Depression Is More Than A Mental Disorder—it Affects The Whole Body

[PranK]

An international team of researchers lead by the University of Granada (UGR) has scientifically proven for the first time that depression is more than a mental disorder—it causes important alterations of the oxidative stress, so it should be considered a systemic disease, since it affects the whole organism.

http://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2016-03-depression-mental-disorderit-affects-body.html

[MrStabby]

Interesting. So many years of studying the brain with so little useful outcome - so they look outside the brain. Other studies are suggesting that the microbiome/digestive track is important (~90% of serotonin in produced in the gut, but is that reflected in brain serotonin levels?), and also there's studies showing its correlated with inflammatory response. Of course, correlation is not causation. Interesting times ahead, maybe oxidative stress/microbiome/inflammatory response are all related?

I've changed my diet a bit to one that's better for the microbiome and less inflammatory in case any of this turns out to be true. Its all healthier food anyway.

[PranK]

I study Buddhism in my (non existent) spare time. There is a solid belief going back a long time that the mind and body are one. This sounds like a simple belief but the West continues to treat them as separate entities.

We need to believe more and prove less I think.

[Birds]

Is there really that much divide between mind and body in the western world? I feel like more than ever we're giving credit to some alternative medicines and treatments of mental health with the idea of run on effects for the body. Some are even claimable on health insurance. Then there's fitness which is a total mind and body thing.

I don't know why the divide would exist in the first place when it's so obvious that the brain controls vital functions and responses, even autonomous. Only have to look at the autonomous nervous system and how it reacts under stress/pressure or in response to physical exertion and you know that any effect on the brain is going to translate. Perhaps western medicine has largely ignored this in the past, trying to treat things at the site rather than the potential source, but I know western psychology has mingled the two for centuries.

[hardsteppa]

We need to believe more and prove less I think.

I don't. To me it's obvious the mind and body operative in unison but that's evidenced by own personal experience and proof. To believe in blind faith is the enemy of mankind's evolution and negative to global harmony and evolution, look to religion for endless examples of this.

[Trozzle]

Take a hefty dose of mushrooms and you'll really have fun with that question.

THE BODY IS NOTHING BUT A MEAT ROBOT BEING PILOTED REMOTELY BY OUR CONSCIOUSNESS. lol.