CART

Nutrition for Brain Health

Neurological and cerebral nutrition is a specialized field of nutritional science that explores the relationship between dietary factors and brain function, particularly focusing on the biochemical mechanisms involved in stress response, trauma-induced brain changes, and the modulation of neural pathways associated with emotions, memories, and reward systems. It encompasses the study of how various nutrients (macronutrients, micronutrients, and phytonutrients) and metabolic processes influence the brain's response to stress, including the interplay between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, amygdala, hippocampus, and other key brain regions implicated in regulating emotions, cognition, and physiological responses to external stimuli.

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Based on statistics, we focus many of our research efforts on specific physical and mental ailments known to stem from trauma and extreme stress. Nutrition specialties for our clinical research program are listed below. The following are definitions are adopted from the ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics revised 01/2023.

Endocrine Diseases

• Diabetes

  • Diabetes, whether type 1 or type 2, is defined as a metabolic disorder with heterogeneous etiologies which is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia and disturbances of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both.

    • Type 2, in particular, is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency.

    • While Type 1, is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from destruction of insulin-producing beta cells, mostly by autoimmune mechanisms.

  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus affects how your body turns food into energy and can be controlled by diet.

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• Obesity

  • Obesity is a disorder involving having abnormal or excessive nutrient excesses resulting in body fat that increases the risk of health problems. 

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• Thyroid Disease

  • Acquired thyroid disease is a condition that arises only after a person is born, not genetic.

    • Hypothyroidism is a hypometabolic condition, where the thyroid gland produces too little free T3 and/or T4 resulting in insufficient thyroid hormone.

    • While hyperthyroidism, is hypermetabolic condition associated with elevated levels of free T3 and/or T4 resulting in excess synthesis and secretion of thyroid hormone.

  • Hypothyroidism is a decrease in energy needs, and hyperthyroidism is a an increase in energy needs causing an effect of how fast or how slow the body will metabolize energy. It results in an uncontrolled change in caloric balance, upsetting metabolic processes. These disorders are highly influenced by excesses or deficiencies of calories, vitamins and minerals in the diet, stress, herbs or specific plants, food toxins, and alcohol consumption.

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• Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

  • Autoimmune thyroid diseases occur when healthy thyroid cells are attacked by the immune system.

    • Hashimoto's thyroiditis is chronic thyroid inflammation resulting in low thyroid hormone.

    • While Graves, is chronic inflammation that results in hypermetabolism.

  • Hashimoto's thyroiditis essentially leads to an decrease in energy needs, and Graves disease leads to an increase in energy needs, both due to a disrupted immune function. Thereby, causing an effect of how fast or how slow the body will metabolize energy. It results in an uncontrolled change in caloric balance, upsetting metabolic processes. These disorders are highly influenced by excess or deficiencies of calories, vitamins and minerals in the diet, stress, herbs or specific plants, food toxins, and alcohol consumption.

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Mental Disorders

• Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

  • C-PTSD is a stress related condition that results from long durations or prolonged exposure to complex trauma or extremely stressful negative life events that are perceived as extremely threatening or horrific in nature, from which escape is difficult or impossible, for example: torture, slavery, genocide campaigns, prolonged domestic violence, repeated childhood sexual or physical abuse, human trafficking, exposure to organized crime, etc.

  • PTSD can be exacerbated by alcohol, and influenced by amino acids, fats, vitamins and minerals, stress, phytonutrients, and herbs in the diet.

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• Localized or Selective Dissociative Amnesia Disorder

  • Dissociative amnesia disorder involves being unable to recall a specific event(s) or a specific time period. These gaps in memory or "blackouts" are usually related to trauma or overwhelming amounts stress and often follow conditions such as C-PTSD.

  • It can be exacerbated by alcohol in the diet and the memory symptoms are judged to be the direct consequence of alcohol use, and influenced by hypercaloric diets. 

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• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

  • OCPD is a mental condition where a person is preoccupied with rules, orderliness, neatness, control, or extreme perfectionism. It can be a result of long-term exposure to complex trauma or extremely stressful negative life events.

  • It is commonly associated with eating disorders.

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• Substance Use Disorders

  • A chronic disease characterized by uncontrolled usage and preoccupation with substances and is also an outlet commonly sought to escape extremely stressful events.

  • Alcohol, plant chemicals (nicotine, caffeine, or hallucinogens), or hard illegal street drugs compounded from plants (cannabis, coca, opioids, or cathinones) are the classified addictive substances.

  • People can also be addicted to gluten, dairy, rice, spinach, and certain plant foods.

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• Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Brain dysfunction can be caused by outside force, and most usually a blunt or violent blow to the head. Many time people with lived C-PTSD are exposed to such violent lifestyles (domestic and foreign), the outcome of experiences often result in TBI.

  • ​TBI can be influenced by carbohydrates, fats, amino acids from proteins, and certain micronutrients.