The aging brain
We all know the brain appears to suffer aging problems that contribute to memory loss.  Most people who have moved into middle age often notice that their brain does not seem to work as fast as it was when they were in their early twenties.  A degenerating brain is the result of losing more and more neurons as a consequence of normal aging. This process is called “neural degeneration” or “neurodegeneration.”

The process of neural degeneration is different for everyone because our brains, and neurons can be challenged by a number of factors which are different for each of us and can occur in different combinations.  Our brains are constantly dealing with inflammation, overproduction of cortisol (the stress hormone), high homocysteine, improper immune responses, irregular blood sugar, nutrient deficiency and a lack of oxygen and proper stimulation.  One might infer that when we have headaches, it is because our brain hurts.  You may be surprised to know that our brain cannot directly sense pain. Surgeons can cut into it without anesthesia, but the scalp and other surrounding tissues need anesthesia.  Blood vessels within the brain experience innervation (stimulation) that can cause it to expand and contract, and thus transmit pain throughout our head.

Neurotransmitters for brain and overall health
Our brain and nervous system is comprised of neurons that electrically talk to each other. This brain and nervous system communication requires chemicals called neurotransmitters.  Our neurotransmitters are used to relay, amplify and modulate signals between a neuron and another cell. Neurotransmitters are largely responsible for how good we feel.

Neurotransmitters are not just important to the brain but have a profound impact on our entire body. Neurotransmitters are made in the brain, as well as in our organs and glands throughout our body.  If we truly want good health, then we must have good brain and body health.  Because our brain health affects our emotional view of the world and our sense of well-being, it follows that poor brain health will generally reflect itself in kind.  The main neurotransmitters are serotonin, melatonin, GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), acetylcholine. dopamine and norepinephrine/epinephrine.

Key Neurotransmitters needed for an optimum functioning brain

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain and gastrointestinal tract that is also called 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5 HTP. When our Serotonin levels are optimal, we are upbeat, calm, peaceful, and can maintain interest in daily living activities, even during periods of low sunlight.  Optimal serotonin levels allow us to enjoy hobbies, have interests, have non-repetitive thoughts, have fewer extreme fluctuations of “highs” and “lows”, enjoy life, experience restful sleep, maintain enthusiasm for favorite activities, have regular bowel activity, and feel more calm or centered when juggling life’s many emotional challenges. Normal amounts of serotonin are associated with a decrease in headaches. Additionally, an area of the brain called the pineal gland requires sufficient amounts of serotonin to make another type of neurotransmitter called melatonin.

Melatonin is required for regulating sleep patterns and the behavioral changes.  When our bodies are under excessive stress from too much caffeine, nicotine, work deadlines, overtraining and poor diet, we experience adrenal overload and levels of a hormone called cortisol elevates (also known as the stress hormone). High amounts of cortisol decreases the amount of melatonin in our body, making restful sleep more difficult.

GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) is a neurotransmitter that our body makes in our pancreas, kidneys and several areas of our brain. Optimal amounts of GABA are associated with feeling calm, focused, and relaxed without fidgeting or excessive body movement, and able to turn your mind off when you want to relax. Healthy GABA levels can help us feel less anxious and to feel calmer in most situations.  Because GABA relaxes, it decreases uncontrolled muscle contractions. Oral GABA supplements are too big to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) therefore approaches which focus on improving the body’s GABA synthesis show the greatest promise.

Acetylcholine is made in the areas of our brain and spinal cord. This neurotransmitter is responsible for memory and cognition. Optimal amounts acetylcholine is associated with memory recall, quick mental response and processing, creativity, accurate mental calculations and good judgment. More specifically acetylcholine is responsible for recognition such as visual memory (remembering faces, pictures, places and events) and verbal memory (recollecting sounds, voices).

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is mostly made by our brain, as well as our adrenal glands and kidneys. Dopamine is associated with feeling pleasure, increased libido and reward. Optimal levels of dopamine help us experience pleasure in life, manage stressful situations, gives us a feeling of worthiness and importance, stay focused on tasks, helps us stay on task to completion, stay alert, feel comfortable in social situations, and remain flexible and more relaxed during stressful moments. If we have sufficient nutrients in the body to make dopamine, exercise, yoga and meditation may naturally elevate this neurotransmitter and is responsible for the “euphoria” or “natural high” we experience.

Norepinephrine/Epinephrine (Adrenaline) functions as both a hormone and neurotransmitter and is made by our adrenal glands. Optimal levels of this neurotransmitter allows us to experience feeling rewarded.  This also helps us to maintain a state of physical and mental alertness. Additionally, proper levels help us experience a normal heartbeat and blood pressure. Norepinephrine is required to make melatonin, required for healthy sleep.

Low transmitter levels can translate o mental difficulty and challenges
Having a healthy brain requires having a healthy body because healthy adrenal glands, thyroid, gastrointestinal tract, blood sugar metabolism, sufficient enzymes, hormone levels and an efficient immune system all impact the health of our brain and its synthesis of neurotransmitters.  Our neurotransmitters also need specific amino acids, vitamins, minerals herbs and fatty acids for their synthesis in order to be effective. Compromised digestion or a nutritionally deficient diet may mean that we are not absorbing the needed nutrients even though we are consuming them.  Having low transmitter levels often translates to mental difficulty and challenges.

How brain function begins to deteriorate
Everyone knows the brain is important, but we rarely make an effort to keep it healthy until problems become serious. A healthy brain has an intact blood brain barrier (BBB) which serves as a first line of defense preventing the entry of harmful substances. When this layer is compromised, your second line of defense rests with your brain’s immune cells. In people exhibiting brain degeneration, both of these defense mechanisms are not working properly. A healthy brain is a well nourished and stimulated brain, one that has the ability to heal and repair itself in order to deliver optimal output.

When patients come to us with brain clarity and memory issues, we will conduct a thorough assessment along with appropriate tests.  Brain clarity and memory issues can be related to a number of health challenges, which can include:

• Inflammation and oxidative stress
• System wide toxicity which includes liver and bowel
• Subluxation throughout the neck vertebrae
• Subtle Energy Blockages that may not appear on an MRI or CT
• Residual trauma from injuries that can include whiplash, concussion or other brain trauma
• Physical issues resulting from severe muscle contraction in the occipital region (often related to stress)
• Allergic reactions to environmental or food
• Nutritional depletion of certain enzymes, vitamins, minerals or other substances
• Or other causes…

It is important to be aware that oxidative stress, inflammation and autoimmunity can contribute materially to brain issues.  For example, recent research demonstrates autoimmunity plays a major role in Parkinson’s.  In addition to specific brain boosting nutrients, the importance of reducing inflammation and oxidative stress are crucial places to start when recovering the health of your brain, and yourself.

Because these issues can be related to a variety of triggers, a throughout patient history, interview and assessment are always the best starting point.

References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3215724 (5-20-2012):  Autoantibodies associated with Parkinsons

http://www.jneuroinflammation.com/content/3/1/1 (5-20-2012):   Antibodies formed against dopamine secreting cells (Parkinsons is a disease of low dopamine; low dopamine is associated with tremors, poor movement patterns, depression and poor cognition;

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1502878 (5-20-2012):  Complement pathway (part of the autoimmune process) with Parkinsons;

Nutritional deficiencies can contribute to visible signs of aging, as well as feeling that loss of vitality! This can happen for a number of reasons. The high stressed, fast paced lifestyle that most people experience increases poor dietary choices, which hastens nutrient depletion even if you are eating well.

As we age, most people begin to experience an increase in fine lines and deep creases, skin wrinkles, our faces begin to appear more hollow and less plump the way we looked when we were teenagers, and even issues like receding gums. We address these issues by looking at what builds health in the body by focusing on the foundational areas that contribute to looking older. In addition to helping our skin and joints look and feel better, a key to turning around the aging challenge also addresses digestive issues. As a result, the visible signs of aging slow, and even reverse, for people who have followed our schedule of care.

Skin, Joints, and Gum Health
After the age of 40, our collagen levels begin to decline. Collagen, the most abundant body protein, is responsible for giving skin a youthful, resilient, wrinkle free appearance. It is also an important protein that helps to hold our joints together as well as to cushion them. With collagen, we can have a bounce to our step. When collagen levels are lower than they should be, the bounce is replaced by a feeling of stiffness and discomfort. Less collagen also means our skin begins to lose the fullness we had in the past.

That “bounce to your step” is also impacted by the presence of Chondroitin Sulfate, due to the shock absorbing features that it provides. Low levels of it can make you “feel” your joints with every step you take. If your levels of Chondroitin Sulfate are sub-optimal, then maintaining a lively gait can be much of a challenge.

Hyaluronic Acid, or H.A. also is a key factor needed to maintain a youthful appearance, because it is responsible for giving our skin a more full, wrinkle free look. It also lubricates our joints! Maintaining the right levels of H.A. means that we look and feel more youthful. As our H.A. levels decline after birth, we often experience more physical effects of aging, including joint stiffness, discomfort and decreased range of motion. Low levels of H.A. are also associated with skin wrinkles, creases, deep folds, and fine lines. Patients have also reported improved gum health as well as reduced, and even corrected dry eye problems. With regular use of highly absorbable form of H.A., the body is able to produce the natural lubrication that the eyes need for good ocular health.

Food Absorption Impacts Muscle Mass
Even if you eat the right foods which contain quality protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, that does not mean you will necessarily absorb them! Under production of Hydrochloric (stomach) acid, and stomach acid suppressive therapies, along with low levels of enzymes can lead to mal-absorption of nutrients. One way this is evident is with a decline of muscle mass. Without addressing this, a person can become frail, which means they have inadequate muscle mass for their age. As we lose muscle mass, we begin to more easily accumulate fat since muscle is required to burn fat. Once the stomach’s acid production is returned to normal levels, and sufficient levels of enzymes are present, we can absorb our nutrients.

Weight gain and loss
Enzymes, exercise, and good colon health help our bodies regulate proper weight by absorbing and eliminating our food quickly, thereby speeding up our metabolism. Enzymes help us detoxify our tissues more quickly, and at a deeper level, which helps our body have a proper metabolism needed to maintain a healthy weight. Eating foods that are appropriate for our blood type can determine how efficiently we “burn” calories, and how we look and feel. Weight gain can often occur when we eat foods that are not compatible with our blood type.

Regain that peppy feeling
Today most people are drained and tired, feeling depleted of energy. One of those factors is stress. Stress can come from environmental factors, our demanding lifestyle, and physical injuries, whether from accidents, traumas, or sports related. While we can mask the feeling of stress by using caffeine, nicotine, and refined sugars, the key is to address your energy levels at the cellular level so that you can feel energetic in a way that helps your body and builds good health, while helping you feel more energetic.

Mental Clarity
Low levels of blood oxygen have been shown to contribute to physical and mental fatigue, “fuzzy” thought, poor endurance, lactic acid build up and a decreased ability to heal. To increase your blood’s ability to carry oxygen, debris in the blood needs to be cleaned up. The cleaner the blood, the more effectively it can transport oxygen to essential body parts of your body such as the heart, muscles, and the brain. Debris includes high serum protein levels, and oxidized solids such as plaque, cholesterol, uric acid and fibrin, all which decrease the blood’s ability to carry oxygen by congesting your blood and thickening blood vessel walls via inflammation.

Blood tests to identify these conditions can be done in our office via live blood cell analysis, and out of office via our comprehensive functional blood chemistry analysis.

At Fundamental Health Solutions, our anti-visible aging supplementation program includes the use of a clinically tested, bio-available liquid supplement that contains highly absorbable collagen, chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid, known for helping to hydrate your skin, as well as the ability to contribute to joint lubrication

Besides providing our body a structural framework which allows our muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue to work, our bones provide a mineral reserve that our body calls upon during times of depletion and stress.

Contained within our bone tissue are large amounts of important minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, boron, protein, and vitamins.  These are used by our body, released from our bones, to drive other essential chemical reactions in the body. For long term bone and overall health, your bones need to have an adequate supply on reserve.

Why is bone health so important to the rest of our body?    Our bone marrow, the innermost portion of our bones, is the “manufacturing plant” for all our blood cells.   Bone marrow makes our red blood cells, which carry precious oxygen to our organs and glands, and returns the gaseous waste product carbon dioxide back to our lungs.  Bone marrow makes all of our immune cells, called white blood cells, which are the guardians of our health.   Our bone marrow also makes platelets, the third type of blood cell, which serves to clot blood when we are bleeding.  When our bone health suffers, only a good “Health Detective” will seek out the underlying cause.

Thick Bone Versus Strong Healthy Bone
It is the quality of a bone’s composition that makes them strong, not necessarily the thickness.  Because conventional approaches only look at thickness, and not bone quality, the structural integrity of our skeletal system is suboptimal.  For example, one type of conventional approach allows weaker, poorer quality bone tissue to build up to achieve thicker bones.  The quality of these thicker bones often contains dead bone tissue that should have been removed in the first place. Good quality bone means that the bone is of strong architecture.

At Fundamental Health Solutions we use a more sensitive laboratory test called the NTx Osteomark Urinary Assay to assess bone health. The NTx urinary assay measures a specific amino acid unique to bone which is found in the urine and detects subtle changes in bone loss, which occurs in everyone over the age of 50. This test provides more information than traditional tests, such as a DEXA scan, without radiation exposure.

DEXA Scan Versus The NTx Urinary Test

The NTx Osteomark Urinary Assay measures present, not past bone loss and it measures the bone loss rate.  Unlike DEXA scans, we can measure your bone health every 3 months, or less, versus annually.  This also allows us to monitor the effectiveness of the recommended protocol, as well as measuring system wide bone loss, versus (DEXA) only focal bone loss.  The NTx Urinary test is an easy and non-invasive way for our patients that enables us to monitor and identify potential problems with your bones before they turn into a more serious problem.