Brain Health

Brain Health

Brain Health

Many people feel they have lost control of their situation when a headache or emotions overpower them. This pillar is about the physical and emotional experiences of the brain and methods you can use to regain control. Begin building a path to emotional freedom through proper nutrition and ways to take control of your brain health. Learn about the common triggers of emotional disturbances and techniques you can use to start overcoming these roadblocks. Understand what can cause pain or malfunctioning beyond what you may be thinking about.

Brain Health will include the following topics:

  • Emotional Freedom
  • Mental Health Discussions
  • Maintaining Brain Plasticity
  • Reducing Painful Episodes

The Missing Piece of the Health Puzzle: the Brain

The brain is unquestionably the most vital and complex piece of physiology in the human body. Modern science can replicate heartbeats; make lungs breathe; and reattach limbs. But the brain and its processes are still a murky, misunderstood area of human biology.

Not only is the brain an area of constant scientific study and awe, it also hugely determines the health of the human body. Brain health is critical to bodily health, as it is responsible for processes such as communication, decision-making, and problem-solving. All are components of Dr. Carolyn Dean’s total body wellness philosophy.

Maintaining Brain Plasticity

The brain sends signals via neural connections called synapses. In young children, synapses develop rapidly as they are constantly learning and remembering new information. Important connections are nurtured and reinforced, whilst unused connections are deemed unnecessary and pruned away. Brain plasticity is dictated by the number of neurons the brain is actively maintaining.

Adult brains continue pruning and form synapse connections at a slower rate, but it is unclear how or why synapses in the adult brain get eliminated. Psychological disorders are genuinely destructive, with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and alcoholism all limiting or actively destroying grey matter.

One major activity that promotes synapse growth is meditation and relaxation. There are two types of meditation that studies have shown increase brain plasticity: FA (focused attention), and OM (open monitoring). For more information on the psycho-restorative abilities of these meditation forms, see the attached PDF.

Mental Health

As touched upon, mental health has drastic consequences for physiological health. These effects can vary hugely, depending on the nature of the mental health problem issue.

For example, prolonged anxiety can also impair the immune system, increasing the release of substances that cause inflammation.

This is because the amygdala is pumping large amounts of stress hormone into the body. View the attached infographic to find out how mental health affects lifespan.

Dr Carolyn Dean

Reducing Pain

Chronic pain can make life unbearable. In the US, the most prevalent form of chronic pain is back pain. In about 85% of cases, there is no identifiable physical cause for the pain, such as arthritis or disk damage. This is a major barrier to restoring quality of life to a patient.

The unexplained pain is now thought to be caused by neural changes after an injury, meaning that even after the injury has healed, the patient still experiences pain due to long-term changes in the brain.  Immediately after tissue damage, it is vital to keep an injured body part still and let it recover. However, the brain can occasionally fail to stop that signal, even after an injury is fully healed.

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