Depression and Melancholy, meet Inflammation

Here is a nice blog article by a rheumatologist at UCLA, Dr. Mark Borigini entitled "Inflammation and Chronic Pain: Influencing Culture". Did you know painter Paul Rubens probably had rheumatoid arthritis?

"A close analysis of Rubens's paintings over the last thirty years of his life reveals the deformities of arthritis depicted in various subjects, chronologically documenting the natural progression of the disease. Look at the painting, "The Holy Family with St. Anne": The left arm of St. Anne, resting on Mary's shoulder, is a classic depiction of a typical swollen wrist seen in an inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis."

Michelangelo, Paul Klee, Frida Khalo and Renoir all likely had autoimmune disorders, too, according to Borigini. Inflammation in the body can cause crippling pain, leading to depression, or as Freud termed it, melancholy.

Venus Williams & Sjögren's Syndrome

Today Venus Williams did a very brave thing. She let the world know she is suffering from Sjögren's Syndrome (pronounced SHOW-grins). This is a very debilitating autoimmune disease that many people think just causes dry eyes and dry mouth, and say, "What's the big deal?" When you've experienced the bone crushing roadkill fatigue it can cause, along with the severe joint pain and brain fog, you'll know.

Here is a link to the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation website. This disease is named for the Swedish researcher that first started putting it all together. Sjögren's affects so many bodily systems that the average time to diagnosis is seven years!

Like Venus, I also have Sjögren's Syndrome. So I understand how serious this autoimmune disease can be. I'm very sorry she has come down with this, but I hope she can use this to bring more awareness to the difficulties of Sjögren's. She's a beautiful woman. I hope she'll be a beautiful spokesperson for those of us with Sjögren's as well.

Photo taken from Venus Williams' Facebook page.