A major source for chronic inflammation…
Dr. James Roman Cognitive Coach
One of the first places that we look at when we’re working with cognitive decline and memory loss patients is their gut health.
You may be asking yourself, “Dr. Roman, why are looking at the Gut, when memory loss occurs in the brain?”
It’s because of the systemic changes (mostly inflammatory) that can occur from an unhealthy GI tract.
Your gut plays a massive role in a number of critical functions for the body and the brain. In addition to digestion and absorption of your food, 80% of your immune system (and inflammatory responses) originate from the mucosal cells of the GI tract.
In addition, neurotransmitters that affect brain function, (memory) come from the GI tract. This is the reason why researchers call the nerves that control the gut (enteric nervous system) the body’s 2nd brain.
One of the most frequent sources of systemic inflammation in the body and the brain, is gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis is the alteration of the normal healthy flora (gut bacteria) and disruption of the cellular walls of the GI tract. This is often times called; Leaky Gut Syndrome. It’s estimated that anywhere from 60-80% of the US population has leaky gut.
Why?
From the foods we eat and the medications that we take.
It’s well known that overuse of antibiotics can kill the healthy bacteria that we need for absorption of our food. But it’s not just antibiotics. It’s the weed killer (roundup) that’s in the food we eat. That delicious bag of corn chips not only contains unhealthy fats, BUT low amounts of glyphosate. Think I’m kidding.
A few years back, researchers tested the amounts of glyphosate (roundup) in kids Honey Nut Cheerios, and several other breakfast cereals. The researchers found that levels of glyphosate in Cheerios were 729 ppb and in Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch the levels reached 833 ppb. The EWG considers 160 ppb to be the highest level safe for children’s food.
They found 5-6 times the amount of weedkiller in breakfast cereal than is allowed by the EPA.
Another cause of unhealthy gut bacteria and GI dysfunction comes from the high processed, high-sugar content foods that the standard American diet includes. The high processed, high sugar foods can wreak havoc to the healthy bacteria in our gut, and create the perfect environment for leaky gut to occur.
Once a person has leaky gut, more proteins, bacteria and viruses enter our blood stream than should and we start to build a hyper inflammatory response in the body. This an entire cascade of symptoms ranging from chronic join pain, and autoimmunity, to memory loss, fatigue and hormone imbalances.
It’s critical if you’re experiencing memory loss, that you take it seriously. It’s been well known in the Alzheimer’s research community that changes in the brain can take place for 10 years prior to any symptom. That means that your brain and nervous system has been affected for some time before you ever begin to notice it.
Call us today or schedule an online consultation to find out if the source of your memory loss symptoms is occurring from the GI track or some other hidden source.
About Dr. James Roman
Dr. James Roman graduated from Life University of Chiropractic in 2001 and began his practice in 2002. After 11 years in private practice in Atlanta, GA, he sold his successful practice in to move out west to Denver, CO and start iVelocity Marketing. As the Founder and CEO of iVelocity, he grew his marketing agency 10X and was listed as the INC 500 list of fastest growing agencies in the country. After experiencing the stress of growing and managing a successful agency, at 45 years old, he was having sleep, memory and chronic digestive problems. This led him to sell his agency to focus on his health. After reversing his own conditions, he began this intensive study of functional medicine and now helps patients reverse their conditions and live a healthier and more vibrant life!