Inflammation and Mood
We all get injuries throughout our lives and experience pains from time to time. But constant pain isn’t a normal part of getting older. If you have chronic pain in your joints or muscles, regular headaches, or other indicators of inflammation, such as rashes or allergies, then chronic inflammation may be at the root of your mood issues as well.
Inflammation contributes to mood issues through several pathways. The activity of the immune system and cytokines (inflammation chemical messengers) has mood altering effects when it reaches the brain and neurological tissue. The brain can also become inflamed through the “Gut-Brain Axis,” which may arise through inflammatory diet, or problems in the gut microbiome. Another route of mood changes from inflammation is through the build up of toxic compounds in the body that have an inflammatory effect, such as homocysteine, which may not be broken down by the body in some people due to differences in genes like the MTHFR gene.
Chronic inflammation is caused by inflammatory diet, genetics, physical activity levels, obesity, and exposure to molds and infectious chronic diseases such as Epstein Barr disease, Lyme disease, or COVID-19. Chronic inflammation may also persist due to lack of the natural compounds that help block inflammation such as flavonoids, antioxidants, and Omega-3 fatty acids.
What's Causing Your Depression?
When I say lifestyle, what I mean is the basic requirements of life—food, exercise, sleep, stress, and substance use. In short, it means the way you live—too much excitement or stress, too little sleep, forcing your body to deal with constant alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or poor diet. These contributors are the foundation of the chemistry of your body and mind, and will influence how your brain chemistry operates; and they may contribute to episodes of depression along the way if they are out of balance.
Most of us thrive when we keep our pace of life in the slow to medium range. Unfortunately the modern lifestyle doesn’t make this easy for us, because we are often saturated with responsibilities, work, tasks, information, commutes, and expectations to keep up with the pace of others. Depression can develop when dealing with difficult life situations, especially when the situation is long term.
Neurotransmitters are the main chemical messengers of mood, and they include "uppers", which lift your mood and stimulate excitement and activity, and "downers" which calm and relax. Neurotransmitter imbalances are pivotal treatment areas for mood disorders, and they can be tested and treated individually. Imbalances in neurotransmitters can result from many areas, included genetics, gut health issues, and hormone imbalances in the adrenals, thyroid, and sex hormones.
Depression can be a result of several different neurotransmitter imbalances, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The two main branches of depression are serotonin dependent, which presents as a weepy, sad, melancholic 'blues' type of depression; and dopamine/norepinephrine dependent depression, which presents as a tired, lethargic, brain-fogged, and unmotivated type of depression.
Inflammation and Mood Mini-Course
Did You Know?
Fatty tissue in the body releases inflammatory compounds. The amount of inflammation that can be measured by the inflammatory marker CRP (C-Reactive Protein) is directly correlated to your BMI, or Body Mass Index, which is a measurement that factors in your weight, height, and gender
Inflammatory diets, which are high in the top inflammatory foods (sugar, wheat, dairy, corn, eggs, peanuts, potatoes, soy, and tree nuts) are the biggest, and also most modifiable contributor to chronic inflammation
30-40% of Americans are have at least one copy of the MTHFR gene, which is associated with neuro-inflammatory, cardiovascular, cancer, and mood conditions if untreated
The body reacts with inflammation when exposed to molds, abnormal gut bacteria, viruses and bacteria (such as chronic Epstein Barr, COVID-19, and Lyme disease), and parasites in an effort to kill the pathogen