Say GOODBYE To BRAIN-FOG - Dr. Anderson's Tips for Healing the BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER

Summary

In this informative video, Dr. A delves into the causes and remedies for brain fog, a common yet debilitating condition. Highlighting the brain's unique biology and the importance of the glymphatic system for efficient waste removal, the video explores factors like inflammation, dehydration, and the blood-brain barrier's role. Dr. A offers insights into integrative and naturopathic approaches, emphasizing the benefits of sleep, hydration, nutrition, and targeted therapies for brain health and recovery from conditions like chemotherapy-induced brain fog.

Takeaways

• 💤 Sleep is crucial for brain health, particularly because the glymphatic system, which aids in waste removal from the brain, functions more efficiently during sleep.
• 🧠 Brain fog is a potentially debilitating condition that can result from various causes and is more common than typically acknowledged.
• 🛡️ The blood-brain barrier is an essential organ system that protects the brain by regulating the passage of nutrients and toxins, and its dysfunction can lead to impaired brain function.
• 🚰 Chronic dehydration can cause brain fog, emphasizing the importance of proper hydration for cognitive function.
• 🍽️ A balanced diet free from inflammation is vital for brain health, with specific nutrients like phospholipids, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and amino acids playing key roles.
• 💊 Certain medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, can induce brain fog due to their effects on hydration and the blood-brain barrier.
• 🏃‍♂️ Exercise is beneficial for healing the blood-brain barrier and improving cognitive function, as physical activity sends signals that promote healing.
• 🧘‍♀️ Lifestyle factors like sleep, hydration, and diet are fundamental in managing and potentially reversing brain fog.
• 🧬 The brain is a fatty organ, and its cells rely on lipids for the formation and function of cell membranes, which is essential for neurotransmission.
• 🧩 Brain fog can be multifactorial, with different causes leading to different types of cognitive impairments.
• 🔬 The script suggests that integrative and naturopathic medicine approaches can help address brain fog by targeting underlying causes and supporting overall brain health.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is brain fog, its causes, and potential treatments, with a focus on integrative and naturopathic medicine approaches.

Why is sleep important for brain health according to the script?

Sleep is important for brain health because the glymphatic flow in the brain, which helps remove waste and toxins, is more efficient during sleep, especially deep sleep.

What is brain fog and why is it problematic?

Brain fog is a potentially debilitating condition that can impair cognitive function for various reasons. It is problematic because it can be pervasive, affecting memory, thought processes, and overall brain function, and it can significantly impact a person's daily life.

What is the blood-brain barrier and why is its function important?

The blood-brain barrier is an organ system that protects the brain by regulating the passage of nutrients and waste between the blood and the brain. Its function is important because it helps maintain the brain's internal environment and supports optimal brain function.

What role do glial cells play in the brain?

Glial cells, also known as support cells, play a crucial role in the brain by providing support and nourishment to nerve cells, helping to maintain the health of the brain tissue and facilitating brain function.

What is the glymphatic system and how does it relate to brain fog?

The glymphatic system is a drainage system within the brain that helps remove excess fluid and waste. If it becomes slow or dysfunctional, it can lead to low-grade brain edema, which may contribute to the development of brain fog by affecting cognitive function.

What are some common causes of brain fog mentioned in the script?

Some common causes of brain fog mentioned in the script include food sensitivities, toxic exposures, heavy metals, mold exposure, chemotherapy, dehydration, and chronic illnesses with inflammatory nature.

How can hydration impact brain function and brain fog?

Hydration is critical for brain function as chronic dehydration can lead to brain fog. Proper hydration, including electrolyte balance, is necessary for maintaining the brain's optimal performance and can help alleviate symptoms of brain fog.

What is the significance of the blood-brain barrier in the context of brain fog after chemotherapy?

The blood-brain barrier can become dysfunctional due to chemotherapy, leading to chronic dehydration and changes in the barrier's receptor types and organelles. This dysfunction can contribute to the development of brain fog by affecting the brain's ability to receive nutrients and remove toxins.

What are some lifestyle and dietary changes suggested in the script to help with brain fog?

The script suggests improving sleep, ensuring proper hydration, adjusting diet to reduce inflammation, and supplementing with nutrients like phospholipids, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and amino acids to support brain health and potentially alleviate brain fog.

How does exercise potentially help with healing the blood-brain barrier?

Exercise can send signals that promote healing of the blood-brain barrier. By engaging in physical activity, especially of the skeletal muscles, the body can initiate processes that help restore the barrier's function, which is beneficial for brain health.

Outlines

00:00

💤 Understanding Brain Fog and Sleep

This paragraph introduces the concept of brain fog and its impact on cognitive function. It emphasizes the importance of sleep for the brain's glymphatic system, which is more efficient during good sleep, aiding in the removal of waste products. Dr. A, the speaker, discusses the brain's unique biology, its reliance on fat and the blood-brain barrier's role in nutrient delivery and toxin removal. Dysfunction in the blood-brain barrier can lead to impaired brain function, contributing to brain fog. The paragraph also touches on the support cells and the glymphatic system's significance in maintaining brain health.

05:02

🌐 Causes and Types of Brain Fog

The second paragraph delves into the various causes of brain fog, including inflammation triggers such as food sensitivities, toxic exposures, and chronic illnesses. It highlights the multifactorial nature of brain fog, where different inputs can lead to different types of brain fog. The speaker provides examples from integrative oncology, explaining how chemotherapy can induce brain fog due to chronic dehydration and changes in the blood-brain barrier. The paragraph also contrasts the recovery process for brain fog caused by a single insult like chemotherapy versus the more complex and prolonged recovery for chronic illness-induced brain fog.

10:03

🛌 Lifestyle and Nutritional Approaches to Address Brain Fog

This paragraph focuses on the lifestyle and nutritional interventions that can help alleviate brain fog. It underscores the importance of sleep and proper hydration, as well as the role of diet in reducing inflammation. The speaker mentions the significance of certain nutrients such as phospholipids, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and amino acids for brain health. Additionally, it discusses targeted therapies that aim to support brain mitochondria function, including the use of NAD boosters and methylene blue, to improve energy production and cognitive function.

15:04

🏃‍♂️ Healing the Blood-Brain Barrier and Restoring Brain Function

The final paragraph discusses the healing of the blood-brain barrier, which is crucial for restoring normal brain function. It mentions exercise as a means to signal the blood-brain barrier to heal, along with the use of certain nutrients to support this process. The speaker also touches on the rebalancing of reproductive hormones as a potential aid in healing the blood-brain barrier. The paragraph concludes with a reminder that addressing the underlying causes of brain fog, even in complex cases, can lead to improved brain function and a reduction or elimination of brain fog symptoms.

Keywords

💡Brain Fog

Brain fog is a term used to describe a condition where a person experiences a lack of mental clarity, often feeling as if their thinking is slow or absent. In the video, it is described as a potentially debilitating condition that can occur for a variety of reasons, affecting normal thought processes and memory. It is a central theme of the video, with the speaker discussing its causes, effects, and potential treatments.

💡Glymphatic System

The glymphatic system is a network that helps drain excess fluid from the brain and is crucial for maintaining brain health. The video explains that this system is more efficient during better sleep, highlighting its importance in the context of brain fog. The script mentions that if the glymphatic system slows down, it can lead to low or high-grade brain edema, which can impair cognitive function.

💡Blood-Brain Barrier

The blood-brain barrier is a protective mechanism that regulates the passage of substances between the bloodstream and the brain. In the video, it is discussed as a potential factor in brain fog when it becomes dysfunctional. The speaker mentions that if the blood-brain barrier is compromised, it can lead to a buildup of toxins and a lack of necessary nutrients, affecting brain function.

💡Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain that facilitate communication between nerve cells. They are essential for generating thoughts and feelings. The video script implies that the proper functioning of neurotransmitters is vital for avoiding brain fog and maintaining cognitive clarity.

💡Inflammation

Inflammation is a biological response to harmful stimuli and can be a factor in various health conditions. In the context of the video, inflammation in the brain is discussed as a potential cause of brain fog. The speaker mentions that a background of inflammation can be created by a combination of factors, such as food sensitivities, toxic exposures, and chronic illnesses.

💡Dehydration

Dehydration refers to a lack of sufficient water in the body, which can affect cognitive function. The video script emphasizes that chronic dehydration can cause its own form of brain fog. The speaker suggests that proper hydration, including electrolyte balance, is an essential part of addressing brain fog.

💡NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide)

NAD is a coenzyme found in all living cells and is essential for the production of energy in cells. In the video, it is mentioned as a potential therapeutic target for brain fog, with the speaker discussing the use of NAD precursors to boost NAD levels in the brain and improve mitochondrial function.

💡Methylene Blue

Methylene blue is a synthetic drug that has been used in neurological research for its potential benefits in improving memory and brain function. The video script positions methylene blue as an add-on therapy that can help with brain fog by supporting mitochondrial function in the brain.

💡Phospholipids

Phospholipids are a class of lipids that are a major component of all cell membranes, including those in the brain. The video discusses the importance of phospholipids like cytocholine, phosphatidylcholine, and GPC for the health of brain cells and the potential to support healing and function in the context of brain fog.

💡Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients that play a crucial role in brain health. The video script mentions omega-3s as potentially beneficial for brain fog, suggesting that they may support the health of brain cell membranes and overall cognitive function.

💡Exercise

Exercise is discussed in the video as a beneficial activity for brain health, particularly for the healing of the blood-brain barrier. The speaker explains that physical exercise can send signals that promote healing of the blood-brain barrier, which is important for addressing brain fog.

Highlights

Sleep is crucial for efficient glymphatic flow in the brain, which helps remove waste.

Brain fog is a common and debilitating condition with various causes.

The brain, being a fatty organ, relies on phospholipids and neurotransmitters for its functions.

The blood-brain barrier is essential for nutrient delivery and toxin removal from the brain.

Glia cells support brain function and are integral to the brain's self-care mechanisms.

The glymphatic system is vital for draining excess fluid from the brain.

Lymphatic system dysfunction in the brain can lead to cognitive impairment.

Inflammation in the brain can be a result of various factors and contribute to brain fog.

Chemotherapy can induce brain fog due to its effects on hydration and the blood-brain barrier.

Dehydration is a common cause of brain fog and can be chronic.

Chronic illnesses, especially inflammatory ones, are often associated with persistent brain fog.

Integrative oncology addresses side effects of cancer treatment, including brain fog.

Exercise can promote healing of the blood-brain barrier through skeletal muscle signals.

NAD and methylene blue are therapies that target brain mitochondria to improve function.

Rebalancing reproductive hormones can have a positive effect on blood-brain barrier healing.

Healing underlying areas of complex chronic illnesses can reduce or eliminate brain fog.

Lifestyle modifications such as improved sleep, hydration, and diet are fundamental in managing brain fog.

Nutrient supplementation, including phospholipids and omega-3 fatty acids, can support brain health.

Targeted therapies are used initially to energize the system, followed by healing and maintenance therapies.

Transcripts

sleep believe it or not what your

grandmother probably told you sleep is

important it actually is important and

it turns out what we know now is that

the brain the glymphatic flow in the

brain is actually more efficient when we

get better

sleep hey I'm Dr a and this is my

channel where we talk about all things

integrative in naturopathic medicine

today we want to get into brain fog

brain fog is an extremely potentially

debility ating condition that can happen

for a large number of reasons it is much

more common than we often think about

and if you haven't had it you really may

not understand how pervasive and

problematic it is for a person so we

want to break it down a little bit today

get into some of the top reasons why it

happens and things you might consider

doing about it so we're going to call

this brain fog 101 we may do others if

you want to hear more about it give us

some comments and we'll definitely build

some more video content because that's

what we do here so the first thing is is

that you need to understand the way that

your brain generally works so we know

that you know our brain is in our head

and it communicates through the spinal

cord and some cranial nerves all of that

business but the brain is really very

unique in the way that its biology works

and the way that it takes care of itself

because it is a primarily fatty organ

and so you think well fat like you know

not like body fat but neurological cells

are full of phospholipids and other

lipids that make up the membranes of the

brain cells and then all of the

membranes of the nerve tracts and the

peripheral nerves there's just a lot of

fat in there due to the phospholipid

content within those phospholipids then

you have the sending and receiving type

cells that usually operate by sending

and receiving neurotransmitters and then

those create a electrical impulses that

create thoughts feelings all sorts of

things in your brain your brain is

protected by an organ system it's not

one thing called the bloodb brain

barrier which you probably heard of and

the bloodb Brain barrier is supposed to

help so that the blood can come and

deliver the nutrients necessary and then

let them into the brain and also help to

take away some of the toxic things and

other stuff that may need to go out it

does this through a series of a lot of

different types of receptors that are

very very specialized so if the bloodb

brain barrier becomes dysfunctional the

rest of the brain doesn't work quite the

way it's supposed to on the inside of

your brain you have these nerve cells

and the tracks and all those things but

we also have support cells like gel

cells you g a or gel cells we hear about

those you know long Co another thing but

gal cells are basically there to be

supportive and helpful to provide what's

necessary for all these cells that are

trying to orchestrate your thought

patterns and your brain function Etc

then there's a special type of physical

drainage if you will called the

glymphatic with a g l ym glymphatic so

you've heard of lymphatic drainage

that's what drains the excess fluid from

the interstitium around your body well

the glymphatic system helps to do that

with your brain now if in your

peripheral body your lymphatic system

back up we call lymphadema right if in

your brain your lymphatic system gets

slow you actually can get low or

high-grade brain Adema and that doesn't

allow you to think as well as you might

ought to then there is a combination of

all these things maybe not working

correctly which can create a background

of inflammation in the brain so if you

put this all together and we remember

that the way that our brain functions

part of it is our conscious thoughts

right so if our brain is functioning

normally we will feel more like

ourselves and our thoughts will seem to

be generated quickly we may look and we

may need to recognize something or

remember something and it will come at

kind of the normal rate it does for us

when we have quote unquote brain fog

what starts to happen is these normal

thought processes seem to slow down or

maybe even be absent so we might take

longer to interact with something we

might have a problem remembering

something but not just once or not just

cuz you're retired but that's just a

chronic thing and the biggest problem

that people will see in report is that

they know this is not how they normally

are they didn't used to be this way okay

so that is the biggest problem is the

noticing of the difference from before

you had it to until when you do have it

it becomes difficult because there's a

collection of all these cells and organs

systems and processes that make up the

nervous system that make up our thought

patterns and our memory and everything

else and so you have a lot of inputs

into the system and if I have one input

that's not working correctly I can have

one kind of brain fog if I other inputs

that are not working correctly I'm have

a different type of brain fog and so the

outcome is I'm not thinking the way I

want my memory is not the way I want Etc

but I may have different causes and they

may be very multifactoral

so some of the more common things that

we see in the medical world looking at

brain fog are very Global and very

common types of problems so you could

have things that trigger inflammation so

these could be things like food

sensitivities or food allergies toxic

exposures things like heavy metals and

mold exposure is a big one for this with

mot toxins Mass cell disorders are a big

cause of brain fog chemotherapy y

there's a lot of drugs that cause brain

fog but chemotherapy for cancer can be a

huge huge cause of brain fog for a

number of reasons dehydration actually

chronic dehydration can cause its own

form of brain fog and dehydration often

goes with many of these other problems

and then we see brain fog being

persistently elevated in people who have

other chronic illnesses especially when

there's more of a complexity of the

chronic illness or a very inflammatory

nature to the chronic illness as well so

want to compare and contrast just a

couple of examples of brain fog so part

of our practice is integrative oncology

dealing with people to help with side

effects of their cancer treatment cancer

recovery cancer prevention and a common

extremely common issue that will come up

is chemotherapy protocol may be done

with some of that may be very successful

but they will come to us and they'll say

my brain just feels really dull and I'm

not remembering and my thoughts aren't

kind of coming as quick as I thought

they should and it's been kind of

progressively worse through my

chemotherapy experience this is really

really common there's a lot of science

published around chemotherapy induced

brain changes the big areas that

chemotherapy will affect are this

chronic dehydration that it can actually

induce and then also changes at that

bloodb brain barrier that series of

receptor types Y and series of organel

that make the blood brain barrier so

then I get a dysfunctional bloodb brain

barrier and then I have this collusion

of dehydration and dysfunctional bloodb

brain barriers so patient comes in and

we start doing work on their bloodb

brain barrier and we'll discuss that

later we start to work on their

hydration and hydration is more than

just drinking water it includes

electrolyte balance and all kind of

other things and then we may work on

some other underlying things that are

aimed at helping the membranes heal up

especially the bloodb brain barrier so

on a patient on that end of the spectrum

we have a known insult being the

chemotherapy we know a lot

mechanistically about how a brain fog

occurs post chemotherapy and so we're

targeting those main you know kind of

top of the pyramid cause areas and in

many people if they have been normal

before with no brain fog then they have

a known insult like chemotherapy and

then we get them early enough we can

start to reverse the trend of the brain

fog over the course of weeks to maybe a

few months on the other hand so other

end of the spectrum the other part of

our practice is complex chronic illness

so people have a lot of reasons why

they're chronically ill so in complex

chronic illness patients often there's

not one cause like the chemotherapy

person but there's been like a slow burn

that's getting faster over time of

chronic illness that keeps adding uh

different aspects to it so there's more

and more causes for their chronic

illness cuz they're not getting better

and so they may have other symptoms such

as pain and fatigue and all sorts of

other things but then as part of it

they'll say yes if I Look Back 2 years

ago I definitely had faster memory felt

like my brain worked better everything

and now I wake up I kind of feel foggy

all day it's like my brain is running

slow but they don't have one inciting

event like the chemotherapy now those

people sometimes the targets are the

same but our goal there is to do some

targeting of the brain tissues and the

Brain hydration and all of that but the

more we work on healing the reasons that

they're chronically ill the better the

brain function will be but that often is

instead of weeks to maybe a few months

that might be a number of months to a

few years before it starts to turn

around now when I say a number of months

to a few years generally that doesn't

mean you're not having happen for that

amount of time you're progressing it's

just not you're not progressing to

resolution as quickly as someone with a

single insult like chemotherapy that did

it so what are ways that we work with

this well like I was saying first thing

is why did it come on if we know and so

we're going to treat a chemotherapy

induced or a trauma induced brain fog

probably differently and a little more

focused than a chronic illness hinded

brain fog the next thing is we need to

look at what are the things

scientifically that we know that can go

and help the blood brain barrier Help

The lymphatics Help the gal cells help

everybody else to work better and play

ball and give you better brain function

now these are not medical advice these

just general patterns that I see you

should talk to your provider about any

of this but the first two things are

what we would consider to be hygienic or

lifestyle types of manipulations so

sleep believe it or not what your

grandmother probably told you sleep is

important it actually is important and

it turns out what we know now is that

the brain the glymphatic flow in the

brain is actually more efficient when we

get better sleep so if you think about

the reason for the glymphatic to move

the junk out of the brain there's other

Pathways but that's a big one when you

are sleep deprived the glymphatic turn

over slows down especially if you're not

getting into deep levels of sleep that's

when it's really really active to so

getting people sleeping helps many

things but it actually helps your brain

in ways other than just you think well

I'm tired so my brain's running slow

that's part of it but also if you're

tired because your sleep cycles are off

it's also because your brain is not

getting the junk out of it without

getting clearing and cleaning hydration

goes along with sleep it's a it's a

lifestyle thing A lot of people are

chronically dehydrated and like I said

it's water plus other factors

electrolyte balance many other things go

into hydration and so chronic

dehydration is not something you reverse

and it's better tomorrow but it's

something that you work on through your

diet and lifestyle and usually extra

things such as electrolyte additions Etc

so hydration is a a big picture

treatment now nutrients is everything

right so getting your diet dialed in

making sure your diet's not inflammatory

which is very individualized that's very

important some other nutrients that we

might add in with people are some of

those fatty things that your brain uses

and some of those may be phospholipids

like phosphole choline or some of the

choline molecules you may have heard of

there's cyto choline phosphat choline

GPC which a really long name of a

different kind of choline so the the

choline molecules that are phospholipid

so phosy choline the other ones I

mentioned can be very very useful over

time again they won't make you feel

better today usually but over time

they're very healing to the central

nervous system sometimes people need

help with the essential fatty acids

you've heard of you omega-3 from you

know fish oils or sea vegetables or

other things those can be very useful as

well and then General Nutrition your

brain runs on a lot of B vitamins and

amino acids so making sure those are in

your diet maybe supplementally Etc so

those all very useful now specific

therapies that help the brain

operationally are going to Target the

brain mitochondria so things that

increase the vitamin B3 active form

called naad we got videos on NAD NAD is

what helps the mitochondria actually

make electrical energy to run all of

your cells and your brain uses a lot of

those so supports to NAD might be

nicotinamide also known as niacinamide

they orally might be nicomide riboside

or nicotinamide mononucleotide those are

oral things you can take to increase

your NAD levels NAD sometimes is used as

an intravenous intervention and if

you're doing that you're working with

someone who does that but NAD and

boosting NAD in the brain is very

important the other is an add-on therapy

because it goes to the mitochondria

through a slightly different pathway is

the oldest synthetic drug we got a lot

of content on this too called methylene

blue and it is used more and more in

neurological research because it

actually does help with things like

memory brain function Etc so you might

look and say well things like you know

boosting up the NAD and the methylene

blue boosting up you know the activity

of mitochondria those seem like they're

very targeted therapies so do you do

those forever not usually usually we do

targeted Therapies in the beginning to

kind of get more energy back into the

system and we do the healing things a

little bit longer so maybe phospholipids

and omegas and the B vitamins and amino

acids and the core things that keep you

healthy like better sleep Cycles better

hydration all that those are what are

going to get you out of the cycle long

term so you sort of go backwards do a

lot of stuff in the beginning then do

less as you over time now blood brain

barrier damage is extremely common in

people who have had radiation to the

Head certainly who've had a lot of

inflammatory illness so trauma so head

traumas will break it up but also people

who have had neurological effects from

covid and other infections and also o

people who are chronically ill for other

reasons people with neurological

autoimmunity all those people have one

thing in common their bloodb brain

barrier is dysfunctional so the blood

brain barrier in order to keep the brain

working right and to heal these things

it has to heal as well there are a

number of things that can be healing to

the bloodb brain barrier but one of them

that has newer research is actually

exercise exercising the skeletal muscle

actually sends signals out so that your

bloodb brain barrier is told okay it's

okay to heal up now right so physical

exercise so we already have sleep we

have hydration now we have movement of

the body that can be very helpful blood

brain barrier some of these other things

I mentioned for the brain proper can be

helpful the blood brain barrier healing

up those phospholipids like cytool phosl

choline GPC those type of things the

omegas can be helpful also there's other

things that can be helpful to bloodb

brain barrier such as rebalancing the

reproductive hormones in the body that's

a stretch well in the brain your brain

uses reproductive hormones for generally

non-reproductive purposes and what

happens in chronic illness and Trauma is

our hormones get out of balance and

usually they shift towards an

inflammatory hormonal mix so this is

something you have to have tested and

work with a practitioner does this but

rebalancing of the reproductive hormones

also has a feed forward effect onto

blood brain barrier healing so at as you

can see in some people like the

chemotherapy induced brain fog you have

a single attack point that happened and

usually a shorter recovery time on the

other end of the spectrum with a complex

chronic illness patient or somebody

who's had a number of traumatic brain

injuries or any other chronic thing

you've got a longer time because you got

more inputs to why the brain fog is

there but the important thing is is that

the brain fog if you work on healing all

the underlying areas which are complex

you can bring back your brain function

that you were missing before and the

brain fog eventually can go to a lower

level or actually go away all right

thank you for your time today thanks for

listening to this we're going to put

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