Memory Health Made Easy

About Memory Health Made Easy

David Norris, therapist and founder of Memory Health Made Easy shares brain health tips and strategies so you can reduce your risk for memory loss. Explore with guests the latest brain health strategies, evidence and tools for improving and sustaining memory health fitness for life. A big goal but a worthy one. David's mission is to serve as many people as he can to STOP avoidable memory loss. You can expect interviews, case studies and presentations about brain health - Foods, - Exercise, - Sleep, - Medication, - Health Factors, - Mindset, - Brain Training, - Neuroplasticity, - Nutrition and Supplements, - Social Matters, - Stress, plus more on what works, and what doesn't work. We want to for you to take control of your memory health so you can choose to do what matters in your life, on your own terms. Be it a new adventure or remaining comfortable in your own home. Memory Health needn't be complicated, so let's get clear on what you can do about it. Join in, subscribe to the show and discover what is good for brain health and what you can do to stop your risks for memory loss, today. A serious topic but made fun. Be Inspired, Learn and Connect with experts and other people's experiences to help you - so your brain span can match your lifespan.

Publisher

David Norris

Category

health & fitness · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Apr 2019

Latest episode

1 Jul 2020

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Jul 2020

   MHME 022: How You Can Better Listen To Your Heart to Improve Your Emotional Wellbeing with Guy Lawrence

   Humans are built to be resistant to negativity. That’s our brain’s coping mechanism. It’s psychology. It’s science. Whatever you’re feeling right now can directly affect your overall health and wellbeing. Sometimes, the situation that we find ourselves in can be difficult to accept. Other times, we just let these negative thoughts and emotions take over our lives. It’s just a matter of how we deal with these thoughts and how we surrender to them. If you find yourself fighting against negative thoughts, trying to bust yourself out of your negative situation, resisting change, and resisting fate, then this podcast is just perfect for you as it will help you embrace, accept, and play around with your situation to better your emotional wellbeing. In today’s episode on Emotional Wellbeing, we talk about: Listen To Your Heart To Find Your Purpose Acceptance Can Help You Learn and Grow Resistance is Hardwired Into Our Heart And Brain Internal Awareness Paves The Way To Acceptance Heart Rate Variability Helps Improve Emotional Wellbeing Having A Sense Of Commitment Practices Mindfulness Finding The Harmony Within You Makes You Live In The Flow Don’t Expect Instant Gratification Focus and Inner Awareness Helps Shift Pain and Anxiety Leading To A Better Emotional Wellbeing Playfulness Gives You The Freedom To Let Go Of Negativity Collaborative Meditation Enhances The Experience Have you ever felt like you are in some kind of emotional turmoil and just can't seem to get out of your negative situation? Feeling those negative emotions is normal. Being frustrated, angry, or agitated is normal. You can dwell on those emotions and beat yourself up everyday. Or, you can just leave those emotions behind and start accepting your situation, focusing on the positive, and accepting that growth takes time. For you to move on, the first step is always acceptance. Acceptance is a key factor in improving your emotional wellbeing. Resistance is natural. It's your brain's coping mechanism. Once it starts thinking that you are going deeper and deeper into a situation that can bring harm to you, it automatically switches on the alarm bell, telling you to turn back and run away. But running away can only cause your negative emotions to grow bigger and bigger. What once was a grain of sand or a raisin snowballed and ultimately turned into an avalanche. However, by working your way around resistance, you'll know that accepting and playing around it can help you cope better with it. Minimal stresses and activities can get you back on track and improve awareness. You might think practicing mindfulness and awareness takes a lot of effort. However, anything that is done repetitively and consistently can have great effects on yourself. Simple exercises such as walking a flight of stairs while counting the steps… Or closing your eyes and focusing on one thing that's around you can already help you practice mindfulness and awareness. Then, you can start looking inside you, meditate, and start listening to your heart, picking up your problems one by one, and solving them. Mindfulness and collaborative meditation enhance the experience and overall effect. There is something in social connections that urges you to do things. You can meditate on your own. But once you start doing it with other people, the experience gets amplified and the learning process is quicker. Science indicates that meditation can improve your quality of life. Imagine if you do it with more people. Sometimes, you just have to realize that there are things that you can and cannot control. And it is up to you how you want to handle it. Stop acting against those negative emotions and start looking inside you. Meditate and pay attention to what your heart is telling you. Only then can you move on and start living a better life. About Our Guest Guy Lawrence is a wellness coach and a fitness trainer. He hosts his own podcast “The Guy Lawrence Podcast,” and founded the “Let It In” program, a program that gives people insight on what they can do to achieve awareness, and lean into this life with purpose and vision. You can connect with Guy on his website (https://www.guylawrence.com.au/). Emotional Wellbeing Listen To Your Heart To Find Your Purpose Growing up, Guy had a rebellious side to him and played rugby. But he felt this nagging pull for something more. That nagging feeling inside of you gives you a clue about what and where you want to be. Guy spent years travelling, jumping from job to job, relationship to relationship. He realised later on that he was running on a lot of unconscious behaviours and patterns he assumed to be true about him. Guy started looking at himself more internally and stepped into a world where he felt he had more meaning, more purpose, and more context. Listening to your heart and understanding what it is telling you can lead you to parts of you that need help and healing. He became a fitness trainer and started his own natural protein supplement company, 180 Nutrition, which became successful. Later on, he sold out of his company and started a new project. Acceptance Can Help You Learn and Grow The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a disruption in the lives of others that led them to question their preconceived notions. Acceptance is key. Sometimes you just have to walk away. Stop looking for external factors that are affecting your life and start looking internally Stop trying to dwell in your negative emotions and start realizing that you have full control over how you react to negative situations Guy started embodying the person he wanted to become. He started looking at his situation from a different set of eyes. He looked at his life experiences and saw the wisdom and lessons he learned and not the stories and things he was attached to. Look deep within yourself, find what really wants to come through, then act upon it, nurture it instead of trying to suppress it. Resistance Is Hardwired Into Our Heart And Brain We are hardwired to stay safe so our bodies can maintain the balance. Our brain has a defense mechanism wherein once we encounter uncomfortable or painful situations, it automatically hits the brakes and stops you from trying to accept the situation. Resistance is natural, especially when you step out of your comfort zone. But there is an awareness, a curiosity that something is not quite right underneath. In your heart you may know the answer, but you refuse to listen to the message. When you don’t address your problems from the moment it appears, it only gets bigger and bigger until it becomes too much to handle. Guy had the opportunity to learn not to shy away from what he was dealing with and accepted the resistance. From then, everything started to flow again. Internal Awareness Paves The Way To Acceptance Focusing internally helps you realize that there are negative emotions inside of you that you have been all too familiar with and have been unconsciously disrupting your inner peace Awareness helps you remove resistance and put you back to the path of acceptance. Heart Rate Variability Helps Improve Emotional Wellbeing The heart directly affects the brain which then, signals resistance. The heart rate variability assists us in improving our emotional wellbeing. Stop and find the present moment. Bring awareness to who you are at this moment to reconnect with yourself. Having A Sense Of Commitment Practices Mindfulness Simple thought practices can help cut disruptions and bring you back to the moment. It’s similar to going to the gym. The repetitions of the work you put in bring the rewards later. Bringing mindfulness and establishing consistency of habit allow you to reconnect with yourself Finding The Harmony Within You Makes You Live In The Flow Everything around us has its own rhythm and harmony. All we need to do is to listen to our heart to find ours. Once we find our harmony, we are able to live in flow, bringing mindfulness and acceptance into our lives. Everything is connected, but for most of us, we’ve lost that synchronicity. Don’t Expect Instant Gratification Finding harmony and acceptance is not instantaneous. It’s a practice that builds up slowly but surely and not something that happens overnight. Anything that’s worth doing and having in life is done with love and labor. Dealing With Pain People with pain and anxiety feel the weight of the world. It gets heavier and heavier, and we feed into that. Find a way to break the pattern of anxiety and suffering by practicing mindfulness and meditation. Give your brain something else to focus on. The practice of proprioception or awareness of the body or brain helps you bypass pain and anxiety. By doing that for a couple of weeks, the pain management and anxiety levels will shift considerably. Playfulness Gives You The Freedom To Let Go Of Negativity Playing with your positive emotions and positive thoughts gives you a sense of openness. When you play, you give yourself this freedom and a suppression of the filter of your disbelief. Look for the joy around you and nurture the positivity in your heart. Collaborative Meditation Enhances The Experience Guy ran a free mini live retreat online in April. Meditating with more people helps you gain experience, allowing you to learn quicker, even through virtual meditation. Social connections help you commit to meditation. Simple meditative exercises help improve your quality of life. Previously Recommended Resources: Articles Cheng et al, (2019) Psychobiotics in mental health, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1021949819300158 Prof T. G. Dinan  & Prof. J. F. Cryan : Melancholic microbes: a link between gut microbiota and depression? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nmo.12198 Dr. James Doty: The Alphabet of the Heart https://jamesrdotymd.com/alphabet Books Psychobiotics Revolution by Scott C Anderson: http://psychobiotic-revolution.com. Memory Wise - Dr. Anne Unkenstein plus blurb The Biggest Takeaway about Emotional Wellbeing How you respond to situations plays a big role in how your life can go and how it can improve your emotional wellbeing. You can dwell in the pain and anxiety, or you can accept the emotional baggage and play around it. Quotable “And moments of disruption like right now can be a significant lens, a trapdoor moment which drops us into the unexpected and how we respond and how we feel, whether that be pain, overwhelm, anxiety...but on the other side, awareness, growth, acceptance, and letting go.” - David Norris What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode? All the best David P.S. Did you get the free guide?  If not, here’s the link Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

2. 

   18 Jun 2020

   MHME 021: Improve Your Healthspan: How Your Genes Affect Your Health with Dr. Denise Furness

   Finding out your genes increase your risk for a disease can be quite scary. It almost sounds like your fate, your health is dictated by your genetic makeup. But your genes don’t have to be a life sentence. You don’t have to accept that fate...well, not yet. What if I told you that you can still change the course of your health? That you can fight against and lower your risk for... Neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia. Or that a gene could be the reason you’re finding it hard to lose weight. Are your genes truly your destiny? Well, I believe that you can still rewrite your ‘health’ destiny and weave something more beautiful. Something that doesn’t restrict or limit the quality of your life. Something that lets you scream out at the top of your lungs... Yes, I can fight this! My genes are not in control, I am! Because that is what we all need to become. We all have to become empowered health warriors. Armed with the knowledge about our risk factors and motivated to make the necessary changes. Lifestyle changes are powerful because our health isn’t completely based on our genes. A personalised lifestyle plan and genes both affect your lifespan. A proper diet and nutrition. Exercise, movement, and physical activity. Getting enough sleep. All of these including a whole host of other factors have an impact. Genes are still important. They play an important role in our lives, but we don’t understand them fully. Despite what we already know, there are still common misconceptions about genes. For those of you who have done genetic testing, what were your results like? Does seeing those red, green, and yellow results give you a better understanding? Or maybe, it only increased your frustration and confusion. It might be that you became more anxious about your health. Far from being the empowered individual, you end up being more stressed. Stressed about what your future would be. Some people are even more susceptible to getting more stressed than they already are. Oh, what to do now? Build the right team that supports and guides you. Look for a functional medicine practitioner. Or someone that has training and knowledge in this space. There have been more and more practitioners like myself who’ve been interested and working towards improving their knowledge. So they can help people like you. Now’s not the time to take a backseat. We’re talking about your health here. And you are the driver. Not your genes, but YOU. So strap on your seatbelt and shift the gears. Don’t worry though because I’m here to guide you. Check out this new episode as we go over: The common misunderstandings surrounding genes and epigenetics How nutrition and environment have an impact on your genes Dr. Denise’ own risk and the applications for people in a similar situation What to be mindful of when getting a genetic test The common gene variations associated with neurodegenerative conditions Episode Highlights Finding The Genes Affecting Health Common Misconceptions On Genetics And Your Health How Genetic Variations Impact Your Health Understanding Your Genetic Risk Factors Genes Impact On Stress Levels Genes Role With Weight Gain Other Factors To Consider About Your Genes The Biggest Takeaway About How Genes Affect Your Health About Our Guest Dr. Denise Furness is a molecular geneticist and nutritionist. She spent 20 years studying the relationship between our genes and our environment, and has focused on nutrient genomics or the relationship between what we eat and how to fix our genes. You can connect with Dr. Denise through her website, Your Genes and Nutrition or reach out to her on her Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DrDeniseFurness/). Genes, Lifestyle Choices, And Your Health Finding The Genes Affecting Health The difference between a clinical geneticist and a molecular geneticist is that a clinical geneticist works in diagnosing rare genetic disorders linked with disease. Dr. Denise is an academic and scientist which involves having an understanding of viruses. Her work eventually led into animal work, but she shifted to nutrigenomics and got her PhD and postdoctoral fellowship on that. She worked on research for almost 10 years before moving into private practice. She now works in helping children with autism, people with chronic fatigue, and those facing cognitive decline by identifying the underlying issues affecting their health. Common Misconceptions On Genetics And Your Health Your genetic makeup plays a large role in your predisposition to health and disease. Our genes are the instructions to make the proteins, but they need to be turned on. Nutrients and amino acids are needed to be able to make proteins. Exposures to chemicals and toxins also heavily influenced gene expression. You need to be in balance by having a better relationship with your genetic makeup and making sure it’s nourished with the right amount of food, activity, and sleep. How Genetic Variations Impact Your Health MTHFR is not a diagnosis for any disease. Genetic variations could have a small or large impact on how well a gene functions. In the case of MTHFR, it makes an enzyme that functions a little slower. By adding a bit more folate and B2, you won’t have a huge demand on methylation. The slight variations can be modified through diet and lifestyle. This is where personalisation comes in. What you need to look at is the relationship between something in your body at a cellular level and how it plays out when you don’t get the right nutrients. There is an association of different factors that increases your risk to experience a disease. Being able to manage the stressors in your life becomes important to managing those factors. It’s about looking at a number of genes in the pathway and the nutrients that affect that pathway. Understanding Your Genetic Risk Factors Professor Rodrigo Quinn believes that we need to close the gap between understanding our relationship with our body and mind, the dynamic connectome. While many practitioners don’t recommend genetic testing, it will actually be helpful. As long as you can feel empowered by getting this information, then get tested. Dr. Denise's mother passed away from Dementia. She herself has APOE 34. APOE is implicated in the risk for cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Dementia. There are no medications to compensate, but evidence shows lifestyle intervention can improve quality of life. APOE is a lipid or fat transporter. Most or about 60% of the population (Europeans and Caucasians) are APOE 33. This means they have an average risk for Alzheimer’s Disease or about 5%. Those with APOE 34 have up to a 20% risk. For those with APOE 44, their risk jumps up to 70%. Knowing your risk factors means you can start to do things earlier. APOE 44 is strongly associated with Alzheimer’s Disease, but it is not a cause. Nigerians have the highest frequencies for APOE 44, but they have the lowest onset for Alzheimer’s Disease. The main difference between Nigerians and other African populations with high incidences of Alzheimer’s Disease is lifestyle. Nigerians have low cholesterol, are active, and eat a high fiber diet. With lifestyle changes, even if you are APOE 44, you can bring your risk down to normal. By stacking things in our favor, through movement, diet, proper sleep, we can reduce our risk of expression. Dementia is not an older person’s disease. It starts as early as our 30s and 40s. APOE is linked to inflammation too. A lot of genetic variations are sorted as either good or bad. But these genetic variations may also have benefits. For example, those with slower MTHFR have less DNA damage and can reduce the risk of cancer linked with DNA damage. With the amount of research being done, we should watch this space as we learn more. In the meantime, genetic testing is worth looking at. Some things to consider including eating a high fiber, low glycemic diet, eating healthy fats, and checking whether you have a disrupted circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is responsible for turning on and off genes at certain times. Those with APOE gene are shown to be better responders to exercise. Another gene to look at when it comes to cognitive decline is brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is the gene important for regenerating neurons that we lose over our lifetime. Exercise has been shown to light up the brain and increase BDNF. You should also monitor your stress levels because BDNF suppresses the expression of BDNF. Genes Impact On Stress Levels Some of us would have a more stressful response to difficult situations because of the way we’re wired. People with genetic variations in Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) and have a slow COMT will be lacking in magnesium and B vitamins. COMT is responsible for breaking down dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. People with a slow COMT experience a heightened stress response. The positive side is that someone with COMT has a really good capacity for executive function and thinking. By understanding your genetic predispositions, you can be a bit more logical and do little things that can help you like taking magnesium. Coming up with the ingredients and the tools in your personal toolbox can help you navigate the changes in your life. Genes Role With Weight Gain Some people have a genetic predisposition towards weight gain. The FTO gene is one of the strongest predictors of weight. FTO is responsible for your ability to utilise fat as energy. There’s no easy answer to being able to lose weight, but that shouldn’t mean that you give up. There is no one diet for everyone. Maybe you’re more sensitive to sugar or you’re more sensitive to fat. The diet that would work for you would depend on some things. Don’t get stuck on numbers and how many kilos you’ve lost. Look at body composition and health. Other Factors To Consider About Your Genes Past traumas such as being bullied or exposure to toxins could also be factors affecting your health. Dr. Denise has a functional medicine approach where she looks at a whole host of things including sleep, and gut microbiome. When it comes to genetic testing, it’s best to work with a practitioner who has done some training, look for a functional medicine doctor, or find someone who specialises in nutrigenomics or genetics. Be cautious about things like Ancestry and 23andMe.They have a wealth of data, but not the ones you want. Understanding your genetic makeup and what that means is very complex. Having somebody work with you through that is better than doing the guesswork yourself. More and more practitioners are becoming interested in the integrative medicine space or functional medicine space. Previously Recommended Resources Articles A favorable lifestyle was associated with a lower dementia risk even among participants with a high genetic risk. So despite the “gun” being loaded so to speak with lifestyle modifications you can reduce your personal risk. Association of Lifestyle and Genetic Risk With Incidence of Dementia: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2738355#joi190074r34 Books Psychobiotics Revolution by Scott C Anderson: http://psychobiotic-revolution.com. Memory Wise - Dr Anne Unkenstein plus blurb 3 Related Episodes You Might Like To Listen To Podcast Ep 015: How To Deal With Life Crisis and Change: Powerful Lessons and Tips with Prof. George Jelinek Podcast Ep 011: Your Body’s Wear and Tear and Memory Loss: The Biggest Things We Get Wrong with Prof. Zoltan Sarnyai Podcast Ep 009: How Stress Damages Your Memory Health And What To Do About It with Thomas G. Guilliams Ph.D The Biggest Takeaway About How Genes Affect Your Health Understanding your genetic makeup and what it means is a complex pitch. There are many different dance partners around a gene that are going to enable expression of that in many different ways. Quotable “We can start to stack things in our favor and reduce our risk of expression by starting to make simple lifestyle choices.” - David Norris What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode? All the best David P.S. Did you get the free guide?  If not, here’s the link. Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

3. 

   4 Jun 2020

   MHME 020: How To Beat 12 Causes of Brain Fog (Therapist Shares)

   Get Clear On Brain Fog Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Test and Treatments and be sure to grab the Free Transcript What have I got to do to beat this brain fog? Whether you... Experience low mental energy? Feel like your living behind glass? That lack of clarity. The difficulty in focusing. Everyone’s experience is different. So, if you’re wondering how to bust out of this brain funk-feeling in your head, or you want to help someone who is suffering from these symptoms, then today’s podcast is just for you. In today’s Brain Fog: Symptoms to Treatment episode I address: What Does Brain Fog Feel Like What Are 5 Brain Fog Symptoms 12 Causes of Brain Fog Lack of Sleep Makes A Fuzzy Mind Chronic #Stress And A Tired Brain Hormone Changes Lead To Bad Memory Depression And Brain Fog Food and Nutrition Affects Brain Health Medication Can Make You Fuzzy Neurological Conditions Impact Clarity Poor Gut Health Means Poor Mental Clarity Fatigue Makes You Too Tired To Focus Toxins Are Toxic To Your Brain Alcohol Flooding Your Brain? Genetics May Up Your Brain Fog Risks Brain Fog Testing: What Do You Need To Do? Get Some Brain Clarity with #Treatments Recovery Is Possible The Biggest Takeaway About Brain Fog And Stress How's your concentration? Pfft! Out the door and into the….uh. What was I thinking again? Maybe you find yourself getting lost in a conversation and not in a good way. You have to read things over and over. How do you turn up in your life and for your family when everything feels like you’re living behind a pane of glass? Simple everyday words seem like a struggle. You might be experiencing the cognitive changes people often refer to as “Brain Fog” Brain fog isn’t a medical condition. But it is an experience lived by people. And it impacts their quality of life. There are symptoms, a cluster of symptoms that indicate whether what you’re going through could be brain fog- but that’s not really the area to focus on- more so- what can you do about it. The experience though varies from person to person. One person’s experience of brain fog could be very different from another. It could be very light and minor. Or it could be so severe and significant that it’s already an impairment to your life. How you are dealing with memory problems, poor concentration, and lack of mental clarity.... When it comes to your ability to do things such as drive a car, manage your finances, pursue your hobbies. Have fun interactions and make conversations. Know this one important thing. Brain fog doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture in your life. There are tests that you can do. There are treatments available. You don’t have to live the rest of your life behind that glass pane. Life can become clear again! So make your move. If you know the cluster of symptoms associated with brain fog then you’ll know whether or not you’re experiencing it. The next step is to understand what could be causing your brain fog. Because when you know what’s causing it then you know what to do next. It is often that the causes determine the action. Address the things causing your mental fogginess. Take charge of your brain health and get clear. When your mental focus is taking a dive, that’s the signal for you to dive in as well. Take things into your hands. Attack the causes associated with it. Because that’s what you have to be. You have to stay vigilant and safeguard your cognitive fitness for as long as possible. So that you can get control and live your life on your terms. About Our Host David Norris is an occupational therapist who has been in this practice for 20 years. He has dealt with a lot of clients who seek help with their memory loss problems. David began asking himself about how these people can get ahead of these problems. It is then that he started teaching his clients how to improve their brain health to prevent memory loss. David Norris is also the director and founder of Occupational Therapy Brisbane. Brain Fog And Stress What Does Brain Fog Feel Like Philosopher Gilbert Ryle’s “Concept of Mind” is an argument against principles that the mind and body are separate. Brain fog is a cluster of different symptoms and experiences. It is a silent phenomenon. To others, the people who have it look normal. For those living with it, it is a pervasive experience. They have less energy, retreat more, and are a bit depressed. Some people feel hungover, some can’t think clearly, and others find simple words become such tongue twisters. One person’s experience of brain fog is entirely different from another’s. What Are 5 Brain Fog Symptoms Memory problems. Lack of mental clarity or difficulty of putting things together. Poor concentration and attention. Inability to focus. Mental fatigue or an impairment to do things that matter. 12 Causes Of Brain Fog Lack of Sleep Makes A Fuzzy Mind A lot of people aren’t sleeping properly. Broken, interrupted sleep means you don’t get the brain flushing benefits. When you get a deep nourishing sleep, your brain undergoes a wash and rinse cycle associated with mental health. Chronic Stress And A Tired Brain Stress plays a role in impacting your immune system. It triggers a whole host of changes that ultimately lead to mental fatigue. Stress makes it harder for you to think and rationalise things. Hormone Changes Lead To Bad Memory Thyroid dysfunction can manifest as brain fog. It can impact your sense of arousal, memory, and mood. Memory loss and hormonal changes are both associated with menopause. Hypothyroidism or not having enough hormones can lead to difficulty with concentration and also affects verbal memory. Depression And Brain Fog People with depression experience a cognitive dysfunction. Reaction times are slower. The ability to solve complex problems and have a sense of clarity are affected. Comparing 2005 with 2015, there’s been an 18% increase in people living with depression. Older people ages 65 and up are living with the profound impacts of depression. Food and Nutrition Affects Brain Health Brain fog can be a symptom of the lack of a nutrient rich and diverse diet. A healthy thriving brain needs vitamin Bs such as vitamin B12. Allergies and your consumption of food with preservatives or additives have been documented to be associated with brain fog. A MTHFR genetic mutation leads to low folate levels in the body and impacts methylation, which is responsible for allowing people to operate at high levels. Lifestyle factors set you up to experience brain fog. Medication Can Make You Fuzzy I put together some time ago a ‘Fuzzy 17’ list of medications associated with brain fog. Blood pressure lowering drugs have gained notoriety for that. Too little, too much, or too much of a multitude of different vitamins can be a factor for you to experience brain fog. People who undergo cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation report having a foggy brain. Neurological Conditions Impact Clarity Having anxiety impacts cognitive dysfunction. Neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and Dementia, autoimmune diseases like arthritis and lupus, dehydration, and conditions such as Meniere’s, all contribute to poor cognitive fitness. Poor Gut Health Means Poor Mental Clarity We’ve already looked at the relationship between the gut-brain access. Sensitivities in the gut and the immune system response affects your cognitive well-being. Gut health is an important variable contributing to your brain fog. Fatigue Makes You Too Tired To Focus Fatigue can be due to too much physical exertion or a lack of incidental movement Obesity and grief are both associated with fatigue. Toxins Are Toxic To Your Brain Toxins are in our environment. Some mimic the functions of hormones. Some block and mimic the activities associated with sugar regulation. Alcohol Flooding Your Brain? Alcohol has after effects and your liver has to deal with it. Sustained alcohol consumption and abuse will impair your cognitive performance. Genetics May Up Your Brain Fog Risks The MTHFR snip or single nucleotide polymorphism is a genetic variable associated with cognitive dysfunction. Brain Fog Testing: What Do You Need To Do? How is your mental health? What is your diet like? Are you getting enough physical activity? Or is it too much? Are you taking any medications or supplements? Are they doing the job they need to do? Check for symptoms such as hair loss, changes in skin moisture, weight gain, or changes in your nail conditions. Get some blood work done. Check your fasting glucose levels, any underlying infections, or nutritional deficiencies. Test your kidney, liver, and thyroid function. It might be worthwhile to get an MRI or CT Scan. Investigate your allergies or consider getting a sleep study. It might be worthwhile to get an MRI or CT-scan. Start a diary of your symptoms, the things happening in your life, your stress, your mood can help you keep a track record that could be the start of a relevant conversation later with your GP. Get Some Brain Clarity with Treatments The causes determine the actions needed to be taken. For example, if low iron levels are causing your poor cognitive function then add iron supplements or change your diet. For medication problems, work with your GP to determine what’s best for you. Get some good quality sunlight exposure. Connect with others and find joy and pleasure in the activities you do in your life. Recovery Is Possible Brain fog does not need to be an ongoing life condition. You can do something about it. Pay attention to the signs and be vigilant about safeguarding your cognitive fitness. You can tackle this, cut your risks down, and gain control. Put together the right team to develop a personalised action plan relevant to your particular situation. Get right to it now and cut down your experiences of memory health loss and brain fog. Previously Recommended Resources https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-018-0449-9 https://www.cdc.gov/aging/data/subjective-cognitive-decline-brief.html https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Subjective-Cognitive-Impairment-SCI.aspx Cognitive impairment in depression: recent advances and novel treatments: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6520478/ Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/media/statistics The role of cognitive dysfunction in the symptoms and remission from depression https://annals-general-psychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12991-015-0068-9 Ghost In The Machine “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_machine“ Charlie Brown “ Wah Wa” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxC_AjFxS68 3 Related Episodes You Might Like To Listen To Podcast Ep 011: Your Body’s Wear and Tear and Memory Loss: The Biggest Things We Get Wrong with Prof. Zoltan Sarnyai Podcast Ep 008: How Your Gut Health Affects Your Brain and Memory Health with Scott C Anderson Podcast Ep. 001: How To Prevent Memory Loss The Biggest Takeaway about Brain Fog and Stress Let’s cut up our “wah, wah” feeling and start to get more clarity in your life. Quotable “Rather than feeling like a passenger to the symptoms, experiences, we can start to do something about it.” - David Norris What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode? All the best David P.S. Did you get the free guide?  If not, here’s the link. Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

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