Recent discoveries in neuroscience have helped explain the relationship between chronic inflammation, excitotoxicity, and behavioral changes. Evidence now shows that many behavioral disorders — depression, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, suicide risk, and even criminal behavior — can be traced to chronic brain inflammation.
When the brain is inflamed, the cells that control inflammation (microglia) become activated and secrete massive amounts of two powerful excitotoxins — glutamate and quinolinic acid. This results in a low-grade, smoldering inflammation that can last for decades.
There is growing evidence that this can be reversed by changing our diet and our attitude toward life. Diet is the absolute foundation of good mental health; simply correcting our diets can remedy a great many of our behavioral problems.
Unfortunately, the Western diet is probably the worst regimen for promoting good mental health. It is filled with inflammatory substances, brain-toxic food additives (many of which are excitotoxins), high levels of iron, and low levels of essential vitamins and minerals. For more information on food additives and the damage they can cause to your body, read my newsletter Food Additives: What You Eat Can Kill You.
Studies conducted at the California State University Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice have shown that by merely giving a multivitamin/mineral tablet to prison inmates, aggressiveness, antisocial behavior, and overall disruption within the prison were reduced by almost 50 percent. Other studies have shown similar results with school children.
This research suggests that a large percentage of our population is deficient in basic nutrition, and that this deficiency is having a major impact on behavior — even leading to criminal behavior.
The most important step in reducing brain inflammation and the potential for depression, anxiety, suicide risk, and even criminal behavior is to regulate your diet. Trying to correct these behavioral problems while eating a typical Western diet is a losing proposition.
However, fixing your diet will require serious discipline. For the best results, follow these basic steps:
• Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. A serving is a half cup of dense veggies or fruit, such as a celery or melon, and one cup of less condensed veggies, such as lettuce. It is even better if you process your fruits and vegetables in a blender.
• Eat breads that are made from organic whole grains; the best type to eat is gluten-free bread.
If your goal is weight loss, read my special report The Fat Cure: Health Secrets to Losing Weight Permanently.
• Meats should be eaten in moderation — no more than 6 ounces a day. Meat should always be eaten with a vegetable to reduce iron absorption.
• Never take vitamin C with a meal, as this dramatically increases iron absorption even when taken with vegetables, too.
• Avoid sugars, especially high-fructose corn syrup, as this is associated with abnormal behavior and reactive hypoglycemia. It also dramatically increases free radical formation in the brain.
• Drink plenty of fluids, especially filtered or distilled water. You can add a half capsule of magnesium malate/citrate to a gallon of water to improve its health benefits. White tea made with distilled water is another good alternative. Drinking fluids improves blood flow, both in the larger blood vessels and particularly in microscopic blood vessels. This keeps tissues well hydrated and greatly reduces the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
For more of Dr. Blaylock’s weekly tips, go here to view the archive.
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