How much do you know about your brain? How much do you really know the vital functions of your brain and the role of regulating stress pathways? How would you know, if there are some form of degeneration of the brain areas which can affect the autonomic nervous system or stress response? For some people, they experienced symptomatic reactions, but for others, it may be asymptomatic.
Imagine, when you have given up hope on conventional medicine on your on-going symptoms of fatigue, low libido, and digestive issues and perhaps even resistance weight loss, you then made up your mind to seek help from alternative medical practitioners. After some research done on your own, you consult a naturopath or maybe a holistic practitioner. As symptoms being assessed by the practitioner, in most cases, you may well be diagnosed with adrenal fatigue or exhausted adrenal glands. You are then prescribed herbs and supplements which support your adrenals, thinking that it will fix the root cause of your symptoms, but in some cases, it may not be the case.
Bear in mind, most holistic practitioners tend to treat the symptoms too, but instead of using prescription drugs, a natural non-drug approach is prefered. Minority of naturopaths or similar holistic health practioners may dig deeper into finding the underlying cause of the problem, it may turn out to be a hit and miss situation. In some cases, the symptoms return after some time, due to actual causal factors are not tackled. Example, one may be prescribed adaptogenic herbs or DHEA supplements. Do note that adrenals are just a factory making stress and sex hormones, but these little glands do not have mind on its own.
Today, I will explain about hippocampus. The hippocampus is the part of our brain most responsible for mitigating the stress response, and it helps coordinate your adrenal circadian rhythms. As such, it also has the richest repository of cortisol receptors anywhere in the brain. It's the first part of the brain to deteriorate in Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia and is the first part of your brain to suffer under chronic stress. People with neurological instability originating in the temporal lobes, which house the hippocampus, commonly suffer from migraines, seizure disorders, hypoglycemia, mood swings, and other types of instabilities. Normal levels of cortisol in the brain aren’t necessarily problematic, but chronically elevated cortisol levels lead to what neuroscientists and stress physiologists refer to as increased allostatic load. It readily leads to neurodegenerative changes and impaired stress management over time along with many other unpleasant consequences.
Remember, the hippocampus is involved in long-term memory storage, and stress-related atrophy can lead to memory and cognitive impairment. Signs and symptoms of adrenal circadian dysregulation need to be taken seriously, since this can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, compromised immunity, and Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. The hippocampus expresses the highest level of glucocorticoid receptors within the brain and is particularly vulnerable to the effects of stressful experiences. As for other areas in the body, the gut resides the most cortisol receptors. When a person has a huge belly and body fat around the mid section, that typically describe the individual as chronically stressed and also high consumption of sugars too. High secretion of insulin from ingestion of refined carbs and sugars will convert to body fat and primarily store in the gut area. But the problem is, most people tend to be immune with daily stressors, especially mental and emotional stress. Think of your terrible boss on your neck day in day out, or working shifts rotating between night and morning for years, the stress mechanism will adapt and continue adapting for years, but the alarm will go off when comes a period where the body can no longer handle it anymore. I've personally known some of my clients and friends who have been living with chronic stressors, taking the beating for years.
Cortisol has been found to be toxic to cells in the hippocampus, a structure that plays a critical role in the consolidation of short-term into long-term explicit memory as well as descending control of the HPA axis. Chronic stress, which continually marinates your delicate hippocampal tissue in cortisol, is a major cause of hippocampal degeneration. But there are other factors that may be involved. For example, as I explained earlier, eating too much sugar and starchy foods leads to both insulin and cortisol surges and glycation damage, along with inflammation and damaging free radical activity. Neuroinflammation caused by these foods, gluten exposure, and other forms of immune reactivity to food and other environmental/dietary substances may also be at fault, as may underlying autoimmunity.
Also, methylation defects or poor or inadequate intake of crucial methyl donors may generate inflammation (as may high homocysteine levels and methyl donor deficiencies), especially when it comes to methylated vitamin B12 and folic acid. Deficiencies of elongated forms of omega-3 (DHA) can lead to hippocampal tissue compromise, too. Our delicate and vulnerable temporal lobes are continually caught in the cross-fire of modern day stress and nutritionally depleted diets. It's a recipe for disaster.
Please take note that hippocampal degeneration is no joke. This issue is all too common nowadays, and it's showing up in younger and younger people. Radiologists who see it in even relatively young individuals are starting to refer to it as a normal variant of aging. There is nothing normal about this in any way, shape, or form, simply because it is becoming increasingly common! The same with man-made disease cancer, as more people are dying from it, but is it normal? Definitely no, but it is becoming increasingly common. We need to carefully safeguard this part of our brain today more than ever. It is the part of our brain least adapted to the kind of stress we associate with modern life. It needs your special attention to function and age at its best!
One clue to as why the prevalence of hippocampal degeneration is increasing may lie in recent research published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, which has revealed that diets high in carbohydrates (sugar and starch) have an 89 percent increased risk for dementia. Conversely, those eating a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet exhibit a 44 percent reduced risk. Additional illuminating research published in the Journal Neurology in November 2013 found that consistently higher blood sugar levels clearly adversely impact cognitive function.
When we do a simple common sense math here, all of us have been told to eat more carbohydrates (primarily from grains and wheat), and lower the intake of fats, the increase of neuro-degeneration amongst the population is showing the same trend. Sleep problems, cognitive decline, dementia, depression, Alzheimer's, and other neurological disorders. Remember, our body can virtually build nothing with carbohydrates (apart from stored glycogen), but it can build a mountain of critical materials in the body from fats and proteins. One with the lowest amount of fats consumed, the higher the risk of depression, obesity and neurological impairments.
As new year is around the corner, why not set a simple transitional diet protocol for 14 days? Lose the carbs, eat your fats! You will be surprise to find out how much of weight you lose, and how well your brain can function and with optimal mental clarity, you will be able to handle daily tasks better and say goodbye with mood swings and crashing all the time after meals. As I lay out the symptoms of hippocampus dysregulation below, if you score half of the list, it's time you take things more seriously. Stay tuned and Happy New Year!
SYMPTOMS OF HIPPOCAMPAL DYSREGULATION
- Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
- Energy crashes in the late afternoon
- Difficulty getting going in the morning
- Difficulty winding down at night
- Memory problems
- Difficulty learning new information
- Forgetfulness (People with this issue are always having trouble remembering where they parked their car or put their glasses, car keys, cell phone, TV remote, etc.)
- Neurological instability, such as mood swings or emotional reactivity, and migraine and seizure susceptibility
- Stress intolerance
Reference/Journals:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3494735/
http://www.drperlmutter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Neurology-2013-Kerti-1746-52.pdf
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