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
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…
Mind on Infections
New research is making the connection between psychological stress and infectious diseases clearer. This blog explores key data on how the mind affects the body’s ability to fight infections. Scientific evidence now shows that chronic stress, negative emotions, and psychosocial factors can weaken the immune system, increasing susceptibility to infections and influencing disease progression. I Read the full article…
Can Stress Cause MS?
MS = Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder that specifically affects the brain and spinal cord. Its symptoms and prognosis are pretty diverse, making causal research challenging but not impossible. According to the National MS Society, almost one million people are living with MS in the United States. Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20 Read the full article…