Thalassemia Patients and Friends
Discussion Forums => Thalassemia Minor => Topic started by: chickadee777 on April 30, 2018, 02:53:05 PM
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I read in many online resources that thal minors oftentimes have anxiety. I myself have an anxiety disorder (OCD) that's gotten worse as I get older, and coincidentally, as my thal minor symptoms get worse.
I also read somewhere that because we're constantly having inflammation issues, this trigger our brains, which in turn can lead to anxiety.
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That would make sense. Thals produce more inflammatory cytokines than non-thals and it is suspected that the associated anxiety and depression is due to the direct effect of inflammatory cytokines on the central nervous system. Interestingly, it has been found in a study of thal majors that silymarin, the active ingredient in milk thistle can have a role in helping to produce a more effective immune system response.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24945737
Our data suggest the presence of imbalanced immune condition involving inflammation and immunosuppression in thalassemia patients, which could be modulated to a more effective immune response by silymarin.
I regularly recommend milk thistle for its positive role in the liver, pancreas and gallbladder. Its role in reducing inflammation deserves more note.
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Wow - thank you Andy! I'm going to try milk thistle- great news.
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I can definitely vouch for that and thanks for allowing me to see the correlation. I am Thal Minor and have had OCD and anxiety all my life, with OCD reaching its peak during pregnancy and the effect of hormones and low Hb. I put it down to other things like being a premature baby but yes it would make sense with the Thal link. I will look into milk thistle now.
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I am having anxiety and panic issues since last year. Not sure if its Thal related or stress related.