The Neuro-Protective Lifestyle

March 22, 2010—World Water Day: What Are You Bathing Your Brain In?

Posted on 27. Jan, 2009 by Kerry Friesen, M.D..

Troy Patterson: Founder of Nature's Purest Spring Water fulfilling his dream of bringing pure water to the rest of the world, 1996.

WHERE HAS ALL THE WATER GONE?

You can forget about oil.

Water is the world’s most precious commodity—and it’s getting harder to find.

† In 1992 the United Nations designated March 22, World Water Day, to emphasize the ever increasing scarcity of safe water.

Good water is synonymous with good health—and worldwide for a billion people, it’s nearly impossible to find.

Each year 5 million people die of water related diseases, and every day women and children spend countless hours collecting polluted water from distant sources.

Here in America,  our tap water is contaminated with 141 unregulated chemicals, some that are well known neurotoxins.

WATER IS LIFE

While water is the most basic element on earth, it is also the least understood—just ask Dr. Emoto.

This much we know for certain:

• 70% of our overall body weight is water
• 80% of the composition of the brain is water (and)
• CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) the clear, colorless liquid of life we bathe our brains in daily is 99% water!

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW

From a neuroanatomical perspective, having the brain and spinal cord suspended in watery medium makes good sense by buffering the brain from a sudden blow to the head.

As an added bonus,  the net weight of the brain is reduced from 1400 to 50 grams, increasing buoyancy and reducing pressure at the base of the brain.

It’s the neurophysiology however that makes it much more interesting.

CSF is what we bathe our brains in daily.

Just as spring water flows spontaneously from a deep granite aquifer, a vascular structure found deep within the ventricles of the brain produces the 150 ml of CSF needed each day to both transport helpful hormones and remove potential toxins from the brain.

But what if the source water is contaminated?

What if the water we drink daily is unsafe and we spend a lifetime consuming it—what then?

While the blood-brain barrier provides a measure of protection, it is NOT impenetrable.  Neurotoxins make their way to our brains daily, with little resistance.

When was the last time you enjoyed microwavable popcorn or had pizza delivered to your home?

Blood levels of perfluorinated chemicals (a known neurotoxicant) found in Teflon products, Stain-Resistant carpet, the inside lining of microwavable popcorn bags and yes even pizza box liners, are on the rise.

There is ample evidence identifying lead, methylmercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as neurotoxic agents.  The “Great” Lakes are not so great anymore.

In a recent French study conducted over 8 years, high aluminum levels in drinking water (?0.1 mg/l) were associated with an elevated risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. This result was highly significant despite the low number of subjects exposed to such levels.  In contrast, high silica levels (? 11.25 mg/l) found in the same source water, were associated with a lower risk of dementia and AD.

WHAT TO DO?

Only one percent of the water on earth is fresh water.

We continue to contaminate that 1% at an alarming rate.

For your brain’s sake, find a †reliable source of safe water.

Keep your exposure to other environmental toxins to a minimum.

Remember, in the world of neurotoxicology, exposure times a lifetime equals Parkinson’s  disease or Alzheimer’s or any one of numerous other neurodegenerative disorders.

† Nature’s Purest Spring Water comes from the deep granite aquifers of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains.

† By coincidence Brain Awareness Weeks begins March 15-22!

Continue Reading

Insomnia, Insanity And A World-Wide Credit Crisis: What’s Keeping You Awake?

Posted on 29. Oct, 2008 by Kerry Friesen, M.D..

Can’t sleep? You’re not alone. Some 40 million other people with over 70 different sleep disorders are keeping you company every night. Not much consolation, I know.

Now with a global economic meltdown looming on the horizon, chronic persistent insomnia is on the rise. People are not sleeping in ever increasing numbers.

A recent survey by NetDoctor that appeared in the BBC news blamed stress related to financial woes and the “credit crunch” as the most common cause for insomnia.

In another study of 1,000 randomly-selected HMO patients, people with insomnia were four times more likely to be diagnosed with major depression and twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

In fact, insomnia is known to precede virtually every major mental health disorder. By now you can see where this is going—-(if you’re not already sleep deprived that is).

We are facing an international fiscal, physical and metaphysical crisis! From a psychoneuroimmunology standpoint, sleep deprivation is a killer. No exaggeration.

In one study,the incidence of HIV infection, cancer and death increased after the death of a spouse.
(For the men reading this, replace spouse with 401K.) Yes poor taste I know.

Ok, what to do?

Here is what you need to know:

*Taking Bootzin To The Bedroom:

1. Go to bed only when you are sleepy
2. Use the bed for sleeping! No T.V., no reading.
3. If you can’t sleep, get out of bed!
4. Repeat steps #1, 2, 3 as necessary.
5. Get up at the same time every day, no exceptions.
6. No napping!

Enjoy Colin Hay’s lyrics and unique contribution to our clinical understanding of chronic insomnia.

For now, it’s “time to walk the street”…………

I can’t get to sleep, I think about the implications,
Of diving in too deep and possibly the complications,
Especially at night, I worry over situations, that,
I know will be alright, it’s just overkill……….

Day after day it reappears, night after night my heartbeat shows the fear,
Ghosts appear and fade away—-come back another day.

Overkill– Colin Hay

*Dr. Richard Bootzin applied stimulus-control therapy to counteract insomnia.

Continue Reading

“Metaphysical” Fitness: 3 Minutes To Immediate Mental Clarity

Posted on 09. Jun, 2008 by Kerry Friesen, M.D..

photo credit: HaPe_Gera

If you’re like me, your first inclination will be to dismiss this simple yet astonishing exercise in “metaphysical” fitness. It came to me, compliments of the Barefoot Doctor and now I happily share it with you. The italics are mine, the content is universal.
Enjoy….

When the world seems strange, your habitual reference points have slipped all over the place, you can’t quite get your bearings and it’s making you feel odd inside, rather than attempt to change it or in any way make yourself feel less odd, welcome and embrace the oddness. Allow yourself to feel odd (or whatever else you may be feeling).

Lightly press your forefinger into the centre of your forehead, just above the bridge of your nose, in the small indentation there, in line with the eyebrows, ask yourself, ‘could I let go of wanting to change this?’ and if the answer is yes, ask, ‘would I let go of wanting to change this?’ and if the answer is still yes, you’ll probably notice you no longer feel odd, that the oddness has been integrated and transformed into normality (whatever that is).

Remove your finger slowly and notice your head relax. Allow the relaxation to spread downwards throughout your body. Breathe slowly, deeply and freely, allowing your belly to swell on inhalation and flatten on exhalation, so your diaphragms can work efficiently, look around you and remind yourself it’s you who’s manifested the appearance of reality as you’re perceiving it and it’s you who is free to change it at will, simply by choosing to see it differently.

Continue Reading

We Are What We Eat And We Feel What We Smell…

Posted on 06. Jun, 2008 by Kerry Friesen, M.D..

photo credit:johdax

Terpenoids are naturally occurring aromatic organic compounds that have been utilized in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years — we know them as aromatic or “essential oils”.

Menthol, camphor, thymol, eugenol and incensole acetate are all examples of plant terpenoids with psycho-active properties. Yep, I said psycho-active.

Apparently burning incense is more than just tradition — it’s intended to take you to a better place and now we understand why.

To put it another way, we “are what we eat” and we “feel what we smell!”

Here’s how it works.

A little know gene known as transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV3), codes for the even lesser known ion channel found in the brain with the same name. In fact, the TRPV3 ion channel is scattered throughout the brain wherever neurons are found.

Hidden within the resin of Boswellia serrata (the Frankincense tree), lies incensole acetate, a common ingredient found in incense and the subject of a recent study published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.

As it turns out, incensole acetate is a potent activator of TRPV3 channels with potent anti-depressant and anti-anxiety properties, as determined by mouse behavior.

Based on observed behavioral changes, scientists concluded that “the biochemical and pharmacological effects of IA may provide a biological basis for deeply rooted cultural and religious traditions.”

Approximately fifteen million Americans have depression and about half as many suffer from anxiety-related disorders. It is estimated that half of all patients do not seek treatment for depression or even continue recommended treatments once started.

Incense alone will not cure depression, but a clear understanding of the neurochemistry opens the door to better treatment modalities.

Who knows, aromatherapists may find themselves vindicated in the not-to-distant neuro-society!

Continue Reading