The mind-body therapies(MBTs) are related to the Immune system of our body. MBTs including Tai Chi, Qi Gong, meditation, and Yoga have received increasing awareness and attention from the scientific community seeking to understand the safety and efficacy of these widely used practices. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, 19% of American adults have used at least one mind-body therapy in the past 12 months.

MBTs offer many psychological and health functioning benefits including reductions in disease symptoms, improvements in coping, quality of life, and improvements of the immune system. It has been well-established that psychological stress and depression impair antiviral immune responses and activate innate immunity of inflammation via effector pathways, such as the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis. Behavioral interventions targeted at alleviating stress, promoting heightened states of relaxation, and encouraging moderate physical activity, have been shown to bolster antiviral immune responses and decrease markers of inflammation, particularly among older adults or adults experiencing high levels of psychological stress.

The efficacy of such behavioral interventions in modulating the immune system suggests that MBTs may also confer immunomodulatory benefits. Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Yoga are multi-dimensional behavioral therapies that integrate moderate physical activity, deep breathing, and meditation to promote stress reduction and relaxation, which could potentially influence the immune system. Meditation, including more integrative, mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, has also been shown to regulate emotional and affective responses to stress and therefore may influence the immune system even in the absence of physical activity.

Responses are therefore the key to activating neuroendocrine and autonomic pathways, which in turn modulate the immune system and have implications for susceptibility to a variety of diseases. Thus, behavioral interventions that alter immune responses provide potent evidence for psychological influences on immune functions.

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