3 Easy Steps for Optimal Brain Health
To begin with, I’d like to point out that by brain health, I do not mean mental health.
If you search for ways to support brain health, it’s fairly common to find the following six suggestions which I found on Healthy Brains by Cleveland Clinic:
physical exercise
food and nutrition
medical health
sleep and relaxation
mental fitness
social interaction
Although it makes sense, I believe we have a much greater ability to prevent the deterioration of our brain in just … including those struggling with the impact of trauma as I discuss in a recent video
3 Easy Steps
However, before getting into that, please understand, the following information may be triggering; although, my intention is to inform, not upset. The point is to change our experience of health, period. I do not believe people should have to suffer as they are. Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed too many lives deteriorate because the brain is often one of the last things considered or discussed when we’re talking about health.
When a person develops blood pressure issues, we focus on the heart and circulatory system.. If we start experiencing indigestion and / or bloating, we put our attention towards our digestion. When a young lady struggles with her menstrual cycle, the target is ‘estrogen’. If allergies become a problem and / or asthma, we take care of the lungs.
This is not only incomplete, it’s misinformed action…
Today, as I write this, I have a specific 16-year-old young man in my heart and prayers as he struggles with his mental health. Please join me in praying for him. I write this in honor of him and his family. The brain is precious … people are precious … and my hope is to shift our focus more towards the brain … how we can protect it as well as help it.
Why? Because the less attention we give the brain, the greater our chances are for mental, emotional and physical discomforts and illness. In other words, when we focus on specific issues and neglect to integrate treatments with the ‘whole system’ in mind, we are effectively blocking the brain from doing it’s ‘job’.
The brain is a complex structure responsible for directing the function of every process in the body. It does this by transmitting messages via the nervous system. These signals are sent using neurotransmitters and hormones. The brain also stores information which influences both moods and reactions. This explains why we believe we have ‘no control’ over the way we feel and act. Although,, we have more control than we realize.
The brain is far more vulnerable than originally believed. The skull may be a protective shell, it’s actually quite susceptible to the stress of being human and the environment.
Have you ever heard the reference to the ‘gut-brain relationship’? The claim is, the better our digestion, the better our brain chemistry. This accurate theory involves a bit more than ‘food and nutrition’ as identified above..
To begin with, the complete breakdown of macronutrients is crucial. And just to be clear, macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Even though we need our vitamins and minerals, the body requires all three, regardless of the diets being promoted. Each nutritional category is necessary for brain and physical health.
The brain and nerves require sugars which can only be obtained through the digestion of carbohydrates. From there, the body produces the sugars it needs.
Hormones require sugars and lipids.
Genetic processes require amino acids obtained from protein.
Yet, none of these metabolites can be properly produced if the body is not able to metabolize the foods we eat. What’s the problem? The one thing I talk about in every video and blog post, the stress response.
When activated, which it is in every human on the planet at this point, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, (check out this video on the influence of nature on our emotional body) digestion is slowed down so much that we’re seeing an increase in diabetes, autoimmune disorders, birth defects, cancer, and so on.
Not that illnesses would be nonexistent if we didn’t have the chemicals and emotional stress, they would because the world is alive and changing which affects all of us in a variety of ways. However, I doubt we would be seeing or hearing about so many problems as we see in today’s world.
Nevertheless, the world, our world, is a toxic one; as you know. This, of course, leads to many changes within the system as I mentioned in my video, Namaste, which begins with digestion. This ongoing mechanism of survival we refer to as ‘stress’, changes many things and slows quite a few systems down
(please email me if you’d like to receive a free copy of my pdf on the Physiological Effects of Stress)
The most disturbing questions about this are:
why did this happen
why so young
The following us a list of conditions linked to poor brain health:
1) Irritable bowel … IBS
2) Constipation
3) Cancer
4) Addictive behaviors
5) Arthritis
6) Wetting the bed
7) Depression
8) Anxiety
9) Schizophrenia and other psychotic issues
10) Skin conditions
11) Sleep issues
12) Allergies
13) Migraines
14) Heart issues and / or defects
15) Congenital defects
16) Reproductive struggles
17) Hair loss
18) Respiratory concerns
19) Alzheimer’s
20) Parkinson’s
21) And, and, and
Yes, our ancestors had medical concerns, but not like we see in 2020.
Therefore, I offer you …
3 Easy Steps for Optimal Brain Health
Exhale
Observe
Digest and assimilate
As humans, we are the only species with the ability to control our thoughts and breath. Deliberately slowing our breath down is the first effective step to calming the stress response. Focusing more on the exhale is even more important. In fact, when we make it a point to exhale more than we inhale, the greater our chances are for improving brain and physical health.
Noticing our thoughts, actions and emotional sensations activates awareness. Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity are processes that do not stop until we take our last breath OR stop using our brain. How often do we engage in activities without much attention? How many times have you done something you don’t remember doing? I’m sure most of us know the saying, ‘use it or lose it’, well, this applies to the brain as much as anything. When we ignore the brain, neuropathways atrophy and the our existence feels like a rut or groundhog’s day. Another point to observation is to focus on the breath from time to time, especially during moments or anxiety, worry, anger, and so on.
Both of these steps set the stage for improved digestion. What are some additional things you can do outside the more common suggestions? The answers to this and a few other ideas are available in this month’s newsletter. Join my email list today to receive yours.
I hope you found this helpful and welcome any general questions you may have. If you’d like to donate to my website, you can do that here