We are all too busy running around, looking at our watches trying to fit in as many tasks as possible before the day ends. If we are not careful, this chronic hurried lifestyle eventually turns into stress and then into health problems
(prHWY.com) November 10, 2012 - NY, NY -- USA Nov 10, 2012 - We are all too busy running around, looking at our watches trying to fit in as many tasks as possible before the day ends. If we are not careful, this chronic hurried lifestyle eventually turns into stress and then into health problems.
I remember during medical school being asked.... "What is the number one killer of people in the developed world?" "Heart disease" I dutifully answered.
"Stress!" was my professor's reply. Stress affects so many different physiological systems, the heart, the brain, immune system, digestion; essentially every function within the body is influenced by stress.
Today, I want to concentrate on brain health and share some tips on protecting, probably our most important organ...the brain, especially during these times when we are seeing a dramatic increase in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
The jury is still out on what really causes Alzheimer's disease, but what we do know, is that poor circulation, inflammation and free radicals all contribute to conditions of mental decline, strokes and dementia.
Several factors that have been shown to accelerate and enhance the development of these debilitating mental conditions include;
* Stress
* Inflammation
* Lifestyle and Dietary choices
* Environmental-domestic toxins.
Each one of these factors deserves it's own book category, however to remain brief and to the point, I will only outline some key features of each.
Stress
Stress affects everything in the body and is it is not always noticeable. Many times Stress slides under the radar and may only manifest itself in an unrelated symptom such as indigestion, neck pain or lack of concentration. There is no distinction between pschycological stress and physiological stress, they are both connected and can cause changes in the circulation, heart rhythm, the immune response & hormonal levels. Stress can and does trigger inflammation. It is well known that Stress can cause depression, anxiety and forgetfulness (brain fog), therefore, I have labeled stress as the #1 contributor to mental decline.
Inflammation
Inflammation is a normal defensive mechanism for the body to fight against infectious agents, foreign particles and injury. However, the inflammation that I am referring to is 'silent inflammation', a low grade chronic inflammation caused by exposure to toxins such as tobacco smoke or chemical additives in foods and medicines, bacterial plaque on gums, stress related hormones and oxidized cholesterol. This silent type inflammation doesn't reveal itself in the form of a symptom, it simply smolders away creating a bigger problem down the road.
Strokes, Alzheimer's and dementia all consist of some degree of inflammation. This is important to know, since we are exposed to many more triggers of inflammation than previous generations.
Lifestyle choices
This really sets the stage for all of the other factors named as co-contributors to brain health decline, namely, our dietary choices, our social habits, our exercise regimen and our work-related stressors.
When I consider dietary choices, the first and foremost issue is QUANTITY. We eat too much, we eat oversized portions, we eat too frequently and we eat the wrong stuff!
Excess sugars, excess carbs, excess alcohol and the wrong kind of fats, all of which stimulate inflammation. On top of this, we can add lack of exercise, weight gain and metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes), we are talking... "TURBO DEMENTIA."
Environmental/domestic toxins
This is probably the category that we have the least control over, however, it is important to be aware of the increasing discoveries that uncover the ugly truth about our modern world and the massive amounts of harmful chemicals that we are exposed to everyday. Pesticides, herbicides, organic solvents, heavy metals (Mercury), and plasticides to name a few. There are over ten thousand chemicals registered as food additives, and we probably sleep on beds that have been filled with foam sprayed with toxic flame retardants...similar to new carpets. We are surrounded by documented poisons! There is substantial evidence from research to suggest that environmental toxins not only contribute to general health problems (Cancer) but that they also play a significant role in the development of cognitive and brain conditions.
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