Vivian Orgel TLC For The Brain (Part 1) - What To Avoid

Many things can affect the way our brains function: diet, thoughts, sleep, emotional or physical trauma, genetics, hormones and more. Accidents, lifestyle, toxic environment, aging and other factors can and often do result in diminished brain function. However, as Dr. Daniel Amen likes to say, “You’re not stuck with the brain you have.” As he and many other doctors and researchers are now discovering, our brains can be modified, and there are things we can do to improve how they function and even prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

It’s a lot about common sense. We need to avoid the things that damage our brains and include the things that nourish them. And a lot of what we should or shouldn’t do has to do with reducing inflammation in our bodies that, in turn, harms our brains.

1. Processed Foods, Simple Carbohydrates

Starting with diet, Dr. Amen and Dr. Dale Bredesen, who currently participated in a series titled, “Regain Your Brain,” both said avoiding foods that cause inflammation is essential to brain health. Getting junk food out of our diet is the first step. This means eliminating processed foods and those that include trans fats (any hydrogenated oils in the ingredients even if it says “0 trans fats” on the package cover). It also means eliminating or reducing consumption of simple carbohydrates like refined sugars, white breads, pastas, pies and cakes, many boxed breakfast cereals and processed fruit juices, and especially eliminating soft drinks and high fructose corn syrup altogether.

Junk foods should be replaced with whole grain breads, quinoa, whole fruits, cooked dried beans and vegetables like broccoli, leafy greens and carrots.

2. Toxic Exposures

To keep the brain functioning at its best and to prevent damage, we must avoid as many toxic exposures as we can. This brings us back to diet, meaning we should eat organically grown foods as much as possible to avoid some of the most toxic substances on earth – pesticides.

Other ways to avoid unnecessary toxic exposures are to replace all household cleaners that contain poisonous ingredients, including synthetic fragrances, with natural and least toxic cleaners like white vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lemon and boric acid. Buy only dish and laundry detergents that are “free and clear,” and remove all synthetic “air fresheners” like plug-ins and scented candles from your home and work environments. Boric acid, spread thinly or mixed with flour in a shallow open container, is excellent for pest control, and sprays made with fragrance-free dish detergent and water will kill bugs, because soap breaks down their exoskeletons. We simply do not need toxic household or volatile pest control products used in our living and working environments. Don’t ever smoke indoors, should go without saying.

Another toxin, a natural one that can do damage to our brains, is mold. We may need to take measures to reduce the humidity in our environments and clean out our air ducts. One product that can eliminate mold with less toxicity than other germicides is diluted Zephiran Chloride (not the same as chlorine bleach).

Unnecessary medications are another group of toxins we put in our bodies that we should avoid, whenever possible. We can often address troubling symptoms with changes in diet or with herbs, supplements or healing therapies like exercise and yoga. Most medications for pain and insomnia should be used only short-term, until we can resolve and treat the cause of the symptoms. When we must take medications, it is best to do all we can to help our bodies properly metabolize and detox these, as well as other poisons we are exposed to.

3. Stress and Negative Thinking

The importance of avoiding stress and negative thinking should not be overlooked. Dr. Josh Axe and others have recently discovered that limiting negative thinking and experiencing, instead, a full range of positive and other emotions can reduce inflammation. The findings show that having a negative thought is not the problem; it’s getting stuck in a state of negative thinking that can cause and increase inflammation that affects the entire body, including the brain. Because happy thoughts relieve stress, they have to have a positive effect on our health.

Dr. Daniel Amen’s research supports this information on the effect of stress on the brain. He notes that “Chronic stress kills cells in the memory centers (hippocampus) of the brain,” and that “Negative thinking disrupts healthy brain function.”

Dr. Amen also talks about “brain reserve,” saying the more we have, the better we are able to deal with life’s stresses. He adds that, “anything that decreases blood flow to the brain, such as a lack of sleep, untreated sleep apnea, smoking or too much caffeine, steals from your reserve.”

4. Trauma

Another thing Dr. Amen says decreases the brain’s reserve is any type of physical head trauma, resulting in concussion or more serious brain injury. Therefore, it is important that we do what we can to protect our brains when biking, playing sports or involved in any other activity or work that can be risky in this regard. Because “Brain injuries can ruin your life,” Dr. Amen advises that you “wear your seat belt, drive in safe vehicles, protect your head in sports or steer clear of contact sports.”

According to a number of neuroscientists, emotional trauma can also cause brain damage, but often this kind of trauma cannot be foreseen or prevented, although there are things we can do to help heal it.