Brain fog - What causes it and how to increase your cognitive performance

(NaturalNews) I'm sure everyone has experienced a foggy brain at some point in their lives. Whether it was caused by lack of sleep, a hangover, or an illness, a brain that refuses to fire on all cylinders can be very annoying. True brain fog is more that an aggravation - it's debilitating and frightening. You feel like you're moving underwater or, worse yet, submerged in Jello. A profound physical and mental fatigue overwhelms you. The world continues to move at normal speed, but you are caught in slow motion. It is hard to think. Hard to focus. And short term memory is hit and miss, if it's working at all.

What causes brain fog?

Brain fog can be caused by any dysfunction of the body that inhibits the brain from receiving proper nutrition. It can be associated with chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease, poor diet, heavy metal toxicity, fluoride accumulation, vitamin deficiencies, other toxic accumulation, and more.

How to cure brain fog

As with any disease or disturbance in the body, the road to the cure is the same.

• Exercise - Absolutely the first step, and in most cases it's all anyone needs (though other steps should be taken to insure your noggin stays sharp)
• Detox - Rid the body of heavy metals and toxins
• Eat right - Nutrient dense foods give the body the means to cleanse and heal
• Supplement - Boost with the right vitamins, minerals, and herbs to restore balance

Brain Food Diet

Your body will begin to detox as soon as you eat right. A nutrient dense diet consists of a diversified diet with 80% raw, organic vegetables and fruit (more veggie's than fruit) and healthy fats. It is a diet without processed foods - no artificial flavors, colorings, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, trans fats, soy (unless fermented and GMO free) or refined sugars. If you eat meat, it should be organic. Also eliminate gluten and caffeine.

If this is not the type of diet you are currently eating, start with diet changes first. The simple act of eating right will cause you to begin detoxing. You do not want your body to be too overwhelmed by released toxins, so a purposeful detox can wait 3-6 weeks. Drink lots of clean water.

Detoxification for Your Brain

If you are suffering from any autoimmune disease, chances are your gut is at the root of the problem. The same is true for brain fog. The gut must remain in balance for any of the body's systems to work correctly. When there is an overabundance of yeast or bad bacteria, neurotoxins are created, which greatly affect cognitive abilities. Leaky gut syndrome and an overtaxed and confused immune system may increase cognitive deficits. As you detox, be wary of burdening your body with too many toxins at once. Candida is known to give off 79 toxins as it dies off, which can be a burden to the body of too much as dying off too fast. Slow your detox if symptoms become severe because Candida die off does release a neurotoxin that kills brain cells. It's best that we keep as many as possible, after all.

Supplements that Help the Brain Focus

If you have been experiencing brain fog, your brain has not been receiving all of the nutrients it needs. This may be due to diet or it could be due to your body's inability to absorb nutrients. Regardless of the cause, this is the time to be sure the body receives all of the nutrients it needs.

• Nutritional powder - See the last source link below the article for a recipe.
• B-complex - you need B12, but it is never good to take one B vitamin without the others for any length of time. Add a B complex vitamins to your daily supplements.
• Vitamin D - unless you are out in the sun catching those rays on a regular basis and you live south of Los Angeles, CA or Atlanta, GA, you probably need to supplement vitamin D.
• Omega 3s - (sustainable krill oil, fish oil, flax seed oil, or a high quality oil blend).

Check out Shillington's Brain Tonic recipe along with a bunch of other herbs, foods, and vitamins for brain health, How to Increase your IQ Naturally and see Improve Cognitive Abilities. With the brain tonic, some B vitamins, and a candida detox, you'll experience a new level of clarity and cognitive function.

Sources:

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com

http://www.healingthebody.ca

http://truthwiki.org/Vitamin_D

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com

About the author:
Allene Edwards first became interested in alternative medicine and holistic treatment modalities when she successfully used diet therapy to manage her children�s ADHD. Later when she became chronically ill with an auto-immune disease that multiple doctors could not identify, much less cure, she successfully treated both the symptoms and the cause through naturopathic treatment and nutrition. She is the Managing Editor of Organic Lifestyle Magzine and a regular contributor.