POWER UP

by Ronica O’Hara

Ourbrainhasmanywell-knownstructureslikethe amygdalathatdetectsdangerandtheprefrontalcortex thatenablesplanning,butweoftentakeforgranted the400milesofbloodvesselsthatpushthroughaliterofblood perminute,carryinginoxygenandnutrients,andportingout wastes. “Ourbrainsarehighlymetabolicorgans,sotheyrequire lotsofnutrientsandoxygentofunctionproperly,andthose canonlygettoourbrainwhenwehavegoodbloodflow,”says naturopathicphysicianEmilieWilson,oftheSynergyWellness Center,inPrescott,Arizona. Whenthatbloodflowisoptimal,wefeelenergizedand clear-headed;whenit’slow,wefeelfoggyandlistless. Lowlevels ofcranialbloodflowhavebeenlinkedinbrainimagingstudies tostrokesanddementia,aswellasbipolardisorder,depression andsuicidaltendencies. Thefirstimperativeforhealthycranial bloodflowistomakesureourbloodpressure,bloodsugarand cholesterolnumbersareinahealthyrange. Healthpractitioners canhelpusaddressthat,aswellastheconditionslinkedto reducedbloodflow—heartdisease,hypothyroidism,diabetes, anemia,depressionandsmoking. Toboostbrainbloodflow, specificlifestylestrategieshaveproventobehighlyeffective:

Nitricoxide(NO) ismadeintheendothelium,thethinlayer ofcellsthatlinebloodvessels;itrelaxestheinnermusclesof thosevessels,maximizingbloodflow. “ThecontinuousformationofNOinthebrainisessentialtolife,”saysprominent pharmacologistLouisIgnarro,Ph.D.,whoreceivedtheNobel PrizeinSciencein1998fordiscoveringthathumansproduce NOandthatitlowersbloodpressureandimprovesbloodflow. Headvocatespassingupmeatforsoyandfishprotein,eating antioxidant-richproducesuchaspomegranate,blueberries, spinachandkale,andconsuminglotsofnitrate-richfoodlike celeryandleafygreenswhichareconvertedtoNOinthebody. Heespeciallyrecommendsbeets—onestudyreportedthatin juiceform,itincreasesnitricoxidelevelsby21 percentin45 minutes—aswellasdarkchocolate. InaHarvardstudy,older peoplethatdranktwocupsofhotchocolateadayfor30days hadimprovedbloodflowtothebrainandbettermemory. 2 Takeaminoacidsupplements. “ConsumingsupplementscontainingbothL-arginineandL-citrullinearewelldocumentedtoboosttheproductionofendothelium-derived NO,”saysIgnarro. “Addingantioxidantstotheaminoacidmix providesaddedbenefitbyincreasingNOlevels.”Herecommendspomegranateextract,cocoaflavonolsandomega-3 supplements. 3 Movethebody. Fastwalking,running,cycling,swimming,ballplaying,weightliftingandyogaallhelpimprove cranialbloodflow,saysIgnarro: “Physicalactivitystimulates

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theproductionofNOinallarteries,includingthoseinthebrain.”Inonestudy, womenover60thatwalkedfor30to50 minutesthreeorfourtimesaweekincreasedongoingcranialbloodflowupto 15percent. Yogaexerciseslikedownward dogandshoulderstandsalsoraiseblood flowinthehead. 4 Playmusic. Researchusingfunctionalmagneticresonanceimaging publishedinScientific Reports foundthat bloodflowinthebrainincreaseswhen peoplelistentomusictheylove,whether it’sMozartorEminem. Inarecentstudy, Weightless,asongwrittenbytheBritish groupMacaroniUnionalongwithsound therapists,reducedparticipants’anxiety levelsby65percentandphysiological restingratesby35percent.

KirtanKriya,a12-minutedaily meditationthatincludeschanting,finger movementsandvisualization,“hasbeen researchedforover18yearsandhas documentedbenefitsinincreasingblood flowtothebrain,”saysKrystalCuller, seniorAtlanticfellowwiththeGlobal BrainHealthInstitute,inSanFrancisco andIreland. YouTubeoffersseveralversions,asdoestheAlzheimer’sResearch andPreventionFoundation(Tinyurl. com/12MinuteYogaMeditation).

craniosacraltherapy. “Acupuncturehasbeenusedforthousands ofyearstoboostbloodflow,anditcan alsorelaxtensemusclesintheneckand head,whichcanimpairbloodflowmore thanwerealize,”saysWilson. Shealso recommendsthegentle,hands-on-head approachofcraniosacraltherapy: “Itcan directlyimprovebloodflowbyremovingrestrictions,anditcanalsorebalance sympatheticandparasympatheticfunctions,whichhasbeneficialeffectsonour nervoussystemandonbloodflow.”

by Jane Drobin

Thebrainisthefattiestorganofourbody;optimizingbrain healthisheavilybasedondietandlifestyle.Havingadiet richinfruits,vegetablesandheathyfats,suchasavocados, nutsandoliveoil,areessential.Supplementationwithproperly resourcedfishoilprovidesbenefitsduetoeicosapentaenoicacid (EPA)anddocosahexaenoicacid(DHA),especiallyduringthe prenatalperiodfordevelopingfetuses. Ginkgobiloba,bacopaandlion’smanearejustafewbotanicalsthathavebeenshowntoprovidebrainhealthbenefits. Traditionallyusedforincreasingcirculation,ginkgobiloba actsasanootropicandantioxidant.Bacopaisanherbthatis usedforimprovingcognitivefunction,memory,learningand concentration.Lion’smane,commonlyknownforitsneuroprotectiveproperties,isanantioxidant,anti-inflammatoryand hasimmune-boostingbenefits. Perhapsthemostimportantaspectofbrainhealthissupportingwhatmanyresearcherscallour“secondbrain”,ourgastrointestinaltract,madeupof100trillionmicroorganisms.This bidirectionalpathway,knownasthe“gut-brain”axis,canaffect mood,behavior,anxietyandbrainfog.Thereare100billon neuronsembeddedintothegastrointestinaltractandmorethan 30neurotransmittersareutilized,justlikeinourbrains.Having ahealthydiet,takingsupplementssuchasprobioticsandmaintainingahealthygutintegritysupportsbothofourbrains.

Dr. Jane Drobin is a naturopathic doctor, chiropractor and owner of Naturopathic & Chiropractic Family Health LLC, located at 1255 South Market St., Ste. 210, in Elizabethtown. For more information, call 717-381-5773, email NCFamHealth@gmail.com or visit NCFamHealth.com. See ads, pages 42, 49 and 52.