CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Suffering from ongoing fatigue, an inability to concentrate or remember and a loss of motivation? These symptoms of “brain fog” may indicate that your brain is inflamed.
Brain fog results from inflammation in the brain. Unlike other parts of the body, an inflamed brain does not cause pain. Instead, it manifests in vague symptoms such as depression, malaise and foggy thinking.
Why does the brain get inflamed?
Our brains are protected by a microscopically thin yet powerful filter called the blood-brain barrier. Although the blood-brain barrier ensures that only necessary particles get into our brain, if it becomes too porous – think of leaky gut – then antigenic elements can make their way into the environment of the brain and set off an immune reaction, AKA inflammation.
In addition to a leaky blood-brain barrier, brain inflammation can also result from:
- Chronic systemic (throughout the body) inflammation.
- Blood sugar imbalances.
- Hypothyroidism.
- Gut infections.
- Heavy metals and other toxins.
- Stress and lack of sleep.
- Head injury or stroke.
Unfortunately, our brain doesn’t have an “off switch” when it comes to inflammation. Left unchecked, this can cause damage in the form of accelerated brain aging, raising the risk of degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s – a scary thought!
Research is shining a light on how food intolerances (gluten in particular) could promote neurological issues such as brain fog. Making dietary changes alone has been known to make all the difference for many people out there who are suffering from brain fog.
Thankfully, the brain responds to strategies to manage inflammation. Whether the inflammation is from food intolerance, hypothyroidism, toxins, blood sugar imbalances or other causes, there are a variety of ways to reduce it. Knowing what causes your brain inflammation is key to lowering it.
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Written by JOSH REDD, chiropractic physician at RedRiver Health and Wellness Center.
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About Josh Redd
Josh Redd, MS, DABFM, DAAIM, is a chiropractic physician and author of the Amazon bestselling book “The Truth About Low Thyroid.” Redd owns seven functional medicine clinics in the western U.S. and sees patients from across the country and around the world who are suffering from challenging autoimmune, endocrine and neurological disorders.
He studied immunology, virology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins, where he is a MaPHB candidate. He also teaches thousands of health care practitioners about functional medicine and immunology, thyroid health, neurology, lab testing and more.
Resources
- RedRiver Health and Wellness Center | Address: 1490 E. Foremaster Drive #130, St. George | Telephone: 435-767-9355 | Email: [email protected] | Website.
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