“However, chronic exposure to elevated inflammatory cytokines and persistent alterations in neurotransmitter systems can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders and depression.”
I’m doing research into cytokines and their role in depression. It looks like there is a pretty good possibility that the prolonged trauma in my youth contributed to my ongoing challenges with depression. I also just learned that cytokines in our body are activated when we are physically sick and tell our body to slow down. We experience fatigue and a desire to isolate, an emotional/psychological response, as a result of increased cytokine levels in our bodies (bloodstream). So here I see the direct connection between poor physical and poor mental health, which I often experience when I’m sick, so I wonder if I’m just imagining the whole thing.
So what is the solution? I’m still exploring these ideas, but one part of the answer might be to remind and reassure myself when I am “sick” that it might just be healthy to slow down and take it easy, despite my inner Dad telling me I’m a lazy looser just making excuses for my indolence.
AI Chat says to take supplements like fish oil, biotics, and turmeric, stuff my dear wife has been pushing on me for a while.
Freedom and Dysfunction in an All-American Family 
Leave a comment