The overall well-being of your body greatly depends on the proper function of the brain.
The state of Neuro-degeneration can cause many additional medical issues such as emotional instability, memory loss, and brain fog. When the brain cells which transmit information die, as a result of improper activation, nutrients, and stimulation, neuro-degeneration occurs.
If you follow these 8 steps, you will keep your brain active, stimulated, and enriched with all the necessary nutrients:
1. Keep Your Blood Sugar Level Under Control
Have a meal, every 2-3 hours a day high in proteins and veggies. Balance every intake of sweet food with food rich in fiber, protein, and fat. This will control the speed at which the sugar leaves your digestive system and enters your blood.
Avoid consuming foods labeled as “fat-free” such as fat-free cookies, fat-free yogurt, or fat-free ice cream. Such products can significantly harm your blood sugar balance.
Do not allow your blood sugar level to rise by eating sweet foods or fall drastically by skipping meals. Seeds and nuts can help you a lot because they abound in protein and fatty acids that reduce inflammation in the brain.
2. Provide Your Brain with Oxygen
Engage yourself in some sort of aerobic exercise, at least 30-45 minutes per day. The exercise will increase the flow of oxygen, an important nutrient that revitalizes the brain cells.
It is suggested to wear a heart monitor while exercising or take your pulse after 5-10 minutes of exercise. You have to stay below your maximum heart rate for an optimal aerobic workout. The following formula will help you calculate your maximum heart rate:
Males: 202 – (0.55 x age)
Females: 216 – (1.09 x age)
When the body experiences a higher heart rate, it stops burning available fat and glucose but in fact stores them in glucose supplies, called glycogen. In this way, the body releases cortisol and adrenalin. The high levels of these substances can lead to hippocampal damage, the area of the brain which is responsible for merging information from short-term to long-term memory and spatial navigation.
The rise of these hormones can make your brain more vulnerable to environmental chemicals and toxins. In normal cases, it’s the blood-brain barrier that prevents these toxins from entering the brain but a higher level of these hormones allows the toxins to pass through the blood barrier.
3. Increase the Consumption of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA)
The cell membranes along with the 60% of our brain are derived from EFA. Many neurological disorders are the result of altered EFA levels, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Attention Deficit Disorder, dementia, clinical depression, Alzheimer’s disease, seizure disorders, and diabetic neuropathies.
For a healthy function of the brain, you should consume cold-water fish including salmon, mackerel, sardines, or tuna, at least 2-3 times a week. You can obtain the needed fatty acids from avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, flax seeds, seeds, or nuts.
If you take some EFA supplement, make sure it includes a minimum of 700-1000mg of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and 700-1000mg of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA).
4. Increase Your Consumption of Methyl-donors
It’s the amino acid Homocysteine, which is an independent risk factor that can cause Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Other risks include macular degeneration, migraine headaches, cardiovascular disease, and hearing loss. Methyl donors or MSM (methyl sulfonyl methane), folate, and B vitamins can convert homocysteine to methionine, an amino acid that hasn’t well adverse effects.
So, in order to increase the levels of methyl donors, consume food that is high in carbohydrates such as legumes, seeds, or nuts, and reduce the intake of eggs, dairy, and meat.
5. Reduce Stress
Higher levels of cortisol or the stress hormone can be associated with neurodegenerative disorders. The following points are adrenal stimulants that raise cortisol levels and for this reason, you should avoid them:
- Nicotine
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Concentrated sugars
- Artificial sweeteners
- Foods that you are allergic to
- Partially hydrogenated fats
- Excessive exercise and overtraining
- Inadequate sleep, poor quality of sleep
- Emotional, mental, and physical stressors (infection, pain, working at night, unstable family life, travel across time zones, toxin accumulation in the body, unhealthy work environment, death in the family, etc.)
6. Reduce Inflammation
Almost 60% of the immune system is located in the area around our gut, in what is called Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissues (GALT). When GALT experiences antigens such as fungus, bacteria, food allergies, sensitivities, or viruses, the immune system produce inflammatory mediators which travel all around the body. They can create systemic inflammation which further can affect the glial cells, the glue-like cells that protect the neurons.
When gliosis occurs, a condition where the cells are inflamed, they release cytokines, inflammatory substances that cause the death of neuronal cells or so-called neuro-degeneration. The same process occurs in diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, seizures, ischemia, and edema.
You can prevent inflammation with a diet loaded with fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, fish, and whole grains. Avoid those foods that can promote an inflammatory response. Consult a doctor if you notice some changes in bowel movements.
In this case, a naturopathic physician can be of great help to you. He will check the level of inflammation, and analyze the health of the gut and the food sensitivities.
7. Stimulate the Brain, Keep the Neurons Active
- According to many researchers, reading books, and playing brain games, chess, and bridge can significantly improve the level of cognition and auditory processing speed. There are many available brain games online even for hand electronic devices.
- Some balance exercises such as stretching with a rebounder or yoga can activate and stimulate your brain.
- If the balancing exercises are harder on one side, focus more on that side.
- Spin clockwise for right-side stimulation.
- Spin counterclockwise for left-side stimulation.
- If you have difficulty hearing with one ear, listen to music with that ear while blocking the good one. If it is the left one, listen to spontaneous and irregular music such as Jazz. If it is the right one, listen to repetitive sounds and beats.
- If you have the same problems with your eyes in the differentiation of bright colors, close the good one and stimulate the other one to look at complex and brightwork.
8. Provide the Adequate Supply of Brain Neurotransmitters
You probably associate serotonin with depression and dopamine with Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers point out that massage can increase the levels of serotonin and meditative yoga can increase dopamine levels. Also, aromatherapy, acupressure, acupuncture, manipulation therapies, and olfactory can increase neurotransmitters and improve the functioning of the brain.
However, bear in mind that these sensory therapies have a greater impact when used along with proper nourishment of the brain.
Even the first 7 steps out of 8 can balance your neurons in a natural way. You need a booster that will increase the availability of the neurons in the brain.
Dr. Talebi uses a simple questionnaire to identify whether there are insufficiencies in each neurotransmitter. After the analysis, he gives suitable supplements that will increase the availability of the neurons.
Via Cure Joy