The Importance Of Brain Function

Your brain controls your entire body. Did you know that taking care of your body can help give back to your brain and improve its function and health every day?  

Hey everybody! It's Dr. Bob Salamon here with Lowcountry Chiropractic! Today, we are going to be talking about brain function, which is so important! We're going to be talking about some natural things, foods you can eat, and things you can do, all of which can improve your brain function and health. Why is this important? Your brain is the master controller of your body. Your brain controls and regulates every function and system in your body. This includes your immune system, which is so important right now! If your brain is not being nourished and it's not as healthy as it should be, it's not going to work properly. The rest of your body won't function as it should either, including that important immune system! 

What CAN we do? Let's talk about some very simple things that we can do to help keep our brain and brain function healthy! 

Resting! 
We need to get enough sleep at night. The time spent during our REM (rapid eye movement) cycle is when all of our protein bridges and synapses in the brain repair and heal themselves. If we are not getting enough rest, your brain and other parts of your body do not have that time to repair and heal. This will cause them to break down a lot quicker. Everyone is different; some people can get by with less than the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep, while others need more. But, I would recommend that you try and get as much sleep as possible, not just what you can get by on. Go to bed sooner, put down your phone, turn off Netflix, and force yourself to get that extra rest. Your brain and body will thank you for it! 

Nutrition!
The second piece of the puzzle that you can do for yourself is having good nutrition. There are at least 10 food items that will increase brain function and brain health. The common theme with these products is that they are antioxidants; they take oxidative stress off your brain and allow it to stay healthier and to heal quicker. These foods are also anti-inflammatory agents. We know that inflammation on your joints is bad, and creates pain. Inflammation on your brain is much worse. Over time, this pressure dulls the senses and can lead to the development of dementia or Alzheimer's down the road. These ten items can help you prevent these issues down the line and keep your brain healthy now!

• Fish oil - This increases blood flow to the brain and nourishes the membranes surrounding the brain cells. 
• Coconut oil (virgin organic cold pressed) - It is a huge anti-inflammatory and does similar things like fish oil. 
• Dark Chocolate- Believe it or not! It is an antioxidant and can reduce oxidative stress on the brain. 
• Berries - They are filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. 
• Nuts and Seeds. 
• Coffee - Believe it or not, again! Coffee can, according to studies, increase the brain's capacity to process information. 
• Avocados - They have good fat and are a superfood! They can also reduce blood pressure. Increases in blood pressure are known to affect the brain negatively. 
• Peanuts - One of my favorite foods! They have a lot of good unsaturated fat and protein. They're also great antioxidants. 
• Eggs - They can prevent brain shrinkage. 
• Broccoli & Kale - Both help reduce and repair oxidative stress on your body and in your brain. 
• Think about eating and drinking these items if you aren't already! 

Chiropractic Care
I'm a chiropractor, so of course, I want to talk about chiropractic care and how it affects brain function. Many studies have been done on the effects of chiropractic adjustments on brain function. There have been brain scans that have been performed pre and post chiropractic adjustments on the same day. The pre-adjustment brain is muted, the colors don't pop and it is just sort of existing. That post adjustment brain is lit up and thriving. We know definitively that chiropractic adjustments improve and increase brain function and communication. 

I do want to reference the Journal of Neural Plasticity from January 2016 here as well. This study and journal is a medical one, not a chiropractic one. This study shows that chiropractic spinal adjustments significantly increase activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex. This is the area where higher learning and cognition happens. The journal goes on to say that the prefrontal cortex is also responsible for behavior, goal-directed tasks, decision making, memory and attention, intelligence, processing of pain and the emotional response to it, autonomic function, motor control, eye movement, and spatial movements. All of these are pretty important! In my opinion, if you're not under chiropractic care because you don't think you need it (because you're not in pain) please remember this journal and this blog! Chiropractic care will improve your brain function now and later down the road. 

I hope this information is helpful. I hope you will use it and apply it to your life. If any of you out there needs some stimulus to the brain, which we all do, look us up! Give us a call, send us an email, we'd love to examine you and take a look. We'd love to take some X-rays to see what we can do to help you get healthier. Until next time, I'm Dr. Bob and I have your back covered. Take care! 

To read more about the study I mentioned in today's blog, please follow the link below: 
https://waldronchiropractic.com/study-chiropractic-adjustments-change-brain-function/

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