Brain Fog & Cognitive Issues

Much new research has emerged showing the benefits of natural therapies for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, Mulitple Sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s. With the chronic stress cycle, functional medicine acknowledges multi-factor causes, from lifestyle behaviors including poor food choices and food sensitivities, systemic abnormalities like gut and hormonal imbalances, or other traumas that lead to persistent degradation in neuronal tissue and neural inflammation.

Most everyone who comes to us after cancer complains of some degree of brain fog. It can present as an inability to multitask, poor concentration, poor long/short-term memory, slower processing, misplacing things, feeling less connected to others, or being less creative. Some people experienced memory and concentration concerns before treatment that were then compounded by the toxicity of drugs and other anticancer therapies. Inflammation of the nerves and brain tissue (neuroinflammation) occurs when there is a breakdown in the natural intracellular mechanisms of getting rid of the metabolic waste or creating energy. Over time, unless there is an intervention to repair the faulty function inside the cell, brain damage can occur, plaques can build up and increased oxidation leads to cell death. All of these issues can cause the fog or pre-dementia-like symptoms that many people experience.

Cancer-related causes include stress, anxiety, and depression, and it can also be a side effect of treatment. Additional underlying causes that contribute include heart disease, diabetes, gut dysfunction, aging, social isolation, and hearing loss.

By taking a multidimensional (holistic) approach to reversal of brain fog, this is one of the first and most dramatic results people achieve when working through a plan focused on wellness versus their cognitive issues alone. Specific evidence-based supplementation along with diet and lifestyle changes aimed at improving gut function lead to phenomenal results. Addressing past trauma and its accompanying nervous system dysfunction can lead to lasting change and prevention of further cognitive complications.