I absolutely believe depression and inflammation are linked. I have tested this myself (n=1) as I suffer from an ongoing depression. I also have a brother who

I absolutely believe depression and inflammation are linked. I have tested this myself (n=1) as I suffer from an ongoing depression. I also have a brother who has withdrawn from the world completely and I would consider that he is highly crippled from depression. My realisation that this problem is linked to inflammation occured a few years ago. My depression was at it's worst and I was barely functioning. I am still not who I was but I'm doing ok. While I was at my worst, I considered that perhaps my diet contributed to my poor health. Through careful testing I discovered that foods with gluten or casein protein caused me to feel awful. After removing these foods 100% from my diet, there was an improvement but certainly not a full recovery. I've always had bad seasonal allergies but I had never considered that my whole body was inflamed. Strangely, by chance, I found that fexofenadine (an antihistamine) would lift my depression temporarily after taking it for a week. If I continued taking it, then slowly the depression came back. My best explanation is that the signaling process of inflammation dampens the ability for my brain to think clearly. Since discovering this, I found other things that helped: I quit caffeine 100% as it seemed to also have a negative effect for me (when for years it lifted my depression, now it's clear I am best to do without). I no longer drink alcohol. I've worked hard to remove sugar and processed foods. I've found that daily running will help lift my depression greatly. Another helpful item I found was licorice tea which I use sparingly. This had powerful anti-inflammatory properties which I have found useful. For years I had very bad sleep habits. I've corrected these and always sleep to a schedule now. Even so, I still rarely wake up feeling rested. I feel much better than I used to and can get by but still do not feel quite right. I'm looking into meditation now. There are a large number of other things (including SSRI's) I've tried/tested but I can't go into all these right now. I've been pretty careful in my experimentation, I have been testing this for years now and know what works for me but I suspect depression has more than a single cause. My best advice to everyone is to exercise, eat healthy and try to lead a balanced lifestyle.