The mind and chronic inflammation
Recent research has revealed that certain social, environmental and lifestyle factors, including psychological stress, can promote systemic chronic inflammation that can, in turn, lead to diseases that represent the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and neurodegenerative and autoimmune disorders [Furman et al., 2019]. The association between chronic disease and inflammation is widely recognized. Healthcare systems are buckling due to the cost of treating a worldwide population burdened by these chronic health problems.
Psychological stress also leads to inflammation in the brain. This can impact the regulation of mood and cognition, with possible connections to Alzheimer’s disease.
Psychological stress induces many of the same inflammatory signals as injury and disease. This raises questions: How and why does mental stress activate inflammation?
Related Posts
Self-Tolerance in Body and Mind with Focus on the Immune
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine honors the discovery of how our immune system learns not to attack the self. This is a reflection of something deeply human — the art of living peacefully with oneself. Just as the body needs self-tolerance to stay healthy, the mind needs inner harmony to remain whole and balanced. Read the full article…
Implications of Mind–Immune Parallelisms
If the mind and immune system share fundamental regulatory dynamics, then the consequences reach far beyond theory. They affect how causality is understood, how prevention is approached, and how management – mental and somatic – is practiced. This blog explores those implications, not as prescriptions, but as shifts in stance. What changes is not so Read the full article…
Immune System: Warrior or Communicator
We have long imagined our immune system as a warrior — a disciplined army defending us against endless threats. But what if this image blinds us to its deeper nature? The immune system may be less a battlefield than a living conversation, one that listens, learns, and seeks harmony. Understanding it as a communicator could Read the full article…