Episode 75: Where Are My Keys? How to Deal With Brain Fog in Perimenopause and Beyond
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In this episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni discuss how brain fog can be impacted by: stress, nutrient deficiencies, lack of sleep, hormone changes with perimenopause and more. For your brain, it’s definitely a case of use it or lose it! Listen in to discover the causes of brain fog and what to do about it using mindfulness, meditation, nutrition, supplements, herbs and exercise, dark chocolate and caffeine (in moderation!). If you constantly forget where you put your keys or what your were going to say or do; then this episode is for you!
What is Brain Fog?
- Cloudy mental thinking
- Difficulty with focus or memory
- Difficulty with memory
- Difficulty to memorize new information
It is never normal to have brain fog at any age!
3 Things Every Brain Needs:
- Oxygen
- Fuel – Glucose or Ketones
- Stimulation
Symptoms of Poor Circulation and Blood Flow to Your Brain:
- Low brain endurance, poor focus and concentration
- Must exercise or drink coffee to improve brain function
- Cold hands and feet, especially if you must wear socks at night
- Cold tip of nose
Brain fog can be a symptom of neuroinflammation, in addition to :
- Unclear thoughts
- Low brain endurance with brain fatigue
- Slow and varied mental speeds
What could be causing your brain fog?
- Stress, Overwhelm, Multi-tasking, Worry, Distraction
- Can result in elevated cortisol stress hormone and adrenal gland dysregulation, for more info see Episode 24
- Hormone imbalance
- Estrogen impacts serotonin, dopamine and acetylcholine receptors in women
- Low estrogen increases brain inflammation and degeneration
- Thyroid hormones impact all neurotransmitter receptors – for more info see Episode 42
- Fatigue and inadequate sleep – for more info see Episode 73
- Glymphatic system supports brain repair during sleep
- Blood Sugar Imbalances – for more info see Episode 45
- Elevated blood sugar can promote inflammation and damage to your brain cells
- Leaky gut and microbiome imbalance – for more info see Episode 8
- Food sensitivities and allergies, including gluten
- Medication side effects including antihistamines, medications for blood pressure, anxiety and sleep, painkillers, and some antibiotics
- Excess alcohol intake
- Chronic environmental toxic exposure – for more info see Episode 65
- solvents (eg. exhaust, pollution, fragrances)
- heavy metals like lead and mercury
- Physical trauma including concussion
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Essential fatty acids – omega 3
- B vitamins, especially low B12 and folate can cause elevated homocysteine
- Protein for neurotransmitters, hormones, enzymes
- Flavonoids with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity
- Infections, including Candida overgrowth, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and Lyme
- Other conditions like migraines, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia
How does the keto diet impact your brain health?
Ketone bodies are made by your liver from fatty acids in your diet or body fat. These ketones are released into your bloodstream, taken up by your brain and other organs, shuttled into the “energy factory” mitochondria and used up as fuel.
Beta-hydroxybutrate (a major ketone) may be an even more efficient fuel than glucose for your brain, providing more energy per unit oxygen used. A ketogenic diet can also increase the number of mitochondria in your brain cells to produce more energy.
Lab Tests to Consider to Determine the Root Cause of Your Brain Fog:
Blood work such as blood sugar tests, thyroid panel, homocysteine, MMA for vitamin B12 status
Comprehensive Stool Analysis or SIBO breath test
DUTCH for hormones, melatonin, oxidative stress
Urine and blood heavy metal testing
Natural Support to Consider for Improving Your Brain Fog:
- Adequate sleep
- Exercise and movement breaks
- Walk around the block
- Jumping jacks in bathroom
- Dance party
- Be mindful and avoid multi-tasking
- Calming activities like meditation, deep breathing
- Nose breathing; breath of fire – support nitrous oxide, blood flow and circulation
- Enjoy caffeine in moderation – green tea is ideal for l-theanine plus antioxidant catechins
- Stay hydrated with plenty of filtered water
- Nutrition:
- Reduce sugar, processed foods
- Enjoy more fatty fish, nuts, seeds, more vegetables especially beets, beet juice beet root
- Spices: rosemary, sage, oregano, curcumin, garlic
- Nutrient and herbal supplements:
- Lion’s mane medicinal mushroom
- Bacopa, ginkgo
- Turmeric (curcumin)
- Fish oil
- Mitochondrial support like CoQ10, resveratrol, alpha lipoic acid, acetyl L carnitine
- Bulletproof coffee with medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil
- Essential oils like citrus (orange, grapefruit, lemon), lavender, rose
- Acupuncture to support blood flow, stress reduction
- Bodywork like physiotherapy, osteopathy
Today’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Lisa loves her 80% dark chocolate after lunch for an antioxidant boost and her mid-morning decaf coffee with collagen, MCT oil and some sea salt
Dr. Toni is a big fan of Martin’s crispy apple chips from Costco for a healthy snack at the end of a meal or on its own.
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing info session for expecting parents looking to trust their instincts and their body during labour and birth is happening in May. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Sign up for Dr. Lisa’s free sleep webinar on Monday, June 7th at 8:00pm to discover how to use Naturopathic Medicine, essential oils, yoga, meditation, osteopathy and massage to get those zzz…s!
Dr. Lisa’s Wild Collective in Fall 2021: get on the waitlist: wildcollectivetoronto.com
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Stay safe and healthy everyone!
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