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Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common symptom experienced in cancer patients. Depression, anxiety, and stress are associated with cancer. Depression and anxiety are also associated with CRF. At the cellular level, much is known about the impact of stress on the body generally, and its potential role in cancer. Stress, anxiety, and depression have been found to depress the immune system. Depression and stress have also been found to create inflammatory changes in the body and there is emerging evidence that inflammation is involved in cancer pathogenesis and in CRF. This article examines the relationships between stress, anxiety, depression, and cancer; relationships between anxiety and depression and CRF; and what happens at the cellular level, including impact on the immune system and emerging evidence of the role of inflammation in CRF. It also reports on research in relation to some Chinese herbal medicines that may be used to treat CRF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic insomnia affects a significant proportion of the general population worldwide, and is associated with several serious medical conditions. From the Western scientific literature, hyper-arousal (on the cognitive- emotional, behavioral, autonomic, or central nervous system level) is a final common pathway involved in its pathogenesis. However, from a Chinese medicine (CM) perspective, it is the Heart, capitalized to denote the functional system as described in CM theory, that is the key organ involved in insomnia due to its role as the "seat of consciousness." This article explores how insomnia is understood from the CM perspective, in particular the role of the Heart, and some of the neurophysiological evidence that supports these ancient theoretical understandings. The potential role of the vagus nerve and its relationship with the (biomedical) heart and CM Heart is also examined. Finally, some of the evidence in association with mechanisms of action of acupuncture in insomnia, in particular its impact on cardiovascular variables associated with insomnia, is presented, along with findings of systematic reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]