We have often discussed the impact of chemical toxins that negatively affect our health and that of our environment. 

We know that our dietary choices can have an impact on general health and brain wellness – you’ve likely heard us talk about avoiding the Standard American Diet (SAD) that includes processed foods, sugar (which we know increases inflammation that can lead to autoimmune neurological disease), and options that are high in sodium and unhealthy fats. ​

Imagine this scenario for a moment. Your house is on fire, but it seems confined to just one room. Would you wait to call the fire department? Of course not!  You would immediately take action to save your home. 

Often described as shooting, stabbing, or throbbing sensations, neuropathic pain or neuropathy has many origins and manifestations. It typically can happen if your nervous system becomes damaged or is not functioning properly, whether due to trauma or disease. You may experience pain emanating from any of the various levels of the nervous system, such as the peripheral nerves, the spinal cord and the brain.1

A new report more clearly substantiates the need to treat obesity as a serious health condition impacting the current and future wellbeing of children. Previous trends in childhood obesity should have alarmed parents and physicians alike – but this latest retrospective cohort study conducted by Kaiser Permanente of Southern California (KPSC) of over 200,000 young patients’ electronic health records identified significant increases in body mass index (BMI) occurring between March 2020 and January 2021.1

News about probiotics and the potential therapeutic effect in neurodegenerative disease…a novel review of 17 preclinical and clinical models of Parkinson’s disease (PD) that investigated the effect on several mechanisms have noted what appear to be positive benefits associated with probiotic therapy.1

Could what we eat today impact our neurological health in the future? News from a prospective examination of the associations between flavonoids and cognitive function offers even more reasons to follow a healthy diet for the benefit of our brains! 

​Love…poets and authors have written about it, scientists have studied it. And for so many of us, we know that love can have an extraordinary range of effects on our body and our mind!
Interestingly, it’s not just humans’ emotions that are subject to the profound impacts. In this article, authors wrote about an informal study conducted in the United Kingdom using heart rate monitors to measure dogs’ heightened responses to hearing their owners say “I love you.” ​

We have only to look at the statistics associated with the rise in autism diagnoses to know we are living with another version of a pandemic situation. Estimates vary, but the numbers in recent years have greatly and alarmingly increased:

• Autism was four times more prevalent among boys than girls as of 2016 in the U.S. 

For many years, researchers have sought to explain the unconscious neural connections we make when we see and recognize a very familiar face. Once posed as a theory, the “grandmother neuron,” which is a “single cell at the crossroads of sensory perception and memory, capable of prioritizing an important face” has often been dismissed as simply being an impossible concept. ​

A recent study sought to provide more understanding of the impacts to our brain processes caused by the menopause transition (MT) that includes pre-, peri- and post-menopausal stages.
Women of all ages can attest to what can occur at these various stages, from increased brain fog, issues with memory and concentration, and other difficulties. 

It’s so important to look for any and all avenues that may help stabilize neurological disease progression. Certainly we know that many factors can affect outcomes of a patient’s condition, but one potential risk to consider that may be overlooked is the role of homocysteine levels. 

As any parent whose child suffers with the debilitating symptoms of a neuropsychiatric disorder can attest to, the search for answers and help is often beyond challenging. But now, with more evidence of the neurological impacts in some cases of COVID-19, we see just how intricately connected are the brain and the immune system. ​

In our blog published just last month, we looked at some of the research utilizing intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for small fiber neuropathy (SFN), which occurs when damage to the peripheral nerves predominantly or entirely affects the small myelinated (Aδ) fibers or unmyelinated C fibers. ​

While not necessarily the easiest proposition over the last year, being grateful and practicing gratitude can have positive implications for your health. And according to a recent study, embracing gratitude can be especially beneficial to women.