Summary:
In this video blog I discuss a condition that is impacting more and more people each year–Alzheimer’s. In two recent studies it was shown that inflammation in the body can lead to Alzheimer’s. How does inflammation impact your brain? What can you do to reduce inflammation in the body? Tune in and find out…

Full Script:
Just recently a friend of mine was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. This has made me be a little more aware of information I come across about Alzheimers.

An article posted last week talks about inflammation being a trigger for Alzheimer’s disease. Two studies quoted in the article support this conclusion.

For some time now scientists have known that a high accumulation of a protein called amyloid beta in the brain is responsible for Alzheimer’s. In this disease, this amyloid beta protein accumulates because a transporter protein, called LRP, that pushes amyloid out of the brain and into the bloodstream malfunctions. Until now, they have not been able to figure out what makes this transporter malfunction. The studies are now showing that the onset of inflammation, especially too much inflammation anywhere in the body can turn off this transport, allowing amyloid beta to accumulate within the brain tissue.

They are also seeing that administering a substance, in this case a pharmaceutical, that reduces inflammation prevents the transport protein from malfunctioning.

There is so much information popping up about the harmful effects inflammation has throughout the body, and this is another very serious example of just that.

There are lots of natural anti-inflammatories available and one of the best is a concentrated high potency omega 3 oil supplement, like the Norwegian Gold Critical Omega. Other great anti-inflammatories are turmeric, boswellia, quercitin and ginger. There are even formulas you can find in your local health food store specifically to reduce the inflammatory process.

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Alzheimer's, amyloid beta, blood stream, boswellia, Brenda Watson, curcumin, ginger, inflammation, lrp, Norwegian Gold Fish Oils, omega-3 oil, turmeric

My assistant recently returned from the latest Institute for Functional Medicine conference in southern Florida. For those not familiar with Functional Medicine it is a personalized medicine that deals with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms for serious chronic disease. In other words, they teach Medical Doctors as well as all other specialties how to evaluate a person to get to the route of a problem or disease and treating the cause verses just treating the symptoms.

A big part of Functional Medicine includes the use of nutraceuticals in treatment.

This year’s conference centered on Mood Disorders, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder as well as touching base on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Amazingly, one of the focuses of the lectures was the gut-brain connection in relation to mood disorders. More specifically, how reactions of our immune system and gut inflammation can directly affect our brain.

Remember that most of our immune system is in our gut.

Without getting too technical, the same type of cells and neurotransmitters found in our brain are also located within the digestive system. The development of an infection or inflammation anywhere in the body will set the immune system in action. Again, most of this reaction takes place first within the immune system of the digestive tract. Our immune system responds by the reaction of proteins called cytokines. These cytokines tell our body what type of reaction to have, such as swelling, stiffness, pain etc…It has now been shown that these cytokines will travel a very unique pathway and arrive at the brain, setting into motion a chemical reaction that results in the breakdown of the neurotransmitters involved in mood stability and inflammation within the brain itself.

Once this brain inflammation develops, it can remain for months even though the initial problem in the other part of our body gets resolved. This brain reaction can result in symptoms such as brain fog, memory problems, depression and anxiety. In addition, the influx of these cytokines to the brain can disrupt the lining of the brain called the blood-brain-barrier, causing what they now call “Leaky Brain” syndrome, making the brain more susceptible to other agents that do not normally pass this barrier. This is very similar indeed to what we know as Leaky Gut syndrome.

The more inflammation and irritation of the gut lining, as in Leaky Gut, will in turn send more of the cytokines to the brain, resulting in more inflammation and irritation there. In reverse, they are now seeing that healing the gut, reducing inflammation and supporting the immune system with the proper nutraceuticals can in turn reduce depression, anxiety and even reduce some symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

All the more reason to take precautionary measures by supporting your immune system with probiotics, as well as your vitamins and minerals. Taking a glutamine supplement such as IntestiNew will help keep your intestinal tract healthy, reduce inflammation and defer the development of leaky gut.

It is funny that years ago scientists and doctors treated the brain and mood disorders as a total separate entity from the rest of the body. It is nice to see that they now realize the brain is connected to the body, through something called the neck!

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Alzheimer's, cytokines, functional medicine conference, glutamine supplement, gut inflammation, IntestiNew, leaky brain, leaky gut, Probiotics

In this video blog I discuss an article that I read recently about the University of South Florida offering a class in Lessons of Happiness. It made me think how great it would be if universities would offer a class in Lessons of Health. Why is this important? What kind of information should the class cover? Watch and find out. Please let me know what you think.

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Alzheimer's, asthma, Brenda Watson, Lesson of Happiness, Omega-3 Oils, University of South Florida