was done by taking blood samples, separating out the killer cells and then mixing them with cancer cells to determine their ability to do their job - lyse the damaged cells, or punch a hole in them.

Extremely important is they also found this decrease in the immune system applied to pessimists - people predisposed to negative thoughts and emotions.

Stress can also cause us to over-produce superoxides, free radicals that can injure healthy cells. In studies of students with asthma, Coe found that over-production and incumbent inflammatory response increased dramatically with stress and lingered up to two weeks after.

Should you head for a dessert island or become a lama? No, says Coe. "For most of us, it really will not matter if some of our immune responses go down or up. We will still stay healthy. But the same type of immune changes may have greater consequences at other points in the life span, such as in young children and in old age."

Preventing emotional turmoil and developing your emotional intelligence and optimism can be preventive, and practicing and teaching EQ to your children is crucial.

We can no longer ignore the effect of our emotions on our health and susceptibility to disease.

Studies have shown that when married couples fight, one of them is likely to get a cold during the next two weeks, studies of the horrible conditions in Romanian orphanages (which Coe is
also conducting), studies reported by Lewis, Amini and Lannon, in "A General Theory of Love," (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ 0375709223/susandunnmome-20 ), and in "The Pleasure Prescription," by pychoneuroimmunologist Paul Pearsall, Ph.D., (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ 0897932072/susandunnmome-20 ) show the importance of bonding, strong and caring interpersonal relationships, and the physiological turmoil caused by grief, separation, anger and
pessimism.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE CAN BE LEARNED

"You can empower people to alter their perceptions," Coe says, "and thereby to prevent these immune changes from occurring." An EQ assessment (http://www.essisystems.com/associates/clickthru.
cgi?id=susandunn ) can tell you where you need work,
and an EQ coach can direct you to Internet courses
and start you on the path to improving your emotional
intelligence . and your health.

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©Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Emotional intelligence coaching for your well-being. Ask about The EQ Foundation Course© on the Internet. Certification as EQ coach - http://www.eqcoach.net. Accelerated, affordable, all DL program, classes starting monthly. Coming soon www.EQCollege.com - a portal for
all your EQ needs. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc to
become a Founding Member.