Brain fog
I have Brain Fog. Sometimes its ok and other times, I am a walking mess. Stress makes it worse and if I get lax with decent eating I notice a decline.
Exercise, proper sleep ( a big problem for me, especially in winter) and working on decreasing inflamation in my system helps immensely.
Lately with the corona virus and shifts in family routine I have had more problems.
Does anyone have Brain fog here? And what has helped? Mine used to be so bad I explained it to my family as my mind was one of those white boards you write on and I was writing the words on the board but could not say them. The more I tried to say them the worse the problem became. It was just best to stop and take a break. It's so much better but I still have issues typing and never see the typos until a few hours later.
My brain fog was caused from a severe gut issue. I never knew the gut and brain were so closely related.
Comments
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We all do sometimes. It is just natural to be a bit off some days. Allergies, a cold, lack of sleep, etc. If you notice it with a change in weather, cold fronts and storms, it could be weak kidneys. Licorice root and tea could help. A bit more protein and fat often helps, and the French swear by fish and seafood. If it is something more constant, some herbs might help. The scent of rosemary is said to improve memory and mental clarity. Ginko biloba, ashwagandha, ginseng, peppermint and several other herbs may help. Lack of sleep is often a major factor. But, in all honesty... for me, a cup of coffee with a shot of bourbon in it and a strong cigar will clear the old gourd like nothing else! The main thing though is the degree... if this is happening often, be aware and start journaling to try to figure out why. Don't ignore it. A medicinal mushroom tonic could be a very good idea.
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I have brain fog, secondary to my fibromyalgia. There are times when my brain is fine. But there are times when I struggle to complete a sentence. Even common words are just gone at times. I liken it to Swiss cheese...I never know where the hole will be. My kids have learned how to interpret for me most of the time and are amazingly patient with it. They don't even laugh at me, although I laugh at me 😁.
Sometimes it will last for only part of the day and at other times it can last days. I just say that I'm having a bad brain day. It has certainly taught me a lot about what Alzheimer patients must go through. Yes, the harder I try to get past a particular block the worse it gets. I just tell the kids to give me a minute. When I drop off the face of the earth here it is usually because of that.
Stress just levels it up big time. There are times I cannot deal with the murder mysteries I like to watch because it is too stressful. Then I watch nature shows, the happier kind l Iol. Other things I avoid, like making phone calls to business and such.
As to what helps...I take a ton of herbs...adaptogens and nervines. Ashwaganda, Siberian ginseng, California poppy, shatavari, passion flower, and more. These I tincture. I also make tea with things like tulsi, lemon balm, and more. This is in addition to all the different herbs I use for supporting the liver, kidneys, heart, etc. I've been using some of these herbs for years and some not as long. They were added one at a time. If the help seemed too gradual I would stop the herb and see if it matters. I don't just randomly throw things at it lol...usually 😂
Okay, I have completed the first three chapters of this book 😄. If you have other questions @Denise Grant I will endeavor to answer. Thank goodness for things like spell check!
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Oh yeah, and cold water - seriously! Check out my podcast on Kneipp therapy. Just a cold foot bath can do wonders. His specific regimen is probably better than most any prescription, no matter how simple it may see,
PS.. and most defiantly minerals, good fats and B vitamins!
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Oh, and this is interesting.... You've probably heard about the French paradox... how the French eat more red meat and butter, drink more red wine and brandy and smoke more than most any other Europeans, but have lower instances of heart disease, cancer and alzheimers... well it turns out it could be skewed due to a region where folks eat more duck fat than others. So, duck fat and red wine could be an answer... pass the pate!
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ANd one more thing... you can tell I'm a bit scattered today... learn to play a new instrument. Nothing affects the brain like playing music. Learning a new instrument improves the "plasticity" of the brain... playing it by ear, so you can play what you hum or sing is phenominal... the brain waves go nuts. I know a guy who is a brain surgeon who learned banjo... he's written books on this stuff!
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Let me say first that I sympathize. It’s awful trying to get through your normal day and then having your brain crash like that. It’s just so frustrating.
I went through a long horrible period of stress some years ago, and my body just crashed. Every afternoon I had the worst brain fog and exhaustion. I couldn’t even function.
After much trial and error, I found that magnesium and B vitamins helped. Only recently I discovered that you need magnesium to form B vitamins, so obviously a huge connection. I believe all the above suggestions are excellent, but I would begin by supplementing the above. You could do B vitamins and regular Epsom salt baths instead, and I prefer the baths, but sometimes it’s easier to pop a pill.
I hope this helps!
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@judsoncarroll4 I hear learnign a new language helps.
Word search puzzles do not. The crossing lines shut my brain down
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@Megan Venturella When this first started my mother would tell me "just concentrate". She just thought I was not paying attention. She finally understands a bit.
Fermented food helps. I really need to be drinking Kumbusha
I have started using magnesium. It helps
And yes, stress will shut my brain down in two seconds flat
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LOL, spell check dopes not even help. my mind will not see anything underlined for a few minutes, If I see it in a few I correct it if not.. I hope its entertaining ;)
I'll try your other herbal suggestions. I know they help. I just need ther right mix. I have improved a lot over ther last few years so that gives me encouragement.
My sister in law had brain fog from MS. I now understand when the mind shuts down.
Thanks for the help
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I like to use Ginkgo for focus when I am in stressful situations. It seems to have the effect of clearing the mind of other distractions so I can pay attention to the task at hand.
My husband seems to go completely blank during stressful situations. I haven't quite figured out what it is that he needs to help with this. I think it is a reaction that was developed many years ago as a way of dealing with stress. Old pathologies are difficult to resolve. I have tried giving him Ginkgo but not sure that it helped. Might need a bigger dose or used in a combination with something else.
So I will be watching this thread to see what other options people have used.
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I have used breathing exercises for stress and they seem to help. A few minutes in tehr morning and at night and sometimes during the day if I know that is having an effect on my thinking.
Exercise is always helpful and I need to add Yoga back into my daily routine.
I have also found routines help but that is the worst area for me to get a grip on.
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Exercise helps me tremendously. But the biggest help has been not eating any refined sugar or refined grains. Some people have brain fog due to candida overgrowth, so cutting out anything that feeds yeast is helpful in that case.
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Every now and again I'll have a touch of the Brain Fog, because like Mr Bojangles, "I drinks a bit"...😁
My very best to those who have a real diagnosis and pray for relief...
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I have really struggled with brain fog for the past 2 years. I also liken it to swiss cheese. Things are just missing, memories, words, etc. I assume that it is a result of extreme sleep deprivation. When my youngest son was born he had a lot of health issues. One of them made it very difficult for him to sleep and if he didn't sleep then I didn't get to either. I have been trying several things over the last year. I had a lot of help and support from friends. I did a lot of cognitive therapy. After hearing the podcast from @judsoncarroll4 I also tried the water therapy and he is correct. It helped. I have to agree with @Tave and say that the most helpful has been giving up sugar.
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@Denise Grant I’m hearing you. Menopause for me was the catalyst for my brain fog and so frustrating. There have been many great tips given on this discussion. My 2 bobs worth, mushroom tea (chaga) to start my day. I take a daily nutritional supplement that contains, herbs, superfoods, prebiotics etc. I have also introduced ashwaganda to my daily routine. Less alcohol, meat and sugar. More homegrown veg and drink plenty of water. After every shower, just before I get out, I turn the cold tap up and stand there, so invigorating!
Just remember to be gentle on yourself, we can’t be at 100% everyday. Happens to us all.
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I started to have brainfog, especially in the afternoon after lunch.
Last summer, I experimented with the Keto approach--a more Ketotarian approach where I ate lots of vegetables and limited carbs to about 40 grams a day--and inflammation and brain fog disappeared. Fibro runs in my family, but with this all of my joint pain disappeared. Carbmanager.com is a free tool that can support this transition. And again, I did not "go extreme"--there were days I ate a croissant. Most days I ate healthy veggies, lean meats, etc. While there are all kinds of crazy products out there, I found them to be too expensive and too much hassle. If we made a curry, I would eat 1/4 cup rice and more veggies. SO it can be done without being high maintenance. I also ate fish everyday for lunch (Trader Joe's Salmon burgers or Sam's Club ahi). We make greek yogurt in the instapot and the probiotics also seem to help. In fact, getting ready to go back to this modified Keto right after the holidays.
Best of luck, it sounds like this is impacting your life!
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I had severe brain fog for many years. At the root of it all was mercury toxicity. I used zeolite and in less than two weeks on pretty high doses, my fog lifted.
Since you mentioned gut issues, you might want to know that mercury will really cause gut damage. If you or your mother have/had amalgam fillings, this could be the cause. Mercury is also in vaccines and some other medications. The best probiotics you can get are not optional, until your gut is fully functional and new colonies of healthy bacteria are formed.
Do you have any missing molars? If so, there could be an issue with energy getting to your brain. The teeth are meant to align and stimulate our meridians so if the molars in the brain meridian are missing, this presents a problem.
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Some great suggestions here. I know that mine has been tied to my hormonal imbalance and gut health. There are several things here that I'm going to try. Thanks.
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@Sharie That is so true about mercury. My oldest sister was having serious health problems, then got all her mercury fillings replaced. Within two weeks, her health improved tremendously.
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@Denise Grant I have read that refined sugar causes Brain Fog. We have reduced sugar consumption to an absolute minimum.
I have also read that Aluminium can damage brain. No Aluminium Folie in our kitchen, especially in contact with salt micro particles land in brain. So no baking, frying in Alu Folie. We use baking paper instead. No Aluminium anywhere in direct contact with the body: food, cosmetics...
My way to fight Brain fog is Ginkgo powder, Ginseng tincture, bitter tonics, morning exercise and walking in nature.
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I will check into Mercury.
Such good ideas here
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These are great ideas indeed. I probably have some mercury fillings. Any idea if the price for removing them has gone down lol? When I first checked into it about 15 years ago the price started at twenty thousand dollars. I need to see if any dentists in my area do that and get a price estimate. It may take me a while to save up that many pennies 😝.
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@Denise Grant After I had a partial hip replacement (I am allergic to anesthesia) I had brain fog so bad. After 5 months I went into our natural health food store here in town and the lady suggested L-Glutamine. Within in two days I could tell the difference 1,000 mg twice a day. I had trouble spelling words, I had trouble speaking @seeker.nancy - Central Texas I love the analogy to swiss cheese! I tried typing and the words were so garbled. I couldn't even spell. It makes such a difference when you can find something that works. I still have issues if I don't take the L-Glutamine. I am down to 1,000 mg once a day now.
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@dipat2005 you had some of the same symptoms I did. So sorry to hear you had such a reaction to anesthesia.
I will have to try L- Gluamine. TY
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@dipat2005 I used to take that! I don't remember why I stopped, it was years ago. I might need to give it a try again. Glad that is helping you!
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One of the biggest helps for my brain fog was a tea, Cho-Wa. It really helped clear my brain and gave me hope I can get this under control .I stopped thakling it for a bit but will start up again. I started L-Glutamine Saturday.
Right now, I have to get my stress level down, I take care of my mother 91. I love having here her but it can be stressful.Especially in these times where some of her programs are on hold or just hard to access
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I have noticed two things that seriously contribute to brain fog for me -- one is monthly hormones. Ladies, you know the ones I mean! My husband can always tell when it's "that time of the month" because our ability to communicate clearly and my short-term memory suffer. I started taking "Flo" vitamins a few months back. They contain chaste berry, dong quai, and vitamin B6, and I have noticed that they do seem to help in general. It's not a perfect solution for me, but it's a noticeable improvement.
The second thing that contributes is a lack of sleep. I try to be fairly religious about getting enough sleep because lack of it affects me so negatively, but man, when the rare occasion happens that I get less sleep than I need, I have to be extra careful to think everything through because it just completely depresses my executive functioning! Ugh!
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A couple things have helped me...eliminating refined sugar, trying to eat natural foods and staying away from processed foods. Getting outdoors and walking, especially in a natural wooded environment. It has helped my mind and my soul. :)
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I'm working on a project for an interesting company that has developed therapeutic products to help with sleep and anxiety disorders. The concept for the weighted blankets, sleeping bags, and bathrobes is based on research done by Temple Grandin. It seemed appropriate for this discussion because brain fog is often caused by not getting adequate rest. There will be more information available when the site is updated.
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My youngest niece has to have a weighted blanket. It has made amazing differences in her issues she was having.
I never thought of that but I may get one. I noticed they were on sale at our one store
Good luck with your research.
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