The Guardian: 'Is Depression a Kind of Allergic Reaction?"

Is depression a kind of allergic reaction? The following article makes a good case for it. I've posted a snippet from the article but folks should really read the entire article. It discusses how depression could come from inflammation, and how eating non inflammatory foods can help - cut the fats and the sugars. It also discusses how infections can cause inflammation, which in turn can can cause the 'depression inflammation'.

Guardian: Is Depression a Kind of Allergic Reaction?

The answer to that seems to be yes, and the best candidate so far is inflammation – a part of the immune system that acts as a burglar alarm to close wounds and call other parts of the immune system into action. A family of proteins called cytokines sets off inflammation in the body, and switches the brain into sickness mode.

Both cytokines and inflammation have been shown to rocket during depressive episodes, and – in people with bipolar – to drop off in periods of remission. Healthy people can also be temporarily put into a depressed, anxious state when given a vaccine that causes a spike in inflammation. Brain imaging studies of people injected with a typhoid vaccine found that this might be down to changes in the parts of the brain that process reward and punishment.

There are other clues, too: people with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis tend to suffer more than average with depression; cancer patients given a drug called interferon alpha, which boosts their inflammatory response to help fight the cancer, often become depressed as a side-effect.

The article ended with this ... which I appreciate a great deal ...

This time, though, the target is not any kind of brain or mind-based weakness but a basic feature of everyone’s body that could strike anyone down given the right – or wrong – turn of events. And if that doesn’t inspire a greater sympathy and understanding, then nothing will.

This article makes some sense to me. I know that, personally, I never suffered from any depression episodes until Spring 2010 when I caught a virus (while at a Flyers game), and that virus triggered a huge autoimmune cascade (I had no idea I had anything autoimmune until then) and my body went into super flare (thats autoimmune talk for - living hell) . The depressive episode lasted for nine months. It still comes and goes but since getting on the plaquinel, it hasn't been as long or deep since then. Plaquinel changes the bodies immune system which in turn acts as an anti-inflammatory because the body isn't attacking itself as badly.

I've seen people on these boards, and I've heard people in real life, come down very hard on those among us who suffer from depression. 'Pick yourself up' ... 'stop whining' ... 'Robin Williams was selfish for his suicide' ... and I basically even heard from one conservative Catholic (IRL) that I wasn't a good Christian because I was miserable with depression and had stopped praying.

I hope people will read this article and think about it next time they have to deal with depression for themselves or they encounter others who are dealing with it. And I hope this will be incentive for folks to stay away from inflammatory foods. It couldn't hurt to cut back on the fats and sugars ...

Good topic FF. Hopefully some people won't be too depressed to read it. Well, fats (except for Olive Oil and other good oils), sugars, meat, dairy, were a few of my favorite things. Now only Olive Oil ranks on that level. There are probably many ways to combat or avoid depression, and this new data opens another avenue of both inquiry and possible life-changes. I'm personally an advocate of water - that some depression is a symptom of dehydration. Does not drinking water lead to inflammation? If so, it could all be moving parts of the same puzzle. Thanks for the interesting information.

a reply to: FlyersFan

Really interesting article, thanks for posting it. From the Guardian:

The good news is that the few clinical trials done so far have found that adding anti-inflammatory medicines to antidepressants not only improves symptoms, it also increases the proportion of people who respond to treatment, although more trials will be needed to confirm this. There is also some evidence that omega 3 and curcumin, an extract of the spice turmeric, might have similar effects. Both are available over the counter and might be worth a try, although as an add-on to any prescribed treatment – there’s definitely not enough evidence to use them as a replacement.

I'll be very interested to know the results of any further trials that come from this research. This in particular made sense:

That feeling of being too tired, bored and fed up to move off the sofa and get on with life is known among psychologists as sickness behaviour. It happens for a good reason, helping us avoid doing more damage or spreading an infection any further.

It also looks a lot like depression. So if people with depression show classic sickness behaviour and sick people feel a lot like people with depression – might there be a common cause that accounts for both?

Thanks for posting

Speaking as a Penguin fan... maybe your depression stems from being a Flyers fan? Supporting losing efforts CAN cause depression...

Just sayin...



(You MAY be able to sue Sid Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for emotional damage... LOL)

originally posted by: madmac5150
Speaking as a Penguin fan... maybe your depression stems from being a Flyers fan? Supporting losing efforts CAN cause depression...

Ahhhh geeeze .... that doesn't help!


Seriously though ... the article makes some rather good points.
I hope that there is some investigative work going on in that area ....

a reply to: FlyersFan

CBC did a story on this. In layman's terms, it's an allergic reaction to stress. The stress of life. I was worried about the stress of adult life at 10. Personally, it is my biggest enemy, I don't react well to it at all, makes me rage. My son has the same characteristics. Even the thought of "enjoying" myself is stressful. People stress me out, doing nothing stresses me out and thinking about doing something other than nothing stresses me out. Everything is boring. Relationships get boring. People are boring, and I'm boring. But you would never know it when talking to me. Friendly, positive, etc.

The only thing I enjoy and do well is play the guitar. And drive. Fantastic driver, should have tried racing. I think playing rock'n roll and racing cars are the only two things in the world I could get into.

a reply to: FlySolo

I agree. Stress causes my anxiety, anxiety causes me to be unproductive, being unproductive makes me feel guilty and useless, and that leads to depression and more stress.

I'm definitely interested in any research into how to lessen the effects of this cycle. I'd try anything.

I'm afraid to start anti-anxiety meds because I worry they would close my mind, making me less curious about life's big questions, but sometimes that doesn't sound like such a bad thing. To just enjoy life without overthinking everything would be kind of nice.

Candidiasis - overgrowth of yeast in the body, usually from digesting a lot of carbs and sugars, can also interfere with the state of a mind

a reply to: [post=18898090]FlySolo[/

Your post sounds pretty much exactly like me, but at the same time it sounds like Autism!

Subscribing to thread as on phone

Great article. I think that it makes a lot of sense, too. I recently had my first ever bout with depression (I think I'm almost out of it--I hope) and it was SO ANNOYING. I couldn't motivate myself for ish and I got a horrible inflammatory thing that caused me to get breakouts for a bit (when I normally have clear skin). When that cleared up, my once-beautiful hair became effed up and wouldn't comb right and started breaking off. My scalp was (is, but getting better) sore and painful and I felt like I was going mad. I'm 23 by the way.

I also gained weight when I was breaking out and then lost it all and then some around the time of the hair crap.

I just hope my hair goes back to normal soon QQ It's really stressing me out. I feel like a freak or something.

Haven't gone to the doctor yet because I'm kinda embarrassed about the whole ordeal. I can't believe I let myself get depressed. I am really trying to be positive again but it is very difficult.

a reply to: FlySolo


I think I kinda know how you feel. I agree with clemo7 saying it sounds like autism. I am pretty sure I'm on the spectrum somewhere. Not anything diagnosable but certainly I have some characteristics. Granted, I also have characteristics of being a sociopath (I can be a vicious little bugger lol), but I also have a whole lot of empathy and a good moral compass. I'm an ENTJ. Perhaps you are, too.

Yikes. I also eat way too much sugar. I could seriously survive on hard candy xD And I love carbs because they're yummy D:

I was prescribed the contraceptive pill at around age 13 due to menstruation issues and took it until my mid 20's, I was never depressed before and have never suffered clinical depression but during those years, a few times, after drinking white wine my emotions went from okay to extreme depression within minutes, lasting for a few hours, the next day normal again.

I have tried the contraceptive pill a few times since and again when drinking white wine got depressed.

I wouldn't use the contraceptive pill ever again nor recommend it when there are other options, and I now rarely drink alcohol.

There is a theory that white wine affects women emotionally. Perhaps the preservatives / hormones / combination, they could also factor in inducing inflammation /inflammatory responses.

Oestrogen dominance is theorised as an inflammation and depression inducing hormone. This GP article recommends synthetic hormone replacement and talks about oestrogen /stress / inflammation / depression reactions.

www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com...

We spoke to him about depression and estrogen dominance, Dr. Lee's term for an excess of estrogen caused not necessarily by high levels of estrogen, but by a progesterone deficiency that leaves estrogen without the balancing effect of progesterone.

To evaluate this, I tend to look at three or four basic areas: fluid changes, mood changes, shifts in the menses and the context in which all of this is happening. The fluid shifts I inquire about are predominantly related to fluid retention: puffiness, bloatedness, headaches, breast tenderness, and swelling of the feet or hands. I look for shifts that are out of proportion to a patient's ordinary fluctuations, something aberrant. Of course, I look at the context that might account for a shift in the hormonal status such as peri- menopause, initiation of hormone replacement therapy, a hysterectomy, postpartum, severe emotional or psychological stress, to help build a case for a hormonal cause of the fluid disturbance.

JLML: So headaches would be a symptom of fluid retention?

RG: Yes, frequently. They seem to be a very consistent symptom of estrogen dominance. I am not sure of the precise pathophysiology of headaches in this context. It may be, for instance, related to estrogen's vasodilatory effects, but they frequently occur together with some of the other signs of fluid accumulation.

She's not alone. It seems so many women believe white wine has a Jekyll-and-Hyde effect — turning them into argumentative and aggressive harpies even when they've not drunk to excess — that professionals working in the field are wondering if there might be something in white wine that does have an affect.

Sarah Turner, an addiction counsellor and founder of the Harrogate Sanctuary in North Yorkshire, which offers cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling to women who believe they have a problem with drinking, has worked with hundreds of middle- class professionals.

She says about a quarter claim to behave badly after small amounts of white wine.

'Clients tell me they get so aggressive after drinking it they have done things they wouldn't otherwise dream of doing,' says Sarah. 'Smashing furniture, breaking windows, even driving off in a rage.
'I've even wondered if white wine could somehow be raising testosterone levels in women as the effect can be so dramatic.'

Theories about the impact of white wine range from its high sugar content — it has up to ten times more than red wine — and levels of sulphites, which are added as a preservative. And some believe high levels of pesticides could be to blame.

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

originally posted by: rukia
I couldn't motivate myself for ish and I got a horrible inflammatory thing that caused me to get breakouts for a bit (when I normally have clear skin). When that cleared up, my once-beautiful hair became effed up and wouldn't comb right and started breaking off. My scalp was (is, but getting better) sore and painful and I felt like I was going mad. I'm 23 by the way.

I also gained weight when I was breaking out and then lost it all and then some around the time of the hair crap.

I just hope my hair goes back to normal soon QQ It's really stressing me out. I feel like a freak or something.

You just described exactly what I've been experiencing for a year. The exact same physical symptoms. I know why I got depressed. I went through something pretty traumatic that I'm still recovering from, so for me the physical symptoms are caused by the depression and not the other way around as I can tell.

a reply to: FlyersFan

Very, very interesting.

Think of this too in terms of the modern American diet....sugars and bad fats can certainly increase inflammation....and so many people are on meds for depression.

And just to note, inflammation has also been under the microscope for so many things besides autoimmune diseases, such as arteriosclerosis, gum disease, autism and certain behavioral issues in children. With any of them, adopting an anti-inflammatory diet/regimen eases symtoms.

Yes, we are allergic. Allergic to the fact that society sucks big time. Much like anxiety sufferers, some of us are more sensitive, more empathic to the failings of society. I can't be happy knowing that people are starving, dying, homeless, etc, when we have this level of technology and abundant resources that could fix not all of it but most of it. Deep inside, we know that things are not right. It can be overwhelming for some of us.

Or maybe its the food... the chemicals and hormones etc cannot be helping the situation any. I'll have to look into the inflammatories though, thanks for posting this Flyer

a reply to: rukia

Yeah, it can be very embarrassing, at first, to admit that you are "inadequate" or "abnormal". Until you realize that it's not your fault. Depression, bipolar, anxiety etc is a perfectly normal reaction to this world if you have a healthy normal mind. I know, its a bit of a paradox almost. If you're not "normal", it just means you're normal. It takes a numb apathetic mind to truly "succeed" in a world like this... in most cases. I'm willing to accept that some people are able to persevere... but still, how could any conscious person remain wealthy and accept awards and accolades knowing the state of things? They have some sort of dissociation I suppose...

originally posted by: Aleister
Good topic FF. Hopefully some people won't be too depressed to read it. Well, fats (except for Olive Oil and other good oils), sugars, meat, dairy, were a few of my favorite things. Now only Olive Oil ranks on that level. There are probably many ways to combat or avoid depression, and this new data opens another avenue of both inquiry and possible life-changes. I'm personally an advocate of water - that some depression is a symptom of dehydration. Does not drinking water lead to inflammation? If so, it could all be moving parts of the same puzzle. Thanks for the interesting information.

Yes I totally agree, and am glad that some of the posts are getting more aware. After getting diagnosed with type two, because of a load of boils on the back. I cut out dairy and used Apple Cider vinegar to flush out the triglycerides. Within a month the boils had stopped and the blood sugar readings were normal. I gave up all the pills, as they were now the problem. rense.com...

GMO sugar or gmo corn syrup is bad, but sugar actually isn't, no matter what they say. Fats are very needed, the right kinds and butter and animal fats.

The young man I know who is depressed is seriously underweight and he would nit be cutting out any of this. He is lactose intolerant and once he found lactoce free whole milk, finally started gaining weight.

This is one more case of scientists working for evil incorporated. Its BS.

This is a very interesting and important finding.

I hate the way ATS has turned it into another fad diet thread.

If depression is a disease, you won't cure it by eating fish oil.

originally posted by: Astyanax

I hate the way ATS has turned it into another fad diet thread.

You really got that out of this thread.