Art De Vany is a liar, a fraud and a pathological narcissist. So, he'd probably fit right in here.
Interesting blurbage off of his site though.
Depression may no more than the firings of damaged neurons. We should first fix the neurons before we go to other methods to heal depression.
Let me see if I can convince you of this.
Cutting straight to the chase, oxidative and nitrosative stress play a role in depression. Immune system activation and inflammation contribute to depressive symptoms, including anxiety, fatigue, malaise and cognitive impairment.
Several major findings show that depression is is an inflammatory disorder
Inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor ( TNF alpha) and interferon (IFN gamma) are consistently increased in the blood or brain of depressives.
Inflammatory pathways that have recently been discovered in depression include
Activation of IDO, a tryptophan depleter
Depleted plasma tryptophan
Increased tryptophan metabolism byproducts that promote depression
Bacterial infections that activate immune cell produced inflammatory cytokines
Oxidative and nitrosative stress
Decreased synthesis of 5-HT.
The elements of the inflammatory cascade involved in depression seem to be:
Oxidative and nitrosative stress (O&NS) that causes damage to the brain membrane omega-3 fatty acids, proteins, DNA, mitochondria, and autoimmune responses.
Decreased levels of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, such as coenzyme Q 10, glutathione peroxidase or zinc, increase inflammatory potential and alter the expression of receptors in the brain.
All these factors lead to neurodegeneration, neuronal apoptosis, lowered neurogenesis and neural plasticity. In short, brain neurons degenerate, die, fewer are regenerated, and the surviving neurons lack energy. The loss of neuroplasticity means you cannot learn new things because you lack the ability to form new networks in the brain.
An underlying cause of the loss of brain neurons suffered in long-term depression is the low level of brain growth factor (BDNF) that depressives show in their blood. The lack of activity in depressives is due to their mood and the low energy level of their brain cells because they lack mitochondrial density and activity. Thus, depressives are not able to engage in the vigorous activities that strongly elevate BDNF.
BDNF is lower in bipolar depression than unipolar depression and is associated with high recurrence and treatment resistance. Neurotics show low BDNF.
These factors suggest that depression is the consequence of a complex interplay between immune system action and inflammation. Depression, anxiety, neurosis, and other maladies may not be consequences of poor thought patterns or stress so much as they are brain states caused by inflammatory processes. In other words, the thoughts of depressives are damaged because their brains are damaged.
This is likely bullshit, but it's interesting bullshit.
These are physiological states not than mental states. Depressive thoughts are the consequence of the loss of brain neurons and defective brain metabolism that are engendered by inflammation
I am suggesting that depression should not be seen as a brain thinking sick thoughts, but of a sick brain thinking depressive thoughts. A depressive brain is a consequences of poor brain metabolism and physiology. These are directly treatable through diet, antioxidant supplements, and activity. Antidepressants that successfully treat depression elevate antioxidant defenses in the brain. Thus, they work by reducing oxidative and inflammatory stress in the brain, as my theory predicts.
