LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

neurodegeneration

Pre-diabetes and the Brain—You’re Losing Brain Cells as Your Read This

by

Very few patients and providers are aware of just how damaging prediabetes is. Fewer still know that it destroys the brain.

Countless times, after looking at the patient, certain lab values, patient’s history and family history it is clear that this patient is on his or her path to diabetes.  Sometimes at a slow stroll, sometimes at a full-out sprint.  When I bring this concern up to the patient the response is frequently, “Oh…my doctor checked me for diabetes and said I was ok.”  Ugh.

I equate this to the cigarette smoker stating that his or her doctor checked for lung cancer and, since nothing was found, everything is hunky-dory.  In this scenario it sounds ridiculous.

However, prediabetes is arguably more dangerous to your health than cigarette smoking.  There is not a chronic disease that is not in some way increased by prediabetes.  Some, like heart disease, neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), stroke and many cancers are strongly linked to prediabetes, with being prediabetic almost one of the strongest risk factors.

For those of you wondering if you might just happen to be prediabetic, here’s a short list of things to look for:

  1. Abdominal obesity
  2. PCOS / menstrual problems / infertility
  3. High cholesterol (especially with low HDL, high triglycerides)
  4. Elevated liver enzymes
  5. Gout or elevated uric acid
  6. High blood pressure
  7. Anyone with heart disease or an ischemic stroke (even a TIA)
  8. Family history of diabetes, cancer, heart disease or dementia

While the list is much longer, you get the idea…

Our society has not yet adopted this level of concern with prediabetes and, as a result, few understand the level of danger that he or she is living under.  Given that over 50% of the US population can be classified as being prediabetic, this lack of fear really needs to change.

This particular article is yet another that adds to the long list of damage done to your body by being prediabetic.  In it researchers looked at 127 individuals (aged 41–86 years) and sorted out those who had high insulin resistance (most prediabetic) and those who had low a level of insulin resistance (least prediabetic).  There was a very clear association between damage to the white matter and insulin resistance.  For those neuroanatomy geeks, changes were seen in areas such as the:

  • corpus callosum, corona radiata, cerebral peduncle, posterior thalamic radiation, and right superior longitudinal fasciculus
  • white matter underlying the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes
  • body and genu of corpus callosum
  • parts of the superior and anterior corona radiate

Basically—pretty much every area of the brain was affected by the prediabetic process.  Even more concerning was the fact that the worse the insulin resistance, the greater the white matter damage.

Brain damage from being prediabetic.  Let me repeat that in another way: Over half of the population (and there is a good chance this means YOU) is experiencing brain damage and a loss of healthy brain cells as a result of being prediabetic.

If brain cells are important to you, what changes are YOU making to be less prediabetic?

Worried About Alzheimer’s Dementia or Parkinsons? You NEED to Add This

by

With any chronic condition such as Alzheimer’s dementia, whether talking about prevention or treatment, I never advocate a one disease: one cure model.  The natural approach necessitates a complete lifestyle change.  This is where the power of lifestyle comes in–the benefits of hundreds of positive choices adding together to produce a massive improvement.

I have certainly addressed the mitochondrial dysfunction model of neurodegenerative disorders in previous blog posts and will not go into this model in detail here (although previous blog posts on the topic can be read by clicking here).  However, it can be summarized by saying that anything that helps with the way your brain cells make energy is good while anything that harms the way your brain cells make energy is bad.  Too much of a loss in the ability of your brain to make energy and you start to lose brain cells.  While we can all tolerate the loss of a few here and there, too many brain cells lost can lead to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia or Parkinson’s disease.

Antioxidants clearly benefit our brain and protect the mitochondria within your brain cells, and thus, in general, will lower your risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders.  Antioxidants can come internally, such as cellular made coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or the enzymes superoxide dismutase or glutathione peroxidase, or they can come from the foods you eat or what you drink.  Examples can include:

  • Vitamin E (ONLY as mixed tocopherols)
  • Coenzyme Q10 supplements
  • Coffee or tea
  • Other phytonutrients (the thousands of compounds that make up the colors, scents, smells and tastes of the plant world)

Some phytonutrients are more potent than others, which brings us to this particular study.

Researchers looked at a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease to see how well an extract from pomegranates could halt or slow the progression of the disease.  The results were pretty good in the group of mice prone to the formation of amyloid plaques (like those seen in Alzheimer’s dementia) given the pomegranate extract compared to the same type of mice not give the extract:

  • The pomegranate feeding shortened the distance it took for the mice to get out of a maze.
  • The extract group had less inflammation in the brain (based on TNF-alpha and NFAT levels).
  • The pomegranate fed group had less “turning on” of the immune system in the brain (termed microgliosis).
  • The pomegranate group had less amyloid plaque formation.
  • 2 polyphenol components of pomegranate extract, punicalagin and ellagic acid, seemed to do the bulk of the work.

Overall, while this was a mouse study, the results were pretty strong in suggesting that the mere addition of a pomegranate extract was able to protect the brain in multiple ways from the Alzheimer’s progression.

As always, you should never follow a one-cause, one-cure model, but a sip or two of pomegranate juice may not be a bad idea.  Better yet, as the summer rolls around I’ll be able to pick my own pomegranates from my backyard trees and eat the seeds directly.

I’m sure my brain will thank me.

 

Neurodegeneration: Dementia Support Starts Here

by

Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons are fearsome. The neurodegeneration robs you of your mind and body. Prevention is possible, but dementia support has to start NOW.

I know that I’ve covered the mitochondria before since it is, after all, everyone’s favorite organelle.  But it never hurts to review (besides, if you ever get on Jeopardy you can say, “Alex, I’ll take cellular organelles for $500, please” with confidence).

Think way back to your high school biology class and the anatomy of a cell. To the mitochondria. The little “powerhouse of the cell.” That little organelle within the cell that helps to generate energy for a cell. And the “energy currency” for every cell is adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. There are some billion or so reactions that occur in our body EVERY SECOND, and each one of these requires a molecule of ATP to get the job done.

Some tissues, like fat, use very little energy.

Others, like the heart, our muscles and our brain, use much more.

At rest, the nervous system, which includes our brain, is the greatest utilizer of ATP in the body. Once we start moving, the muscles take over and have the greatest need.

Poor lifestyle choices that lead to exposure to toxic chemicals, stress and processed foods begin to damage these precious little ATP-producing buggers.  Luckily, a lifestyle devoid of stress with minimal toxic exposure and lots of fruits, veggies and spices can protect our mitochondria.

However, if the brain cells lose too many of their own mitochondria through this damaging process, ultimately the remaining mitochondria can no longer keep up with the energy needs of the cell and the cell begins a process called apoptosis, or cell suicide.

If you can envision the solid Scottish accent of Scotty from Star Trek calling up to the bridge saying, “Captain, we can hold ‘er together anymore,” than you get an idea of what begins to happen (except Captain Kirk always seems to figure out the problem and save the USS Enterprise—not so much for our brains at this point…).

Left unchecked, this loss of neurons over the course of years can lead to other neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

If you would like to protect your brain and have it last at least as long as your body, then you need to begin NOW to protect it.  Ways to protect your brain from dementia and neurodegeneration have been covered in previous posts and can be read here.

This particular review looks at this process of damage to our mitochondria and the subsequent neurodegeneration that occurs.  I thought I’d throw it in just in case you thought that I really had no idea what I am talking about (especially since your neurologist has mentioned that we don’t know what causes the brain to break down).

If you have a family history of a neurodegenerative disorder, what changes have you made NOW to protect your brain?