BRAIN IMPAIRMENT AND YOUR DIET – Part 2 I’ve been talking about homocysteine level for a few years in my presentations and if you’re one of my clients, you’ve heard my exasperation with requesting this blood test… they won’t do it in NL. “Homocysteine is an amino acid and breakdown product of protein metabolism that, when present in high concentrations, has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Elevated homocysteine is also an indicator of brain inflammation”. Now let’s look at practices and health issues affecting homocysteine level: Too much alcohol … smoking… prescription medication especially sleeping pills and painkillers … having type 2 diabetes and/or high blood pressure … depression … chronic stress … insomnia and sleep deprivation …physical inactivity … excessive consumption of sugar and sweets … and artificial sweeteners — to name some of the most common offenders. High homocysteine level causes brain shrinkage. This shrinking usually starts in the hippocampus, which is your brain’s “memory center” — but it can spread to other regions. This affects your ability to recall important dates and facts … or to remember names and faces … or even the right words in conversation. Sometimes, you’ll walk into a room and blank-out, wondering why you’re there. Is this normal? Research shows it isn’t so. Homocysteine is elevated in the brains of people who are deficient in B vitamins. In fact, these vitamins are so important to your memory and cognitive function that the “B” should stand for “brain.” :-). B vitamins are like the keys to your car. Without them, your car won’t go too far. These vitamins assist the brain’s communication highway. Here’s proof…Scans show that people who are deficient in B vitamins display the smallest brains and the lowest scores on tests for memory, concentration, and other cognitive abilities. On the other hand, older people with high levels of these B vitamins have bigger, healthier brains and score higher on cognitive tests. And studies confirm that halting this shrinkage can reverse any adverse effects on your memory and cognition — simply and easily. B vitamins are only one part of the puzzle and I thought I would share a note from the daughter of a client I have been following…this is the result of diet and supplement intervention after 3 months: “When my mom was first diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia we were shocked, to say the least, and to find out a few years later that she also had early stage Alzheimer’s on top of that was devastating. We’ve slowly seen the disease rob her of her life and after many doctor’s appointments later we learned that there was nothing that conventional medicine could do to help her. No medication, no successful treatment or therapy, nothing.
Over the past year, she progressed very quickly and we were devastated with what we were seeing. She was to the point where she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, she was rarely taking part in the conversation, she stopped answering the phone, she referred to my dad as ‘him’ because she couldn’t remember his name and I could go on & on. We felt so helpless just to sit there and watch her dwindle away.
My sister attended one of MJs health seminars and mentioned to the family that we should talk to her and it’s the best thing that we ever did. Nutrition education is a powerful tool and what she is teaching us is definitely the key to understanding what is happening in her brain & why. It’s been 3 months since my mom started MJs recommended diet & targeted supplements and we are so excited to see improvements already. It wasn’t easy to change her diet or my dad’s way of thinking, but looking back, so far it was most definitely worth it.
My mom now engages in conversation, she answers the phone, she calls my dad by his name and she just seems to be more aware of the things happening around her. To us, that’s successful progress! Any person with a loved one who is going through this cruel disease should try it, they have nothing to lose and can only gain from it.” So far, conventional interventions offer little help or hope for patients in the early, mid and later stages of cognitive decline but understanding that when the brain is affected, we must first look at previous health issues, medications taken, recurring infections (sinus and UTIs as an example) as they are ALL linked to the brain. MARIE-JOSEE BROWN, CHCP, ROHP Certified Holistic Cancer Practitioner Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner mjbrown@ascendnl.com ascendnl.com 1-709-728-3001
