How insulin resistance promotes dementia and Alzheimer’s

We typically associate insulin resistance with obesity and type 2 diabetes, but insulin resistance is also a significant risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s. Insulin resistance in the brain promotes chronic, low-grade inflammation, cellular dysfunction, and impaired mitochondrial function, all contributing to neuronal damage and cognitive impairment. In fact, some researchers refer to Alzheimer’s as…

Childhood brain issues affect gut health: ADHD, autism, and gut health

If a child’s gut problems seem stubborn and irresolvable, the role of the brain should be considered. In the early years of life, the brain consists of two types of tissues: gray matter and white matter. Gray matter houses the neurons and reaches its peak by around ages 6–8. White matter, which serves as the…

How Hypothyroidism causes depression and anxiety

How hypothyroidism causes depression and anxiety

Listen to the podcast on iTunes. (Also available on major podcast platforms). Watch the YouTube video. If you struggle with chronic depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders, you may suffer from undiagnosed hypothyroidism. A thyroid hormone deficiency can cause multiple brain-based symptoms. This is because thyroid hormones play an important role in the function of many areas…

Leaky brain and the blood-brain barrier

Listen to the podcast on iTunes. (Also available on major podcast platforms). Watch the YouTube video. You may have heard of leaky gut, but have you heard of leaky brain? Sometimes the immune barriers in the body break down, letting in pollutants, toxins, and other irritants that would normally be kept out.  This often happens in the…

Brain fog and fatigue? Avoid These Risk Factors to Prevent Brain Inflammation

In my interview with Dhru Purohit of Dr. Mark Hyman’s Broken Brain Podcast series I talk about risk factors to prevent brain inflammation. Common symptoms of brain inflammation are brain fog, fatigue, memory loss, and depression. Many brain-based symptoms that most people think are a normal part of aging are not — they are symptoms…

Gluten is primarily a brain issue and a common trigger of brain autoimmunity

Research shows most cases of gluten sensitivity manifest in the brain — not the gut. Gluten’s impact on the brain is so well established that some researchers refer to gluten sensitivity as a neurological disease. Gluten is one of the most immune reactive foods — no other food is more of a trigger for neurological dysfunction…

Dear Doctor: One patient’s frank insight into brain injury, mental health, and chronic illness

Mathias is a patient who has been working with Dr. Kharrazian to manage his sports-related brain injury and related chronic health conditions. He has shared this as an open letter to all practitioners. It is posted here with his permission. This is a follow-up to my case history. It has been an intense struggle to…

Vagus nerve causing gut symptoms? 4 vagus exercises to help heal your gut

Is your brain causing your leaky gut? One of the ways brain dysfunction can contribute to leaky gut is through poor vagus nerve activity. The vagus nerve is a large nerve that sends communication back and forth between the organs and the brain. When the brain is in poor health it can inhibit vagal nerve…

What type of gluten intolerance do you have?

Advances in testing for gluten intolerance offer accurate assessment Gluten intolerance has been linked in the literature to 55 diseases so far, most of them autoimmune. Fortunately a revolutionary breakthrough in gluten reactivity testing at Cyrex Labs, founded on years of leading immunological research, is now available to help determine whether this ubiquitous substance is damaging…