Brain Fog - The Pirates Did not Steal Your Brain

I just saw the new Pirates of the Caribbean Movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales. Great movie by the way! Have you ever wondered how the character Jack Sparrow played by Johnny Depp seems to think on his feet and act fast? He seems to have a clear and sharp mind even under pressure. Photo Credit Mackenzie

If you have brain fog and it gets in the way of your memory, sharp thinking, decision making, and makes you feel like you're on this dazed auto-pilot, perhaps there is something about how your nervous system works, that the "Pirate" knew how to take advantage of. 

The nervous system works like a distribution switch to divert blood flow and activity to certain parts of the brain when needed. To think clearly and not have brain fog, you need to have blood flow going to your FRONTAL LOBE (READ MORE HERE). This only happens if you are relaxed. If you are stressed, blood flow goes to survival centers of your brain, not the frontal lobe. Even more so, when you are stressed, your body secretes neurotransmitters and hormones that can cloud up your thinking. 

Brain fog can be caused by other issues as well, such as candida, heavy metals, toxins, low thyroid, hormonal imbalance. Many times I've worked with patients to balance their sympathetic nervous system and in a few appointments, they were able to have better memory, feel clear minded, and able to do things more quickly. Contact me to see if this is something helpful for you.

So how does the Pirate Jack Sparrow think so quickly in a dicy situation and get out strong? He has this incredible ability to perceive a situation that may seem stressful to you and I, as "not a big deal" and add some humor to it. His nervous system was relaxed and he was able to think clearly.

Laugh till your belly hurts. Laughing moves your diaphragm and relaxes your vagus nerve that passes through your diaphragm, encouraging the parasympathetic nervous system. Laughing also helps you breath deeper, also promoting the parasympathetic state that helps blood flow go to the frontal lobe.

Read More Here to learn a few practical ways to get your mind in a clear state. I suggest you choose just 1-2 that resonate with you and do it daily. 

Problems Focusing and Lack of Motivation

Do you have a huge, to do list in front of you and feel no motivation when you think, or look at that list? It would certainly feel so good to get things done, but yet, you feel tired, unfocused and not sure where to start. Then the guilt builds up, and you feel bad you are so behind. You think, “What is wrong with me?” Is this a motivation issue, or a health issue? It can be both, but we will discuss how balancing the physical body can improve concentration, clarity of mind and mood today, which will make it easier for you to feel motivated. Photo Credit Maxime Mc Duff Flickr

I’ll talk about 3 common causes of brain fog and difficulty focusing that I have seen in my practice. I’ve helped patients with ADHD, who did not do well with medication, use natural methods and heal. Many of my patients then function normally after I work with them, with no more traces of ADHD behavior. Some patients do not have ADHD but feel that they have difficulty with their memory, slower mental performance, or even difficulty making decisions. These patients were happy to find out that Candida, Food Allergies, or Heavy Metal Toxicity was causing these symptoms. 

Heavy Metal Toxicity:

Lead can be found in old paints, old water pipes, children’s toys from China, and contaminated soil. Inorganic mercury from dental amalgam fillings, vaccine preservatives, and organic mercury in fish such as tuna and swordfish are sources of mercury toxicity. Aluminum can be found in foil wrap, aluminum cookware including many non-stick pans, some medications (used as fillers), deodorants, certain water bottles and canned foods. Many of these heavy metals are neurotoxins and some have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss, and some mood disorders. Because most people have slow, small dose exposures to these heavy metals, most blood tests from your doctor will not show that you have elevated levels of these toxins. Heavy metals are attracted to fatty tissue, so they tend to get stored deep in your cells, in the brain or nervous system tissue where fat content is high, therefore being especially toxic to the brain and difficult to test for. I use some other testing methods that can detect smaller amounts that are hidden in the body. 

Candida:

Candida is a type of yeast, which is present in the intestinal tract as normal flora, but often overgrows and causes health problems such as brain fog, difficulty making decisions, anxiety, depression, problems focusing, and moodiness. Other tell tail signs that you may have an overgrowth of yeast include bloating, gas, genital itching, toe nail fungus, itching under the breasts or in the groin area, vaginal yeast infections, oily skin or scalp, dandruff, and poor digestion. Often when patients use anti-fungal medication over and over again, they yeast just grows back because the body is in a state of imbalance, which serves as a great environment for the yeast to propagate. In Chinese medicine, a state of damp heat often is associated with candida problems. Some homeopathic remedies are very effective at breaking the cycle to Candida overgrowth. If candida is the cause to your difficulty focusing and moodiness, it is definitely worth to address it now. I use the probiotic, Ultra Flora Acute Care by Metagenics, because it has a few strains of probiotics such as S. boulardii that is specific against candida. 

Food Allergies:

Most people associate food allergies to anaphylactic reactions such as swelling of the throat, lips, or face. However many people have much more subtle reactions to foods, including brain fog, fatigue, sleepiness, irritability, anxiety, gastrointestinal symptoms, or heart palpitations. If your pulse rate increases by 8-10 points per minute after eating, it is likely you ate something you had a food sensitivity to. 

Have you experienced eating and then feeling very sleepy right after? Besides a blood sugar crash, you may actually have a food allergy or sensitivity. The problem with continuously eating foods that your body is reacting to is that it triggers the body to be in a low grade state of inflammation which slowly damages your organs and can be related to allergies, asthma, auto-immune diseases where your body attacks itself when it is mistakenly trying to attack the epitopes of the foods. Some children with ADHD have been completely cured by avoiding their food allergens, which is a huge relief to parents. 

Again, there are many causes to each disease or symptom, so it is very important for a qualified doctor who understands how the body works holistically in order to identify what the problem is. Below is a video I’ve filmed discussing the various types of food allergy and sensitivity tests, and why most of the tests you get at the doctors office may not be accurate for food sensitivities. Click below to watch.