Are You A Hot Head?

I guess it may go without saying that I hear lots of health complaints on a daily basis. In fact,after 16 years of patient care I’ve heard just about everything. Some symptoms are pretty trivial and they may clear up without much intervention needed.  Other symptoms are what I call life changers or “disruptors”.

Over the years I’ve been able to take some inventory as to which symptoms are really the most “life disrupting”, you know, which ones are the worst to deal with. I’d have to say that acute onset lower back pain, whiplash injury to the neck and migraine headaches are the most immediately life disrupting.   But here is something that I didn’t really expect to be dealing with in my practice.  Brain and neurological degeneration.

I’m blown away by the number of patients that I am working with who are losing their mental sharpness, have anxiety, depression, brain fog, irritability or depression and each of these symptoms are an expression of 1 primary underlying condition, brain inflammation. Simply stated, their brain is on fire!

What causes the brain to become inflamed?

#1 – Blood sugar instability. Eating a diet that causes spikes in blood sugar and consequently insulin creates a tremendous level of neurological damage.  In fact people who eat a meal that causes a blood sugar swings are 78% more likely to have brain inflammation that can lead to memory loss and cognitive decline.

#2 – Stress. Not only does stress cause high levels of adrenaline and cortisol out-put. The chronic fight or flight mechanism actually causes an increase in blood sugar, making the poor dietary choices even more detrimental to your health.

#3 – Immune reactions to food.  The same process that damages the gut barrier  – causing leaky gut syndrome, causes a similar phenomenon in the brain. Some scientists are calling it “leaky brain syndrome”.  In short, anything that is causing an immune activation in the body is also potentially triggering an immune reaction in the brain.  The primary culprits are gluten, dairy, corn and soy.  It is strange to think that a food sensitivity may not cause gut symptoms but rather express as a “brain” problem.

#4 – Mercury and other toxins. Heavy metals like mercury, aluminium and others can be neurotoxic, literally causing breakdown and death of your brain cells.These are often found in pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed on our foods and are in the products we use and consume each day.

What then can we do “chill and cool down our brains?”

#1 – Controlling blood sugar. Eat a diet that is low glycemic and high in heathly, unadulturated fats from coconuts, nuts and grass fed organic meats and lots of uncontaminated omega 3 fatty acids.

#2 – Safely detoxify heavy metals.  This is a somewhat controversial practice because if it is done poorly, you may actually just be recirculating toxins instead of removing them.

#3 – Test for a Leaky gut, food allergies and begin to repair and heal the entire digistive system.

#4 – Eliminating GMO foods from your diet. GMO foods will cause a massive disruption of the normal microbes that we need for healthy gut function.  The science is very clear, if we damage the gut barrier we will create damage to the brain barrier.  The things that work to heal the gut will have a profound effect on the brain.

#5 –  Eat whole foods.  Keep it simple and natural.  Real food in balance between proteins, carbs and fats.

#6 – Increase antioxidants like turmeric, resveratrol and glutathione supplements.  There is no way to undo the damage once it is too late but the good thing is that it is rarely too late. Even those who have had brain problems for decades can get relief and can begin to feel like themselves again if we stack the deck in their favor by utilizing natures powerful bioflavanoids.

If you or someone you know has fatigue, depression, anxiety, mental fog or attention issues they need to call the I Am Wellness fire department. We will help them put out the fire of inflammation and heal their brains.