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
Mind and Immunology
The belief that the mind and immune system operate independently is now outdated. They are closely interconnected. Of course, there is also the nervous system, the hormonal system, etc. All are complementary within one framework. This blog focuses on the mind and the immune system, bringing in the others as needed. The following contains medicalese. Read the full article…
Why Subconceptual Influences on Infections Matter Most
Present-day research evidence is clear: emotional distress and psychosocial influences significantly impact our health. However, a deeper layer of influence remains largely underexplored by mainstream research. This deeper dimension involves subconceptual mental processes—those that operate below conscious awareness but can profoundly shape how we respond to infections. Lisa can unlock this deeper understanding, offering practical Read the full article…
Psychological impact on infections
In a prospective study with a hundred subjects, it was concluded that stressful events in life four times more frequently preceded than followed throat infections that had or had not been caused by streptococci [Meyer et al., 1962]. A large number of control-variables (under which sex, family size, history of allergies) showed no correlation with Read the full article…