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How can
YOU improve your brain performance?

  • Start with
    the basics!

  • Your diet, your digestive function, hypoglycemia/blood sugar, etc...
  • Complete
    Dr. Z's Self
    Evaluation     - It is Free and Easy


Neuropsychiatric disorders are the #1 disorders among all human
dysfunctions on our planet today. Among those are depression, bipolar
disorders, Alzheimer's, ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, Asperger's
Syndrome, anxiety and dyslexia.

There are
many other chronic illnesses that plague human kind today. Among those are
digestive problems, diabetes, chronic fatigue, hypoglycemia, heartburn, high
blood pressure, movement disorders, cardiovascular problems, chronic pain,
cancer, etc.

Your
Brain Governs ALL Functions - The Neurological Connection

Your


  • thoughts

  • moods

  • memory

  • emotions

  • attention

  • perceptions such as vision, taste, hearing, smell, touch, etc

  • balance

  • posture

  • digestion

  • heart rate

  • blood pressure

  • breathing

  • bladder function

  • sexual function

  • hormone production and balance

  • immune response
  • we
    could add many more

In other
words, any abnormality in any of the above could be- and often is - due to
an imbalance in brain function.

Look
what we tend to have in common when we get older:


  • loss of     memory, hearing, taste, vision, smell, taste

  • increased     blood pressure

  • loss of     digestive function, sexual function, bladder control

  • decreased     immune function

  • increased     incidence of illness such as cancer

  • balance disorders     and increased tendency to fall
  • we could
    find many more examples

     

It is true -
with age brain function declines. This truth is ultimately not avoidable.

The question
is - how much do you contribute to premature brain aging
through the life style choices you have made in the past and continue to
make.

  • Symptom
    suppression

Contemporary
Western Medicine is pretty much symptom oriented and relies heavily on
pharmacology to suppress symptoms. There seems to be a pharmaceutical
substance to "cure" just about anything. The problem lies in the fine print,
the many side effects, some of them quite dangerous. Your typical medical
health care practitioner will hardly ever relate your illness and your
symptoms to your lifestyle. Lack of movement or exercise, hours in front of
the TV set or computer, coupled with copious amounts of junk food, sugar and
carbohydrates, lack of adequate dietary protein and essential fatty acids,
all this could not possibly contribute to your illness. The true reason for
your ill health is most always a lack of pharmaceutical medications. Look at
the insanity of current television advertising: (I hope you
notice my bitter sarcasm)


  • Heartburn


Heartburn is simply due to lack of the "purple pill".
It could not possibly have anything to do with the foods you eat, your
weight, the health of your digestive tract, your health history, your
history of antibiotic use, or the state of your brain function.

  • High
    blood pressure

High blood
pressure is simply due to the fact that you are old, getting old, or better
yet, due to the fact that you do not consume
enough blood pressure medication. It could not possibly be
related to lack of exercise, the kinds of foods you eat, and to an imbalance
in brain function.

Depression,
anxiety, manic-depressive disorders, ADD, ADHD ... we do not really know why
they occur. The drug companies seem to have the right idea:
It must have something to do with the brain. Oh, yes! God made a
mistake: He failed to put enough Prozac into your breakfast cereal. But we
can correct this easily!

Have you ever
read the potential side effects of the currently so popular
anti-depressants?

  • Ritalin

And then
there is Ritalin - a chemical relative to amphetamines. Cautious people call
this "brain stimulant". Others call this "Speed". I was under the impression
that we decided that amphetamines were not such a good idea for grown-ups.
We actually put those in jail who make it or consume it.
But amphetamines in the form of Ritalin are probably
OK for our children and teenagers. Their developing brains can handle
"Speed" better; it is actually good for them.

Again, please note that some of my above comments are meant to be
sarcastic

 


  • Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia
means that your muscles hurt. Muscles in Fibromyalgia patients tend to be
tender to touch. They often feel tight. Current research indicates clearly
that in most cases there is nothing wrong with the muscle tissues. There is
no evidence of chronic inflammation of the muscles. The question becomes:
why do the muscles hurt?

  • Pain
    and your brain

The
perception and processing of pain information happens in your brain. Without
your brain you could not have the opportunity to experience pain. Phantom
pain is an interesting example of how the brain works. People who have lost
a leg, for example, will complain of toe pain on that side, even though they
have no toes. How is that possible? All we can say: the area of the brain
that represents the pain perception of the toes is activated. Why, we cannot
state, at least not in this context. This leads to the subjective experience
of pain, even though there are no pain fibers from the toes to the brain.

All sensory
information from the periphery, including pain, is channeled through the
Thalamus to the cortex. The Thalamus is the main relay for all incoming
sensory information.

  • Pain
    fibers are always "on"

Our brain has
two functions with respect to pain perception. One area of the brain
receives the incoming pain fibers from the periphery via the Thalamus in
order to facilitate the experience of pain. Another area of the brain fires
down to the Thalamus to inhibit and dampen that transmission of pain. Here
is an important thing to remember: pain fibers, similar to other neurons,
fire at all times. This is essential to their survival. If they did not
fire, they would degenerate and eventually die.

  • Brain
    inhibits pain perception

If it were
not for the pain inhibition of the cortex, we would experience pain at all
times. The problem arises when normal brain function declines in one or both
brain hemispheres. The brain's capacity to inhibit pain perception would
decline. This could lead to what we call intractable pain syndromes. The
most difficult and frustrating cases for many of us in the health care field
are those patients who present with these pain syndromes, with no history of
trauma to explain them. These people simply hurt. Medication of varying
strength has been used extensively, with less and less effectiveness.

The biggest
mistake we all tend to make is to look only at the area of pain. There has
to be an explanation for this person's suffering right there. When we cannot
find a physical reason, we either give up, or we declare that it must be
"psychological", that "it is all in your head". We give it fancy names such
as "psychosomatic", etc.

  • Brain
    hemisphericity

Most of these
names only cover up our helplessness and ignorance as to the true cause of
their suffering. Actually, it may well be all "in their head". Besides
looking at the area of pain, it is of vital importance to also investigate
brain function. Once we understand that normal brain function is designed to
inhibit pain perception, we must look for a way to evaluate the person's
brain state. A neurological examination by a skilled chiropractic
neurologist will easily reveal brain hemisphericity, the relative
under-functioning of one brain hemisphere compared with the other.

  • Brain
    specific therapy

Once we have
determined that there is no pathology in the area of pain, or anywhere else
for that matter, we then have to decide how to best increase the function of
the under stimulated brain hemisphere. The strongest sensory feedback from
the periphery to the brain is via large diameter myelinated nerve fibers (Ia
fibers), especially those from joint mechanoreceptors and muscle spindles.
Brain hemisphere specific chiropractic adjustments on the side of the body
opposite to the brain hemisphericity are exquisite ways to activate the
brain function where it is needed. The brain can also be stimulated with
light, sound, smell, taste, movement, etc.

For a
successful outcome it is vital that all therapies are brain based. Their
application must have a sound neurological basis. If you stimulate the
"wrong" side, you may end up making the brain hemisphericity worse. This may
lead to increased pain perception.


Important other factors


  • Decrease carbohydrate intake

Sugar at
high levels is toxic to nerve cells. Diabetes is the primary example
what happens to the nervous system when blood sugar levels are too high. The
nerves actually die. You end up with diabetic neuropathies. Amputation of
limbs may follow.

Reactive
hypoglycemia - low blood sugar - is equally dangerous. Many people on
high carbohydrate diets suffer from dramatic blood sugar swings. The brain
and the peripheral nervous system require an even and constant supply of
glucose. When blood sugar levels drop too low, too fast, neurons are unable
to function properly. They get stressed and may actually die.

In order to
improve brain and nervous system function it is thus vital to reduce
carbohydrate intake, especially sugar.


  • Increase dietary fats

We have
forgotten that fat is not what makes us fat. For years, we have been told to
eat low protein and low fat diets. We are so concerned with our weight! We
failed to realize that it is the carbohydrates that make us fat. So we drink
soda pop laden with sugar, eat pasta and bread, cookies and cakes. And we
wonder why we keep expanding.

Nobody
reminded us that a big part of our brain is fat, that fat surrounds the
nerves of the spinal cord and the periphery. Fat is the protective sheath,
the insulation. Fat is essential. Without proper amount of fat, our nervous
system is subject to malfunction, injury and damage. With our low fat craze
we have done plenty of damage to our nervous systems over the years. With
our low fat craze we are damaging the nervous systems of our children.


  • Increase protein consumption

Proteins are
the building blocks for living matter. Proteins consist of amino acids.
Essential amino acids must be eaten; they have to be derived from food
sources. They cannot be made in the body or by the body. Proteins are vital
for the electrical properties of the neurons. Proteins are vital for all
cells. A lack of protein leads to inadequate neurological functioning.


  • Good Digestive function is vital

The
"best" diet is useless if you cannot digest what you eat
and absorb what you digest. Inadequae digestive functions leads to
malnutrition. Ultimately your brain cannot function properly. Your brain
governs ALL human functions. Consequently ALL
aspects of your life can be negatively affected.

In order to
improve brain and nervous system function, adequate digestion and
dietary modifications are of utmost importance. A reduction of
carbohydrate intake, adequate consumption of essential fatty acids and
protein combined with a healthy digestive tract will create the biochemical
basis for optimal brain function.

Increased
sedentary lifestyle, long TV viewing hours, and endless computer sessions at
home and at work, all this has impacted our neurological health. The
dramatic upswing in ADD/ADHD, autism, learning disabilities and behavioral
problems over the past 20 years can be directly linked to the appearance of
TV and VCR. Many kids don't move anymore. Obesity and the consumption of
junk foods among American children are escalating. The same holds true for
our adult population.

Adequate
upright movement under gravity, such as play and sports, is probably the
largest contributor to proper brain development in our children. Adequate
upright movement under gravity, such as exercise, is probably the largest
contributor to neurological and general health among our grown-up
population. Our bodies are designed to move. So please! Move! Make your
children move! Your brains will be most grateful.

How
can YOU improve your brain performance?

  • Start with
    the basics:

  • Your diet, your digestive function, hypoglycemia/blood sugar, etc...

  • Take action Now!

  • Complete     Dr.
    Z's Self Evaluation     - It is Free and Easy

 

©
2005 - Dr. Z, Peter Zeischegg, MS, DC, DACNB