BRAIN FOG.......one Docs opinions....

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Just alittle Food for thought......

BRAIN FOG

by Lawrence , MD

©Revised 2008, The Center For Development

Brainfog may be described as a state of confusion or lack of clarity. It can feel like a cloud that reducesyour visibility or clarity of mind. It can cause you to become forgetful, detached and often discouraged anddepressed.

Brainfog is very common. Itaffects thousands of people, children as well as adults. It contributes to school and workproblems, low self-esteem, accidents, unhappy relationships and even crime anddelinquency. Althoughit is common, it is not a recognized diagnosis, either in medicine orpsychology.

Somepeople have been this way for most of their life and think this is normal. Brain fog can have many causes -physical, biochemical, emotional and even spiritual. Let us discuss these, starting with the most commonones.

1. FATIGUE AND ADRENAL BURNOUT

Themost common cause of brain fog is fatigue. Many, many people with brain fog are simply tired. The brain requires a tremendous amountof energy to function properly. When fatigue occurs, the brain can be one of the first organs tosuffer. Many people are so used topushing themselves they may not even realize that seven or even eight hours ofsleep are simply not enough. Thisincludes thousands of children, not just adults. See our article on Sleep and Rest.

Manypeople have families to take care of or demanding work schedules, so sleeptakes a back seat. If you live ina city, just the pace of life can be quite exhausting. Cities also tend to have more air,noise, water and electromagnetic pollution that wear people out, even if onesleeps 10 hours daily. Fear, worryor anger can also use up tremendous energy and result in fatigue.

Iffatigue is the main cause of your brain fog, your mind may begin to clear ifyou allow yourself at least one week’s vacation where you mainly just sleep. Also, begin taking naps every day anddo your best to go to bed early and sleep more.

However,your sleep deficit may be so great, as was mine, that some people need a yearor more of extra rest! I stillneed a lot of rest at times, and have learned that this is not a “diseaseâ€, butrather it is helping to process past events and traumas. In these cases, even a month’s vacationmay not give too much relief.

Whatis needed is a new lifestyle! While you may not be able to implement it immediately, you can decidethis is what you are aiming for, and keep moving in this direction. It can mean a job that does not tax youtoo much, healthful living and working conditions and the ability to relax andgo to bed early. Working foryourself is wonderful in this regard, provided you do not need to work longhours. Keeping your overhead lowand your lifestyle simple can greatly reduce the need for a high-paying,demanding job. Avoiding otherextra responsibilities may also be necessary, at least for a while. This is how I set up my life sometwenty-nine years ago, and it has worked well.

Fatigue,however, may be due to any number of causes, such as chronic infections, nutritionaldepletion, glandular imbalances or psychological imbalances such as fears,worrying, or a stressful job or marriage. In these cases, just a vacation or more sleep will not correct theproblem. Let us examine a commoncause of brain fog that looks like fatigue but is different.

ADRENAL EXHAUSTION OR BURNOUT

Burnoutdiffers from fatigue in that it is a deeper derangement of the body’s energysystem. It is incredibly commontoday. In fact, the majority ofmineral analyses I review show some degree of adrenal exhaustion. On a hair mineral analysis, the calciumand magnesium levels are elevated while the sodium and potassium levels arevery low.

Mostpeople are unaware of how unhealthy they are. They are fooled by media pronouncements about how muchbetter off we are today, living longer and so forth. This is manipulation of statistics. In fact, if a person made it throughchildhood in 1900, their life expectancy was about the same as today. Just look up the age of death of somefamous people to find the truth. For example, both Jefferson and lived to the age of84.

Burnoutcannot be corrected simply by having a few good nights of sleep. Adrenal burnout, which may be diagnosedas chronic fatigue syndrome or CFIDS, requires a complete program of diet,nutritional supplements and rest. I also highly recommend infrared lamp saunas to to help rebuild thebody’s energy system. See thearticle on AdrenalBurnout for more information.

Inadrenal burnout, the body is nutritionally depleted, toxic metals have replacedvital elements, chronic infections have often set in and many biochemicalimbalances may be present. Theseinclude impaired thyroid activity, weakened adrenals, impaired digestion, heavymetal toxicity, chronic candida albicans infection, chronic viral infectionsand others. While the burnout itself can cause symptoms, often it is thesesecondary imbalances that cause symptoms. Let us discuss a few of these.

Candidaalbicans is a common fungus that often causes vaginal and skin yeastinfections. However, it may alsoovergrow in the intestines and become chronic. It produces alcohol and acetaldehyde, both of which aretoxic to the nervous system and often contribute to symptoms of brain fog. A person may behave as ifslightly inebriated, although they consume no alcohol. The symptoms are often worse if oneeats a lot of carbohydrates, especially sugars including sweet juices andfruits. Starches and sugars feedthe yeast organisms. In extremecases, the yeast can actually invade the brain.

Occasionally,brain fog may be caused by yeast die-off. This may occur due to a dietary change or health program, or just ashift in metabolism. As the yeastdie, they may release various toxins that induce temporary symptoms of brainfog. See the article on Yeast Infections for moreinformation.

Lowblood pressure may occur. The adrenal hormones increase blood pressure. Adrenal exhaustion causes reduced blood pressure, which mayimpair circulation to the brain and contribute to dizziness and confusion. Brain scans may show hypoperfusion,which means reduced blood flow to certain areas.

Hypoglycemia is anotherconditions associated with adrenal exhaustion. When the level of glucose in the brain become too low, thebrain essentially starves for fuel. The brain uses about one-third of all our calories. Unlike the muscles, the brain does notstore any fuel. Therefore, it musthave a continuous supply. If forany reason the supply varies, it is like someone varying the voltage on adelicate computer or other piece of delicate electronic equipment.

Commonsymptoms of low blood sugar include confusion, irritability, forgetfulness andeven blackouts. One patient whocalled me during a hypoglycemic episode could not remember her own name. Symptoms usually occur several hoursafter a meal, and may come on suddenly. Eating something that contains sugar usually relieves the symptoms inabout 10 minutes. Sweet cravings are a symptom of hypoglycemia, and this canperpetuate candida albicans and adrenal problems since a lot of sweets , evenfruit, is not a healthful diet.

Manypeople, including school-age children and many adults, experience huge bloodsugar swings all day long! Theirbreakfast of sweetened cereal, donuts or juice drives up their blood sugar. This is followed by a drop atmid-morning that is relieved by a sweet snack, more juice, soda pop or a cup ofcoffee. This rockets the sugar upagain, followed by a fall around noon.

Lunchmay include soda pop, sweetened ketchup, mustard, sweet salad dressing,sweetened rolls, chocolate milk, fruit or other sugary food. The sugar rises again, then fallsrapidly at mid-afternoon. It istime for another pick-up, or maybe time for happy hour, since alcohol will liftthe blood sugar again for a short time. And we wonder why many students have difficulty learning, and whythousands can’t think clearly?

FOOD AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS

had always had boundless energy and was ready to take on the world. She ate a lot of salad greens, whichshe thought were very healthful. However, two years ago she became exhausted and developed brainfog. She finally traced theproblem to perchlorate, a chemical that was added to the town’s water andbecame very concentrated in leafy green vegetables. It interfered with her thyroid. When she switched to bottled water and reduced her saladintake, her mind cleared and her energy returned.

Nutrasweet(also labeled as Equal, Canderel, Spoonful, aspartame, aspartic acid orphenylalanine) is notorious for causing brain fog, fatigue, dizziness,depression and panic attacks, to name just a few of its symptoms. It is found in over 5000 products andaffects some 25% of Americans who use it. It is often hidden in prescription medication, vitamins, toothpaste,breath mints and all types of diet products. Everyone should avoid this food chemical. See the article on Caffeineand Sugar Substitutes.

Otherfood chemicals that affect sensitive people include excitotoxins such as MSG(monosodium glutamate), caffeine, pesticide residues, heavy metals, bacterialand fungal toxins, fluoride, chlorine and hundreds of other substances thateither contaminate or are added to drinking water and food. Caffeine and other stimulants can giveone a boost, but eventually contribute to adrenal exhaustion.

Notonly the chemicals added to foods, but the foods themselves can cause brain fogsymptoms. The most common allergicfoods are wheat, spelt and cow’s milk dairy. Anyone with brain fog ought to try eliminating these foodsfrom the diet, as this will often help speed recovery. Gluten-containing foods such as rye,oats, wheat, kamut, spelt and barley also cause reactions in susceptibleindividuals that may affect the brain.

Along list of prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause mental confusionand other brain fog symptoms. Thelist includes drugs for allergies, pain, high blood pressure, heart arrythmias,glaucoma, infections, depression, anxiety, inflammation and otherdisorders. Many people are takingtwo to five of these drugs at once. Combinations of drugs may be toxic in ways that no one can predict. Combining medication with alcohol orrecreational drugs may also produce unusual symptoms.

Ifyou must take medication, check the side effects and know that there may beside effects that are not listed on the label.

NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

Thebrain requires many nutrients, including proteins, high-quality fats, manyvitamins and two dozen or more minerals. A range of amino acids are required for the brain, as are essentialfatty acids, antioxidants and other nutrients. Among the most important nutrients are calcium, magnesium,zinc, copper, L-glutamine, L-taurine, choline, thiamine, B6, B12 and otherB-complex vitamins. B-vitamin deficiency is known to cause confusion, irritability, stuporand death. Vitamin B-12deficiency, for example, can cause symptoms of brain fog and is quite common,especially in vegetarians. Correction is quite simple and inexpensive.

Theauthor recalls a 7-year old patient who had recurrent ear infections. The ear infections cleared up on anutrition program. During afollow-up visit, her mother mentioned the girl’s school grades also went fromCs to As. This is not an unusualstory. Though part of the reasonmay have been better school attendance, improved brain function is often a sideeffect of nutritional correction.

Electrolyteimbalance, as occurs after excessive physical exertion or sweating, may alsocause symptoms of brain fog. Thismay be due to lowered blood pressure with impaired circulation to the brain,metabolic waste products in the blood or impaired cellular energy production. The best way to obtain your nutrientsis first to eat well. I alsorecommend everyone use digestive enzymes for a while, particularly GB-3 – aproduct with ox bile and pancreatin. Click here to learn moreabout GB-3.

ChronicInfections. Nutrient deficiencies,along with fatigue, often permit viral and other infections to take hold. Many can directly or indirectly affectthe brain such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis C and manyothers. See the article on Infections for moreinformation.

TOXIC LEVELS OF METALS

Toxicmetals often play a role in brain fog. Elevated copper is strongly associated with feelings ofconfusion, disorientation, racing thoughts, mood swings and confusion. Some women feel this before themenstrual period, as their copper level rises at this time of the month. However, many people, both men andmoreso women, have elevated copper levels all the time. This can be an important cause of brainfog.

Copperexcess affects the thyroid, female hormones, and stimulates the production ofimportant brain chemicals. Copperimbalance does not show up on standard blood tests. It shows up on hair mineral analyses as an elevated copper,or an elevated calcium level, low potassium level, high mercury level, or aratio of sodium to potassium less than 2.5:1.

Causesof copper imbalance include weak adrenal glands, zinc deficiency, stress,fatigue, birth control pills, copper intra-uterine devices or copper contaminationof water supplies or food. Manychildren are born with copper imbalance today. Vegetarian diets are high in copper and low in zinc, amineral that balances copper. These diets are also often low in other nutrients essential for thebrain such as taurine, carnitine, essential fatty acids, alpha lipoic acid,B-complex vitamins and others. Many vegetarians believe their diet makes them feel‘spiritual’, when in fact their feeling of detachment is a symptom of brain fogbrought on by their diet.

Copperimbalance is best corrected with a complete nutritional program. Just taking copper antagonists orchelators often does not work well. See the article on CopperToxicity Syndrome for more information about this common problem.

Toxicitywith mercury, aluminum, cadmium , lead and other metals may alsocause symptoms of brain fog. Mosteveryone has some excess of these metals today. Mercury toxicity is extremely common, as it is foundin large fish like tuna and in dental amalgams. Aluminum is added to table salt and drinking water, andfound in anti-perspirants, anti-acids and many cosmetics.

Fortunately,sauna therapy and a nutritional balancing program can slowly remove all thesemetals, along with many toxic chemicals. See the article on the Dangers of Toxic Metalsfor more information about this important topic.

Othermineral imbalances definitely contribute to brain fog. High tissue levels of calcium andmagnesium frequently cause diminished awareness, mental fatigue and brainfog. The condition is called a ‘calciumshell’, as the person is literally slightly numb, as though they live behind acement wall. Elevated tissue calcium raises the voltage at which nerve cellsfire, leading to mental heaviness, numbness and brain fog.

Excessivelevels of other trace elements such as iron, manganese and chromium may alsoaffect brain activity and give rise to symptoms of brain fog. Excessive iron and manganese inbiounavailable form is quite common. Manganese is added to gasoline, while iron is added to many white flourproducts, and often added to vitamin pills and other health products.

LACK OF GROUNDING

This may seemlike an unusual cause of brain fog. However, many people are in this group. They are usually overstimulated, easily distracted and theirattention wanders. This can becomea ‘mental habit’ that may be changed. Many bright, loving people are this way because they are very sensitiveand respond quickly to many stimuli in their environment. Their weakened body chemistry and highcopper level in particular may make them even more prone to thiscondition. In a tai chi class, onewould say their chi is in their heads.

Thesolution to this problem, and it is recommended for everyone, is to set asidetime each day for a practice such as meditation. Not any meditation will do, as many types of meditation justkeep one floating in one’s head. We recommend an Observation-MeditationExercise because it is grounding and helps develop a quality called thewitness. This is most helpful.

Writingeach day in a journal is also helpful for some people. Other techniques to assist groundingare gardening, slow deliberate walking, yoga, tai chi or chi kung. One should do these on a daily basis,as part of your routine, to reap the benefit.

BOWEL TOXICITY

Toxicityor sluggishness of the important eliminative organs will cause symptoms ofbrain fog. If these organs do notfunction well, toxic substances and end products of metabolism such as ammonia,urea and others, may remain circulating in the blood. The brain is one of the first organs affected by thesetoxins, as it requires a lot of blood and its functions are delicate andintricate.

Weakdigestion, intestinal infections, stress, poor eating habits, negative emotionsor an improper diet often cause food to putrefy or ferment in theintestines. The toxins producedare absorbed into the bloodstream. These can easily overwhelm the normal detoxification ability of theliver and kidneys. Constipationmakes the problem one hundred times worse. You may not be aware of this toxicity,as you may not experience gas, bloating or other digestive disturbances.

Theproblem may be handled by your liver and kidneys if they are functioningwell. However, often the liver isoverwhelmed by all the chemicals in your diet and environment, and is notfunctioning as well as needed. Standard blood tests for liver function will not reveal a congested ortoxic liver. However, livertoxicity is the norm today.

Drinkinginadequate water or worse, drinking soda pop, excessive coffee and otherirritating beverages can damage or overwhelm the kidneys and impair theirability to remove poisons from the blood.

Bewary of cleansing programs such as fasts to correct liver and kidneytoxicity. These may give temporaryrelief, but usually do not address basic causes such as food allergies, toxicchemicals in the diet or environment and nutrient deficiencies. Fasting can easily cause one to becomeeven more nutrient deficient.

Theanswer for bowel toxicity is a slow regeneration of the intestinal tract, whichmay easily take two or three years. It begins with cleaning up the diet, eliminating the chemicals and junkfoods. Excellent eating habits andlots of rest are important as well. Most everyone needs digestive enzymes and I sometimes add lactobacillusplantarum, what I call the life-changing probiotic. A range of nutrients may be helpful, as well as milk thistleand dandelion for the liver, and saunas for detoxification. In other words, a comprehensive programis generally best.

BRAIN PARASITES

This cause ofbrain fog is due to lyme disease, other parasitic diseases, or consuming pigproducts and other foods that may contain parasitic organisms. I believe it can be corrected with acomplete healing program, especially including infrared light saunas to slowlykill and remove parasites from all areas of the body. Drug therapy may be helpful at times, although I prefer notto use it if possible, as it introduces more toxic substances.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CAUSES

One can developbrain fog if in conflict or denial and a part of you does not wish to thinkabout or see something clearly. This is more common than might beimagined. In part, it is agrounding and spiritual problem, though it can be due to information overload.

Forexample, much of the prevailing wisdom taught in school, churches, by parentsor in the media is quite insane. You may have learned from church that all divorce is bad, yet thealternative is living in a hellish marriage. You may have learned that grades are everything in school,yet you see people who get ahead who did poorly in school. Advertising would indicate that peoplewho drink Pepsi are slim and popular. Yet reality is the opposite. You may have learned that guns in private hands are bad, yet statisticsclearly prove they save thousands of lives every year. They are also statistically extremelysafe, much safer than driving and much, much safer than going to a doctor.

Goinginto brain fog is one way to deal with conflict or an overload of information,especially if you have difficulty sorting out what is true. Brain fog may also be your way to denyreality when your life is not going well.

Irecommend to always ask for and seek the truth, and cultivate a belief that“the truth will set you freeâ€. This does not mean the truth will be pretty. However, seeing and accepting the truth about oneself andeveryone else does lead to clearer thinking and happiness in my experience.

Anotherpsychological/spiritual aspect of brain fog has to do with a belief that one isstupid and cannot think clearly. This can be a result of parental or school influences. While there are a few exceptions, Ibelieve the public school system, with its authoritarian style, its emphasis ongrades instead of on learning, its one-size-fits-all approach and its lack ofspiritual focus damages thousands upon thousands of people’s brains. See the article Why is the SchoolSystem in Trouble?

Particularlythe IndigoChildren often suffer through school. This includes many adults today. Many come to believe they are stupid and may give up on clear thinking. The school issue might not be so importantexcept that today 1) parents are often not helping their children as much as inearlier generations because they are exhausted, 2) televison and computersfurther confuse the children’s brains and 3) so many children are notfunctioning well to begin with due to the causes listed above. These factors make the negative schoolinfluences that much worse.

Thereare many methods for letting go of negative programming. The most important is to make adecision that you are loved by your creator, and that you have many gifts andskills. Yes, it is first a decision and you willfeel it later. Also, counselingmay be helpful to causes, and there are many approaches to help releasenegative programs from the mind. These include meditation, body therapies, nutrition and energetic worklike Spiritual Response Therapy and Holographic Repatterning.

OTHER CAUSES

Althoughless common, misalignment of the spine, or any impingement on the cranial,cervical or other nerves may cause symptoms of brain fog. Another common cause of brain fog isreduced oxygen to the brain. Thismay be due to clogged arteries, low blood pressure, shallow breathing orholding one’s breath. Fear andworry can cause shallow breathing. Sometimes a physical disease such as asthma, chronic bronchitis oremphysema impairs breathing.

Brainfog is occasionally caused by an illness such as a brain tumor, epilepsy,meningitis or encephalitis. Electrical interference from computer screens or televisions can causebrain disturbance in sensitive people. Vision problems may affect mental clarity and cognition.

Dyslexiaand autism syndromes may cause confusion, though they may also be the result ofcauses listed above. For example,many autistic children improve when the factors above are addressed. Emotional conditions such as neuroses,paranoia or mental fixations may cause brain fog as well.

WHAT TO DO

1.Rest more. Mosteveryone with brain fog needs more rest and sleep. Try for at least 9 hours nightly, if not 10. This is not a waste of time. Often people with brain fog aresensitive individuals who need the time for processing and healing.

2.Improve your diet and living habits. Eliminate the junk food, excessive sugar and chemicalized foods. Eliminate wheat, dairy and other foodsthat may be causing food reactions. Substitute whole, natural foods. Do not follow vegetarian regimens, as these can increase coppertoxicity. Drink pleny of healthfulwater. Exercise gently eachday. Eat relaxed, sit-down mealsand sit for 10 minutes after meals before returning to work or otheractivities.

3. Meditate on a regular basis. Use an observation-meditation exercisesuch as the tape we offer. This will help slow down your mind and assist you to observe yourthoughts. Affirmations andvisualizations are also fine, but are not the same.

4. Choose to live consciously. Singles, couples and families need tochoose exactly how they will spend their time and money. Besides healthful eating and goodhabits, it should include wholesome activities and a spiritual focus. Otherwise, the advertisers and themedia will dictate a rather unhealthy lifestyle.

BillClinton or Al Gore, I believe, once referred to the American people as“customers of the governmentâ€. Thisshould insult you greatly. However, they are sadly correct about many American people. You are not a sovereign citizen unlessyou claim it. Many of our leadersand media people view you as a “consumer†or “customerâ€, not a citizen. Advertisers, governments and others wantyou out of control so their influence will be greatest.

Inaddition, natural therapies can offer tremendous help along the way. Detoxification methods such as saunatherapy, colonic irrigation and coffee enemas can also be very helpful for awhile to eliminate stored toxins.

5.Natural therapies can offer help. These include herbs, vitamins, and detoxification methodssuch as sauna therapy, colonic irrigation and coffee enemas. Coffee enemas are particularly helpfuland better than drinking coffee. See the article on Sauna Therapy formore details on this excellent detoxification method. DetoxificationProcedures are available on this site. Note that most people need several years of detoxification,not just a few weeks or months.

Goto a competent chiropractor or osteopath to rule out structural causes. If symptoms continue, (and they oftenwill), consider a nutritionalbalancing program utilizing hair mineral analysis. This test can identify nutrientdeficiencies, toxic metals and many other imbalances such as an unbalancedoxidation rate or chronic fatigue. The test is used as a basis to recommend more specific dietarysuggestions and supplementary nutrients

Manypeople would benefit by meditation. The use of affirmations, inspirationalreading and other techniques may also help to help control unwanted thoughtsand emotions. In addition, manyother natural therapies may also be helpful. I was helped greatly by the use of coffee enemas, which helpclear toxins from the intestines. Each case is somewhat individual.

Ina few cases, more extensive testing for brain diseases may be necessary. Physicians often begin with a CAT scanor an MRI. However, in myexperience, almost all cases of brain fog will clear up without these costlytests by correcting the factors discussed above such as diet, lifestyle,infections, toxic metals, chemical toxicity and psychological/emotional stressfactors.

References

Whilethere are a limited number of references to brain fog on the internet, I havenot found much medical research on the subject. It needs more! Thisarticle represents my experience and that of other clinicians with whom I haveworked or whose work I have studied. Some of the other articles on this website referred to above containlong lists of references as well.

Brain Fog

http://www.drlwilson.com/Articles/brain_fog.htm

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