COULD DEPRESSION BE PREVENTED?

I came across this interesting article today and certainly there are many similarities such as the lethargy. Depression however it's caused still has a physical affect on the body be it the changes in the brain's neurotransmitters or the extreme lethargy so it's much more than an an emotional disease. I hope there will be more research on this theory.

ARTICLE BELOW IS FROM THE DAILY MAIL

Could depression be an INFECTIOUS DISEASE? Condition is caused by parasites, bacteria or virus and could be prevented with a jab, expert claims

• Dr. Turhan Canli is a professor from Stony Brook University, in the U.S. 
• Argues depression should be re-conceptualised as an infectious disease
• Condition is caused by parasites, bacteria or viruses, he claims
• People with depression show sickness like those suffering infection
• If his theory is true, a vaccination against depression could be possible

Depression should be re-defined as an infectious disease rather than an emotional disorder, argues one scientist.

The condition could result from a parasitic, bacterial or viral infection and future research into the condition should search for these micro-organisms, argues Dr. Turhan Canli, of Stony Brook University, U.S. 

If his theory is true, he hopes a vaccination to protect against depression could be developed in future.

Writing in the journal Biology of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Dr Canli said: 'It is time for an entirely different approach.

Depression should be re-conceptualised as an infectious disease caused by parasites, bacteria or viruses, argues Dr Turhan Canli, a professor at Stony Brook University, U.S.

'Instead of conceptualising major depression as an emotional disorder, I suggest to re-conceptualise it as some form of an infectious disease.

'I propose that future research should conduct a concerted search for parasites, bacteria, or viruses that may play a causal role in the etiology of major depression.'

He divides his theory into three arguments.

He said patients with depression exhibit sickness-like behaviours.

They lose their energy, have difficulty getting out of bed and lose interest in the world around them, displaying the same symptoms as people who have an infectious disease.

Studies of the patients with depression also show the presence of inflammatory markers in their brains, he said.

These inflammatory markers might indicate the immune system has been activated in response to some kind of pathogen, which could be a parasite, bacterium or virus - this being what is causing the symptoms of depression, he argued.

HIGH-FLYING WOMEN 'FACE DEPRESSION', STUDY FINDS

Women in positions of power at work are at risk of poorer mental health than women further down the career ladder, a study has found.

Researchers found that while men tend to feel better the more authority they have, the reverse is often true for women.

‘Women with job authority – the ability to hire, fire and influence pay – have significantly more symptoms of depression than women without this power,’ said Tetyana Pudrovska, of the University of Texas, who carried out the study.2

‘In contrast, men with job authority have fewer symptoms of depression than men without such power.

‘What’s striking is that women with job authority in our study are advantaged in terms of most characteristics that are strong predictors of positive mental health,’ she added.

‘These women have more education, higher incomes, more prestigious occupations, and higher levels of job satisfaction and autonomy than women without job authority.

‘Yet they have worse mental health than lower-status women.’

His second argument is that there are examples of parasites, bacteria or viruses affecting emotional behaviour throughout nature.

The best known example is Toxomaplasma gondii (T.gondii), a parasite which lives in the intestinal tract of a cat.

There, it lays eggs which are dispersed into the environment when the cat excretes.

When a rat comes in contact with these eggs and becomes infected, it becomes attracted to the scent of cat urine.

The rat’s behaviour is through parasitic cysts being deposited across its brain, activating the same pathways involved in sexual arousal.

He says one third of the world’s population is thought to be infected with T.gondii. The infection is associated with markers of inflammation, as observed in depressed patients.

Of patients with a diagnosed major depression or bipolar disorder, those with a history of attempting suicide had higher levels of antibodies created to fight T.gondii bacteria.

‘Yet, large-scale studies of major depression and T. gondii or systematic searches to discover other potential parasitic infections have not yet been conducted,’ Dr Canli argued in his paper.

Similarly, he cites a number of studies in which rodents’ emotional behaviour changes when they are exposed to bacteria.

Large studies looking at associations between viruses and depressions exist already too, he said.

He cites an analysis of 28 studies, which found a link between viruses and depression. These included the Borna disease virus (BDV), the herpes virus responsible for cold sores, varicella zoster virus, which causes chicken pox and and Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever.

One study found BVD virus was 3.25 more likely to be found in depressed people than in non-depressed people, he said. Another found BVD in the brain’s of two out of 30 depressed patients.

His final argument is that re-conceptualising depression as an infectious disease is useful when thinking about the genetics of the disease.

If his theory is true, he hopes a a vaccination to protect against depression could be developed in future

The search for specific genes linked to depression has come up empty, he said, adding: ‘Perhaps, we have been looking at the wrong organism.’

While studies have looked for internal changes in human genes, which might explain depression, 8 per cent of the human genome is based on external changes, such as from viruses.

Bacteria, viruses and parasistes could transfer genes into our cells, leading to changes in our genetic structure.

They could also be passed during birth or through contact between parents and their children, he said.

He concluded that large scale studies involving patients with depression and people without the condition should be carried out to see if parasites, viruses or bacteria could be the cause.

He added: ‘Such efforts, if successful, would represent the ‘end of the beginning’ , as any such discovery would represent the first step toward developing a vaccination for major depression.’ 

Astrid Brown (Author)

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HOW FRESH AIR AND BEING AMONGST NATURE CAN HELP ALLEVIATE LOW MOODS

Any kind of exercise will lift mood as the body's natural endorphins are released, these are the body's natural painkillers, they also induce a natural euphoria.

Exercise especially if its done regularly:
Reduces stress
Wards off anxiety and feelings of depression
Boosts self-esteem
Improves sleep
It strengthens your heart.
It increases energy levels.
It lowers blood pressure.
It improves muscle tone and strength.
It strengthens and builds bones.
It helps reduce body fat.
It makes you look fit and healthy.

So even walking is beneficial however being amongst nature amongst trees and woodland or even by a stream enhances the benefits. Trees and plants give off positive energy and running water as well as soothing releases negative ions into the atmosphere.

Negative ions increase your sense of well-being and mental clarity by removing  positive ions in your environment.

Negative ions clear the air of dust, pollen,  mold spores and other potential allergens.

Improves the function of your respiratory tract 

Negative ions have a relaxing effect and have been reported to normalize your breathing rate, decrease blood pressure and relieve tension.

Studies show high levels of negative ions can be as effective at treating Seasonal Affective Disorder 

Improves energy levels  Research has shows negative ions normalize serotonin levels

Better sleep

Reduces instances of headaches and sickness. .

Helps mental concentration and performance. 

ARTICLE BELOW IS FROM THE 'DAILY MAIL'

Feeling down? Get some fresh air: Taking a walk really does beat stress - without the need for antidepressants

• Walking is especially beneficial for people going through a tough time
• Strolling through natural settings such as woodlands and mountains best
• One theory is because these areas allows the brain to completely relax and enter into a state of contemplation 

If you're feeling sluggish, low and hopeless you might want to reach for your trainers, or even head for the woods.

Taking a walk beats stress without the need for drugs such as anti-depressants, according to a new study.

It was especially beneficial for people going through a tough time, such as death of a loved one, becoming unemployed or splitting up with a partner, U.S. researchers found.

Walking can beat stress and boost mood, according to U.S. researchers. They found it was especially beneficial for people going through a tough time, like the death of a loved one or splitting up with a partner

And walking in a natural setting such as woodlands, up in the mountains, or around a beautiful lake might be better for relaxation than in urban settings, they advised.

Professor Sara Warber, of Michigan University in the U.S., said: 'We hear people say they feel better after a walk or going outside.

'But [until now] there haven't been many studies of this size to support the conclusion that these behaviours actually improve mental health and wellbeing.'

She added: 'Walking is an inexpensive, low risk and accessible form of exercise .

'And, it turns out that combined with nature and group settings, it may be a very powerful, under-utilised stress buster.

 

'Our findings suggest something as simple as joining an outdoor walking group may not only improve someone's daily positive emotions but may also contribute a non-pharmacological [non-drug] approach to serious conditions like depression.

'Group walks in local natural environments may make a potentially important contribution to public health and be beneficial in helping people cope with stress and experience improved emotions.'

The findings add to the growing body of research on the benefits of taking a stroll.

Previous studies have found that walking can delay the onset of cancer, help stave off obesity, heart disease and diabetes as well as lowering blood pressure.

HOW TO FIT WALKING INTO YOUR SCHEDULE

Government health recommendations are for us to exercise for 30 minutes daily, for a minimum of five days a week. 

But you can split the walk into a couple of 15-minute journeys each day or make up for lost time with an extra-long walk at the weekend.

Dr Craig Williams, a sports science lecturer at the University of Exeter says: 'Where walking beats other forms of exercise is that there are excellent strategies for boosting the amount you do.

'For example, getting off at an earlier bus-stop than your usual one will add on a two to three minute walk. That may not sound much, but if you do that twice a day, every day, it all adds up.

'Other tips include walking up a flight of stairs instead of taking the lift. Even a brisk walk around the block for ten minutes in your lunchbreak contributes to your daily walking.'

Walking for 40 minutes a day seemed to increase the size of people's brains, according to one study, improving their memory and protecting against dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

As part of the new research, experts evaluated 1,991 participants from the Walking for Health programme in England.

The programme helps facilitate almost 3,000 weekly walks and draws more than 70,000 regular walkers a year.

They found people who had recently experienced stressful life events like a serious illness, death of a loved one, marital separation or unemployment appeared to see more of a mood boost after outdoor group walks.

Experts said walking in natural settings like a woodland or in the mountains may be especially beneficial, due to a theory which suggests people concentrate better after spending time in nature.

The theory argues that those in peaceful settings are not bombarded with distractions which tax their working memory and attention systems.

As a result, the brain can properly relax and enter a state of contemplation.

Two years ago a study found walking in woodland sparked a 16 per cent increase in attention and memory compared to the same time strolling on a busy street – although both types of walk improved participants' mood significantly.

Another study showed adults who had not been diagnosed with any illness received a mental boost after an hour-long walk in a woodland park.

Their performance on memory and attention tests was improved by 20 per cent compared with after an hour-long walk in a noisy urban environment.

Walking in natural settings might be more relaxing because there are less distractions for the brain than in urban settings, meaning it can properly relax and enter into a state of contemplation

Astrid Brown (Author)

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CANNABIS WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The article below comes from the 'Daily Mail' and I've posted this to make you aware that Cannabis can lead to the user suffering from psychosis. It's a common recreation drug many will first experiment with and most users will find it has no side effects, however in some it will lead to full blown psychosis trouble is there is no way of knowing who will develop it, so is it worth the risk? Research has shown the active substance in Cannabis can have therapeutic medicinal benefits however much more research needs to be done and evaluated before it ever reaches being classified as a medicine. The other danger of Cannabis is it can lead to harder drugs as users look for a bigger 'high' as their tolerance rate improves and they become less immune to it's effects. It isn't possible to gauge who will be affected by these effects so is it worth the risk? for once changes have begun in the brain it can't be undone, the damage is done.

Read one family's experience below

Think cannabis is harmless? It drove this grammar school boy insane - then killed him

• Matthew was a bright young boy who excelled at maths and science
• But he started smoking cannabis and the 'harmless' drug took its toll
• He began having hallucinations and became incredibly paranoid
• Matthew's erratic behaviour turned violent, he started speaking of suicide
• His parents put him in hospital but once there he tragically hanged himself
• Matthew's doctors believe his suicide was triggered by smoking cannabis

Melanie Leahy has many photos of her son, Matthew. But it is the one of him aged 13, fresh-faced and dressed in his grammar school uniform, that is the most painfully poignant of all.

'Matthew had just been awarded top marks in all his academic subjects and was on the cusp of adulthood, with his whole future ahead of him,' she recalls. 'Even as a boy he spoke about his future, of having a large family and how he wanted to start up his own business.'

Happy and healthy: Matthew was 'gorgeous' and capable, learning to swim at the age of three

Tragically, it is a future Melanie will never see for her only child. For Matthew, 20, previously a Grade A student as well as an expert skiier and qualified lifeguard, hanged himself last November. His  suicide was triggered, doctors believe, by smoking cannabis.

Any suicide is an utter tragedy, but what makes Matthew's case even more shocking is that the young man took his own life while an in-patient at a mental health hospital.

Despite being on hourly observation because of his unstable state of mind, Matthew had managed to hang himself.

'When I got the phone call to tell me about Matthew's death, it ripped my heart out,' says Melanie, 48, a property manager. 'But most of all I was in shock about how doctors could have allowed it to happen.

'Matthew's father, Michael, and I had agonised over putting him into that hospital. We believed he was in the safest possible hands and that we had done our best for him. We never would have agreed if we'd thought we were sending him to his death.' Melanie questions his treatment at the NHS-run Linden Centre mental health unit in Chelmsford, Essex.

Bright-eyed: Matthew, pictured in his school uniform, aged five - several years before his troubles began

Several other young people have taken their own lives while in the care of the trust in recent years and Matthew's parents are still waiting for answers as to what really  happened to their beloved boy.
It's cannabis, a drug many class as 'harmless', that they blame for his spiral into self-destruction.
Born in December, 1991, Matthew was a 'healthy, happy and bright lad' according to his mother.

'Matthew was absolutely gorgeous and it soon became clear he was very bright,' says Melanie, who lives in Heybridge, Essex. 'He learned to swim at the age of three and, by time he was nine, was excelling academically at school.' Sadly, it was around this age that Melanie and Michael, a restaurateur, divorced.
'We'd been growing apart for a long time,' she explains. 'But where Matthew was concerned, we remained amicable, sharing care of him.'
Although Melanie and Matthew moved ten miles away to a three-bedroomed semi-detached home, Matthew divided his time between his parents' homes.

Painfully poignant: Of her many photos of Matthew, this one reminds Melanie the most of his bright future - now tragically lost

'We were incredibly proud when Matthew passed his 11-plus exam and won a place at Westcliff High School For Boys, a selective grammar school. He excelled at maths and science and was a natural with computers,' Melanie says. However, by the age of 14, teachers reported that Matthew wasn't paying as much attention at school.
Because of the characteristic smell of cannabis on his clothes, and his erratic behaviour, both Melanie and Michael suspected he was smoking the drug.
'I confronted him about it, but he would deny it,' says Melanie.
In June 2005 - after a friend told Melanie she'd seen him in a park smoking cannabis - Melanie took Matthew to see their GP.
'I wanted him to be tested,' she says. Her GP refused, on the grounds that it was not something GPs would test for, but Melanie became increasingly concerned about her son's behaviour.
'We had lots of arguments about him smoking cannabis. Both Michael and I did everything we could to try to stop him, from arguing to reasoning with him but nothing worked.'
By the age of 15, Matthew was having problems sleeping.
'Matthew saw his GP on his own and I now know from his medical notes that he admitted he was smoking cannabis, although because his friends were also smoking it he told his GP he believed it was harmless,' says Melanie.
'This time the doctor advised him about the risks and gave him advice about stopping smoking.'
But Matthew continued and, by the time he was 17, having left school with a clutch of GCSEs and the equivalent of two A-levels, he began his own computer support business. He moved into a shared house that Melanie owned, but at the same time his symptoms worsened significantly.
'Terrifyingly, he began saying he felt as if something was crawling over his body,' recalls Melanie. 'I researched it and pointed out to Matthew it was an effect of  cannabis smoking [doctors call this sensation 'formication' and it is one of a number of hallucinations cannabis can trigger].

'Matthew saw his GP on his own and I now know from his medical notes that he admitted he was smoking cannabis, although because his friends were also smoking it he told his GP he believed it was harmless'

'It became so severe that, at the end of 2009, he was referred by his GP to the drug and alcohol early intervention team. They came and spoke to him about the effects  of cannabis.'
Melanie now feels they didn't do nearly enough and wishes they'd referred him for counselling and more specialist help, such as  drugs rehabilitation.
Matthew's parents grew even more concerned when, in January 2011, Matthew became convinced he had threadworms living in his stomach, coming out of his nostrils and mouth and living in his ears - a sign of the paranoia caused by the cannabis.
The drugs team explained he was delusional and Matthew's state of mind deteriorated so much he was unable to continue his computer job.
'Eventually in May, Matthew was in so much distress about these imagined parasites that it was  preventing him from sleeping properly,' says Melanie. 'His GP felt he was hallucinating due to his drug problem and referred Matthew to a consultant psychiatrist.'
Yet he continued to smoke cannabis and his paranoia only worsened.
That June, having experienced a terrifying psychotic episode where he believed worms were destroying him, Matthew was admitted to the psychiatric ward at Clacton hospital and then the Linden Centre, where he remained for five months.

Young promise: 15-year-old Matthew, pictured with his mother Melanie, excelled at maths and science and was a natural with computers

Matthew was given drugs to calm his paranoia, but when he was released in November 2011 the family were shocked at his appearance.
'My son had become like a zombie,' says Melanie. 'He'd gone from a bright conversational boy to someone who was hollow-eyed, dribbling and shuffling.
'In hindsight, I don't feel there was any proper care for him at that hospital. His problems were just masked with medication and he was able to continue smoking the drug. I was horrified by the smell of cannabis whenever I visited him.'
His problems were clearly far from resolved when, in April 2012, Matthew - by now back in the shared house - erupted at Melanie when she forbade him to grow cannabis there.
'He said he couldn't deal with the hallucinations any more and wanted to kill himself,' she says. 'He thought the cannabis was helping to cure them, and wouldn't believe it was the cause.
'He threatened to cut his wrists or hang himself and I was so upset I called the police who took him to hospital.' Over the following weeks, Melanie's life became hell.
'One day, Matthew came home with cuts on his face that he'd made with a razor blade. He then threatened to hang himself. I kept telling him I loved him and begged him to get help.
'Another time when I wouldn't give him any money because I knew he would spend it on cannabis, he pinned me against a wall. I wasn't hurt, but it was frightening. I rang the police and, once again, they returned him to hospital.'

Heartbreak: Melanie keeps the memories of her beloved son close to her heart

Melanie's frustration with the system is evident. 'Despite all these episodes, he would simply be taken to hospital by police, be assessed and just sent home again,' she says.
In May 2012, with Melanie at her wits' end, Matthew, now 20, went to live with his father. But in November 2012, during a terrifying psychotic episode at his father's home in Bradwell, Essex, he smashed up his room with a baseball bat.
Michael says: 'Matthew was threatening to kill himself with a knife, so I called the police. He was in such a rage there was no knowing what he'd do.'
At this point he was admitted to the Linden Centre under Section 3 of the Mental Health act.
'Melanie and I were desperate,' explains Michael. 'Matthew needed professional help. He needed proper care and, although it was the hardest thing we've ever done, we believed putting him in hospital would save him.
'We were terrified that, if we didn't section him, he would kill himself. Doctors told us Matthew would be put on suicide watch, which reassured us because we felt something positive was being done at last.
'It was exhausting for us watching his every movement 24 hours a day and we knew this way he would not be allowed to kill himself.'

 'My son had become like a zombie. He'd gone from a bright conversational boy to someone who was hollow-eyed, dribbling and shuffling. In hindsight, I don't feel there was any proper care for him at that hospital.'

However, the couple say they have since been told that Matthew was put on constant watch only for the first day. They say they've been told this was reduced to hourly and he was being watched by a student nurse.
'We have no idea why this was allowed to happen, it was a  decision made by the nurses,' says Melanie. 'But, had I known that he wouldn't be watched 24 hours a day, I would never have agreed to let him go. I bitterly regret it.'
Tragically, five days before his death, Matthew rang his father, distraught, saying he'd been drugged and was desperately unhappy.
'We were scared for him, but were told not to visit for first seven days to give him time to settle,' says Melanie. 'And when we spoke to the ward, the staff denied he was as distressed as he'd made out to us, reassuring us he was in an art class.'
A post-mortem examination has since also revealed four to five mystery needle marks in Matthew's groin.
'He was petrified of needles,' says Melanie. 'We worry as to what drugs he had been injected with. We've had no explanation as to what these were, but it haunts me that he might have experienced real terror in those final days.'
Melanie was shocked to discover that Matthew was not the only troubled young person to die in the care of the same trust.

Grieving parents: Melanie and Matthew's father Michael now bitterly regret putting their son in hospital

In 2001, Nicola Dordoy, 42, was found hanging from her curtain pole in her room at the Linden  Centre, prompting the unit to claim that 'procedures would be changed' as a result.
A year later, Steven Kay, 39, went missing from his room at the Linden Centre and was later found  hanging from a tree. Then, in 2008, Ben Morris, 20, hanged himself with his belt at the same centre.
In May 2012, a Care Quality Commission report judged over all that 'the Linden Centre was not meeting one or more essential standards. Action is needed.'
Says Melanie: 'I was stunned by the fact that similar problems over lack of care plans, risk assessments and communication errors had been highlighted so many times at the same centre and the same trust.
'Had the trust taken on board all the issues then and improved the care within these mental health units, I believe Matthew would still be alive today.'
She claims that a lack of records of Matthew's final days might mean she never knows exactly what  happened to her son.
North Essex Partnership said: 'What happened to Matthew is terrible and the family's hurt is totally understandable. Everyone wants answers.
'The coroner can hold an inquest where all issues are raised, and questions asked. We ask Melanie and her family to talk to us about it all, we will answer her questions and her fears, frankly and honestly. That's in everyone's interest.'
Almost a year on, the family are still waiting for an inquest, but they bitterly regret putting him the hospital.
'Losing Matthew has caused pain beyond description,' says Melanie. 'But I'm not going to be happy with weak promises for the future.'
Whether she will get the answers she longs for remains to be seen. But she insists: 'I'm determined that Matthew's death won't be  in vain.'

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WORTH TRYING! IF PROBIOTICS CAN POSSIBLY HELP DEPRESSION

Anything that might help this debilitating problem is definitely worth trying and I can see how possibly this might work. In holistic terms the body works as a whole, for too long orthodox medicine has pigeon holed ailments and for certain complaints, particularly  chronic ones this has not effected a cure. Interesting study and I would like to see further research on this.

Could eating yoghurt help treat depression? Study finds probiotics affect areas of the brain related to emotions and reasoning

• U.S. researchers found that eating yoghurt twice daily reduced activity in areas of the brain associated with emotion and pain
• But there was increased activity in areas associated with decision-making
• Mechanisms behind changes are unclear but it is clear that gut bacteria send signals to the brain that can change over time depending on diet
• Scientists hope that a probiotic therapy may one day be available for  conditions including anxiety, depression and even autism and Alzheimer's
• 
  

Probiotics found in natural yogurt could help boost a person’s mood because they affect brain function, according to new research.

Previous studies had shown that beneficial bacteria affected the brains of rats but no research has confirmed that the same occurred in human brains.

The study found that those who ate probiotic yoghurt twice daily for a month showed altered brain function, both in resting brain activity and in response to an 'emotional attention task', which was designed to monitor how the brain responded to certain emotions.

Dairy goodness: Scientists discovered that eating probiotic yogurt twice a day for a month reduced activity in areas of the brain associated with emotion and pain

It has been known for some time that symbiotic gut bacteria, the complex ecosystem of microorganisms that live in the human digestive system, promote health by boosting immunity, aiding digestion, as well as maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure.

It has also been known that the brain sends signals to the gut, which is why stress and other emotions can contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms. This study shows that signals travel the opposite way as well.

‘Our findings indicate that some of the contents of yogurt may actually change the way our brain responds to the environment. 

‘When we consider the implications of this work, the old sayings "you are what you eat" and "gut feelings'" take on new meaning,’ said Dr. Kirsten Tillisch of UCLA's School of Medicine, who led the study.

Beneficial bacteria found in fermented products such a yoghurt have long been known to boost immunity

‘Time and time again we hear from patients that they never felt depressed or anxious until they started experiencing problems with their gut. 

‘Our study shows that the gut-brain connection is a two-way street,’ she added.

Tillisch's team recruited 36 women of a healthy weight aged between 18 and 53.

They were assigned to one of three groups. One group ate a yogurt with live bacterial cultures  containing probiotic strains such as Bifidobacterium animalis, Streptococcus thermophiles, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus twice a day for one month.

Another ate a dairy product which contained no living bacteria, and another was given no dairy products at all.

Before and after the one-month study period, the researchers conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans on the women. 

In each session, they started with a five-minute scan of the brain at rest, while the women lay still with their eyes closed.

Afterwards, the participants were asked to perform an ‘emotional faces attention task’, in which their brains were scanned while they matched a series of angry or fearful faces on a computer screen to other faces that appeared.

The results showed that during the emotional task, women who ate the probiotic yogurt had reduced activity in a brain network that included the somatosensory cortex - which receives sensory information - and the insula, a brain region that integrates sensory feedback from internal parts of the body including the gut. 

You are what you eat?: Probiotic yoghurts are already very popular in the UK. The findings show that nutritional therapy could one day play a vital role in treating patients with disorders that cause pain and emotional upset

They also had reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, precuneus, and basal ganglia, which handle aspects of cognition and emotion.

The women who ate non-probiotic yogurt or no dairy showed either no change, or an increase of activity in this network over time.

In the resting state, the brain scans of the women who ate probiotic yogurt showed stronger connectivity in a neural network which connects the periaqueductal grey (PAG) &mdash a region of the brainstem involved in responding to pain and emotional stimuli — to areas of the prefrontal cortex related to aspects of cognition like decision-making.

Experts hope that one day probiotics may provide a therapy for neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's

The women who ate no dairy, however, had stronger connectivity of the PAG to sensory and emotion-related parts of the brain, like the insula, somatosensory cortex, and amygdala.

The mechanisms behind these changes are unclear, wrote the researchers, but it's clear that gut bacteria send molecular signals to the brain that can change over time.

Dr. Emeran Mayer, who also worked on the study, said that what we eat alters the way our gut bacteria breaks down food. 

While diets high in vegetables and fibre promote healthy gut bacteria, the typical Western diet full of fats, sugars, and carbohydrates, can do the opposite.

The research team hopes to identify which signals from the gut bacteria lead to a shift in brain activity. 

People with digestive conditions linked to gut dysbiosis (an imbalances in gut bacteria) such as irritable bowel syndrome, might show such shifts in brain response if they are treated with probiotics.

Dr Mayer also suggested that specific probiotic strains in yogurt could have health benefits such as relieving anxiety, stress, and other mood symptoms over time.

As tests to analyse bacteria growth in individuals become more readily available, it will become easier to see how someone's gut bacteria makeup influences factors like brain development, stress, and pain sensitivity.

It is possible that changing the composition of gut bacteria could lead to treatments for chronic pain disorders, he said, as well as symptoms of brain conditions like autism, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease.

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DO PEOPLE WHO SUFFER DEPRESSION HAVE BROKEN BODY CLOCKS?

I'm always looking for suggestions to help people with depression as I feel so many people are ignorant and unsympathetic to sufferers of this ailment as like all mental illnesses there is a general lack of knowledge and understanding and it has a stigma it doesn't deserve. It's a hidden illness, in that it doesn't show physically but sufferers are ill and deserve as much sympathy and understanding as someone with say a broken leg. Often the causes of depression have a physical cause such as someone who has suffered a long term condition such as arthritis and the resulting chronic physical pain. Chemical imbalances in neurotransmitters can result in depression as do certain hormones Melatonin springs to mind as this is produced by the pineal gland deep within the brain and this hormone maintains circadian rhythms and interacts with serotonin a neurotransmitter which a lack of leads to depression. So the article below from the 'Daily Mail' does make sense.

Article from the Daily Mail below

Out of sync with the world: Depressed people suffer with 'broken body clocks'

• There is a link between depression and changes in the body's circadian rhythm, or body clock
• There is a daily rhythm to the activity of many genes across many different areas of the brain
• The pattern of gene activity is so distinctive that it can be used to estimate the hour of someone's death
• In people with depression clock is so disrupted that day pattern of gene activity can look like night pattern

Depressed people are out of synch with the rest of the world because their body clocks are broken

Depressed people are out of sync with the rest of the world because their body clocks are broken, according to a new study.
The discovery of disrupted body clocks in the brains of people with depression is the first link to be found between the condition and changes in the circadian rhythm.
It is hoped that the finding will allow for the development of better treatments.
Every cell in the human body runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles in nature.
The brain acts as a timekeeper, keeping this cellular clock in sync with the outside world so that it can govern our appetite, sleep and moods.
However, new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression - even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.
The discovery, published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was made by studying differences in the donated brains of people who had been depressed and those who had not.
The research also revealed a previously unknown daily rhythm to the activity of many genes across many areas of the brain - expanding the sense of how crucial the body’s clock is.
In a normal brain, the pattern of gene activity at a given time of the day is so distinctive that the authors could use it to accurately estimate the hour of death of the brain donor.
However, in severely depressed patients, the circadian clock was so disrupted that a patient’s ‘day’ pattern of gene activity could look like a ‘night’ pattern, and vice versa.
Lead author Dr Jun Li, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Genetics at University of Michigan Medical School, in the U.S., described how the approach allowed the researchers to accurately back-predict the hour of the day when each non-depressed individual died - literally plotting them out on a 24-hour clock by noting which genes were active at the time they died.
They looked at 12,000 gene transcripts isolated from six regions of 55 brains from people who did not have depression. This provided a detailed understanding of how gene activity varied throughout the day in the brain regions studied.

In severely depressed patients, the circadian clock is so disrupted that a patient's 'day' pattern of gene activity could look like a 'night' pattern

However, when the team tried to do the same in the brains of 34 depressed people, the gene activity was off by hours. The cells looked as if it were an entirely different time of day.
Dr Li said: ‘There really was a moment of discovery.
‘It was when we realised that many of the genes that show 24-hour cycles in the normal individuals were well-known circadian rhythm genes - and when we saw that the people with depression were not synchronised to the usual solar day in terms of this gene activity.
‘It’s as if they were living in a different time zone than the one they died in.’
Depression affects one in ten adults in the UK at any one time but it is slightly more common in women.
At any one time one in 20 people in the UK will be experiencing severe depression.
The main symptoms are lasting feelings of sadness and hopelessness, losing interest in things you used to enjoy and feeling tearful.
There can also be physical symptoms such as fatigue, sleeping badly, having no appetite and aches and pains.

WORRYING CAN MAKE YOU ILL

This article below mine comes from the 'Daily Mail' and I have been saying this for years. The article talks about levels of C-reactive protein rising in the blood, but that's not all that happens in the body. Worrying and stress was nature's way of keeping us alert and reacting to danger quickly, however we don't have the same stresses today as way back in our ancestory.

 

Well this goes way back to the times when we were developing as humans and in early periods in history. The body's chemistry was designed to protect us with "The fight or flight response". For example man sees a big bear approach what does he do? he either tackles it or he runs off. Nature is very clever and gives us the capacity to do this. However in 2011 we no longer have the bears, wolves, etc. (ok some of you may) like of yesteryear we have different stresses. Your work colleagues or your neighbours may annoy you but you can't fight them, nor can you run away, but you can learn to deal and dissipate your stress levels so that it doesn't impinge on your health.

But firstly we need to deal with the science bit for if we understand the physiology of stress we're half way there to solving the impact stress has on our lives.

THE SCIENCE BIT

Deep within the brain we have an area known as the Hypothalamus (1), its the home of our moods and emotions and a very primitive part of the brain. The Hypothalamus is also the area that maintains equilibrium in our bodies and it maintains and regulates every bit of our body's chemistry. It is the area that controls the Endocrine system, it forms part of the Autonomic Nervous System and part of the Limbic System. It is Hypothalmus that is the key to managing stress and all its detrimental effects on our mind and body. It is directly through this area that the holistic therapy Aromatherapy works and is managed by other holistic therapies.

Since the Hypothalamus is the home of moods and emotions anything that affects these will influence the Hypothalamus, thus will have an effect on the body's equilibrium.

Now if we are stressed and modern stressors are not the same as those stressors we had as we were evolving as humans, they still have the same effect resulting in "the fight or flight response"

(1)The Role of the Hypothalamus

The Hypothalamus is the part of the brain that controls the endocrine system.

The Pituitary gland lies beneath the Hypothalamus and it is this that controls the other endocrine glands.

The Hypothalamus receives information about the Homeostasis (balance) of the body, this is achieved by two means:

The blood circulation i.e. temperature, blood glucose levels and hormone levels

The nervous system i.e. The Autonomic Nervous system i.e. the part of the nervous system that regulates automatic functions e.g. breathing, heart rate etc. and mental and emotional states, our feelings: these influence ‘automatic responses’ e.g. ‘The fear, flight response’

The Hypothalamus responds to these changes by:

Secreting Hormones (chemical messengers) that regulate hormones to be released by the anterior lobe of the pituitary

The hypothalamus also directly releases hormones via the Posterior Lobe of the Pituitary , Vasopressin (ADH) and Oxytocin

And by stimulating a nerve response to the ‘Central Nervous System’ (Brain & spinal Cord)

SO WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE?

Moods/emotions affect the hypothalamus, the hypothalamus evokes a reaction on the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland produces Adrenocorticotropic hormone this in turn targets the adrenal glands causing them to secrete Cortisone, Cortisone in turn effects the kidneys causing a rise in blood pressure by causing changes in the amount of salt secreted, this hormone causes the body to retain salt. Now remember the Hypothalamus one of its jobs is to maintain the body's equilibrium, it detects a rise in salt levels in the blood so to keep balance it causes the body to retain fluid, it is this retained fluid that increases blood pressure. At the same time, the Hypothalamus being part of the Central Nervous System evokes what is known as the Sympathetic Nervous System this diverts blood away from the digestive system and to lesser important body structures such as the skin and concentrates the blood to the heart, lungs and muscles. Simultaneously this nervous response influences the adrenal glands to produce Adrenalin and Noradrenalin, it is these hormones that induces vasoconstriction (reduces the blood supply) to the skin and peripheral tissues, thus also raising blood pressure.

Now this is putting it simply there are a few other processes also going on to increase blood sugar to give the body fuel to either run off or fight, Corticotrophic hormones influence the pancreas to secrete glucagon this has the opposite effect as insulin.

When the stress is over the Parasympathetic Nervous reverses the process again it is the Hyptholamus that instigates this.

Obviously its much more complex than this and I have focused on a few key hormones as it the action of these hormones that affects our well-being, the ageing process and blood pressure.

The fight or flight response was not designed to last forever it was meant ti instigate an action to deal with an aggressor, be it a wild animal or in a fight with an attacker therein lies the problem modern stressors tends to be work, work colleagues etc. the stress becomes long acting, this kind of reaction is fine in the short term but very detrimental to the body in the long term.

Take Cortisone, it has a damaging effect on specialised cells within the dermis (the skin), fibroblasts, these cells produce collagen and elastin, it is collagen and elastin that gives our skin elasticity and support. Adrenalin reduces blood supply to the peripheral tissues, such as the skin and hair, therefore, these structures do not receive adequate nourishment from the blood. So the effect of long term stress affects the skin resulting in ageing of the skin. However the skin is the least of our problems, those same hormones are responsible for raising the blood pressure, (fine if its short term) long term it put's strain on the heart having to pump harder, this in turn puts stress on the arteries and the tiny arteries (arterioles) within the kidneys and can cause damage to them. The raised blood pressure can lead to strokes and the circulating Cortisone as well as damaging the fibroblasts in the skin damages specialised white blood cells the T-lymphocytes which are instrumental in keeping our immune system healthy and enabling us to fight infection. The immune system is also responsible for destroying rogue mutant cells that can induce cancer. 

This stress response was only designed to be for the short term and it works very well in this way to protect us from danger. But you need to ask yourself what are you worrying about? what will it achieve? My personal philosophy is this: if I can do something to alleviate my worry, I will strive to do this or seek help if I can't do so myself, if however no one can help what is the point of worrying, what will it achieve? as we can see ill health and we don't need this as well. The other part of my philosophy is this: thoughts are energy and like attracts 'like' in the universe, so negative thinking will attract negative energy and situations to us and likewise positive thoughts attract positive energy and situations to us. So it is true dwelling on stressful events can weaken your immune system and make you ill. However 'Daily Mail' and researchers us in Holistic Medicine have known this for decades

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Article below from the 'Daily Mail'

Are you a born worrier? Just dwelling on stressful events can weaken your immune system and make you ill

• Researchers at Ohio University studied 34 healthy young women
• They were asked to give a speech about her candidacy for a job
• Half of the group was asked to contemplate their performance
• For this half of the group levels of an inflammatory marker rose

Worrying too much about stressful events can trigger inflammation, according to a new study.

Researchers found dwelling on negative events can increase levels of inflammation in the body.

They discovered that when study participants were asked to ruminate on a stressful incident, their levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of tissue inflammation, rose.

The study is the first time to directly measure this effect in the body.

Worrying too much? Researchers found dwelling on negative events can increase levels of inflammation in the body

Study lead author Peggy Zoccola, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio University in the United States, said: 'Much of the past work has looked at this in non-experimental designs.

'Researchers have asked people to report their tendency to ruminate, and then looked to see if it connected to physiological issues. It's been correlational for the most part.'

The research team recruited 34 healthy young women to participate in the project. 

 

Each woman was asked to give a speech about her candidacy for a job to two interviewers in white laboratory coats, who listened with 'stone-faced' expressions.

Half of the group was asked to contemplate their performance in the public speaking task, while the other half was asked to think about neutral images and activities, such as sailing ships or grocery store trips.

The researchers drew blood samples that showed that the levels of C-reactive protein were significantly higher in the subjects who were asked to dwell on the speech.

The study found that when study participants were asked to ruminate on a stressful incident, their levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of tissue inflammation, rose

For these participants, the levels of the inflammatory marker continued to rise for at least one hour after the speech.

During the same time period, the marker returned to starting levels in the subjects who had been asked to focus on other thoughts.

The C-reactive protein is primarily produced by the liver as part of the immune system's initial inflammatory response.

It rises in response to traumas, injuries or infections in the body.

C-reactive protein is widely used as a clinical marker to determine if a patient has an infection, but also if he or she may be at risk for disease later in life.

Doctor Zoccola said: 'More and more, chronic inflammation is being associated with various disorders and conditions.

'The immune system plays an important role in various cardiovascular disorders such as heart disease, as well as cancer, dementia and autoimmune diseases.'

Now Dr Zoccola is working with Fabian Benencia in Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Lauren Mente, a registered nurse and graduate student in the School of Nursing, to investigate the effect of rumination on additional inflammation markers.

She also hopes to study the issue in other populations, such as older adults, who might be vulnerable to rumination and health problems.

She was due to present the findings at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Miami.