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
Psychological impact on cancer
M.A. Visintainer et al. conducted a study with rats. After implantation of a tumor, some were administered electric shocks and some were not. Of the former, some could escape the shocks and some could not [Visintainer et al., 1982]. Afterward, they checked the number of rats that rejected the tumor (and thus were cured). The Read the full article…
Mental Support and the Immune System
In a recent review, psychosocial interventions were associated with positive changes over time. This review was a comprehensive meta-analysis of 56 unique randomized clinical trials involving 4060 participants. [1] Immune improvements (14% increase in beneficial functions and 18% decrease in harmful functions) persisted for at least six months post-treatment. This is noteworthy, especially when compared Read the full article…
From Irritable to Inflammatory Bowel — Same Mind?
Medicine separates irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) into different boxes — one functional, one autoimmune. Yet recent research shows they often share the same pathways, triggers, and even patients. What if these two conditions were not opposites, but phases of a single process? What if both were the body’s way of Read the full article…