New information on preventing Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and ALS....
Today's Post: Monday, 6-6-2011
I recently read a story that said that as many as two thirds of people have a gene which predisposes them to problems with the myelin that surrounds their nerves.
If the myelin breaks down, the nerve it protects can stop transmitting messages and may even be subject to permanent damage. (Myelin is the fatty protective layer around nerves. It's like the protective and insulating wrapping for electric wires.)
Myelin damage, according to that story, may be a significant cause of Alzheimer's disease, So, if you prevent myelin damage, that would prevent you from getting Alzheimer's disease, from that cause. Also, MS, multiple sclerosis, and ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a form of disease of the motor nerves that control all your muscles are largely caused by damage to the myelin surrounding those nerves.
The rest of this post has information on how to protect your myelin and nerves and even restore them in some cases.
1. I read a recent article on a Yahoo feature on foods that are good for your brain, Then when two of the foods listed tended to build and protect myelin, that got my attention.
One food was high in vitamin B1 and they also listed omega 3 oils directly. The article said that B1 & omega 3 oils were good for the myelin covering your nerves.
The food, pork, that was listed as high in vitamin B1 is not that high in B1and is a bit of a mixed review to eat often. But, vitamin B1 supplements of 100 mg once a day are quite inexpensive. ( I take one a day in part because I drink red wine most days and alcohol tends to wipe out some of your B1. In addition, since the other B vitamins are also valuable and your health results are likely to be much better if you take them in addition to the B1 instead of only taking the B1, I also take the balanced vitamin B supplement from Solgar called B Complex, Stress Formula plus C.)
(There is also a kind of upgraded vitamin B1 called benfotiamine that has been found to make neuropathy less severe. So it might also have some restorative capacity to rebuild damaged myelin. Benfotiamine is available as a supplement.)
Getting enough omega 3 oils for best results is a bit more complex. Eating wild caught salmon, sardines, herring, or small mackerels two or three times a week provides a good bit of omega 3 oils. You can also take purified fish oil omega 3 and DHA supplements. And, you can eat raw walnuts, kiwi fruit, and/or a kind of green called purslane for ALA, the plant based omega 3. These foods give you the ALA along with fiber and other good for you nutrients.
But -- for best results in lowering inflammation and protecting your health, it's very important get this extra omega 3 oil while cutting down or removing sugar, refined grain foods, and oils high in omega 6 from oils such as corn, soy, safflower, and even canola oil. Your body responds to the ratio of omega 3 oil to omega 6 besides using the omega 3 oils directly. By eliminating excess omega 6 and refined grain foods and sharply limiting sugar, you get much better lowering of chronic inflammation and improved blood flow. That protects your nerves and brain the best. But it also protects your heart and all the rest of you!
2. Preventing damage to your myelin and nerves is also protective.
If your body, in an autoimmune malfunction, attacks your myelin and nerves, that can cause these problems.
But there are two ways that have a track record of preventing this.
It's been found that high blood levels of vitamin D3 tend to prevent autoimmune diseases. And, taking 4.000 to 8,000 iu a day of vitamin D3 begins to give you as much vitamin D3 as summer sunshine and looks to be enough to provide this protection.
Many herbicides and pesticides cause myelin and nerve damage. So not using herbicides and pesticides in your home or garden to the maximum extent you can, protects your nerves. And, studies also show it is very important to avoid being downwind of commercial spraying of herbicides or pesticides-- particularly on a windy day.
In addition, statin drugs we now know only benefit a minority of people with a specific gene type. We also know far more effective ways to prevent heart attacks than taking statins. (We’ve posted on each of these.)
But in many cases, statin drugs cause neuropathy, insomnia, and memory loss. So, it looks to me that to protect your nerves and brain, statin drugs are best avoided. At the very least you should only take them if you test to be in the genetic subgroup that is best helped and if you are using the other more effective methods to protect your heart.
3. You can also repair and regrow nerves. People who do this avoid all kinds of mental decline and tend to avoid heart disease. They also live longer because their rate of aging slows down.
How is that done?
By doing several forms of exercise each week.
We now know that all kinds of regular exercise supply your nerves with better circulation, prevent damage to at least some degree from too high blood sugar, AND release BDNF a growth hormone that specifically helps your body repair your nerves and grow new one!
Even brief sessions a few times a week each of strength training and interval cardio are most effective at this since they release the most growth hormones.
But more moderate exercise such as brisk walking or dancing or even some housework and gardening also work. But since they are less intense, they take longer to do than many people can easily fit in.
But if you do that, it is effective. For example, recent studies found that people who walk a total of 6 miles a week prevent the brain shrinkage more sedentary people get.
4. In addition to taking vitamin D3, it has been found that taking curcumin supplements which are derived from the spice turmeric tend to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. There is even some evidence this may reverse early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Eating curried foods that contain turmeric several times a week is also helpful.
5. Avoiding food sources of lead, mercury, and aluminum may also help.
For example, fish like swordfish and King or large Mackerel, and shark is best avoided for the high levels of mercury. And, eating tuna about once a month or less is likely also a good idea.
Avoiding high fructose corn syrup also helps reduce your mercury intake. Based on the way high fructose corn syrup is made, tests recently found that high fructose corn syrup contained mercury in about 30% of the samples tested including in name brand products.
Avoiding baked goods or only eating those with non-aluminum double acting baking powder also avoids eating aluminum.
It’s also been found that eating cilantro in salsas, salads, and soups works to remove some of the mercury, lead, and aluminum from your body.
Today's Post: Monday, 6-6-2011
I recently read a story that said that as many as two thirds of people have a gene which predisposes them to problems with the myelin that surrounds their nerves.
If the myelin breaks down, the nerve it protects can stop transmitting messages and may even be subject to permanent damage. (Myelin is the fatty protective layer around nerves. It's like the protective and insulating wrapping for electric wires.)
Myelin damage, according to that story, may be a significant cause of Alzheimer's disease, So, if you prevent myelin damage, that would prevent you from getting Alzheimer's disease, from that cause. Also, MS, multiple sclerosis, and ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a form of disease of the motor nerves that control all your muscles are largely caused by damage to the myelin surrounding those nerves.
The rest of this post has information on how to protect your myelin and nerves and even restore them in some cases.
1. I read a recent article on a Yahoo feature on foods that are good for your brain, Then when two of the foods listed tended to build and protect myelin, that got my attention.
One food was high in vitamin B1 and they also listed omega 3 oils directly. The article said that B1 & omega 3 oils were good for the myelin covering your nerves.
The food, pork, that was listed as high in vitamin B1 is not that high in B1and is a bit of a mixed review to eat often. But, vitamin B1 supplements of 100 mg once a day are quite inexpensive. ( I take one a day in part because I drink red wine most days and alcohol tends to wipe out some of your B1. In addition, since the other B vitamins are also valuable and your health results are likely to be much better if you take them in addition to the B1 instead of only taking the B1, I also take the balanced vitamin B supplement from Solgar called B Complex, Stress Formula plus C.)
(There is also a kind of upgraded vitamin B1 called benfotiamine that has been found to make neuropathy less severe. So it might also have some restorative capacity to rebuild damaged myelin. Benfotiamine is available as a supplement.)
Getting enough omega 3 oils for best results is a bit more complex. Eating wild caught salmon, sardines, herring, or small mackerels two or three times a week provides a good bit of omega 3 oils. You can also take purified fish oil omega 3 and DHA supplements. And, you can eat raw walnuts, kiwi fruit, and/or a kind of green called purslane for ALA, the plant based omega 3. These foods give you the ALA along with fiber and other good for you nutrients.
But -- for best results in lowering inflammation and protecting your health, it's very important get this extra omega 3 oil while cutting down or removing sugar, refined grain foods, and oils high in omega 6 from oils such as corn, soy, safflower, and even canola oil. Your body responds to the ratio of omega 3 oil to omega 6 besides using the omega 3 oils directly. By eliminating excess omega 6 and refined grain foods and sharply limiting sugar, you get much better lowering of chronic inflammation and improved blood flow. That protects your nerves and brain the best. But it also protects your heart and all the rest of you!
2. Preventing damage to your myelin and nerves is also protective.
If your body, in an autoimmune malfunction, attacks your myelin and nerves, that can cause these problems.
But there are two ways that have a track record of preventing this.
It's been found that high blood levels of vitamin D3 tend to prevent autoimmune diseases. And, taking 4.000 to 8,000 iu a day of vitamin D3 begins to give you as much vitamin D3 as summer sunshine and looks to be enough to provide this protection.
Many herbicides and pesticides cause myelin and nerve damage. So not using herbicides and pesticides in your home or garden to the maximum extent you can, protects your nerves. And, studies also show it is very important to avoid being downwind of commercial spraying of herbicides or pesticides-- particularly on a windy day.
In addition, statin drugs we now know only benefit a minority of people with a specific gene type. We also know far more effective ways to prevent heart attacks than taking statins. (We’ve posted on each of these.)
But in many cases, statin drugs cause neuropathy, insomnia, and memory loss. So, it looks to me that to protect your nerves and brain, statin drugs are best avoided. At the very least you should only take them if you test to be in the genetic subgroup that is best helped and if you are using the other more effective methods to protect your heart.
3. You can also repair and regrow nerves. People who do this avoid all kinds of mental decline and tend to avoid heart disease. They also live longer because their rate of aging slows down.
How is that done?
By doing several forms of exercise each week.
We now know that all kinds of regular exercise supply your nerves with better circulation, prevent damage to at least some degree from too high blood sugar, AND release BDNF a growth hormone that specifically helps your body repair your nerves and grow new one!
Even brief sessions a few times a week each of strength training and interval cardio are most effective at this since they release the most growth hormones.
But more moderate exercise such as brisk walking or dancing or even some housework and gardening also work. But since they are less intense, they take longer to do than many people can easily fit in.
But if you do that, it is effective. For example, recent studies found that people who walk a total of 6 miles a week prevent the brain shrinkage more sedentary people get.
4. In addition to taking vitamin D3, it has been found that taking curcumin supplements which are derived from the spice turmeric tend to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. There is even some evidence this may reverse early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Eating curried foods that contain turmeric several times a week is also helpful.
5. Avoiding food sources of lead, mercury, and aluminum may also help.
For example, fish like swordfish and King or large Mackerel, and shark is best avoided for the high levels of mercury. And, eating tuna about once a month or less is likely also a good idea.
Avoiding high fructose corn syrup also helps reduce your mercury intake. Based on the way high fructose corn syrup is made, tests recently found that high fructose corn syrup contained mercury in about 30% of the samples tested including in name brand products.
Avoiding baked goods or only eating those with non-aluminum double acting baking powder also avoids eating aluminum.
It’s also been found that eating cilantro in salsas, salads, and soups works to remove some of the mercury, lead, and aluminum from your body.
Labels: how to protect your myelin, how to protect your nerves, New information on preventing Alzheimer's disease prevent Multiple Sclerosis and ALS, prevent mental decline
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