The UltraMind Solution (16 page)

We know that even people with prediabetes have a higher risk of cognitive decline, poor memory, and loss of brain function.
¹⁷
So when you have that soda, some imaginary barrier does not protect your brain.

How could we really believe that our brains could tolerate half a pound of sugar a day on average and be healthy?

There are
many
other examples of how great an influence the body (and what you put in your body) can have on your brain, some more of which you will learn about over the course of this book. But here is the bottom line...

All broken brains have their root in the body. They are not localized to that three pounds of custardlike gray stuff between your ears!

The body and brain interact as one system. Don’t be deceived. The barrier between them is no iron curtain. It is more like cheesecloth.

We all learned that once you lose brain cells, that’s it, they’re gone forever. We thought too many nights partying in college, or long-term stress or trauma, which injure the brain, were irreparable. And
clearly
brain damage and loss of brain activity from stroke or even cerebral palsy cannot be recovered.

Or so we thought...

Some of the most exciting research on the brain in the last decade has clearly shown that the brain can heal, renew, repair, and regenerate itself. You
can
make new brain cells (neurogenesis), you can wake up and activate damaged brain cells, and you can improve connections between brain cells (neuroplasticity), all of which lead to improved cognitive function and remarkable recoveries.

This discovery has now been replicated over and over. It is a whole new field of scientific inquiry called “neurogenesis,” or the creation of new brain cells.
¹⁸

We have long known of the brain’s ability to stretch. It is what we call plasticity. You can train areas of your brain to take over lost function and make enormous accommodations even under very extreme circumstances.

I know a little girl who was born with half a brain, and though she has some small motor problems and a few little quirks, if you met her you would never know she only had one half of her brain.

But brain regeneration and renewal go far beyond that. The implications for reversing dementia and affecting mood disorders are staggering.

If it’s true that you can grow new brain cells, the question really becomes: how do we accelerate and facilitate the process of neurogenesis? How do we help our brains heal and grow?

The key areas that regenerate are the hippocampus, a walnut-sized area of the brain that controls much of our mood and memory, and the olfactory (smell) center of the brain. We now know that hormones, growth factors (fertilizer for brain cells), new learning, neurotransmitters (brain messenger chemicals), and physical exercise can promote new brain cell formation.

We also know that stress, drugs, toxins, and anything that causes inflammation can damage the hippocampus, kill brain cells, and reduce neurogenesis.

The key to optimal brain health is doing more of the things that help generate new brain cells and less of the things that kill brain cells.

For example, we know that the stress hormone cortisol injures the hippocampus, damages brain cells, and leads to memory loss and dementia. Conversely, we know that reducing cortisol levels with relaxation increases the size of the hippocampus through neurogenesis.

So the next time you get stressed out, think about how you are killing your brain cells and take a deep breath instead.

Remember, there is hope to rebuild your brain and reverse conditions we thought permanent, such as autism and dementia, as well as depression and other mood disorders. You just need to know how to do it.

The first step is understanding that the myths outlined in this chapter are just that—myths. If you are suffering from a “mental illness” like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, a “brain disorder” like Alzheimer’s disease, or simply suffer from a bad mood, there are underlying root causes that are putting your system out of balance and creating these conditions.

Just because you got labeled or diagnosed with a disease does not mean you know what’s wrong with you. You probably don’t need more and better medications to overcome your “illness.” Psychotherapy may help, but on its own it’s unlikely to be as effective.

Fix your body and you will fix your broken brain and boost your brain power. The body-and-brain are
not
walled off from each other. What you put in your body affects your brain. In fact, it may mean the difference
between growing new brain cells and living with the same old diminished brain you are living with right now.

The second step is taking the “tacks” out of your brain—eliminating environmental and dietary factors that have been proven to cause your “broken brain.”

These are the
real
causes of your mood, memory, and cognition problems, and it is only by eliminating or reducing them that you will rebalance your body and restore your brain function.

Learning How to Protect Your Brain

——————

A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.

—MAX PLANCK

Our brains are the most sensitive organs in our bodies, and they respond immediately and almost instantly to insults.

So stop insulting your brain.

Most of us have no clue that sitting around on our couch watching TV hurts our brain. So does losing a few hours of sleep at night, drinking a can of cola, having that Starbucks grande latte, getting the flu vaccine, having those two glasses of chardonnay, taking a few Rolaids for heartburn, eating strawberries grown on a conventional farm, having a fight with our spouse, and talking on our cell phones for a few hours a day.

Save your brain. Learn what harms and what enhances it. Understand why you are brain damaged and how to prevent—even reverse—it. The data is in. We know what the harmful influences are on brain function. We know how these influences alter our mood; promote depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, dementia, Parkinson’s; and more.

I will review all of these insults in detail in Part II. There I will show you how different environmental influences, dietary factors, and other toxins can influence and create imbalances in each of the seven key systems in your body, and, as a result, affect your brain and your overall health.

For now, I want to summarize the big picture so you can begin to understand the environmental and dietary influences that affect your brain, how your brain is getting damaged, and how you can protect and care for it in the future.

There are two toxic foods that everyone should eliminate from their diet today,
immediately.
In fact, go right now to your cupboard and throw out everything with these two ingredients because they damage your brain (and the rest of your body as well). But be prepared. There may be nothing left in your cupboard.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an insidious chemical that has crept into our food supply in recent years. Though it was completely unknown until 1980, we now make 17.5 billion pounds of it and consume sixty-six pounds per person every year.

This is a potent form of sugar that is sweeter than regular sugar, increases appetite,
¹
promotes obesity more than regular sugar,
²
and is more addictive than cocaine.
³
It also leads to diabetes and an inflamed brain.

It is now the main form of sweetener in all processed and junk foods from cola to energy snack bars, from yogurt to turkey slices, from bread to salad dressing, and even ketchup.

In case an inflamed brain and an addicition stronger than cocaine doesn’t convince you, here are a few other reasons HFCS (and other forms of sugar) is harmful to the brain:

Sugar uses up your body’s store of vitamins and minerals without providing any in return.

High sugar consumption is tied to so many mental disorders it’s hard to list them all. They include lower IQ, anxiety, aggressive behavior, hyperactivity, depression, eating disorders, fatigue, learning difficulties, and premenstrual syndrome.
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