Submitted by support on Tue, 04/24/2012 - 03:22
Is Physical Pain or Emotional Pain causing the Symptoms?
Is Depression the cause or the result?
What are the common links between depression and physical pain? There are many of them and there isn’t a given starting point. Each issue impacts on all the other issues. Thus, you can start anywhere in the cycle and end up with depression and or pain or other symptoms occurring.
We will first look at what causes the perception of physical pain? Note: this is NOT an exhaustive list. Then we will look at what causes depression. Then we will look at how our thoughts and emotions affect our body.
1) inflammation
a. so what causes inflammation?
i. Injury
ii. Toxicity caused by: ingestion of pesticides, herbicides, drugs, too much exercise; zeno-estrogens, etc all depleting glutathione
iii. Oxidative stress – or lack of anti-oxidants like glutathione
iv. Digestive tract issues : toxicity, inflammatory gut; leaky gut syndrome, etc
v. Overactive Immune system : too much adrenaline; insufficient glutathione, lack of nutrients
vi. Diet:
1. Most polyunsaturated vegetable oils like sunflower, corn, peanut and soy, are high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 essential fatty acid – these are the pro-inflammatory nutrients
2. Lack of good fatty acids – the omega 3s that are anti-inflammatory
3. Lack of magnesium
4. Lack of glutathione
5. Lack of Vitamin D3
6. High sugar content :
a. Increases acidity which increases inflammatory responses; depletes glutathione; prevents enzymes from functioning; etc
b. Eicosanoids (arachidoinic acid cycle: omega 3s & omega 6s) become imbalanced — that is, skewed toward pro-inflammatory — when insulin levels are high. As if this weren’t enough, high insulin levels activate enzymes that raise levels of arachidonic acid in our blood.
b. Adrenal fatigue – initially the cortisol produced by the adrenal glands
inhibits the inflammatory response but over time; it increases the glucose
production; decreases insulin sensitivity; reeks havoc on the digestive
system and ends up causing inflammatory conditions
Second: lets look at what causes Depression:
2) inflammation & oxidative stress in the brain and/or the liver
3) inflammation
a. so what causes inflammation?
i. Injury
ii. Toxicity caused by: ingestion of pesticides, herbicides, drugs, too much exercise; zeno-estrogens, etc all depleting glutathione
iii. Oxidative stress – or lack of anti-oxidants like glutathione
iv. Digestive tract issues : toxicity, inflammatory gut; leaky gut syndrome, etc
v. Overactive Immune system : too much adrenaline; insufficient glutathione, lack of nutrients
vi. Diet:
1. Most polyunsaturated vegetable oils like sunflower, corn, peanut and soy, are high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 essential fatty acid – these are the pro-inflammatory nutrients
2. Lack of good fatty acids – the omega 3s that are anti-inflammatory
3. Lack of magnesium
4. Lack of glutathione
5. Lack of Vitamin D3
6. High sugar content :
a. Increases acidity which increases inflammatory responses; depletes glutathione; prevents enzymes from functioning; etc
b. Eicosanoids (arachidoinic acid cycle: omega 3s & omega 6s) become imbalanced — that is, skewed toward pro-inflammatory — when insulin levels are high. As if this weren’t enough, high insulin levels activate enzymes that raise levels of arachidonic acid in our blood.
b. Adrenal fatigue – initially the cortisol produced by the adrenal glands
inhibits the inflammatory response but over time; it increases the glucose
production; decreases insulin sensitivity; reeks havoc on the digestive
system and ends up causing inflammatory conditions
c. Compromised Liver – the liver is responsible for over 500 functions and supports all other organs and systems in the body. But again, diet, lack of glutathione, high sugar intake; magnesium deficiency, etc can all contribute to a compromised liver
1. used to be thought that people who drank a lot had comprimized
2. livers; now it is recognized that because of our lack of nutrients, huge intake of toxic chemicals in our air, water, food, and drinks – we all have a comprimized liver by the time we are 30 years old – we simply do not have the nutrients to make enough glutathione to deal with all these toxicities which are rapidly increasing
So the question might be – does the brain and how we think have anything to do with it?
Well, actually yes. How we think has a huge impact. Why?
1) our thoughts can effect our DNA – see Dr. Bruce Lipton’s work
2) our thoughts can effect the water in our bodies – both the individual structure of a given H20 molecules and the combined molecular structure of H20 molecules together, ie., with increased acidity – more and more H20 molecules stick together – see Dr Emoto’s work
3) our thoughts impact on what is called the hypothalamic-thyroid-adrenal axis – which contributes to:
a. the adrenal output of cortisol
b. which effects the conversion of T4 to T3 (thyroid hormones)
c. which effects levels of free radicals and toxicity
d. which effects pH levels: or level of acidity vs alkalinity
e. which effects inflammatory responses
So yes, emotions and thoughts can cause physical pain and physical pain can cause depression. BUT we also have to recognize that there are a number of other factors that can cause both of these issues.
For more information, contact: Dr Holly at holly@choicesunlimited.ca
Copyright 2011 © Choices Unlimited for Health & Wellness
Disclaimer: This site is provided for general information only, and is not a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or other health care professional. This site is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of this website. This site is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of such sites. Always consult your own health care practitioner.