www.autoimmunedocpodcast.com
Anxiety was escalating at a rapid rate before 2020, and now it's just crazy. Long-haulers, mandates, lockdowns, wars, masks, headlines, our kids.....let's just say it isn't expected to get any better anytime soon, hence counseling services are increasing, doctors visits and prescriptions are increasing, but so are people searching for information and trying to solve their anxiety puzzle without medications, on their own. There are tons of options for medications, supplements, and general advice out there - where do you turn and what do you do?? Understand the mechanisms of anxiety, neuroinflammation, and autoimmunity.
UNDERSTANDING MECHANISMS PROVIDE SOLUTIONS!
I have at least 20 things in my Vitamin Store that I have used in my clinic that have helped people tremendously with anxiety, including magnesium, CBD, L-theanine, B6 and other B vitamins, keto diet, avoiding gluten or dairy, binders, methyl donors, sauna, herbs for pathogens, probiotics, adaptogens, vagus nerve stimulation. Some of these people were mold, Lyme, EBV, IBS, or autoimmune disease patients with a list of 10+ other symptoms, but some were kids, moms, dads, people who just dealt with a lot of anxiety but otherwise had few complaints. It can happen to anybody. What are the mechanisms for YOU?? Here is a list of 10 things you need to know about when searching for the next clue to solve your health puzzle:
1. Mitochondria - the batteries behind it all!! Also the cause behind it all.....listen to episodes 30, 31, 32 for more info on mitochondria but you have a QUADRILLION of them in your brain, so they are kinda important.....
2. Brain Cells - Neurons vs. Microglia vs. Mast Cells vs. Astrocytes.....you don't need to know everything, but a little bit about each one can help!
3. Brain Regions - limbic regions - amygdala, insula, hippocampus, hypothalamus; cerebellar-vestibular regions
4. Neurotransmitters - GABA/Glutamate, Serotonin, Dopamine, Acetycholine, Epinephrine, Norepipheprine
5. Hormones - HPA Axis (adrenals), Thyroid, Androgens, Estrogens, and most importantly Cortisol
6. Blood-Brain-Barrier - protector of the brain - damaged by head traumas, glutathione depletion, histamine, gut inflammation and permeability (leaky gut)
7. Dysfunctional Pathways - Reactive Oxygen/Nitrogen Species (ROS/RNS), LPS, Mast Cell Activation, Kynurenine Pathway, Methylation, NO/ONOO, iNOS, excitotoxins (MSG, red 40), EMF radiation
8. Nervous System Balance - Sympathetic/Parasympathetic balance - "fight or flight" vs. "rest and digest"
9. Mitophagy/Autophagy - the clearing of "junk" from the brain
10. Autoimmunity! - Self-tissue antibodies against things like GAD-65, cerebellum, thyroid, Myelin Basic Protein, Synapsin, Asiologanglioside, etc
These are 10 heavy topics!! But they are all important. You don't need to know everything about them, but knowing a little bit about each topic can help you figure out a bit more what's going on in your brain!