Brain Fog / Memory Loss / Dementia
Index of Diseases / Health Conditions ... Medicinal Foods, Herbs, Spices & Household Items
The below provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a qualified healthcare practitioner ... Please refer to: Medical & Legal Disclaimer.
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Things You Can Do To Maintain Optimal Brain Power
As we age, many of us are wondering: "Am I Losing it"? However, there are many external factors that impact your memory capacity. The good news is -- there are things you can do about it!
Causes of Memory Loss
- Statins / Drugs: According to Mark Stengler, ND (the author of Natural Physician's Healing Therapies featured below), statins (i.e. Lipitor) have been anecdotally linked to a wide variety of side effects, including false dementia. Dr. Stengler emphasizes the importance of analyzing when the memory problems started and how rapidly they had progressed, and investigating the patient's medical history and analzying any potential links.
- Nutrient Deficiency: Our brain requires a lot of nutrients to properly function. Vitamin C and E have been shown to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Selenium increases your cognitive skills. The B vitamins can help improve memory. Zinc, Co-Q10 and essential fatty acids also help maintain healthy brain function. (Scroll down for other nutritional aids).
- Heavy metals, such as mercury, cause headaches and memory loss. Aluminum is associated with dementia and Alzheirmer's Disease.
- Iodine Deficiency: According to the World Health Organization, today's LEADING CAUSE of brain failure is iodine deficiency. Low iodine levels trigger fatique, depression, and brain damage. Even in the early stages, iodine deficient people forfeit 15 IQ points; and 43% of us are at serious risk.
Normal Pressure Hdrocephalus (NPH) happens when spinal fluids build up and press on the brain. As many as 375,000 of the 4 million people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease actually have NPH. Yet it's easily detected and can be cured by draining the fluids. - Wheat Intolerance / Celiac Disease:
Research at the Mayo Clinic shows a link between dementia, which affects more than 4.5 million Americans, and celiac disease - one of the most under-diagnosed and common diseases in America.
The adults in the study were between the ages of 45 and 79, with an average age of 64. After switching to a gluten-free diet - the primary treatment for celiac disease - two individuals improved, reversing their dementia; and one other stabilized. Even though further studies are needed, it does show an urgency for healthcare providers to be on the lookout for celiac disease in their elderly patients.
What you can do to maintain optimal brain strength:
- Exercise your mind: Give your mind a mental workout by reading, doing crossword puzzles
- Stop Smoking. Smoking (and second-hand smoke) kill brain cells
- Exercise boosts cerebral blood flow and stimulates the growth of new brain matter. No single type of exercise has an edge in protecting your brain. Studies have found cognitive benefits from aerobic exercise (brisk walking, biking, raking leaves) as well as from strength and flexibility workouts, such as lifting weights and holding yoga poses; they all provide long-term protection. Even activities that you probably don't think of as "exercise" count, including actively playing with your grand children, doing home work or pacing the floor as you watch your your favorite tv show.
Doctors at the Medical College of Geogia found that as little as 20 minutes of physical activity a day dramatically improves children's reasoning skills. That's because exercise improves blood flow to the brain, and lowers blood sugar by 15 percent. This enhances the ability of the brain cells to transmit information (Source: Medical College of Georgia, Augusta)
Brain Food:
Your brain needs a steady supply of nutrient-rich calories with a good balance of healthy fats, protein, and carbs to function at peak performance.
People who consume higher levels of B vitamins (folate, B12 and B6) may reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease. Folate also seems to play a role in decreasing homocysteine levels in the blood, which may improve heart health - and that means good blood flow to all organs, including the brain.
- What to eat: Whole grains; green, leafy vegetables, and legumes, such as dried beans, lentils and peas.
- For a healthy brain try introducing the following healthy snacks into your diet:
- Homemade trail mix
- Apple slices with peanut butter
- Low-fat yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit, sprinkled with nuts or seeds
- Bee Pollen - can be eaten plain or sprinkled over your smoothie, yoghurt or cereal.
- Fruit smoothies made with low-fat yogurt or milk blended with fresh or frozen fruit and a little honey
- Baby carrots to dip in salsa or hummus
- Celery stuffed with almond butter and raisins
- Good sources of iron: Lean red meat, oysters, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, tofu, blackstrap molasses. For better iron absorption, pair up with good sources of Vitamin C, such as orange juice.
- Good sources of zinc: Lean red meat, oysters, dark-meat poultry, pork, pumpkin seeds, soy nuts and wheat germ.
Phoshatidylserine is a key structural component of cell membranes and particularly concentrated in the brain. It assists the flow of electrical signals within neurons and maintains cell-membrane fluidity, which is important for receiving and releasing neurotransmitters and for bringing nutrients into the cell and moving waste out. Studies led by the late William Crook, MD, acclaimed author of The Yeast Connection book (featured to the right), showed that supplemental Phosphatidylserine helped improve memory in elderly subjects with impaired memory. (200 mg to 500 mg daily may be recommended by health practitioners). - Vinpocetine is derived from common periwinkle leaves and used as a stroke treatment in Eastern Europe and Japan. It improves the flexibility of red blood cells, which allows them to flow more freely through the brain's smaller vessels, providing damaged neurons with the benefits of enhanced circulation. Vinpocetine is not recommended for dementia not caused b vascular issues. (5 mg to 10 mg daily may be recommended by health practitioners).
If your mind wanders or you have memory lapses, you may need more zinc and iron in your diet. A lot of research has linked decreased iron and zinc levels with poorer mental performance in children. Studies suggest that those same elements also help keep grown-ups' minds sharp. Marginally low iron reserves reduced adults' ability to concentrate, and lower levels of zinc slowed test participants' ability to recall words.
- Selenium:
In China, researchers found that elderly people who got at least the U.S. recommended daily value of selenium (about 55 micrograms per day) had cognitive test scores that put them in a league with people 10 years younger.
- You can get your daily dose of selenium by eating whole-wheat bread (10 micrograms per slice), eggs (14 micrograms per egg), tuna (63 micrograms per 3-ounces), Brazil nuts (270 micrograms per half ounce), and many other foods.
- Green Tea:
- According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, g reen tea helps slow the age-related decline in brain function seen as declining memory, cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's. A human study published in the Researchers at Japan's Tohoku University studied 1003 subjects over age 70, comparing their green tea intake and mental sharpness, using a Mini-Mental State Examination, a well-accepted standardized test for measuring cognitive function. Drinking more than 2 cups a day of green tea slashed odds of cognitive impairment in elderly Japanese men and women by 64%! And a Japanese cup of green tea is much smaller than its American counterpart-only about 3.2 fluid ounces. At every level of cognitive impairment-from minimal to severe-those drinking the most green tea experienced significantly less mental decline than those drinking the least:
- Compared with elderly Japanese who drank less than 3 cups a week, those drinking more than 2 cups a day had a 54% lower risk of age-related declines in memory, orientation, ability to follow commands and attention.
- Those drinking 4 to 6 cups of green tea a week (1 cup a day) had a 38 lower risk of declines in brain function.
Research indicates that epigallocatechingallate or EGCG, a highly potent antioxidant found in green tea:
- Helps prevent the formation of B-amyloid, a protein whose accumulation is recognized as causing Alzheimer's (Basianetto S, Eur J Neurosci Jan 2006).
- Protects brain cells by chelating (removing) iron, which might otherwise produce destructive free radicals (Reznichenko L, J Neurochem, March 2006).
- Helps prevent oxidative stress-induced brain cell death by "talking" to brain cells' genes responsible for cell cycling and survival. Specifically, EGCG tells the genes in neurons to decrease production of caspase 3, an enzyme involved in initiating programmed cell death. (Park HJ, Life Sci Jan 2006; Levites Y. J Biol Chem, 2002)
- Promotes memory-related learning ability by protecting cells in the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in spatial cognition and memory-related learning ability, from free radical damage (Haque AM, J Nutr April 2006).
- Also Refer to: Alzhheimer Antioxidants ... Omega 3 Fish Oil and Alzheimer's Disease
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