Let me preface the following information by saying, “I am a terrible note taker”. I consider this an advantage as NO ONE wants me to be the secretary on the various boards I’ve participated in over the years. Having said this…the following information was taken during a talk on memory by Dr. Mary Clement, ND.
The Brain is 60% Fat. Fat holds toxins. Detoxifying/taking an antioxidant is very important to brain health. Eating healthy fat is also important. Without the right fats, neurons won’t fire. Focus on Omega 3′s and 9′s. Omega 6′s are more inflammatory, but not to be avoided all together. Taking a combination of fish oil and flax oil/seed provides a health balance.
We have receptors in our brains for hormones. Too much, or too little causes imbalances. Solution – have your hormone levels tested with a Naturopath. Balancing hormones will not only make you happier, it may make you smarter!
Stress causes cortisol levels to escalate (by the way, cortisol is a hormone). Cortisol causes blood sugar to rise. Increased blood sugar causes a host of issues, including inflammation. Too much inflammation isn’t good for the body and it isn’t good for the brain. Solution – eliminate all stress (hah!), or meditate, make sure to incorporate daily pleasure into your life, laugh, eat an anti-inflammatory diet (Suzy’s weight release program, The Positive Solution, teaches you how to not only lose weight, but it also promotes an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and blood sugar balance).
For some, dairy can act like morphine in the brain due to a missing enzyme. You can be tested for this, and autistic children are usually missing this enzyme.
Diabetes and high blood pressure ages the brain. Again, eat healthy, exercise, reduce or mediate stress.
Helpful supplements:
Omega 3
Holy Basil for cortisol balancing support.
*Ginko helps with blood flow from the trunk to extremities and the brain.
May assist with mental acuity:
N Acetyl Cysteine
L-Tyrosine (taken in the morning).
L-Theanine from Green Tea (taken in the morning)
5HTP is the pre-cursor to Serotonin. Helpful for S.A.D.
GABA is very helpful for ADHD. Calms neural transmitters. For a mind that won’t shut down in the evening, Dr. Clement suggested a combination of Melatonin and GABA. I tried it. I slept! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
A store favorite for mental acuity and brain health is Lions Mane. Concerned about Alzheimers? CuraMed has medicinal levels of curamin (the active constituent of Turmeric) reported to be helpful with Alzheimers. For someone with Alzheimers, you may want to research our Cell Food as well. NewChapters Turmeric is one of the most potent turmerics on the market.
Please note that aspirin, omega 3′s, ginko, tumeric, flax oils curcumin and others, all act as blood thinners. Follow suggested doses and don’t cross-over with several different supplements that may also cause too much blood thinning.
Our brains have 100 million cells/neurons, 100 trillion connections, 100 million miles of blood vessels. A combination of stress, inflammation, toxins and lack of nutrients makes ‘thought’ challenging. For beautiful skin and beautiful minds alike – eat healthy, live healthy, laugh loud and play like a kid
Suggested Reading: The Mood Cure, by Julia Ross.
That’s it in a nutshell, but I’m sure there is more…what was it? Hmmm.
