Depression, Anxiety, Memory Loss, And Brain Fog: Common brain disorders respond well to natural medicine

By Joni Labbe, DC, CCN, DCCN

Like most people, Anna, 40, wasn’t aware she was suffering from gradually deteriorating brain health. It was the development of other health issues that drove her to come see me at Labbe Health Center. Cavities, root canals, multiple gum grafts, and chronically bleeding gums plagued her. She also began to suffer from menstrual difficulties, her periods coming closer and closer together.

Brain problems often accompany other health problems
Though her dental and hormonal issues most vexed her, Anna acknowledged a worsening memory and that she lived in perpetual brain fog, a feeling that her mind was buried in thick fog or under water. Her mother and grandmother had experienced the same dental and hormonal difficulties, and her grandmother eventually succumbed to Alzheimer’s. “All the women were marching to a place I didn’t want to go,” says Anna.

Brain disorders are so common we think they’re normal
Gradual memory loss and chronic brain fog are just a couple of the brain disorders facing so many Americans today. Others include depression, anxiety, anxiety disorders (such as obsessive-compulsive disorder) fatigue, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and more. These issues have become so common we think of them as a normal part of life. But they aren’t normal, they are warning signs of rapidly declining brain health and an increased risk of more serious diseases down the road, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

Brain disorders stem from health issues
I immediately ran a comprehensive blood panel on Anna. Since most common brain disorders today stem from poor nutrition, digestive problems, low thyroid function, chronic inflammation, blood sugar imbalances, or chronic stress, the blood panel gives me a detailed view of the person’s overall health. I also read the blood panel differently than most doctors do. Doctors screen these panels for diseases. I look for trends toward disease that we can reverse nutritionally before it’s too late. For instance, the range a doctor may use to spot thyroid trouble can be .45–4.5 uIU/mL. I use the much narrower range of 1.8–3. This allows me to catch a thyroid disorder, a common culprit in depression, brain fog, and fatigue, and work with it using natural medicine before the condition has become irreversible.

Boosting the brain’s chemical messengers
I also had Anna complete a Neurotransmitter Assessment Form. This is a questionnaire that rates performance of the brain’s main neurotransmitters, chemicals that relay information. These neurotransmitters—serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and acetylcholine—determine our personality, behavior, general health, and how we perceive the world. For instance, poor serotonin activity is often expressed as depression, loss of pleasure in life, increased paranoia, or inner rage. A GABA deficiency can translate into chronic anxiety, low acetylcholine can cause poor memory, and low dopamine can make it difficult to focus or feel motivated.

Although addressing the conditions that cause poor neurotransmitter activity is our primary task, such as correcting an overly sugary diet or working on chronic inflammation, certain natural compounds have been shown to be highly effective in stabilizing these imbalances. In fact, many people are amazed to discover that the right neurotransmitter and metabolic support erases the need for antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication.

A gluten-free diet for better brain health
Diet plays a paramount role in brain health. After running some tests on Anna, we learned she has a gluten and dairy intolerance, and I advised her to immediately go on a strict gluten-free and dairy-free diet. This isn’t easy—these are America’s two favorite foods. Gluten is the protein found in wheat and wheat-like grains, and is in virtually everything. Studies increasingly show it is implicated in numerous brain disorders, including depression, autism, and even some cases of schizophrenia. After three months on the new diet and some neurotransmitter support, not only did Anna’s dental and hormonal symptoms clear up, but her perpetual brain fog lifted and her stress levels lowered as well.

“Before, it was as if I had a screen pulled down over my brain, like I never came out of a dream state,” says Anna. “On the new diet it’s gone and I’m more awake, energetic, and alert, and able to process information better. I have also noticed I handle stress a lot better and can deal with little frustrations more easily, which helps with my overall concentration.”
However, the importance of her new diet didn’t sink in until she ate gluten during a vacation, and all her symptoms returned swiftly and severely.

“My gums started bleeding again and my periods got out of sync again,” she says. “I had been constipated my whole life until I got on the gluten-free, dairy-free diet, and when I ate gluten during my vacation, I became really constipated—everything just stopped. I brought some geometry problems to work on for fun (Anna is a math tutor and enjoys math), and after eating gluten, I completely lost my interest and motivation in it.”

You are your brain
Our brain determines how we perceive our world. A life that seems lousy, boring, or stressful are common symptoms of poor brain health. It’s important not to wait until it’s too late to care for your brain. Neurological diseases can start decades earlier with chronic inflammation, depression, anxiety, low motivation, brain fog, memory loss, or post-traumatic stress disorder. These are all symptoms of poor brain function that should be addressed before they manifest into an irreversible disease later.
*Not her real name

About the author
Dr. Joni Labbe (luh-bay), DC, CCN, DCCN, is a San Diego-based chiropractor and clinical certified nutritionist specializing in science-based nutrition with a focus on women’s health issues. She uses clinically proven nutraceuticals, dietary modifications, and other tools of natural medicine to address the true cause of dysfunction and disease. She has received training from Dr. Datis Kharrazian, author of the number-one selling thyroid book, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal? Kharrazian’s new book on brain health will be released in 2011.

For a free, no-obligation 20-minute phone consultation with Dr. Labbe, or to receive a free copy of her booklet Common Questions About Brain Health, call (858) 483-4770 or toll-free at (877) 600-5222. For more information, visit Dr. Labbe’s website at www.brain-dr.com.