All About Cytokines!
May 13, 2017What are Cytokines and what’s that have to do with me?
Stephanie, 47, spent most of her free time lying on the couch and spacing out. She knew that she should get up and be productive, but her ind and body weren’t supporting that right now. She was feeling incredibly fatigued and her mind just could not focus. All she could feel was guilt and shame for not finding the wherewithal to rouse herself to do all of those things on her list. She continued to ruminate on what a terrible person she was and how she would never amount to anything.
2 years ago Stephanie felt better. It was only after a stomach virus laid her low that the fatigue and brain fog symptoms began. It seemed odd to her that these symptoms came together. After all, what causes lassitude, brain fog and depression when it was just her stomach that had bothered her initially?
The answer to her question is Cytokines! Cytokines are chemical compounds that are produced along with inflammation. You probably recall how your mind felt woozy and foggy when you have experienced a fever. Most of us have at one point in our lives or another had a fever so you know that your brain felt groggy and thoughts perhaps weren’t clear. The same thing happens when your gut health goes wonky. When your gut has issues, it can cause inflammation throughout your entire body. (See these other blog posts of mine!) And when inflammation occurs, Cytokines are produced. Cytokines affect so many areas but they especially affect the brain. Many people I work with when they get “glutened” don’t notice gut symptoms right away or at all. What they do notice is a change in their mood. Perhaps more difficulty concentrating, memory issues, or more anxiety and depression. Or maybe they feel fatigued and just want to lie down and take a nap!
Cytokines have a strong effect upon neurotransmitters which can strongly influence mood. Once I help people calm their inflammatory reactions to certain foods and environmental stimuli they often feel calmer and happier as well because they are no longer triggering the wrong neurotransmitters. The main aim of treatment is to treat the inflammation. Stop the body’s inflammatory cascade and you help the brain too! How cool is that?
One of the main ways that I stop inflammation in the body is to treat the imbalances in the gut. Healing the gut is indispensible when your goal is to quell inflammation and it is also indispensable when you want to further heal mood and mental focus issues. The gut microbiome needs to be investigated and balanced, which can take a bit of time. Leaky gut needs to be healed and food allergies and sensitivities need to be identified and eliminated from the diet.
Stephanie and I worked together and identified and eliminated her food allergens from her diet. She had a major sensitivity to gluten (though not celiac disease) which caused her much lassitude. Concurrently we helped balance her gut flora while we got her on a fantastic leaky gut protocol!
Stephanie’s physical and mental energy slowly improved as well as her tolerance to some of her food allergens once we healed the leaky gut, which took almost a year of working together with diet changes and supplements.
If you would like help getting your Cytokine levels under control so that you are less inflamed, consider working one on one with me! We can work one on one either in person if you are local, or long distance through video or phone, I am currently accepting new patients. You can also opt to have a FREE 15 minute phone consult with me to see if you and I are a good fit for each other! To schedule any appointment, you can do this online at https://intakeq.com/booking/NaURW8 or by calling my office (303) 443-2206 M-F 8:30-5 Mountain time to speak with my receptionist at the Corca Sleep Center. I hope to hear from you soon! Be well!
