Cognitive or mind function is a major health issue for most, especially as they age. Forgetfulness, mind-fog, loss of memories, mental fatigue, and plain confusion are abundant in today’s population. No one is ‘immune’ and there are solutions, but there are also many contributors. Considering the major increase in conditions such as anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’ disease, Parkinson’s syndrome, and general cognitive decline, it is probably a good idea to step back and evaluate the options. There are indeed many good options that are heavily research supported.
The brain is a major player in your health and should be considered separate from your mind. We tend to make them one in the same, but they are indeed different. Think of the brain as being a computer and the mind as being the operator of the computer. The computer can control and impact many processes or programs, BUT it requires someone to tell it what to do. This is the same as your brain. Your brain controls every facet of your health, believe it or not. Every cell is controlled by brain function from heart function to digestion. BUT, it requires the right mindset or operator behind it. Additionally, just like a computer, the brain needs proper care in regards to nutrition. If you let that computer get all dirty and covered with spilled coffee, it is of little value. Same for your brain! But, here’s the cool thing. The brain also impacts the mind! Keep the brain healthy and the rest of the body improves and mentation clears up. Then, as the mind becomes clearer, the brain becomes more functional and targeted in it’s action.
Alternative medicine makes a few concepts regarding mental health quite obvious when you sit back and look. Let me take a stab at a few concepts here and maybe make some connections.
Think of your body as being like a car. It requires fuel, which is a proper diet, to keep it healthy and running, however, it also requires an energy source to get things started. If there is no fuel or proper fuel, the engine will not run. However, if there is no energy source, battery or alternator, then the engine will not run as well. It requires both to run, but also requires an operator to turn over that key and steer the vehicle.
There is one more concept to mention here and that is termed ‘dampness’ in Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM. This is like wetness or excess fluid or toxin accumulation in the body. It is a result of a poor diet and digestion and accumulates over years. This would be akin to flooding the carburetor or just hosing down the engine and the electronics with water. The engine will not run and neither will your brain or nervous system.
Okay, with that being said, let’s move to Ayurvedic medicine and doshas or body types. There are three, being Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. To keep things very simple here, Vata implies cold and thin with qualities of dryness. Pitta would imply more heating and stimulating. Kapha is more heavy, thick and moist. This is like the three body types in human medicine being endomorph, ectomorph, and mesomorph. Some people are thinner by nature, some more muscular builds, while others are just overweight naturally and heavy.
Now, if we look at the mind and cognitive function, in order to remedy or improve the situation we have to take these three doshas or body types into consideration.
There are those that have mental and cognitive functions that are:
- Hot natured and over stimulated
- Thinner, drier in nature and more secluded
- Heavy, overweight, with water retention or fat accumulation
You can say that you have anxiety, depression or any other mental problem including the more serious conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, but no one remedy will benefit every person. Why? Because not everyone is the same and thus not every medication or therapy will benefit every one. In fact, if we view everyone as being the same, sometimes the therapy works against us and creates more harm!
So, if you are experiencing mental health issues, this is the place to start! Take a good look at yourself! Define the problem and in future articles, we will discuss options for management.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Anxiety generally equates to a thinner person, more nutrient deprived. This is excess Vata in Ayurvedic medicine and a blood or Yin deficiency in TCM. Here the person would benefit from more moisture, more nutrients, Yin foods and herbs, and often mild warming of the body via foods and herbs.
- Depression is more common in those that are overweight and heavy. This is like the dampness I mentioned above and the engine being swamped with junk. This is due to many lifestyle factors from diet to exercise. These individuals needs a revamp of the diet, more drying foods and herbs, and maybe more heat or mild stimulation to get things going including digestion.
- Brain fog or lack of mental clarity is often just like depression and of the same origin.
- Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s both can originate from either of the above, meaning a thinner person in need of hydration, nutrition, and warmth, or a person that would benefit from drying and nutrition.
There are many foods and herbs that have demonstrated HUGE benefits in terms of brain function and mentation, HOWEVER, not every one of those foods or herbs is right for every person. Hopefully you can understand this? In future articles, we will take various herbs and examples, going into more detail. Just know for now that you have control and through changes, anything is possible.
Recommended Reading:
Dry Skin, Itching, Aging and Yin Concepts
Author: Tom Schell, D.V.M, CVCH, CHN