Chronic Inflammation is Linked with Depression
Anyone who has experienced a viral or bacterial infection knows what it means to feel sick. Sickness brings on fever and nausea, lack of appetite and loss of interest in physical and social surroundings. Sick people tire easily, and have poor sleep. In addition, they feel depressed and irritable; suffer from shortened attention span and short-term memory loss.
Just as fear is normal in the face of a predator, sickness is a normal response to infection triggered by factors called pro-inflammatory cytokines produced by immune/inflammatory cells. These inflammatory cytokines have a key role in depression.
What Causes Depression?
Depression, also known as clinical depression, major depression, or unipolar disorder, is a common and complex mental disorder. About 30 million Americans, who form 16 per cent of the population, have had at least one incidence of serious depression in their lifetime.
Depression can be linked to traumatic events in your life, such as loss of a loved one, stress and hormonal changes at any age, illnesses, specific medications, or drug/alcohol abuse.
Symptoms of Depression
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Persistent sad, anxious or empty feelings
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Feelings of hopelessness
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Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
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Feeling irritable or restless
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Loss of interest in activities or hobbies that were once enjoyable, including sex
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Feeling tired all the time
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Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, or difficulty making decisions
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Inability to sleep or stay asleep (insomnia); waking in the middle of the night, or sleeping all the time
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Overeating or loss of appetite
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Thoughts of suicide or making suicide attempts
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Ongoing aches and pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not go away
Millions of people go undiagnosed or untreated for depression. Without treatment, major depression may linger for 6 months to a year, with increased frequency and severity of episodes.
The Relationship Between Chronic Inflammation and Depression
There is growing evidence to suggest that chronic inflammation plays an important role in depression. Here is some of the evidence:
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Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines can induce depressive behavior.
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Inflammatory cytokines can enter the brain and alter the levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain.
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Levels of certain cytokines are much higher in people experiencing distress, grief, depression, and other difficult emotions.
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Elevated inflammatory biomarkers preceded the onset of depressed mood in an elderly population with no psychiatric history.
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In cancer and hepatitis C patients receiving immunotherapy, depression occurred in up to 50% of patients.
Scientists do not know why cytokine levels are higher in depressed and anxious people. They speculate that psychological stress can alter blood pressure and heart rate. These stress-related changes can cause the release of cell signaling molecules that promote cytokine production. Other source of elevated inflammatory cytokines include smoking, high fat diet, and being overweight.
Depression Is Linked with Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes and Cancer
Over the past 15 years, studies have shown a strong relationship between depression and heart disease, both of which are linked with chronic inflammation. Depression is a known risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as an independent predictor of poor prognosis following a cardiac event. For example, patients with coronary heart disease are three times more prone to depression than the general population.
Stress could be an underlying trigger that leads to the development of both depression and CVD. Stress can precipitate depression by activating the nervous system, disturbing heart rhythm, hypercoagulation (increased tendency for clotting of the blood), and increased inflammatory responses, all of which negatively influence the cardiovascular system.
Chronic inflammation that exacerbates both the disease and the tendency towards depression is visible in Type 2 diabetes and cancer. While negative emotions may not increase the risk of developing diabetes or cancer, they could intensify the progression of these illnesses.
There is evidence that once you have cancer, psychological distress and depression can worsen the cancer through elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines. Research proves that cytokines can cause resistance to chemotherapy, speeding up the transition of tumor cells into full-blown cancer. Some cytokines seem to induce the formation of new blood vessels that feed tumors, the key process in tumor metastasis.
Control Of Inflammation Represents A Novel Strategy To Relieve Depression
During the last five years, evidence shows that inflammatory cytokines induce not only symptoms of sickness, but also true major depressive disorders in vulnerable individuals and physically ill patients even though they have no previous history of mental disorders.
The findings that inflammation can actually cause depression suggests that targeting inflammatory response and their signaling pathways could be a novel strategy to treat depression. A few attempts are under way to treat symptoms of depression with anti-inflammatory drugs including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Encouraging results have been obtained by blocking TNF-α in psoriasis and from the use of COX-2 inhibitors in patients with major depression.
Natural Remedies For Relief of Inflammation And Depression Symptoms
For decades, NSAIDs have been widely recommended for various aspects of flu-like symptoms or sickness-related behaviors. Unfortunately, 25% of NSAIDs users suffer severe and sometimes fatal complications such as stomach ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding. The newer NSAIDs such as selective COX-2 inhibitors (Vioxx and Celebrex) have been associated with an increased risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke.
In this scenario, the good news is that safer approaches are available. You can fight depression and anxiety without the side effects of antidepressant drugs or NSAIDs! Nutrients, herbs, and herbal remedies have been shown to relieve depression symptoms such as sleep disorder, headaches, and anxiety. These alternative approaches, however, do not influence “inflammation-to-brain communication.”
Unlike other approaches, FlameEz-Vascular is a patent pending remedy formulated to balance inflammatory response in chronic conditions including depression and anxiety. The active ingredients of FlameEz-Vascular work synergistically to fight against systemic inflammation.
The formula works as a total body cleanser to remove toxic substances, i.e., inflammatory cells and their metabolites and debris. This novel approach addresses the source of the problem, rather than just the symptoms.
By keeping inflammation under control, FlameEz-Vascular remedy will:
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Improve sleep and reduce headaches and anxiety*
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Help restore the balance of nitric oxide and prostaglandins, which contributes to the severity of depression, anxiety, and sexual dysfunction.*
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Restore the body’s antioxidant defense*
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Enhance the vascular healing and repair*
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Improve vascular cell function and integrity*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
If you suffer from depression, or your symptoms of depression persist despite the use of antidepressant drugs, or your antidepressant drugs become less effective, you may benefit from control of inflammation.
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Important: What you read here is not a substitute for a medical diagnosis or treatment. Please contact your physician to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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