FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE BLOG
Includes over 800 monographs reporting on emerging studies in the medical and scientific literature of practical clinical importance, easily searched for content.
Unresolved PTSD promotes adverse cardiovascular and brain effects
PTSD is associated with a 50% to 60% increased risk of incident CVD and elevated stroke and dementia risk.
Stress-linked mental disorders, systemic inflammation, and Brainspotting
Traumatic or emotionally charged experiences can get ‘stored’ in our nervous system, leading to emotional distress and physical symptoms. When physiological or emotional issues remain unprocessed, we can become stuck in a maladaptive biological and/or cognitive-emotional homeostasis. Brainspotting activates the trauma or stress-related emotions and memories that persist in the deeper, subcortical brain in a way that permits spontaneous processing and resolution.
Immunosenescence—immune deterioration associated with age—and social stress
Immunosenescence, the immune system deterioration associated with aging that drives the inflammation of chronic disease, can be accelerated by other factors including social stress.
Vagal nerve activity moderates brain-immune relationships and is measured by heart rate variability
An exciting study with tremendous practical significance was just published in the Journal of Neuroimmunology that shows how vagal nerve activity, which can be measured in the clinic by heart rate variability analysis (HRV), is a key moderator of the brain-immune web and determines the immune and physiological responses to acute stress.