In this episode of Unstress Health, Dr Ron Ehrlich and Dr Marty Ross explore a different way of thinking about mental health. Rather than looking only at psychiatric symptoms, they discuss how chronic infections, inflammation, mold toxicity, gut microbiome disruption and metabolic dysfunction may intersect with conditions such as depression and anxiety. Dr Ross shares observations from his clinical experience treating people with chronic Lyme disease and related conditions, including the possible role of neuroinflammation, cytokines, the blood-brain barrier, tryptophan, serotonin, mitochondria and the limbic system. They also discuss Long COVID, tick-borne infections such as Borrelia, Bartonella and Babesia, challenges around testing in Australia, and why listening carefully to a patient's history can be such an important part of healthcare. ◉ 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭: 𝗗𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝘀❟ 𝗠𝗗 is a family physician and integrative/functional medicine practitioner whose work focuses on complex chronic illnesses, including Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections, mold toxicity, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and Long COVID. According to his current clinic profile, Dr Ross has more than 20 years of clinical experience and is the founder of Treat Lyme, an education and supplement platform focused on Lyme disease and related conditions. He graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed his family medicine residency at Georgetown University. Website & Resources Marty Ross MD Clinic [https://www.martyrossmd.com/] Treat Lyme by Marty Ross MD [https://treatlyme.com/] Marty Ross MD LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-ross-md] Featured Book Hacking Lyme Disease: An Action Guide to Wellness - Marty Ross, MD The book compiles key articles from Treat Lyme and covers Lyme disease, Bartonella, treatment approaches, mold toxicity and related chronic health conditions. It was published in 2023. Hacking Lyme Disease — Marty Ross MD [https://treatlyme.com/products/treat-lyme/hacking-lyme-disease-an-action-guide-to-wellness-by-marty-ross-md/] ◉ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 ✔️ Why depression and anxiety may sometimes require looking beyond symptoms. ✔️ How Dr Ross connects chronic infections with neuropsychiatric symptoms. ✔️ The possible role of inflammation and cytokines in mood and cognitive symptoms. ✔️ How the blood-brain barrier and microglia are discussed in relation to neuroinflammation. ✔️ Why the gut microbiome may influence mental health. ✔️ The connection between tryptophan, serotonin and the gut. ✔️ Why mold exposure may be worth considering when symptoms follow environmental exposure. ✔️ How Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia are discussed in relation to neurological and psychiatric symptoms. ✔️ What Long COVID has taught us about post-infectious illness. ✔️ Why taking a detailed patient history matters. ✔️ The challenges surrounding tick-borne disease testing. ✔️ Why Dr Ross believes listening to patients is an essential part of healthcare. ✔️ How limbic-system/brain-retraining approaches are discussed for chronic illness. ✍️ 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 & 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 Explore More Health & Wellness Solutions: Visit Dr. Ron Ehrlich’s Website: https://drronehrlich.com/ Podcast Archives, Q&As, and Expert Resources 📱 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗿。 𝗥𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗵𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵 🌐 Website: (drronehrlich.com) 📘 Facebook: (facebook.com/Doctor.Ron.Ehrlich) 📸 Instagram: (@drronehrlich) 🐦 Twitter: (/doctor.ron.ehrlich) 📶 LinkedIn: (/dr-ron-ehrlich/) ▶️ YouTube: (@doctorronehrlich) 🎥 TikTok: (@drronehrlich) 🎧 Spotify: (https://shorturl.at/JqK9h) 💽 Omny: (https://omny.fm/shows/unstress-with-dr-ron-ehrlich) 📗 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸: 𝘈 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 ◐ Australia (https://amzn.to/3Ug4iCK) ◐ US (https://amzn.to/3Nlx3vR) ◐ UK (https://amzn.to/3WgPUMx) 🔒 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 ◑ Join Here (https://bit.ly/3epjFcO) ◑ More Info (https://bit.ly/3RIubcN) 🎧 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀: ❏ Apple Podcasts: (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/unstress-with-dr-ron-ehrlich/id13337959190) ❏ All Episodes: ( https://drronehrlich.com/podcasts/) 👉 Join the 𝘜𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 community and transform stress into strength. Access expert-led courses, curated podcasts, live Q&As, and more. Visit unstresshealth.com to start your journey today. 🎧 Listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who may be struggling. 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥: This podcast provides general information and discussion about medicine, health and related subjects. This content is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice or as a substitute for care by a qualified medical practitioner. If you or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. Guests who speak in this podcast express their own opinions, experiences and conclusions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.