Did you know that it’s just as important to protect your mental health as your physical health if you want to live the longest possible life?
Studies show that people with mental health disorders, such as major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, have 2-3 times the risk of dying from a physical illness compared to people who don’t have a psychiatric condition.
And it works both ways. People with a chronic health condition or serious illness have a significantly higher risk of developing a debilitating psychological disorder.
Our team at Vital TMS Therapy offers compassionate and personalized care that can help you regain health and wellness by treating mental health and chronic pain conditions that fail to improve with medication and psychotherapy.
If you’ve been through conventional treatment and still struggle with pain or mental health symptoms, don’t wait to learn how we can help. Call one of our offices in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and Washington, DC, or request an appointment online.
Meanwhile, learn more about how your physical and mental health are intimately connected.
Exercise boosts your mental health
One of the best ways to understand the connection between your physical and mental health is by exploring how exercise affects your brain.
Physical activity improves the blood flow to your brain and reduces inflammation. Staying active strengthens neurons and helps your brain form new nerve connections, a change that can dramatically improve your mental health. Exercise lowers your risk of depression, relieves stress, and improves your mood.
Regular exercise also triggers the release of beneficial brain chemicals, including endorphins and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. These biochemicals are directly involved in your mental health and mood regulation.
Exercise even protects the size of your brain. Your brain gradually shrinks as you get older, but aerobic exercise slows down this deterioration.
Mental health impacts physical health
Having a serious illness makes you more vulnerable to developing a psychological condition. At the same time, mental health disorders cause physical problems.
If you struggle with a psychological disorder, you’re more likely to have chronic pain, headaches, heart disease, and muscle tension.
Depression frequently leads to fatigue, insomnia, and bodywide aches and pain. Many people also have brain fog, feeling like they can’t focus or concentrate.
The imbalance in brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that causes mental health conditions can lead to physical problems because of the impact throughout your body. For example, neurotransmitter imbalances increase inflammation, change your heart rate, and affect hormone levels.
One of the best examples is the association between anxiety and cortisol. Anxiety and stress cause chronically high levels of a hormone called cortisol. Over time, excessive cortisol leads to gastrointestinal problems and serious chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and obesity.
Depression and stress weaken your immune system
In addition to causing systemic inflammation, depression and stress weaken your immune system, suppressing its ability to fight invaders like bacteria and viruses.
As a result, you’re more susceptible to a host of physical problems. And if you get sick, chances are your illness will be more severe and last longer.
Restore mental health and ease chronic pain
We specialize in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an FDA-cleared treatment that helps you overcome treatment resistant depression and pain disorders. TMS relieves depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and chronic pain that’s caused by a physical or mental condition.
TMS uses safe, painless pulses of magnetic energy to increase neurotransmitter levels, specifically targeting the area in your brain that’s out of balance. As TMS restores brain chemicals, your symptoms improve, from lifting depression to easing pain.
To learn more about how TMS can improve your mental health, and by association, your physical health, call Vital TMS Therapy today or request an appointment online.
