Your Beautiful Brain

Your brain is your most valuable physical possession, the conductor of your entire being, your intelligence, your humanity, your personality, and your body.  Nothing is more essential to your success than an optimally functioning brain.  Brain cells are more sensitive than other body cells to nutrients and dietary chemicals which determine at any moment how your brain functions or malfunctions.  Neurotransmitters that communicate within the brain are greatly affected by nutrition. When brain cells do not get the correct nutrients, neurotransmitters and processing is affected almost immediately and thought processes begin to slow down.  If your diet is poor on a daily basis the brain will be chronically slowed down in all areas.  On the other hand when the brain gets too much glucose (a primary brain nutrient) we experience an immediate sugar high and the body and brain go into overdrive, quickly followed by a crash in energy on all fronts.   When glucose levels drop too low, long-term or chronic imbalances can lead to serious problems in attention and memory, as well as behavioral and emotional status. Ideally, you want a steady delivery of glucose throughout the day for optimum performance, best delivered through a healthy diet.

Medicine used to believe that the brain reached full development around age 25 and then began to decline as we aged.   The discovery was announced in 2005 that, throughout your life and into old age brain cells are continually changing, growing new dendrites and receptors and creating new synapses.  For the first time in human history, scientists have acknowledged that a person can influence the factors that control brain functioning.  The brain is highly elastic or changeable, and able to modify its structure and function in response to learning and memory.

The brain is the new frontier in medicine.  “The Future of the Brain” (Princeton University Press, 2014), is a collection of essays by the world’s top researchers expanding knowledge in understanding the brain. Two neuroscientists received the 2014 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of the brain’s navigational system, describing how the brain computes, or processes information.

The complex hormonal supply the brain requires for efficiency and health can be adversely affected by an excess of sugar, chemicals and preservatives and imbalanced nutrition that inevitably leads to impairment of brain function.

Serotonin (considered our happy hormone) is one of many vital messengers that nerve cells produce. This chemical sends signals between your nerve cells and is found mostly in the digestive system, although it’s also in blood platelets and throughout the central nervous system.  Serotonin is converted from the essential amino acid tryptophan.  This amino acid that can only enter your body through your diet is commonly found in foods such as nuts, cheese, seeds, tofu, red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, beans, lentils, and eggs.  Tryptophan deficiency can lead to lower serotonin levels. This can result in mood disorders, such as anxiety or depression.  Only through food can you provide this essential nutrient.   Serotonin impacts every part of your body, from your emotions to your motor skills. Serotonin is considered a natural mood stabilizer and the chemical that aids in sleeping, eating, and digesting.  Serotonin also helps reduce depression, regulates anxiety, heals wounds, and maintains bone health.You have 100 billion neurons, interconnected via trillions of synapses that make up your brain and all are influenced either directly or indirectly by serotonin.

‘The Mind-Gut Connection’, written by Dr. Emeran Mayer states that 95% of the serotonin in your bodies resides within your gut. You may recall that 70% of your immune system resides in your gut.  The brain and gut (called the emotional brain) communicate back and forth through the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract while Serotonin functions as a key neurotransmitter at both ends of this network.

Drinking water and brain function are integrally linked.  Lack of water (dehydration) to the brain can cause numerous symptoms including problems with focus, memory, brain fatigue and brain fog, as well as headaches, sleep issues, anger, depression, and many more.  Approximately 65 percent of your body is composed of water and every function in your body is dependent on water, including the activities of your brain and nervous system.

There are many simple steps you can take to protect your brain which promotes good health on all other levels in your life.  Prepare your brain for sleep and renewal by setting aside your digital devices for an hour before sleep, and use that time for more interesting activities like reading, writing, conversations about your day, or perhaps making plans for the next day.  Good food and good water to feed and hydrate your brain and body will enhance your thinking and your performance in all aspects of your life.  Practicing mindfulness and yoga help to improve the mind, body, and heart functions and improves efficiencies – in particular quieting the mind and giving you the ability to be calm throughout your day. Norman Cousins, political journalist and peace advocate describes the brain in this way – “Not even the universe with all its countless billions of galaxies represents greater wonder or complexity than the human brain.”