Traditional treatment for chronic depression typically involves medications that impact brain neurotransmitters — brain chemicals responsible for mood, motivation, behavior, and mental activity. However, many patients with depression do not respond well to pharmaceutical treatment or natural remedies such as 5-HTP or Saint John’s Wort. While the conventional medical model insists on sticking with these minimally successful approaches, a new model of depression has emerged in recent years. Depression, and especially chronic major depressive disorder, is typically due to what’s called the “cytokine model of depression,” or the inflammatory model of depression. Simply put, chronic brain inflammation disrupts multiple brain functions, leading to depression. 1. Brain Inflammation Slows Down Conduction Between Neurons When the brain becomes inflamed several key things happen. First, inflammation slows down conduction between nerves. When the frequency of firing (communication between neurons) decreases in the frontal lobe and limbic lobe, this can lead to depression. 2. …