Smarter Food Choices and Brain Health

Abnormal bacteria in the gut is a factor behind inflammation, food cravings, obesity, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer's and many of the other chronic diseases seen today. When your gut bacteria (flora) is unhealthy a leaky gut syndrome can develop causing food particules to leach into your bloodstream where they can trigger allergic and inflammatory responses.

An abnormal gut environment can also lead to long term depression and other emotional and physical problems, because your gut bacteria provide a significant source of your amino acids, vitamins and other important compounds. Three major ones are ATP, tryptophan and serotonin.

The chronic use of broad spectrum antibiotics has also created abnormal gut flora leading to long term health problems. Many inflammatory illnesses that affect brain health can be prevented by getting a healthier gut.

What's the Smartest Decision?

Our natural biology was accustomed to a diet filled with mainly wild plants and animals, berries, nuts, and roots, which were significantly higher in nutrients than our foods today. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors consumed nearly 100 grams of fiber every day, compared to the 8-15 grams now consumed in the average Western diet.

The foods we eat can be our medicine or our poison .The processed foods found lining grocery store shelves are not the foods we were designed to eat. Ninety percent of the average American diet is fake food out of a box, can, jar, or tube.

Most of the foods the body reacts to are genetically modified and chemically different then even the last 10-20 years. The most common culprits being soy, gluten from hybridized wheat, corn, sugar, and highly pasteurized dairy, for example. These modern foods are foreign to your body, so it’s common to have problematic reactions, including inflammatory and autoimmune responses, which can lead to allergies, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and the list goes on and on.

One of every four Americans now has type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes and is a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

Americans have shunned fats for the last 40 years after being told they cause heart disease, when the real culprit is sugar. The epidemic of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and the like are evidence of what happens when your brain is starved of beneficial fats while being bombarded with toxic insults over time. Your brain is made up of fat, so it’s no surprise that low-fat diets have been linked to depression and suicidal or homicidal behavior.

We have outsourced the making of our food to corporations that have cut corners, added chemicals, and altered the genetic makeup of what we eat. What the average American eats is not food anymore but rather “edible manufactured products.” Our children pay the heaviest price, becoming biochemically enslaved to sugar.

This is not an exaggeration as studies have shown sugar to be eight times as addictive as cocaine. Would it be okay if the government began marketing and subsidizing cocaine? Of course not, but that’s exactly what they’re doing with sugar with their subsidization of the corn and fructose industry and manipulative marketing campaigns.

Beneficial bacteria in the gut also play an enormous role in your genetic expression—continuously helping flip genes off and on as you need them. Your genetic expression is 50 to 80 percent controlled by how you eat, think and move, and your genes change daily—if not hourly.

Better Brain Tip

It is critical to make SMARTER choices about what you eat.

The question I often ask my patients is…?

Would you feed your dog what you eat on a daily basis. Most people role their eyes and say;

“Of course not, that would make them sick!”

Well, WAKE UP and listen to your own answer. We are getting sicker and sicker year after year as a society

Start removing one food a week that you KNOW is not healthy.

After a few weeks when you start to feel better it will be even easier to keep removing the TOXIC foods that are affecting you and your family.

START NOW!!! 

How Do Brain Waves Affect Behavior?

Measuring brain wave patterns is a way to determine what mental state of the brain is presently active. The root of all our thoughts, emotions and behaviors is the communication between neurons within our brains.

Brainwaves are electrical pulses produced by masses of neurons communicating with each other. They are measured and detected by using sensors placed on the scalp and then divided into bandwidth frequencies to describe their function and area of the brain that is active.

Brainwaves are best thought of as a continuous spectrum of consciousness; Delta being slow, loud and functional - to Gamma being fast, subtle, and complex. A good way to describe this activity is to think of brainwaves as musical notes - the low frequency waves like a deeply penetrating drum beat, while the higher frequency brainwaves are like a subtle high pitched flute.

Our brainwaves change according to what we’re doing and feeling. When slower brainwaves are dominant we can feel tired, slow, sluggish, or dreamy. The higher frequencies are dominant when we feel wired, or hyper-alert.

The description below is only a global way to better understand this concept. In common practice this analysis is far more complex, and brainwaves reflect different aspects when they occur in different locations in the brain.

Brainwave speed is measured in Hertz (cycles per second) and they are dived into bands delineating slow, moderate, and fast waves.

Delta waves(.5-3Hz)

Delta brainwaves are the slowest but loudest brainwaves (low frequency and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat). They are generated in deepest meditation and dreamless sleep. Delta waves suspend external awareness and are the source of empathy. Healing and regeneration are stimulated in this state, and that is why deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing process.

Theta waves (4-8 HZ)

Theta brainwaves occur most often in sleep but are also dominant in the deep meditation. It acts as our gateway to learning and memory. In theta, our senses are withdrawn from the external world and focused on signals originating from within. It is that twilight state which we normally only experience fleetingly as we wake or drift off to sleep. In theta we are in a dream; vivid imagery, intuition and information beyond our normal conscious awareness. It’s where we hold our ‘stuff’, our fears, troubled history, and nightmares.

Alpha waves (8-12HZ)

Alpha brainwaves are present during quietly flowing thoughts, but not quite meditation. Alpha is ‘the power of now’, being here, in the present. Alpha is the resting state for the brain. Alpha waves aid overall mental coordination, calmness, alertness, mind/body integration and learning. The brain typically creates more alpha waves on right side of brain.

Beta waves  (12-38 HZ )

Beta brainwaves dominate our normal waking state of consciousness when attention is directed towards cognitive tasks and the outside world. Beta is a ‘fast’ activity, present when we are alert, attentive, engaged in problem solving, judgment, decision making, and engaged in focused mental activity.

Continual high frequency processing beta waves are not a very efficient way to run the brain, as it takes a tremendous amount of energy. The left side of the brain produces more beta wave activity.

Gamma waves (38-42 HZ)

Gamma brainwaves are the fastest of brain waves (high frequency, like a flute), and relate to simultaneous processing of information from different brain areas. It passes information rapidly, and as the most subtle of the brainwave frequencies, the mind has to be quiet to access it.

Gamma was traditionally dismissed as 'spare brain noise' until researchers discovered it was highly active when in states of universal love, altruism, and the ‘higher virtues’. Gamma rhythms modulate perception and consciousness, disappearing under anesthesia. Gamma is also above the frequency of neuronal firing, so how it is generated remains a mystery. The presence of Gamma relates to expanded consciousness and spiritual enlightenment.

WHAT BRAINWAVES MEAN TO YOU

Our brainwave profile and our daily experience of the world are inseparable.  When our brainwaves are out of balance, there will be corresponding problems in our emotional, mental and physical health.

Over-arousal in certain brain areas is linked with anxiety disorders, sleep problems, nightmares, impulsive behavior, anger/aggression, agitated depression, chronic nerve pain and spasticity. Under-arousal in certain brain areas leads to some types of depression, attention deficit, chronic pain and insomnia. A combination of under-arousal and over-arousal is seen in cases of anxiety, depression and ADHD.

ALTERING YOUR BRAINWAVES

By rule of thumb, any process that changes your perception changes your brainwaves.

Unfortunately in today's hectic world many use only chemical interventions such as medications or recreational drugs to alter brain function; however brainwave training is also very effective.

Over the long term, traditional eastern methods (such as meditation and yoga) train your brainwaves into balance. Taking regular time in nature also has an amazing ability to regulate brain wave patterns

With technology brainwave entrainment (light- sound therapy) has also become an easy, low-cost method to temporarily alter your brainwave state. If you are trying to solve a particular difficulty or fine-tune your brainwave function, state-of-the-art brain training methods like neuro-feedback deliver targeted, quick, and lasting results.  

How Does Light and Sound Activate Brain Activity?

Our brain is a memory organ that is paced by light and sound. Knowing this allows us to consciously set the stage for increasing our memory, reducing stress, improving sleep and making healthier decisions.

Brainwave entrainment refers to the brain's electrical response to rhythmic waves of sensory stimulation, such as pulses of sound or light. When the brain is given a stimulus, through the ears, eyes or other senses, it emits an electrical charge in response creating a wave pattern.

These electrical responses travel throughout the brain to become what you "see and hear." This activity can be measured using sensitive electrodes attached to the scalp.

When the brain is presented with a rhythmic stimulus, such as a drum beat for example, the rhythm is reproduced in the brain in the form of these electrical impulses. If the rhythm becomes fast and consistent enough, it can start to resemble the natural internal rhythms of the brain, called brain waves.

When this happens, the brain responds by synchronizing its own electric cycles to the same rhythm. This is commonly called the Frequency Following Response (or FFR):

FFR can be useful because brainwaves are very much related to mental state. For example, a four Hz brainwave is associated with sleep, so a four Hz sound pattern would help reproduce the sleep state in your brain. The same concept can be applied to many other mental states, including concentration, relaxation and meditation.

What is Entrainment?

Entrainment is a principle of physics. It is defined as the synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles. The principles of entrainment appear in chemistry, neurology, biology, pharmacology, medicine, astronomy and more.

The brain can be trained by choosing different frequencies of light and sound. In fact, the brain is affected by any kind of rhythmic stimuli. Clicks, drum beats, light flickers, and even physical vibrations or electric pulses have all been proven to effectively entrain the brain. However, to have a significant effect on one's mental state, the stimuli must be configured correctly and precisely timed.

The entrainment of brain waves is very important in establishing healthy rhythms. Making conscious decisions to allow the brain to wake up properly and prepare for rest will make a huge difference in establishing a healthier brain long term. Listening to lower frequency sounds late at night will prepare the body for rest. The antithesis would be to listen the faster upbeat rhythmic music to stimulate more creativity and physical movement during productive time of the day.

Better Brain tip

1)     Wake up each day with meditation to regulate brain wave activity.

2)     Prepare for sleep by reducing light and high intensity sounds ( avoid the news at night)

References:

 Huang, T. L., & Charyton, C. (2008). A comprehensive review of the psychological effects of brainwave entrainment. Altern Ther Health Med, 14(5), 38-50.

Toman J. Flicker potentials and the alpha rhythm in man. J Neurophysiol. 1941;4(1):51-61.

Nyström SH. Effects of photic stimulation on neuronal activity and subjective experience in man. Acta Neurol Scand. 1966;42(5):505-514.

Moruzzi G, Magoun HW. Brain stem reticular formation and activation of the EEG. 1949. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1995;7(2):251-267. 

Can Breast feeding Increase your Child's IQ?

The motto of the World Breastfeeding Organization this year is "save one million babies by breastfeeding". The emphasis is focused on the importance of enhancing brain health and immunity by breastfeeding during the newborn’s first hour of life.

Breastfeeding in the first hour, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, could save 41 percent of newborns who would otherwise die in their first month of life.

Breastfeeding right away increases the likelihood that babies will continue to breastfeed, and also gives them colostrum, a mother’s first milk. Colostrum, often called the “perfect food for every newborn,” is rich in antibodies and essential nutrients.

Mothers also benefit greatly from early breastfeeding through improved lactation and less blood loss. The first hour after birth should be a sacred time between a mother and baby, so they’re able to bond naturally. One of the best ways to do this is by placing the newborn on the mother’s chest, skin-to-skin. During this time, babies actually feel less pain and it’s not uncommon for the baby to intuitively latch on to feed.

Campaigns like this one are greatly needed to counteract widespread infant formula ads that often make it seem like bottle-feeding is superior to breastfeeding. Unfortunately, in the developing world, the average family does believe that bottle-feeding is better for babies than breast milk.

Of course, this is completely false. Breastfeeding is the smartest choice ,the least expensive and most effective way to improve the health of both yourself and your baby. It offers your child lifelong health benefits for brain development and a stronger immune system.

Breast milk boosts your child’s immune system naturally, promoting greater resilience against most common childhood illnesses and diseases. Many mothers who breastfed their babies have reported that their children were completely free of illness for the first several years, and have maintained unusually good health even as they’ve grown older. 

Several studies have also shown that breastfeeding can improve your child’s IQ, with breastfed children scoring an average of three to five points higher than formula-fed babies. The reason for this is that breast milk contains long-chain fatty acids, including animal based omega 3 fats like  DHA and AA, which appear to support brain development.

These nutrients have recently been added to some infant formulas sold in the United States, however the DHA added to formula is inferior to that in breast milk, as it may be highly oxidized. Meanwhile, breast milk contains other important fat constituents beyond DHA and AA that your baby simply won't get from formula. 

Encouraging breastfeeding and initiating skin-to-skin contact shortly after birth can make a huge difference in the future health of your child. It can also improve your own experience with parenting, since breastfeeding stimulates the release of the oxytocin hormone, which is known to promote maternal behavior. 

Additionally, if you need to go back to work but want to continue breastfeeding, look into the possibility of pumping or expressing your milk, and remember most states have laws to support breastfeeding mothers.

As a precautionary note, please do your research in formula is an option you choose. Do not give your baby soy-milk or soy-based baby formula, as they are grossly deficient in nutrients, usually derived from genetically modified crops and are high in chemicals that cross the blood brain barrier and can affect brain development. Choose right, choose smart, and choose health.

Better Brain tip

1)     It is important to remember that what you eat becomes your milk and will affect your newborn. Choose a healthy diet full of nutrient rich foods avoid over processed foods and those high in “additional” ingredients and sugar.

2)     Eat as clean as possible by avoiding GMO foods, high fructose, hydrogenated oils, corn syrup and artificial sweeteners.

3)     Hydrate!