“You can’t separate the mind from the body,” said Prof Sir Robert Lechler, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He adds…”there is a real mechanistic connection between the mind, the nervous system and the immune system.”

About 60% of people referred to cardiologists with chest pain do not have a heart problem but suffer from anxiety. Thats astounding!! We are finding a very strong connection between inflammation and depressive symptoms. More research is showing that treating inflammation helps treat depression. Symptoms of an overactive immune system can stem from obesity, eating a poor diet filled with sugar and food allergies, poor digestion, lack of sleep, chronic emotional stress and certain medications, like Interferon. It may be a matter of the immune system failing to switch off after an illness or trauma. But inflammation is also a common symptom associated with chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraine headaches or an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis. Chronic pain affects over 100 million people, nearly 1/3 of our population. More Americans suffer from chronic pain than cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer combined!.

Read this article to find out more of what you can do to help your symptoms. See your doctor or integrative practitioner to find other causes and ways to treat chronic pain and depression.

Reference: Ivker, R. Cannabis for Chronic Pain. Touchstone, Simon& Schuster, 2017. p. 4.

Depression is a physical illness which could be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, scientists suggest: