HEALTH 2

Question 1

Biopsychosocial Model of Disease

Answer 1

The idea that the causes and effect of disease are a combination of biological, psychological and social factors.

Question 2

4 ideas of the biopsychosocial model of disease (1)

Answer 2

1. Biochemical effects do not directly translate to disease: they can be inhibited or magnified by diverse social and psychological factors.

Question 3

4 ideas of the biopsychosocial model of disease (2)

Answer 3

2. Psychosocial factors are a major (but not only) predictive factor of the susceptibility, severity, and course of any illness

Question 4

4 ideas of the biopsychosocial model of disease (3)

Answer 4

The patient-clinician relationship influences medical outcomes. The probability that a treatment will be effective is partly mediated by the patient’s psychology and social relationships.

Question 5

4 ideas of the biopsychosocial model of disease (4)

Answer 5

Patients should be treated less like machines that have broken down, and more as individuals who require empathy as well as biological care.

Question 6

3 things that the biopsychosocial model does not claim

Answer 6

1. The diseases are caused by the mind or by negative thoughts
2. The failing to get better is the fault of your own thinking.
3. That positive thinking can prevent or cure diseases, such as cancer

Question 7

Biopsychosocial model was empirically validated

Answer 7

Poison Ivy, marrow transplant patients (coping stress mechanisms), tissue healing (incision)

Question 8

Short term stress effects

Answer 8

Increased resilience: students who report experiencing a moderate level of lifetime adversity find it easier to withstand a mild experience of physical pain

Question 9

Outcomes of long term stress

Answer 9

1. Recurrent activation of the SAM axis leads to perpetual sympathetic activity (which itself reduces the ability of the parasympathetic system to activate).
2. The long term effects of cortisol interfere with many body functions, as well, especially the immune system.
3. In turn, being sick is itself highly stressful experience, feeding a positive feedback loop.

Question 10

Correlation Stress - colds, inflammation, and asthma

Answer 10

• High Chronic stress - high risk of developing a cold
• Strong correlations between cortisol and frequency and severity of inflammatory conditions
• Asthma: perhaps as a result of the problems in regulating inflammation, Asthma can be affected by stress.

Question 11

Inflammation and cortisol

Answer 11

Strong correlations between amount of cortisol and frequency and severity of inflammatory conditions

Question 12

Coronary Heart Disease

Answer 12

Clogging of vessels that bring blood to the heart, eventually leading to a heart attack (most developed countries)

Question 13

Stress can significantly contribute to clogging of the vessels

Answer 13

Stress raises our blood pressure (to more quickly spread energy to our muscles), but prolonged high blood pressure damages blood vessels.

Cortisol affects the functioning of the liver which no longer as efficiently cleans up cholesterol, allowing it to build up in the arteries.

Inflammation is no longer controlled, blood vessels can also inflame and cause various problems even in the absence of plaque.

Question 14

Type-A personality

Answer 14

described as ambitious and driven but also controlling and very hostile and aggressive - LOW on AGREEABLENESS

Question 15

Cortisol - digestive system - reduced hunger

Answer 15

Cortisol suspends our digestive systems and slows down the reproduction of cells to conserve energy. Stress therefore leads to reduced hunger and can lead to significant and unhealthy weight loss.

Question 16

Peptic ulcer

Answer 16

The lesion in the stomach lining that causes significant pain and discomfort

Caused by a bacteria H. pylori, but stress has been consistently found to interact with them.

When times of stress, our bodies cannot regenerate from the effects of H.pylori on our stomach lining.

Question 17

__________ has been found to stimulate cell growth and therefore can speed up the growth of cancer cells

Answer 17

norepinephrine

Question 18

Stress has a ___________ correlation with how stress progresses

Answer 18

weak to moderate

Question 19

Stress - reduced immune system

Answer 19

when cancerous cells begins to develop, it can sometimes be caught and destroyed by the immune system; stress reduces the probability that this will happen.

Question 20

Stress - cancer - treatment

Answer 20

Lack of stress and relaxation exercises during treatment lead to slightly higher success in outcomes. Think back to the bone marrow transplant study, where better social support led to less experienced post-surgical pain

Question 21

What are the five stages of sleep?

Answer 21

1. Light sleep
2. Normal sleep
   3 and 4. Deep sleep
   REM: Rapid-eye-movement

Question 22

Light sleep

Answer 22

Feeling awake but dozy and relaxed

Question 23

Normal sleep

Answer 23

Beginning of sleep and easy to wake up

Question 24

Deep sleep

Answer 24

Very rejuvenating sleep, hard to wake up

Question 25

REM

Answer 25

stage of sleep resembling wakefulness during which dreaming occurs

Question 26

Stress and sleep

Answer 26

Stress reduces the duration and depth of sleep, while lack of sleep increases levels of stress

Question 27

Sleep deprivation - problems (IWC)

Answer 27

1. Immune system: lack of sleep can compromise your body’s ability to fight disease.
2. Weight Management: the lack of sleep disrupts your hypothalamus, leading to problems in regulating hunger.
3. Cognitive Impairment: in the absence of deep sleep, your brain fails to turn off chemicals that regulate brain function, leading to hallucinations, personality changes, problems with concentration and memory, etc.

Question 28

Telomere

Answer 28

Chemical “caps” at the end of each chromosome that prevent them from fraying and sticking to each other. With age, telomeres wear away

Question 29

Telomerase

Answer 29

An enzyme that rebuilds telomeres and slows down the process of aging

Chronic stress slows down the creation of telomerase

Question 30

Chronic stress does not cause or cure illness,

Answer 30

but the effects of stress hormones can significantly impact how illness progress

Question 31

The long term stress response

Answer 31

can ironically reduce our ability to fight disease and may lead to shorter life-span