Body On Fire = Brain Fog
Hello again everyone:
As you know, I talk about inflammation quite a lot. The reason is that inflammation can cause, aggravate or perpetuate ANY illness, disease or condition. However, it used to be thought that inflammation in the body did not bother the brain because of the blood-brain barrier. Until pretty recently, neuroscientists thought that the brain was ‘privileged’ and not susceptible to negative influences from bodily problems. Well…it turns out that inflammation from chronic illness drives brain degeneration strongly. People with chronic conditions, metabolic disorders (such as being overweight, having blood sugar instability, normal aging, sleep deprivation, stress, not exercising etc.), infections (Lyme, Mono, Herpes, Shingles, etc., and this includes chronic background viral and any other pathogen burden), allergies, gut disturbances, autoimmune conditions, chemical exposures, processed foods, nutrient deficiencies or excesses (like bad fats or bad carbs)…all of these sources of chronic systemic inflammation can result in memory loss, behavioral changes, cognitive impairment, mood disorders like anxiety and depression, learning disorders and more.
“Some long-term peripheral illnesses and metabolic disorders , as well as normal aging, create a state of chronic peripheral inflammation. These conditions are associated with behavioral disturbances linked to disrupted adult hippocampal neurogenesis, such as cognitive impairment, deficits in learning and memory, and depression and anxiety. Pro-inflammatory cytokines released in the periphery are involved in peripheral immune system-to-brain communication by activating resident microglia in the brain. Activated microglia reduce neurogenesis by suppressing neuronal stem cell proliferation, increasing apoptosis of neuronal progenitor cells, and decreasing survival of newly developing neurons and their integration into existing neuronal circuits.”
Bottom Line: Create a lifestyle that lowers systemic inflammation. It starts with a clean, organic, plant-based food plan, then add in some exercise, good sleep, have a purpose, and stress management. Once these basics are in place, work on any health condition you have to reduce it and reduce your systemic inflammatory burden. You should approach this from both the standard medical approach, and from the functional medicine approach like we do in our office. We routinely track down sources of inflammation, like the ones listed above, and assist people in the use of methods in harmony with our nature to reduce or recover from these inflammatory burdens.
Health is based on what we EAT, THINK and DO, i.e., our lifestyle. So, take a moment to take a health inventory and take note of where you see problems. Then create a plan to overcome them and pull in everyone you need to meet your goals. Your future is made up of what you do now, so make your future as bright as possible by creating a healthy lifestyle. A great way to start is by making small goals that you know you can succeed at. By working at small, doable goals, you are not overwhelmed and these small steps add up to travelling a great distance towards creating health. Have a great trip!
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