The phrase “mind-body connection” can feel ambiguous, even woo-woo, something to be reconciled during yoga class. But emerging science is now bearing out physiological connections between many seemingly unrelated mental and bodily issues—many seemingly unrelated on the surface. And it can go both ways: Mental health issues can lead to physical ones, and vice versa.
This new research is a revelation because, until the past few years, the interplay between mental and physical was often chalked up to a behavioral domino effect (e.g., you binge-eat because you’re depressed, then the extra weight ups your diabetes risk). Now experts realize it’s governed by a far more complex mix of factors.
Inflammation, the immune system’s natural response to threats, is a biggie: If this healing process fails to shut off after a problem has been neutralized, immune cells continue to attack healthy ones. That can lead to serious health conditions and an overactive nervous system, where mind and body ping-pong distress signals to each other.
The research is even more relevant given that roughly one in five women now suffers from a mental illness, and chronic conditions, like heart disease, are on the rise. The only way to get—and keep—people well is to treat the mind and body as two parts of a whole, says Erika Saunders, M.D., a professor and chair of psychiatry at Pennsylvania State University in Hershey. “That’s why more mental health providers are now in primary-care offices,” she says. And why more primary-care M.D.s are being added to mental health clinics.
The encouraging outcomes so far: Patients with mental illness who access integrated care are more likely to receive preventive services, like cholesterol testing, and be counseled about exercise and nutrition. If this assimilation hasn’t reached your local practitioner’s office yet, the best way to keep your whole self healthy is to understand hidden mind-body links, so you can prevent one illness from spurring others.
1. Heart Disease and…
PANIC DISORDER
Mind to body: During a panic attack, your body experiences surges in adrenaline, cortisol, and immune-system activity. That’s a combustible mix for the heart. If that arousal happens too often (people with the worst forms of the disorder can have attacks several times a day), it can cause the heart to beat erratically, increasing heart attack risk. Indeed, one study showed that people with panic disorder (about 3 percent of American adults, twice as many women as men) face a 47 percent higher risk for heart disease.
Protect yourself: Take up yoga. In one study, people with panic disorder who practiced twice a week for two months showed significant decreases in anxiety and panic, possibly because their time on the mat helped dial down an overactive stress system, which would theoretically then protect the heart from getting into bad territory. Also, know that heart attacks and panic attacks share symptoms (chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath), so work with your physician to come up with a list of signs that warrant a trip to the emergency room. If you’re in doubt, or the attack occurred during physical exertion, always go to the ER.
DEPRESSION
Mind to body: Your risk for heart attack leaps 30 percent if you’re depressed. The why: Like panic disorder, depression can trigger a nonstop onslaught of cortisol and adrenaline. Depression can also make your platelets (cells that help your body stop bleeding) stickier and more prone to forming clots that can stop blood flow to the heart.
Protect yourself: Diagnosed with depression? Be vigilant about seeing your GP for annual heart-health tests of your cholesterol, weight, and blood pressure (btw, the threshold for problematic BP was recently lowered to 130/80 from 140/90), and work with your doc on how to decrease numbers (through diet tweaks, medication, or exercise) if they’re too high. Then schedule a weekly date with your SO or closest friends, even if all you’re up for is just hanging out at home. Research shows affection and companionship are linked to lower heart rate and may also decrease blood pressure and cholesterol.
2. Psoriasis and…
DEPRESSION
Mind to body: Not only does one study show severely depressed women have nearly double the risk of developing the painful skin condition (it affects 7.5 million adults, just over half of them women), but the mental health ailment can also increase the risk for psoriatic arthritis (a form of joint stiffness and swelling) in people who already have the skin disorder. The suspected link? Both depressive episodes and psoriasis are associated with high levels of cytokines—proteins pumped out by the immune system—leading researchers to believe there’s a common inflammatory thread.
Protect yourself: Scientists are studying whether anti-inflammatory drugs (which address skin problems) could be used to regulate mood. In the meantime, seek out a psychodermatologist: a doc that helps patients understand how psychological issues worsen skin symptoms. If there isn’t a local one (check psychodermatology.us), find a psychiatrist who understands the emotional impact of psoriasis. To keep your skin healthy, avoid tight clothing, since friction can trigger the skin trauma that promotes lesions. During intense workouts, consider lubing up any friction points with an anti-chafing balm (try Body Glide, a nongreasy, plant-derived wax that’s legendary among runners; $15, bodyglide.com). And if you’re taking Rx medication to manage your skin, ask your doctor if it’s possible to switch to or add topical steroids and phototherapy, which ease inflammation, potentially targeting one of the underlying causes of depression in the process.
3. Migraines and…
ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
Body to mind: People plagued by the head pounders (about one in five women) are two-and-a-half times more likely to report anxiety than nonsufferers. Prime suspect is an overactive sympathetic nervous system. A constant adrenaline-induced arousal may trigger anxious or depressed feelings; then, as the hormone rush tapers, levels of pain-blocking steroids drop off, opening the door to crushing migraines.
Protect yourself: Quell an anxious nervous system with diaphragmatic breathing. Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly, and try to pull the air into the latter. Hint: Keep an eye on your Fitbit so you can see your heart rate drop with every inhale, similar to the biofeedback equipment docs use. Do this exercise regularly to prevent the tension that precipitates head pain. You can also soak in a warm bath. Research shows temporarily elevating your body temperature can ease depression and ward off future anxiety attacks, possibly by altering neural networks that regulate mood.
BIPOLAR DISORDER
Mind to body: Nearly a third of people with the mental health condition suffer migraines, versus just a tenth of the general population. In fact, the connection is so strong, the same medication is regularly used to treat both conditions. That may be because both are associated with elevated levels of substances linked to inflammation, including arachidonic acid. Another possibility: The two disorders similarly interfere with blood flow in the brain. Plus, bipolar disorder often disrupts biological rhythms (e.g., sleep and appetite) and migraines can be influenced by disturbances in day-night rhythms.
Protect yourself: To keep skull throbbers at bay, pick a schedule—consistent wake time, bedtime, and mealtimes—and make it nonnegotiable. Then enlist family to tag along to your doctors’ appointments so they learn tools to help you cope with both conditions. One study found strong family support reduced the odds of migraines in people with bipolar. Certain psychiatric meds can slow down the turnover of arachidonic acid; ask your doctor which is best for you.
4. Irritable bowel syndrome and…
ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
Mind to body: These two mental conditions more than triple the risk for IBS in women, possibly because folks with mood disorders are more sensitive to GI discomfort than the average person, causing overactivity of gut nerves and potentially leading to IBS. Mood disorders can also worsen IBS symptoms, since the colon is partially controlled by the nervous system.
Protect yourself: Unproductive anxiety can spark tummy trouble, so try to recognize when worry will actually help you and when it will not. For example, stress over a speech the night before, when you can still practice, instead of right before the event.
Body to mind: Your vagus nerve conveys “gut feelings”—those visceral reactions in your belly that may influence your mood—to your brain. Bacterial imbalances in your intestines can also cause the inflammation linked to mood disorders, which may be why research shows nearly half of IBS suffers have anxiety and more than a third deal with depression.
Protect yourself: Try probiotics. Certain strains can help with IBS and may also reduce the inflammation linked to mental anguish. Get one helpful strain, Bifidobacterium longum, via a supplement. If tummy symptoms do strike, remind yourself that they’ll pass; stress can worsen a flare-up.
Om truths: Meditation may be more than 3,500 years old, but it’s still crucial to these newly proven mind-body connections: It can decrease inflammation, positively influence genes that govern the immune system, and quiet areas of the brain that light up when you’re stressed. To start, pick a mantra (a repeated word or sound). A study found that meditators who used one had increased levels of a hormone that helps regulate inflammation, immunity, and stress.
5. Allergies and…
DEPRESSION
Body to Mind Studies have found severe allergy sufferers are 72 percent more likely to feel depressed than healthy individuals and that suicide attempts spike when pollen counts rise. Researchers suspect that with allergies, there’s an inflammatory response that could be linked to depression. Not to mention Rx oral steroid allergy meds can alter mood while chronic congestion can screw with sleep.
Protect yourself: Target inflammation with steroid nasal sprays, which are less likely to affect your mood than oral steroids. For better Zs, switch on a warm-mist humidifier, which will create the ideal environment for easy inhaling.
6. Diabetes and…
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Mind to body: People with schizophrenia face a doubled risk for diabetes. There may be a genetic link—family members of people with the mental health disorder also tend to have high blood sugar. Often-elevated cortisol levels (common among those with schizophrenia) are a cause of weight gain (a predictor of type 2 diabetes), so may also be a factor. Similarly, antipsychotics used to treat schizophrenia can cause weight gain; they can also alter insulin resistance (which often precedes the development of diabetes) in as little as a week.
Protect yourself: Talk to your doc about the antipsychotics least likely to lead to extra pounds or alter insulin resistance, and anytime you change meds, request baseline fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1C tests (two indicators of diabetes risk), and then again at three months, one year, and annually thereafter. If your numbers change significantly, ask about other drug options. Then monitor the scale. If your weight spikes by 7 percent or more (about 10 pounds for a 150-pound woman), you may need to be tested more frequently for diabetes, even if you started at a normal weight.
