It’s no secret–stress and sickness usually go together like doctors and prescription pads.

And now, researchers think they understand why… and they’re seeing firsthand how closely linked the mind and body really are. In fact, a new study shows that emotional distress can actually trigger immediate inflammation in the body.

Researchers recruited 124 healthy young adults and put them through weird and stressful situations. For example, the recruits were asked to give a five-minute speech on why they think they’d make a good administrative assistant– and all the while, clipboard-toting panelists in white coats would stare at them coldly in an effort to intimidate.

Then, the subjects were asked to count backwards by sevens, starting with the number 2,935. Once they screwed up–I tried it myself, and it didn’t take long–they were asked to start over, this time counting backwards by 13s (I didn’t even bother with that one).

Meanwhile, the panelists would tell them to hurry up, and appear exasperated by the volunteers’ inability to efficiently count backwards.

The researchers collected saliva samples before and after the experiment… and, as it turned out, the markers for inflammation increased dramatically after the exercises in social rejection.

And they didn’t stop there.

The researchers also asked 31 of the participants to play a computer game while undergoing an MRI. The volunteers believed they were playing with two other people, but these others–who didn’t actually exist–eventually stopped playing with the volunteer.

Sure enough, the centers of the brain associated with rejection, fear, and stress lit up on the MRI. And those with the biggest reaction in those brain areas were the ones who had the highest levels of inflammation after the earlier tests, according to the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the short term, inflammation helps the body fight off a threat. Inflammation levels rise, for example, when we battle a virus. But long-term inflammation is unhealthy and linked to illness and diseases such as asthma, heart problems, arthritis and cancer.

What does this mean for you? It’s pretty simple: Recognize stress and your body’s reaction to it.

If you’re easily hurt–emotionally–teach yourself some better (and drug-free) ways to deal with it, especially if your mental pain comes in the form of anxiety or depression.

Otherwise, those emotional pains can turn into another kind of pain altogether.

Good relationships lead to good health–and having friends and family around you can be just as positive for your body as healthy habits.

In fact, the latest research finds that good social relationships can even top drugs and vaccinations when it comes to staying healthy.

Imagine that.

When researchers from Utah’s Brigham Young University looked at 148 studies covering more than 308,000 people, they found that those with the strongest social relationships were 50 percent less likely to die prematurely than people who lived more isolated lives, according to the analysis published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.

The researchers estimated that a poor social structure can have the same impact on your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (and no, that’s not an excuse to light up if you do have great relationships).

The analysis also showed that having poor social interactions is every bit as unhealthy as being an alcoholic, being obese, or not exercising—and that it has a bigger impact on premature death rates than pneumonia vaccinations and blood pressure medications.

Having caretakers didn’t matter–only the true companionship of friends and loved ones that comes from a lifetime of nurturing and cultivating those relationships appeared to make a difference.

Of course, the problem for many people is that those relationships change and even disappear as we age. And I can’t help but think that technology is playing its part as well. Over the last 20 years, the number of Americans with no strong friendships has tripled.

I can’t think of anything sadder than that.

So no matter how old you are–or how young you are–make sure you stay in touch with those closest to you, and continue to make new friends as you grow older.

You need ‘em… and, as it turns out, they need you too.

Need a concentration boost? Meditate on it.

A new study finds that meditation can actually help you focus… and sustain that focus, even when you’re forced to engage in the most mind-numbing tasks.

If that sounds a little (or a lot) like your job, focus on this new study–because help may be a mantra away.

Researchers assigned 30 subjects to a three-month meditation retreat, and 30 more to get the same retreat later on… but that second set also served as a control group while they waited.

The subjects performed concentration tests at the beginning, middle and end of the first retreat. They were dull tests, like watching a series of lines and keeping track of long ones and short ones.

Unless you work in quality control at a toothpick factory, it’s not exactly a practical test. But it did help show who could focus and who couldn’t–and those who meditated were much better at it than those who were waiting for their course to begin.

And the more they meditated, the better their focus.

The only catch here is that it’s not a one-shot deal. The study found that if you want to keep enjoying those extra powers of concentration, you have to keep meditating.

And that’s not always cheap.

In this case, the subjects needed three free months on the calendar and $5,300 for the retreat. During the retreat, they had to live without phones, televisions, computers and even books, and meditated for five hours a day (I have no idea what they did with the rest of their time).

But meditation doesn’t have to involve that kind of cost or commitment. You can probably find a weekly class locally, for a lot less money. You might even be able to teach yourself meditation for free by checking out some library books.

It’s a great idea in any case, because other studies have found that mediation may help reduce stress and anxiety, improve memory and reverse memory loss, boost cognition, and even lower your risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

It can even help significantly lower your blood pressure. (Read more here.)

And as an added bonus, you might even find some inner peace.

Big Pharma sure knows how to get the biggest bang for its big bucks–a new study finds a remarkable success rate for drugs in industry-funded studies.

In fact, they almost never fail.

The government-funded review of 546 drug trials published between 2000 and 2006 found that studies funded by the industry had positive outcomes 85 percent of the time.

Remember that number–it’s going to come up again.

Government-funded trials, on the other hand, were like a coin toss: They had positive outcomes 50 percent of the time.

Studies funded by nonprofits and other organizations were positive 72 percent of the time. I’m guessing that’s because of Big Pharma’s substantial influence among these groups. After all, the researchers also found that when these organizations received industry money, their studies also came up positive… (drumroll please)… 85 percent of the time.

A remarkable coincidence, wouldn’t you say? If we could have that kind of luck at the racetrack, we wouldn’t need retirement funds.

Studies done by nonprofits that did not receive Big Pharma money, on the other hand, were positive just 61 percent of the time.

And by “positive” I mean they were positive for the drug, of course–because there’s certainly nothing positive about them for you. The researchers looked at trials for meds like antidepressants, antipsychotics and proton-pump inhibitors–some of our most overused, unnecessary and ineffective drugs.

What’s more, the study also found that Big Pharma-funded trials didn’t always get published. In fact, the researchers say that just 32 percent of industry-funded trials are published within two years of the study’s completion, according to the analysis published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

That means 68 percent are being swept under the carpet. You don’t have to wonder what they found–because other researchers have reported that studies that come up negative often don’t get published.

That would explain that 85 percent success rate.

And that’s not the only way they game the system. I’ve told you before about some of the ways Big Pharma works to make sure its studies come up roses.

One of their favorite tricks is shortening the study… cutting it right off once they get the result they’re looking for. One analysis earlier this year found that shortened studies often dramatically overstate drug effectiveness. (Read “Shortened studies favor Big Pharma.”)

Another analysis found that studies often reach conclusions that are completely at odds with the actual data. (Read “The scientific spin cycle.”)

So while the latest analysis isn’t exactly new, it’s more proof that you simply can’t trust anything that comes from the drug companies.

Not that you actually need more proof at this point.