DOES YOUR BRAIN HAVE A MIND OF ITS OWN?

By Dr. Laura Thompson

Your brain does have a mind of its own – you are unique. We all are. Thank goodness.

Your brain chemistry is unique because your experiences are unique to you; your emotions are unique; your stressors are unique; your food intake is all yours. And these specific aspects of uniqueness affect our brain chemistry. Here’s how:

The nervous system contains very important chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The brain uses these neurotransmitters to tell your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe, and your stomach to digest. Neurotransmitters are also necessary for thought processes, emotions, blood pressure, muscular movement and other essential body functions including sleep, energy and response to stress.

Here are some factors that cause neurotransmitters to be out of balance:

• Stress
• Poor diet – poor absorption, especially of proteins
• Toxic chemicals
• Allergies
• Infections
• Genetics

If your neurotransmitters are too high or too low these factors may be an issue:

• Feelings of sadness
• Anxiety or panic
• Heart palpitations
• Disrupted sleep
• Fatigue
• Weak muscles
• Unsteadiness/balance problems
• Behavioral problems
• Foggy thinking
• Headaches
• High blood pressure
• Inflammation

The good news is that your neurotransmitters can be measured through special urine testing with a home collection kit. The urine sample is then sent to the specialty lab and the results are sent to your doctor.

Most exciting, is that the field of brain nutrition or treating neurotransmitter imbalance with targeted nutrition – specific foods and cutting-edge nutritional supplements has come into “its own”. Many people are finding success with this modality. Your needs are unique and should be treated as such.

Think of this. The brain chemicals are made from a whole array of nutrients that cascade in a certain manner. For instance:

• The brain chemicals, dopamine and norepinephrine, often deficient in children with attention deficits, require amino acids, such as tyrosine, plus vitamin B6 and iron in their pathway in order to be manufactured.
• They also require vitamin C and folic acid.
• If the body does not take in these nutrients, dopamine and norepinephrine may be deficient, and the child’s behavior and thinking will be affected.

So the food we eat actually converts into brain chemicals or neurotransmitters.

Sadly, we’re not told this. In fact, when we’re told we have a chemical imbalance, we’re also told “there is nothing we can do about it”. Medications are the only answer.

This defies human biology. Although it is true that medications can improve symptoms, they can’t manufacture neurotransmitters. But your body can. It needs amino acids from protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates. And when your body has the right balance of these nutrients it can restore proper functioning.