A clinical study of visualization on depressed white blood cell count in medical patients.

This psychoneuroimmunological study examined the effects of visualization, or mental imagery, on immune system response, specifically, on depressed white blood cell (WBC) count in 20 medical patients. Subjects were 10 females and 10 males and included medical patients diagnosed with cancer, AIDS, viral infections, and other medical problems associated with depressed WBC count. Results indicated significant increases in WBC count for all patients over a 90-day period, after a predicted initial decrease in WBC count. No significant age or sex differences were found.