Fwiw, the answer is yes. I pay attention to research on managing chronic pain, inflammation, the gut microbiome, and mood disorders, and the data is clear that they are interwoven. Depression, and other "mental" illnesses have strong physical correlations, specifically with long term, low-level inflammation. And the inflammation correlates with the populations of "healthy" vs. "harmful" critters in the gut microbiome. More and more it's clear that the "mental" is very often an expression of the physical.
On an anecdotal level, I experienced significant relief from a severe depressive episode through finally getting effective treatment for a pain disorder I developed in my 40s. And these days when I can tell my mood is struggling, I first look to manage inflammation through food choices, hydrating, rest, and stretching, as well as making sure I have taken my most recent dose of antiinflammatories.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Fwiw, the answer is yes. I pay attention to research on managing chronic pain, inflammation, the gut microbiome, and mood disorders, and the data is clear that they are interwoven. Depression, and other "mental" illnesses have strong physical correlations, specifically with long term, low-level inflammation. And the inflammation correlates with the populations of "healthy" vs. "harmful" critters in the gut microbiome. More and more it's clear that the "mental" is very often an expression of the physical.
On an anecdotal level, I experienced significant relief from a severe depressive episode through finally getting effective treatment for a pain disorder I developed in my 40s. And these days when I can tell my mood is struggling, I first look to manage inflammation through food choices, hydrating, rest, and stretching, as well as making sure I have taken my most recent dose of antiinflammatories.