If we are lucky to make it to adulthood, we may be plagued by memories of imperfection embodied in our youth. I know for a fact, that I would not be dealing with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis if I had not pushed myself so hard throughout life. I was very driven as a child especially when it came to sports. I loved sports and spent great effort in playing sports but did not pay enough attention to taking care of myself when I was younger.  I regret not treating myself with kindness and compassion in my youth. But as there are consequences from every action in the 3D world, I think I am pretty grateful to be here now. I had anorexia nervosa in my early teens (age 11 to 14) which I did overcome and have not relapsed since I was 21. My stress levels were very high at that time.

I also developed MS because I ate poorly for about five years. There are no accidents just consequences to every action. I had a sugar addiction when I was attending university. I would also binge drink on occasion at that time too. I know now from going to naturopathic medical school that those two behaviors will contribute to gastrointestinal permeability. Also being a high-performance athlete contributes to gastrointestinal permeability. Gastrointestinal permeability is a key factor in developing an autoimmune disease.

 We trained hard being varsity athletes. We would do early morning runs on three days of the week. We would practice from 4:30 to 6:30 pm after university classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We would play games on Wednesday nights at 7 pm. We would often travel on the weekends to play other teams and universities. That was my most favorite time of my life though. I regret that I was not conscious and aware of how important it was to eat well when I was younger. My parents provided me with sound nutrition. I just made poor choices at times and now my poor choices have caught up with me.

My intuition told me when I was in my mid twenties to study naturopathic medicine and that was one of the best decisions that I made.  I have since learned how to take excellent care of my health with diet and lifestyle. I will forever be compensating for errors of my youth but I have accepted that as my wisdom that I can pass on to other people. I have had patients over the years that have confessed to me that some of the errors of their youth resulted in health challenges (a smoker with a diagnosis of tongue cancer comes to mind).

I would love to be able to speak to young athletes in schools and universities of the importance of sound nutrition and watching alcohol intake in order to preserve life long health. I feel I have to eat perfectly for the rest of my life. My sister says I have orthorexia now and she may be right about that. I did go into the perfect field to maintain my health.

 I do know that one trigger that I have trouble overcoming is overwork. I often don’t know my limits until I have overextending myself and have wound up in the ditch. That is typical of autoimmune. I am learning to make peace with the driven side of myself and am learning the wisdom that my body communicates to me every day.

 Life is a long journey. Your intuition can guide you. Your personal will needs to be united with divine will in order for your life to unfold in such a way that you can be used for God’s service and as an instrument of God’s love.

www.robinvinge.com

This is my last post on taking care of your brain with diet and lifestyle. My last tips include exposing yourself to sunlight first thing in the am. It can help you sleep better at night with a subtle influence on circadian rhythms. Sleep in a cool room (18- 24 Celsius) dark and quiet. Fast for three hours before bed and fast 12 hours over night because that allows for autophagy overnight (grand cleanup of your brain tissue. Avoid alcohol at night as that will affect the quality of your sleep. Try to cut off caffeine intake by 2 pm for optimal sleep too.

Dean Ornish, MD recommended the following supplements  to his trial participants for the 20 weeks so I thought I would list them here because they are readily available.  Nordic Naturals ProOmegaCRP- 2 capsules twice daily consisting of Omega 3 fatty acids 1680 mg, Curcumin 800 mg/day (both researched in improving cognitive function), Vitamin C 1000 mg/day, B12- 500 mcg/day, Magnesium l-threonate 144 mg Magtein- 2 tablets daily, Nordic Naturals – 200 mg Coenzyme Q10- 2 softgels daily, Lion’s mane- 2 grams/day Stamet’s host defense, Solgar-VM-75 without iron- 1 tablet a day, Flora Super Bifido plus probiotic- 1 tablet/day.

In summary, to keep things simple,  pay attention to six buckets to support your cognitive health: your mind/body approach basket, your exercise basket, your sleep basket, your social connection basket, your exercise basket, your nutrition basket, and your purpose and meaning basket. If you are interested in booking an appointment with me, you can go to www.robinvinge.com. Until next time, be well!

References: www.deanornish.com

I thought I would continue my post on taking care of your brain with diet and lifestyle. Dr. Dale Bredesen also recommends doing something you enjoy everyday and listening to music that you enjoy daily. There is some research that favors formation of beta-hydroxy butyrate if you do that. That favors cerebral blood flow which helps oxygenate the brain.

Do your best to reduce stress in your life. Stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system which is the rest and relaxation side of the nervous system is key. Focus  on purpose driven goals. My purpose as a naturopathic doctor is to provide assistance to improve people’s health. That is why I am providing this information.

In terms of nutrition, the diet that is optimal for brain function is low in saturated fats and free of transfats and processed foods. A focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, raw nuts and seeds, legumes and lentils was followed for twenty weeks. The diet was free of dairy and animal products. People that ate more vegetables did better that people that ate low vegetables. It is more optimal to eat vegetables that are non-starchy (green  leafy vegetables, asparagus. brassica family, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, etc) then starchy vegetables like white potatoes. I recommend people eat sweet potatoes or purple potatoes if they are really wanting a starch fix.

Eat 7 different colors of plants daily. Eating more plants cuts down on a whole lot of inflammation coming in to your body from animal foods. Animal foods then to be higher in fat in the first place and often higher in toxins especially fish from polluted oceans. It is recommended to eat meat once per week versus every day. Limit wild sources of fish to one time a week.

A low glycemic diet in terms of carbohydrates is optimal. Cutting down or eliminating sweets is best for brain function. Focusing on good fats found in avocado and olives and avoiding fast foods or fried foods are ideal strategies to maximize brain function. Eating more plants as a goal for your nutrition is paramount.

Avoid toxins that you can control in your food, air, water, heavy metals, plastics, cans. I always urge patients to eat organic when it comes to the dirty dozen vegetables and eat nonorganic when it comes to the clean green list. Check out the Environmental working group website which is a great resource ewg.org

For more information, check out www.deanornish.com or The End of Alzheimer’s  by Dale Bredesen, MD or any books by Dean or Ayesha Sherzai, MD- both experts on the brain. Until next time, be well. If you want to book an appointment with me go to www.robinvinge.com