The Immune System and Mental Health

The monoamine hypothesis of depression, and other mental health issues, is dead. The body is too complex for it to only be about things like a serotonin deficiency. While we know things like trauma, personal relationships, family systems, and beyond matter in our mental health, so does our immune system. Psychiatrists and other mental health providers are missing a huge piece of the puzzle if they don’t evaluate how the immune system in playing a role in a patients mental health. On this episode with Dr. Rinde, we talk about the immune system role in this very complex interaction with the nervous system and brain.

On Episode #93 of Season Six of The One Thing Podcast with Dr. Adam Rinde. Notes from Dr. Rinde:

This episode comes at an opportune time as many individuals are grappling with shifts in their mental well-being due to seasonal changes, alterations in weather, and fluctuations in the natural environment.

There my be worsening ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Autism, or PANS/PANDAS fluctuations especially with viral/flu season upon us.

These changes can often spark curiosity about the reasons behind these fluctuations.

What does the immune system have to do on with mental health and behavior? When considering the crucial link between the immune system and mental health, I couldn’t think of a more suitable guest than Dr. Emily Gutierrez, whom I had the pleasure of meeting through IntelxxDNA.

Her expertise lies in comprehending the intersection of nutrition, the immune system, and mental health. Specifically, she focuses on how genetics and nutrition influence cognitive functions in individuals with conditions like ADHD, anxiety, depression, autism, and pans/ pandas, and more. Her profound knowledge in these areas is evident throughout this episode as she provides a well-structured framework for understanding the interplay between mental health and the immune system, exploring various factors driving immune responses. Notably, neurotransmitters like glutamate play a pivotal role in the realm of mental health, a topic we delve deeply into during our discussion. We touch upon which genetic elements contribute to immune system activation, as well as the environmental triggers that impact both the immune system and mental well-being.