Brain
fog may be described as a state of confusion or lack of clarity. It can feel like a cloud that reduces
your visibility or clarity of mind.
It can cause you to become forgetful, detached and often discouraged and
depressed.
Brain
fog is very common. It
affects thousands of people, children as well as adults. It contributes to school and work
problems, low self-esteem, accidents, unhappy relationships and even crime and
delinquency.
Some
people have been this way for most of their life and think this is normal. Brain fog can have many causes -
physical, biochemical, emotional and even spiritual. Let us discuss these, starting with the most common
ones.
1. FATIGUE AND ADRENAL BURNOUT
The
most common cause of brain fog is fatigue. Many, many people with brain fog are simply tired. The brain requires a tremendous amount
of energy to function properly.
When fatigue occurs, the brain can be one of the first organs to
suffer. Many people are so used to
pushing themselves they may not even realize that seven or even eight hours of
sleep are simply not enough. This
includes thousands of children, not just adults. See our article on Sleep and Rest.
Many
people have families to take care of or demanding work schedules, so sleep
takes a back seat. If you live in
a city, just the pace of life can be quite exhausting. Cities also tend to have more air,
noise, water and electromagnetic pollution that wear people out, even if one
sleeps 10 hours daily. Fear, worry
or anger can also use up tremendous energy and result in fatigue.
If
fatigue is the main cause of your brain fog, your mind may begin to clear if
you allow yourself at least one week’s vacation where you mainly just sleep. Also, begin taking naps every day and
do your best to go to bed early and sleep more.
However,
your sleep deficit may be so great, as was mine, that some people need a year
or more of extra rest! I still
need a lot of rest at times, and have learned that this is not a “disease”, but
rather it is helping to process past events and traumas. In these cases, even a month’s vacation
may not give too much relief.
What
is needed is a new lifestyle!
While you may not be able to implement it immediately, you can decide
this is what you are aiming for, and keep moving in this direction. It can mean a job that does not tax you
too much, healthful living and working conditions and the ability to relax and
go to bed early. Working for
yourself is wonderful in this regard, provided you do not need to work long
hours. Keeping your overhead low
and your lifestyle simple can greatly reduce the need for a high-paying,
demanding job. Avoiding other
extra responsibilities may also be necessary, at least for a while. This is how I set up my life some
twenty-nine years ago, and it has worked well.
Fatigue,
however, may be due to any number of causes, such as chronic infections, nutritional
depletion, glandular imbalances or psychological imbalances such as fears,
worrying, or a stressful job or marriage.
In these cases, just a vacation or more sleep will not correct the
problem. Let us examine a common
cause of brain fog that looks like fatigue but is different.
ADRENAL EXHAUSTION OR BURNOUT
Burnout
differs from fatigue in that it is a deeper derangement of the body’s energy
system. It is incredibly common
today. In fact, the majority of
mineral analyses I review show some degree of adrenal exhaustion. On a hair mineral analysis, the calcium
and magnesium levels are elevated while the sodium and potassium levels are
very low.
Most
people are unaware of how unhealthy they are. They are fooled by media pronouncements about how much
better off we are today, living longer and so forth. This is manipulation of statistics. In fact, if a person made it through
childhood in 1900, their life expectancy was about the same as today. Just look up the age of death of some
famous people to find the truth.
For example, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams lived to the age of
84.
Burnout
cannot be corrected simply by having a few good nights of sleep. Adrenal burnout, which may be diagnosed
as chronic fatigue syndrome or CFIDS, requires a complete program of diet,
nutritional supplements and rest.
I also highly recommend infrared lamp saunas to to help rebuild the
body’s energy system. See the
article on Adrenal
Burnout for more information.
In
adrenal burnout, the body is nutritionally depleted, toxic metals have replaced
vital elements, chronic infections have often set in and many biochemical
imbalances may be present. These
include impaired thyroid activity, weakened adrenals, impaired digestion, heavy
metal toxicity, chronic candida albicans infection, chronic viral infections
and others. While the burnout itself can cause symptoms, often it is these
secondary imbalances that cause symptoms.
Let us discuss a few of these.
Candida
albicans is a common fungus that often causes vaginal and skin yeast
infections. However, it may also
overgrow in the intestines and become chronic. It produces alcohol and acetaldehyde, both of which are
toxic to the nervous system and often contribute to symptoms of brain fog. A person may behave as if
slightly inebriated, although they consume no alcohol. The symptoms are often worse if one
eats a lot of carbohydrates, especially sugars including sweet juices and
fruits. Starches and sugars feed
the yeast organisms. In extreme
cases, the yeast can actually invade the brain.
Occasionally,
brain fog may be caused by yeast die-off.
This may occur due to a dietary change or health program, or just a
shift in metabolism. As the yeast
die, they may release various toxins that induce temporary symptoms of brain
fog. See the article on Yeast Infections for more
information.
Low
blood pressure may occur.
The adrenal hormones increase blood pressure. Adrenal exhaustion causes reduced blood pressure, which may
impair circulation to the brain and contribute to dizziness and confusion. Brain scans may show hypoperfusion,
which means reduced blood flow to certain areas.
Hypoglycemia is another
conditions associated with adrenal exhaustion. When the level of glucose in the brain become too low, the
brain essentially starves for fuel.
The brain uses about one-third of all our calories. Unlike the muscles, the brain does not
store any fuel. Therefore, it must
have a continuous supply. If for
any reason the supply varies, it is like someone varying the voltage on a
delicate computer or other piece of delicate electronic equipment.
Common
symptoms of low blood sugar include confusion, irritability, forgetfulness and
even blackouts. One patient who
called me during a hypoglycemic episode could not remember her own name. Symptoms usually occur several hours
after a meal, and may come on suddenly.
Eating something that contains sugar usually relieves the symptoms in
about 10 minutes.
Many
people, including school-age children and many adults, experience huge blood
sugar swings all day long! Their
breakfast of sweetened cereal, donuts or juice drives up their blood sugar. This is followed by a drop at
mid-morning that is relieved by a sweet snack, more juice, soda pop or a cup of
coffee. This rockets the sugar up
again, followed by a fall around noon.
Lunch
may include soda pop, sweetened ketchup, mustard, sweet salad dressing,
sweetened rolls, chocolate milk, fruit or other sugary food. The sugar rises again, then falls
rapidly at mid-afternoon. It is
time for another pick-up, or maybe time for happy hour, since alcohol will lift
the blood sugar again for a short time.
And we wonder why many students have difficulty learning, and why
thousands can’t think clearly?
FOOD AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS
Cindy
had always had boundless energy and was ready to take on the world. She ate a lot of salad greens, which
she thought were very healthful.
However, two years ago she became exhausted and developed brain
fog. She finally traced the
problem to perchlorate, a chemical that was added to the town’s water and
became very concentrated in leafy green vegetables. It interfered with her thyroid. When she switched to bottled water and reduced her salad
intake, her mind cleared and her energy returned.
Nutrasweet
(also labeled as Equal, Canderel, Spoonful, aspartame, aspartic acid or
phenylalanine) is notorious for causing brain fog, fatigue, dizziness,
depression and panic attacks, to name just a few of its symptoms. It is found in over 5000 products and
affects some 25% of Americans who use it.
It is often hidden in prescription medication, vitamins, toothpaste,
breath mints and all types of diet products. Everyone should avoid this food chemical. See the article on Caffeine
and Sugar Substitutes.
Other
food chemicals that affect sensitive people include excitotoxins such as MSG
(monosodium glutamate), caffeine, pesticide residues, heavy metals, bacterial
and fungal toxins, fluoride, chlorine and hundreds of other substances that
either contaminate or are added to drinking water and food. Caffeine and other stimulants can give
one a boost, but eventually contribute to adrenal exhaustion.
Not
only the chemicals added to foods, but the foods themselves can cause brain fog
symptoms. The most common allergic
foods are wheat, spelt and cow’s milk dairy. Anyone with brain fog ought to try eliminating these foods
from the diet, as this will often help speed recovery. Gluten-containing foods such as rye,
oats, wheat, kamut, spelt and barley also cause reactions in susceptible
individuals that may affect the brain.
A
long list of prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause mental confusion
and other brain fog symptoms. The
list includes drugs for allergies, pain, high blood pressure, heart arrythmias,
glaucoma, infections, depression, anxiety, inflammation and other
disorders. Many people are taking
two to five of these drugs at once.
Combinations of drugs may be toxic in ways that no one can predict. Combining medication with alcohol or
recreational drugs may also produce unusual symptoms.
If
you must take medication, check the side effects and know that there may be
side effects that are not listed on the label.
NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
The
brain requires many nutrients, including proteins, high-quality fats, many
vitamins and two dozen or more minerals.
A range of amino acids are required for the brain, as are essential
fatty acids, antioxidants and other nutrients. Among the most important nutrients are calcium, magnesium,
zinc, copper, L-glutamine, L-taurine, choline, thiamine, B6, B12 and other
B-complex vitamins.
B-vitamin deficiency is known to cause confusion, irritability, stupor
and death.
The
author recalls a 7-year old patient who had recurrent ear infections. The ear infections cleared up on a
nutrition program. During a
follow-up visit, her mother mentioned the girl’s school grades also went from
Cs to As. This is not an unusual
story. Though part of the reason
may have been better school attendance, improved brain function is often a side
effect of nutritional correction.
Electrolyte
imbalance, as occurs after excessive physical exertion or sweating, may also
cause symptoms of brain fog. This
may be due to lowered blood pressure with impaired circulation to the brain,
metabolic waste products in the blood or impaired cellular energy production.
Chronic
Infections. Nutrient deficiencies,
along with fatigue, often permit viral and other infections to take hold. Many can directly or indirectly affect
the brain such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis C and many
others. See the article on Infections for more
information.
TOXIC LEVELS OF METALS
Toxic
metals often play a role in brain fog.
Elevated copper is strongly associated with feelings of
confusion, disorientation, racing thoughts, mood swings and confusion. Some women feel this before the
menstrual period, as their copper level rises at this time of the month. However, many people, both men and
moreso women, have elevated copper levels all the time. This can be an important cause of brain
fog.
Copper
excess affects the thyroid, female hormones, and stimulates the production of
important brain chemicals. Copper
imbalance does not show up on standard blood tests. It shows up on hair mineral analyses as an elevated copper,
or an elevated calcium level, low potassium level, high mercury level, or a
ratio of sodium to potassium less than 2.5:1.
Causes
of copper imbalance include weak adrenal glands, zinc deficiency, stress,
fatigue, birth control pills, copper intra-uterine devices or copper contamination
of water supplies or food. Many
children are born with copper imbalance today. Vegetarian diets are high in copper and low in zinc, a
mineral that balances copper.
These diets are also often low in other nutrients essential for the
brain such as taurine, carnitine, essential fatty acids, alpha lipoic acid,
B-complex vitamins and others.
Copper
imbalance is best corrected with a complete nutritional program. Just taking copper antagonists or
chelators often does not work well.
See the article on Copper
Toxicity Syndrome for more information about this common problem.
Toxicity
with mercury, aluminum, cadmium , lead and other metals may also
cause symptoms of brain fog. Most
everyone has some excess of these metals today. Mercury toxicity is extremely common, as it is found
in large fish like tuna and in dental amalgams. Aluminum is added to table salt and drinking water, and
found in anti-perspirants, anti-acids and many cosmetics.
Fortunately,
sauna therapy and a nutritional balancing program can slowly remove all these
metals, along with many toxic chemicals.
See the article on the Dangers of Toxic Metals
for more information about this important topic.
Other
mineral imbalances definitely contribute to brain fog. High tissue levels of calcium and
magnesium frequently cause diminished awareness, mental fatigue and brain
fog. The condition is called a ‘calcium
shell’, as the person is literally slightly numb, as though they live behind a
cement wall. Elevated tissue calcium raises the voltage at which nerve cells
fire, leading to mental heaviness, numbness and brain fog.
Excessive
levels of other trace elements such as iron, manganese and chromium may also
affect brain activity and give rise to symptoms of brain fog.
LACK OF GROUNDING
This may seem
like an unusual cause of brain fog.
However, many people are in this group. They are usually overstimulated, easily distracted and their
attention wanders. This can become
a ‘mental habit’ that may be changed.
Many bright, loving people are this way because they are very sensitive
and respond quickly to many stimuli in their environment. Their weakened body chemistry and high
copper level in particular may make them even more prone to this
condition. In a tai chi class, one
would say their chi is in their heads.
The
solution to this problem, and it is recommended for everyone, is to set aside
time each day for a practice such as meditation. Not any meditation will do, as many types of meditation just
keep one floating in one’s head.
We recommend an Observation-Meditation
Exercise because it is grounding and helps develop a quality called the
witness. This is most helpful.
Writing
each day in a journal is also helpful for some people. Other techniques to assist grounding
are gardening, slow deliberate walking, yoga, tai chi or chi kung. One should do these on a daily basis,
as part of your routine, to reap the benefit.
BOWEL TOXICITY
Toxicity
or sluggishness of the important eliminative organs will cause symptoms of
brain fog. If these organs do not
function well, toxic substances and end products of metabolism such as ammonia,
urea and others, may remain circulating in the blood. The brain is one of the first organs affected by these
toxins, as it requires a lot of blood and its functions are delicate and
intricate.
Weak
digestion, intestinal infections, stress, poor eating habits, negative emotions
or an improper diet often cause food to putrefy or ferment in the
intestines. The toxins produced
are absorbed into the bloodstream.
These can easily overwhelm the normal detoxification ability of the
liver and kidneys. Constipation
makes the problem one hundred times worse.
The
problem may be handled by your liver and kidneys if they are functioning
well. However, often the liver is
overwhelmed by all the chemicals in your diet and environment, and is not
functioning as well as needed.
Standard blood tests for liver function will not reveal a congested or
toxic liver. However, liver
toxicity is the norm today.
Drinking
inadequate water or worse, drinking soda pop, excessive coffee and other
irritating beverages can damage or overwhelm the kidneys and impair their
ability to remove poisons from the blood.
Be
wary of cleansing programs such as fasts to correct liver and kidney
toxicity. These may give temporary
relief, but usually do not address basic causes such as food allergies, toxic
chemicals in the diet or environment and nutrient deficiencies. Fasting can easily cause one to become
even more nutrient deficient.
The
answer for bowel toxicity is a slow regeneration of the intestinal tract, which
may easily take two or three years.
It begins with cleaning up the diet, eliminating the chemicals and junk
foods. Excellent eating habits and
lots of rest are important as well.
Most everyone needs digestive enzymes and I sometimes add lactobacillus
plantarum, what I call the life-changing probiotic. A range of nutrients may be helpful, as well as milk thistle
and dandelion for the liver, and saunas for detoxification. In other words, a comprehensive program
is generally best.
BRAIN PARASITES
This cause of
brain fog is due to lyme disease, other parasitic diseases, or consuming pig
products and other foods that may contain parasitic organisms. I believe it can be corrected with a
complete healing program, especially including infrared light saunas to slowly
kill and remove parasites from all areas of the body. Drug therapy may be helpful at times, although I prefer not
to use it if possible, as it introduces more toxic substances.
PSYCHOLOGICAL CAUSES
One can develop
brain fog if in conflict or denial and a part of you does not wish to think
about or see something clearly. This is more common than might be
imagined. In part, it is a
grounding and spiritual problem, though it can be due to information overload.
For
example, much of the prevailing wisdom taught in school, churches, by parents
or in the media is quite insane.
You may have learned from church that all divorce is bad, yet the
alternative is living in a hellish marriage. You may have learned that grades are everything in school,
yet you see people who get ahead who did poorly in school. Advertising would indicate that people
who drink Pepsi are slim and popular.
Yet reality is the opposite.
You may have learned that guns in private hands are bad, yet statistics
clearly prove they save thousands of lives every year. They are also statistically extremely
safe, much safer than driving and much, much safer than going to a doctor.
Going
into brain fog is one way to deal with conflict or an overload of information,
especially if you have difficulty sorting out what is true. Brain fog may also be your way to deny
reality when your life is not going well.
I
recommend to always ask for and seek the truth, and cultivate a belief that
“the truth will set you free”.
This does not mean the truth will be pretty. However, seeing and accepting the truth about oneself and
everyone else does lead to clearer thinking and happiness in my experience.
Another
psychological/spiritual aspect of brain fog has to do with a belief that one is
stupid and cannot think clearly.
This can be a result of parental or school influences. While there are a few exceptions, I
believe the public school system, with its authoritarian style, its emphasis on
grades instead of on learning, its one-size-fits-all approach and its lack of
spiritual focus damages thousands upon thousands of people’s brains. See the article Why is the School
System in Trouble?
Particularly
the Indigo
Children often suffer through school.
This includes many adults today.
Many come to believe they are stupid and may give up on clear thinking. The school issue might not be so important
except that today 1) parents are often not helping their children as much as in
earlier generations because they are exhausted, 2) televison and computers
further confuse the children’s brains and 3) so many children are not
functioning well to begin with due to the causes listed above. These factors make the negative school
influences that much worse.
There
are many methods for letting go of negative programming. The most important is to make a
decision that you are loved by your creator, and that you have many gifts and
skills. Yes, it is first a decision and you will
feel it later. Also, counseling
may be helpful to causes, and there are many approaches to help release
negative programs from the mind.
These include meditation, body therapies, nutrition and energetic work
like Spiritual Response Therapy and Holographic Repatterning.
OTHER CAUSES
Although
less common, misalignment of the spine, or any impingement on the cranial,
cervical or other nerves may cause symptoms of brain fog. Another common cause of brain fog is
reduced oxygen to the brain. This
may be due to clogged arteries, low blood pressure, shallow breathing or
holding one’s breath. Fear and
worry can cause shallow breathing.
Sometimes a physical disease such as asthma, chronic bronchitis or
emphysema impairs breathing.
Brain
fog is occasionally caused by an illness such as a brain tumor, epilepsy,
meningitis or encephalitis.
Electrical interference from computer screens or televisions can cause
brain disturbance in sensitive people.
Vision problems may affect mental clarity and cognition.
Dyslexia
and autism syndromes may cause confusion, though they may also be the result of
causes listed above. For example,
many autistic children improve when the factors above are addressed. Emotional conditions such as neuroses,
paranoia or mental fixations may cause brain fog as well.
WHAT TO DO
1.
Rest more. Most
everyone with brain fog needs more rest and sleep. Try for at least 9 hours nightly, if not 10. This is not a waste of time. Often people with brain fog are
sensitive individuals who need the time for processing and healing.
2.
Improve your diet and living habits.
Eliminate the junk food, excessive sugar and chemicalized foods. Eliminate wheat, dairy and other foods
that may be causing food reactions.
Substitute whole, natural foods.
Do not follow vegetarian regimens, as these can increase copper
toxicity. Drink pleny of healthful
water. Exercise gently each
day. Eat relaxed, sit-down meals
and sit for 10 minutes after meals before returning to work or other
activities.
3. Meditate on a regular basis. Use an observation-meditation exercise
such as the tape we offer.
This will help slow down your mind and assist you to observe your
thoughts. Affirmations and
visualizations are also fine, but are not the same.
4. Choose to live consciously. Singles, couples and families need to
choose exactly how they will spend their time and money. Besides healthful eating and good
habits, it should include wholesome activities and a spiritual focus. Otherwise, the advertisers and the
media will dictate a rather unhealthy lifestyle.
Bill
Clinton or Al Gore, I believe, once referred to the American people as
“customers of the government”. This
should insult you greatly.
However, they are sadly correct about many American people. You are not a sovereign citizen unless
you claim it. Many of our leaders
and media people view you as a “consumer” or “customer”, not a citizen. Advertisers, governments and others want
you out of control so their influence will be greatest.
In
addition, natural therapies can offer tremendous help along the way. Detoxification methods such as sauna
therapy, colonic irrigation and coffee enemas can also be very helpful for a
while to eliminate stored toxins.
5.
Natural therapies can offer help. These include herbs, vitamins, and detoxification methods
such as sauna therapy, colonic irrigation and coffee enemas. Coffee enemas are particularly helpful
and better than drinking coffee. See the article on Sauna Therapy for
more details on this excellent detoxification method. Detoxification
Procedures are available on this site. Note that most people need several years of detoxification,
not just a few weeks or months.
Go
to a competent chiropractor or osteopath to rule out structural causes. If symptoms continue, (and they often
will), consider a nutritional
balancing program utilizing hair mineral analysis. This test can identify nutrient
deficiencies, toxic metals and many other imbalances such as an unbalanced
oxidation rate or chronic fatigue.
The test is used as a basis to recommend more specific dietary
suggestions and supplementary nutrients
Many
people would benefit by meditation. The use of affirmations, inspirational
reading and other techniques may also help to help control unwanted thoughts
and emotions. In addition, many
other natural therapies may also be helpful. I was helped greatly by the use of coffee enemas, which help
clear toxins from the intestines.
Each case is somewhat individual.
In
a few cases, more extensive testing for brain diseases may be necessary. Physicians often begin with a CAT scan
or an MRI. However, in my
experience, almost all cases of brain fog will clear up without these costly
tests by correcting the factors discussed above such as diet, lifestyle,
infections, toxic metals, chemical toxicity and psychological/emotional stress
factors.
References
While
there are a limited number of references to brain fog on the internet, I have
not found much medical research on the subject. It needs more! This
article represents my experience and that of other clinicians with whom I have
worked or whose work I have studied.
Some of the other articles on this website referred to above contain
long lists of references as well.
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