Vivian Orgel TLC For The Brain (Part 2) - What To Embrace

In part two of our story TLC For The Brain, we explore how oxalates, in combination with other factors, can benefit our overall health. There is one caveat however. Although oxalates can beneficial, calcium has to be avoided for 2 hours for it to be absorbed, as oxalates inhibit the absorption of calcium.

Foods to Consume and Things We Can Do to Promote a Healthy Brain

1. Healthy Foods

Dr. Josh Axe’s list of the best anti-inflammatory foods include the following:

Leafy green veggies, celery, broccoli, blueberries, pineapple, salmon, coconut oil, chia seeds and turmeric. He says, “(these foods) are rich in antioxidants, minerals and essential fatty acids” and help regulate our immune systems.”

2. Supplements

Dr. Daniel Amen notes “several supplements that have good supporting research for memory.” These include “fish oil, gingko biloba, sage and a Chinese moss extract called huperzine.” He also suggests taking D3, and Dr. Joseph Mercola adds that K2 should be combined with the D3 to help absorption. Dr. Josh Axe included turmeric as being helpful because it decreases inflammation, and this food can be taken in supplement form.

Several of Dr. Dale Bredesen’s protocols for improved brain function include additional supplementation with Coenzyme Q10, B12 (methylcobalamin) and B6 (pyridoxine-5-phosphate), along with melatonin.

3. Exercise

We already know that regular exercise is essential to overall health. Dr. Bredesen suggests modifying the traditional way of exercising with adding short bursts of intense exercise between less strenuous movement. A recent study even suggests that “short bursts of exercise” can be just as beneficial for your health as longer workouts. This high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can last as little as 10 minutes, and it is described by the Washington Post as “alternating bursts of intense, heart-pumping activity followed by short periods of recovery, which can either be complete rest or low-intensity effort.” The form of exercise you choose can be whatever motivates you to get moving.

In an interview with Dr. Mercola, brain plasticity expert and neuroscientist Michael Merzenich suggests that when we exercise, it’s best if we do at least some of it outdoors where we are not just working out, but we are giving our brains visual pictures of our surroundings that are important to brain stimulation. So he advises to improve brain function, not all workouts be done on indoor equipment.

4. Maintain Gut Health

Along with other sources that promote brain health, Dr. Amen’s blog on detoxifying the body says that we should treat our gut as a “second brain.” He explains, that, “Without proper gut health, toxins will simply flow to the next organs in line and on to other areas of the body.” These intestinal problems increase inflammation and “our risk for low mood, worry, chronic pain and less-than-ideal cognitive health.”

Amen’s blog suggests following Dr. Joseph Pizzorno’s eight-week program he calls, The Toxin Solution, to “reset your toxic filled body.”

5. Foods that Detoxify the Body

We cannot avoid all toxic exposures that are part of our daily lives, but we can consume foods that have a detoxifying effect. Along with adding certain foods, one recommendation is to drink a glass of lemon water daily, because doing so stimulates the liver to flush out toxins.

Dr. Axe’s list of detox foods includes grapefruit, bone broth, Brussels sprouts, berries, beets, chia seeds and nuts. He also suggests a 7-day detox diet found here: https://draxe.com/detox-diet/

Dr. Amen advises to add fish and what he calls bruxicants to the list. The latter are cruciferous vegetables like brussels sprout, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Dr. Bredesen also advises that we eat fish, but emphasizes that it should not be farm-raised. It’s also important to avoid fish most likely to be high in mercury. These are usually the larger fish that eat smaller fish and have bioaccumulated mercury by doing do.

6. Brain Retraining

Brain plasticity experts like Dr. Norman Doidge and Michael Merzinich, along with Dr. Amen, suggest a number of treatment options that can improve brain health and even reverse some brain damage. These include neurofeedback, light and sound therapies, and hyperbaric oxygen. Research shows these treatments can even dramatically improve conditions like ADHD and autism.

7. A Good Night’s Sleep

Dr. Amen emphasizes that, “Good Sleep is Essential to the Health of Your Brain.” He and many other experts know that the quality of sleep, “affects your mood, memory and ability to concentrate.” Amazingly, he adds, that people deprived of sleep are estimated to “cause more accidents than drunk drivers.” Adding to this problem are long- term use of prescribed sleep medications that Dr. Amen says can, themselves, “affect your moods and memory at alarming rates.”

We need to find solutions to sleep problems that don’t cause more problems or make them worse. In the video series “Regain Your Brain,“ Michael Breus, Ph.D outlines a program that can help us get the consistent and restorative sleep we all need. Breus’s program seeks to regulate the circadian rhythm by following these practices, below, in the order listed:

Get up when you wake up (after at least 7 hours of sleep).
Rehydrate soon after rising by drinking a glass of water.
Go outside or sit next to a window to get natural light (which turns off the melatonin).
Have a high protein breakfast.
Do activities that require a clear mind about 2 hours after rising.
Include physical exercise hours before bedtime and avoid an afternoon nap.
Save creative activities for later in the evening.
Avoid mind/visual stimulating activities an hour before bedtime — like computer work.
Keep bedtime consistent.
If there’s something on your mind, write it down before going to sleep, to remind yourself to deal with it tomorrow.
Wind down 20 minutes before trying to sleep – maybe read for pleasure.
Try doing math problems in your head to put you to sleep – not just counting sheep.

Amen adds that it’s important to “eliminate anything that might interfere with sleep, such as caffeine or alcohol. Additionally, natural supplements such as melatonin, valerian, or 5-HTP can be helpful.

Amen also recommends hypnosis as “a powerful tool for many patients — one that often acts as a holistic replacement for sleeping pills or medications.” Hypnosis and self-hypnosis, he says, can “help us gain mastery over our own minds and bodies and can be helpful for sleep, as well as relieving anxiety and pain.

Another suggestion for improved sleep is to do what we can to neutralize the electromagnetic radiation (EM’s) emitted from the electrical devices used in our homes. In addition to increasing stress levels and decreasing our bodies’ immune response, these EM’s can also rob us of quality sleep because they reduce blood and oxygen supply to the brain.

The negative ions generated by Himalayan salt lamps can neutralize these positively charged EM particles. It’s suggested that you place one or two of these lamps near or in your bedroom, which you can keep on during the day and turn off at night if you need a completely dark room for sleeping.

8. Balanced Hormones

“Balancing your hormones can dramatically improve your quality of life in a short amount of time,” according to Dr. Amen. Even a slight blow to the head or other causes of hypothalamus damage can result in a significant imbalance of hormones. Properly addressing hormone imbalances can help our moods, improve sleep, increase energy, improve concentration and relieve depression and anxiety.

Replacing deficiencies with bioidentical hormones, rather than synthetic ones, has become the practice recommended my many doctors like Amen and Dr. Mark Gordon (Millennium Health Centers). Labs tests are necessary to determine whether or not you need hormone replacement and which hormones and the precise individual doses that are needed.

In conclusion, Dr. Amen says it’s essential for us to realize how important our brains are to our lives, and that we must learn to love our brains enough to take care of them as we should.