Efficacy of Speleoclimatotherapy in Students Under Chronic Stress

Abstract

The features of neuroimmunoendocrine regulation in junior students under emotional stress associated with the process of learning and assessment of possibilities of speleoclimatotherapy as a method of drug-free correction have been studied. The study involved students of the Voronezh State Medical Academy aged 17 to 20 years. Evaluation of the immune status included: count of lymphocyte subpopulations during flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies CYTO-STAT tetraCHROME, evaluation of the phagocytic activity of neutrophils - definition of the phagocytic index, of the phagocytic number using a set Phagotest. Myeloperoxidase activity of neutrophils was assessed on the basis of spontaneous and induced tests with NBT (NBT-test), the index of neutrophil activation. The study determined the content of different types of cytokines. The cytokines were determined on the basis of flow cytometry. For study of the autonomic balance, there was evaluated heart rate variability using short segments of ECG recorded during 5 minutes. For determination of emotional stress signs in the subjects, there were used the following psychological tests: the Spielberger - Hanin anxiety test, the Zung anxiety test, the Zung depression test. It has been established that speleoclimatotherapy has possibilities to correct stress-induced changes of parameters of psychovegetative homeostasis and immunity. The biological effect of speleoclimatotherapy is based on the phenomenon of cross-adaptation, the result of which is that adaptation to the microclimate of sylvinite caves is accompanied by an increased resistance to other stress effects. In view of the mechanisms of speleoclimate effect on the neuroimmune system, it is possible to apply speleoclimatotherapy as a non-drug method of integrated prevention and correction of stress-induced disorders among medical students and other persons whose activities are related to chronic emotional stress.