Well according to an article published in Scientific American (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-does-the-brain-react-to-a-romantic-breakup) it surely does.

    According to the article, the ‘feelings’ one experiences after a breakup, that can leave one totally  absorbed,    sometimes devastated and unable to focus on anything else, are not just ‘feelings’. These ‘changes in patterns of thoughts and behaviors’ are actually precipitated by neural (brain) changes that occur after a breakup.

Apparently, neuro-imaging studies have also found that being rejected, even by a stranger, activates many of the same areas in the brain that are activated when one experiences physical pain.  Other studies have found that women, who had gone through a recent breakup, exhibited brain activity consistent with feelings of sadness, rumination and chronic depression. 

This means that a breakup can have serious physical and neurological implications. Why is it though, that not everyone is affected in the same way? Some people are able to say, ‘well, that’s life’ and just move on, while others can be seriously traumatized, even totally debilitated, or anywhere in between.

Well, could it not have something to do with the state of the brain, before the breakup and what can we do to ensure that our brains are optimally prepped, at all times, for any eventually?

We know that the brain is about 77% water and somewhere between 10 – 12% lipid (fat) (McIlwain, H. and Bachelard, H.S., Biochemistry and the Central Nervous System, Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1985) and it has also been shown in..‘several dose-response studies that dehydration levels of 1% may adversely affect cognitive performance. When a 2% or more reduction in body weight (due to water loss causing dehydration) is induced by heat and exercise exposure, decrements in visual-motor tracking, short-term memory and attention are reported…’ (J Am CollNutr. 2007 Oct;26(5 Suppl):555S-561S.)

Now these fats, that comprise such a high percentage of the brain, are not ‘just any fats’. They are the the poly unsaturated Omega 3 fats and not having enough of them has also been associated with a significantly (p=0.024)  higher risk of cognitive decline (J Nutr Health Aging. 2011 Jan;15(1):32-5)

Further studies have also indicate that,

‘higher reported consumption of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids is associated with greater gray matter volume in nodes of a corticolimbic circuitry supporting emotional arousal and regulation. Such associations may mediate previously observed effects of omega-3 fatty acids on memory, mood and affect regulation’ (Neurosci Lett. 2007 Jun 29;421(3):209-12. Epub 2007 Jun 2

I could go on and on about the many different things that affect proper brain function, including high toxicity and acidity levels, high stress levels, poor diet and nutrition and obesity, however, suffice it to say that if you are thinking about breaking up with your partner make sure you stuff him or her with high levels of Omega 3, lots of good clean water, optimum nutrition and a fair amount of exercise for a good 3 months before you drop the clanger!!!

For those that may be battling with the effects a break up, I recommend Nutrilite Omega 3, 2 x 2 x a day, Nutrilite Double X 2 of each 1 x day and Nutrilite Natural B Complex 2 x 1 x a day, for 3 months. Drink 1 – 1 1/2 litres of water a day (preferably e-spring water) and let me know how you feel after the 3 month.

Any neurobiological scientists out there want to test out my hypothesis??

Email me at klentin@iafrica.com with comments, oh, and please share!!

The basic message in the article is :

May 20, 2013 — Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease – when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain reaction that leads to the death of neurons in the brain…

Now, in plain english, what this means is that they believe that something (catalytic trigger) interferes with the ‘stuff’ (protein) inside a cell (molecule) causing a  ’problem’ (reaction) that leads to the death of neurological tissue in the brain…

Now the reason I ‘saw’ a blog possibility here is because Functional Medicine has been teaching for years that when certain substances attach onto the outside of a cell, onto the receptor of the cell membrane, it will ALWAYS affect the communication process within the cell and that this can have either a positive or negative effect.

  Essentially there are only 2 types of messages that you can bombard your cells with – pro life messages and pro death messages. I’m talking here about the messages each and every one of us bombard our trillions of cells with every second of the day.

Many of these massages, especially the pro death ones, have very subtle influences on the cells and if the cells were only exposed to the message ‘once in a blue moon’ the amazing self healing and regulating systems of our bodies would be able to cope quite satisfactorily, most of the time, anyway.

The problem is, however, that ‘with the state of the world’, we are traumatizing our cells nano second by nano second. The pro life messages simply cannot cope, they are being smothered by layer upon layer of pro death messaging.

  So what do I actually mean by pro death?

Well these messages can come from multiple categories as well as     external and internal sources. One major source of  external pro  death messaging is nutritional. Excess sugar and carbohydrates, processed and fast foods, alcohol, caffeine, genetically modified products, trans fats, over cooked and burnt foods, high saturated fat foods. Another category includes pollution, exposure to chemicals, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, the chemicals in certain facial, hair and skin products, formaldehyde and the chemicals in plastics. A third category includes the high level of stressors we are bombarded with on a daily basis, requiring our bodies to operate from a state of constant ‘defense physiology’. And yet a fourth category includes medications, both prescription and over the counter, or otherwise, that all have some negative cellular side effect or another. I could go on adding to the list ad nauseum..

Internally we are receiving literally thousands of negative ‘messages’ every day as well, that we create for ourselves. For example, worry, regret, guilt, jealously, anger, fear, negativity, loneliness, lack of intimacy, lack of humor, poor sense of self worth and self esteem to name just a few things that will impact our cells with pro death type effects.

These messages seem to heavily out weigh the pro life messages that we expose ourselves to, such as optimum nutrition (and not just now and then), exposure to natural substances that can do the same job as the chemicals, organic products where possible, avoiding smoking, excess alcohol and sugar, preventing the need for medication by adopting healthy life styles, optimum weight management, stress management, fun, social activities, nature, relaxation, appropriate exercise, humor, creativity, intimacy, fulfilling and nurturing relationships. Our bodies ‘crave’ exposure to these pro life messages.

The sad thing is that the pharmaceutical industry  wants us to believe that there is a single cause for, in this case neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease, and that they can then create drug to target this one cause and make billions from an unsuspecting and gullible public. If these companies put their money into promoting the simple life style modification concepts as proposed by the principles of Functional Medicine the need for many of the drugs required to manage chronic degenerative disease would not be there.

More often than not we do have a choice between bombarding our cells with the pro life vs the pro death messages. Being aware of the potentially serious effects of selecting pro death messages may help with making the right, or certainly better, choices.

Please feel free to contact me by email at klentin@iafrica.com for more information and sign up for my newsletter off my website at www.drkevinlentin.co.za Please share this if you found the information valuable and interesting.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130520154217.htm#.UZsxhfTzSmk.facebook

The Sciatic Nerve

Sciatica essentially refers to compression of the sciatic nerve, the largest and longest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates in the lower back from a number of nerve roots exiting off the spinal cord which then join together to form the sciatic nerve. The nerve then travels down the leg and is responsible for supplying sensation and function to all the structures of the leg.

Compression of the nerve can come from different sources, but the most common is a disc protrusion, commonly referred to as a ‘slipped disc’. In reality the disc doesn’t ‘slip’, but it can bulge, protrude or herniate. I usually describe it to patients as similar to tooth paste being squeezed out of the tube. There can be just a small amount ‘peeking’ out of the tube (bulge), or, with more pressure on the tube, a larger amount comes out (protrusion) and with even more pressure some of the tooth paste can actually ‘break off’ and separate from the rest of the tooth paste in the tube (herniation).

Sciatica and Back Pain

The nerve bulge, protrusion or herniation usually occurs as a result of a strain or injury that causes a tear in the fibers that support and hold the disc in place. Because these fibers do have pain receptors there can be some lower back pain in the initial stages, however usually the back pain does not persist for very long before the leg pain takes over as the primary problem. 

Who should manage and treat sciatica?

The Chiropractor

In my 27 years of practice I have found that chiropractic management and treatment of sciatica is can be very effective and should definitely be the first ‘port of call’ for patients with sciatica.

Results with a disc bulge or protrusion are usually excellent, but results may be variable with a disc herniation.

Aside from the pain in the leg, patients can present with or without neurological signs and this would depend on the degree of nerve compression. The greater the pressure, the more the chance of ‘hard’ neurological signs such as decreased or absent reflexes, marked tingling, pins and needles or numbness and even muscle weakness.

These are more serious signs and should not be allowed to persist for an excessive amount of time with out referral for an MRI scan

The Neurosurgeon

If patients are experiencing unrelenting severe pain as well as ‘hard’ neurological signs I am of the opinion that a neurosurgical consult is warranted.

Management and Treatment

The first thing to note is that there is no ‘quick fix’ with true disc problems, as can be the case with mechanical back pain.

My approach is bed rest for 14 days, yes, strict bed rest! 

The bed rest is coupled with using ice packs intermittently to help reduce inflammation and chiropractic treatment 3 times a week in those first 14 days. I always recommend natural muscle relaxant supplementation and, occasionally, if the pain is very severe I may recommend anti inflammatory medication as well.

Sitting is to be avoided at all costs.

Even if the symptoms improve after 7 days I still caution patients about being too optimistic as I have seen too many instances of where retuning to normal function too soon causes a more severe relapse.

There are times however, where surgical intervention is necessary and this is usually to relieve the excruciating leg pain. Rest and conservative treatment, however, should always be given a chance. There are risks with any surgical procedure and a documented failure rate of around 20% for surgical procedures for sciatica. The research also clearly shows that at 12 months the results of conservative vs surgical management are exactly the same.

Please feel free to share this blog, comment or email me at klentin@iafrica.com for more information

That basically translates to the fact that lower back pain is basically an epidemic. The most common type of lower back pain is what is referred to as mechanical lower back pain. This relates to the mechanics of how the joints between each vertebra move and articulate.

The spinal joints are the ‘moving parts’ that allow you to bend and twist and just like any other moving part they are subject to wear and tear and therfore damage. There are three situations that will cause back trouble.

1. Pathological conditions

These are medical type problems such as an infection or a disease.

2. Disc conditions

Here the shock absorber pad between the vertebra bulges, or herniates (a bit like tooth paste being squeezed out of a tube) and touches the nerve route causing the pain the radiate, usually down your arm if your neck is the problem or your leg if the problem is in the lower back.

3. Mechanical conditions

These are by far the most common and are caused by one, or a combination, of three things:

- trauma

- repetitive strain

- over use syndrome

This is the typical type of pain that has made the chiropractic profession famous!

Countless studies support chiropractic as the modality of choice for the management of lower back problems, typically types 2 and 3 above.

Why not consult a chiropractor about your ailing back?

Every day I am confronted by patients that are submitting themselves to any one, or even all, of these things and so many  of them are in varying stages of dis-ease, disability and, if they continue on the same path, heading towards premature death.

I ended the last blog saying that being subjected to chronic on going stress (the first of the deadly sins) puts your body into a state of ‘defense physiology’ .

What does this actually mean? Well, firstly, remember that your body is actually one big chemistry set, actually a bio-chemistry set. Nothing happens inside your body that isn’t akin to an orchestra comprising 1 trillion instruments (all the cells in the body) playing the most complicated composition with out a single note being out of place or badly timed. The orchestra is conducted by a group of super highly intelligent conductors (endocrine glands) that know exactly what to do to have each and every instrument ‘come in’ with exactly the right note at exactly the right time.

Now when you experience on going stress all of the orchestra members (the cells) are expected to ‘up their game’, play harder and faster to ‘defend’ you against the continued bombardment by the things that are stressing you; this is what’s called ‘defense physiology’..

In the case of stress the lead conductor is a pair of glands that sit above your kidneys called the adrenal glands. They produce a range of different hormones whose job it is to assist you to manage the stress.There a number of these so called ‘stress hormones’, but one of the main ones that help you to physically cope with the stress is NORADRENALIN. 

…more on noradrenalin to follow…stay tuned and look out or my next post on this interesting topic.

If you have any questions or would like more personal information feel free to email me on klentin@iafrica.com