Brain Fog!
The feeling that your brain is now cotton wool, your thoughts are out of order, out of reach and so difficult to collect together! During menopause the brain goes though a number of changes due to our change in hormones – specifically oestrogen, progesterone, FSH follicle stimulating hormone and LH luteinizing hormone.
These hormones are part of our endocrine system – the body’s main system for communicating, coordinating and controlling the body’s work, they all play a huge role. Our hormones are the messengers sending information and instruction from one cell to another.
Having the correct balance of hormones is extremely important for the day to day running of our body and mind. It’s the CPU of the body if you like, nothing gets done without these messages being relayed to the relevant area of the body. For example when a woman is at full term of pregnancy the hormone that is released to bring on labour is oxytocin – from the pituitary gland. Without this labour does not begin naturally.
Every woman will go through menopause, how you go through it is where homeopathy will help. Homeopathy is a truly amazing tool in health and wellness.
Homeopaths are looking at the whole picture of what’s happening in the body. Homeopathy aims to rebalance the disturbance that is causing your symptoms ie fluctuating hormones, oestrogen dominance or imbalance in the nervous system.
While we look at your individual symptoms we are taking a more holistic approach to your health. Addressing the imbalance on an individual basis as opposed to a one size fits all approach gives the patient the best opportunity to bring their body back to balance and become symptom free!
Some Top Remedies for Brain Fog
While each individual is different and getting to the right remedy involves identifying the imbalance in the individual’s body – the remedies below are the most prescribed remedies for brain fog. If you are struggling with more symptoms like hot flushes, skin changes, emotional issues, anxiety or depression, changes in vaginal health or libido it will be best to work with a homeopath than self prescribe at home.
Top Remedies
Kali Phos – The over worked brain and nervous system! This remedy is indicated where there is mental fatigue from over work. Your mind feels sluggish and dull. Mental fatigue from over study and worry also. It is effective for students studying and coming up to exams. Also useful when there are memory problems and forgetfulness also.
Gelsenium – When there is an inability to think clearly or concentrate. Person may feel a state of nervousness in the body, shaky hands, twitching or tremors. There can also be a heaviness felt in the head and eyes feel so tired and droopy.
Trying to do any mental work is difficult, can’t fix attention, connect ideas and having vanishing thoughts or just mental exhaustion.
Lycopodium – You may feel like your brain is loosing power! There is quite a lot of confusion, with this remedy. Confused thoughts in your mind, memory is weak, mistakes in writing and speaking – using the wrong words/unable to express yourself correctly. Also a great remedy for Dyslexia.
Cannabis Indica – Very effective remedy for poor concentration. Inability to recall thoughts or events. There’s almost disorientation and an out of body sensation as in a floating feeling. You may have a fear of losing control or your mind.
Natrum Mur – For brain fog that can be attributed to sleeplessness. There may be a feeling underneath of sadness, grief, anxiety or depression. Suits persons who keep to themselves emotionally and would rather be left alone without consolation. There’s a fullness of mind and difficulty in thinking.
Calc Carb – Great remedy to have when brain fog is accompanied with a headache. There is also forgetfulness, difficulty thinking and confusion of words. Understanding what has been heard or read. Normally it is accompanied with anxiety for present or future.
Anacardium – Brain fog with a lot of forgetfulness. Forgetfulness with regards to short term and recent events or what they have been told. There is a loss of ideas going to the brain. Very much a brain fatigue remedy and one of the top remedies for Alzheimer’s.
Other important factors….
As with all inflammatory conditions it would be beneficial to bring down inflammation.
Some of the biggest contributors to inflammation in the body and brain in our current era are Gluten/Dairy.
Whether you are coeliac, have an autoimmune disease or have a gluten intolerance or not studies show gluten can cause inflammation. Having a fully intact gut lining in our current environment and lifestyle is increasingly difficult. The microbiome in our gut is affected by our diet, lifestyle choices, sleep, stress and inherited genetics. “This inflammation can affect any part of your body, including your brain, and can show up as psychiatric or behavioral issues, mood disorders, or “foggy brain” or cognitive and memory issues”.
A brain MRI study found that similar to patients with celiac disease, patients with non celiac gluten sensitivity experienced neurological symptoms including: headaches (51%), brain fog (48%), balance issues (31%), tingling (19%) at 90 minutes following gluten consumption. It took approximately 48 hours on average for symptoms to resolve. *
“The microbiome in our gut is affected by our diet, lifestyle choices, sleep, stress and inherited genetics. “This inflammation can affect any part of your body, including your brain, and can show up as psychiatric or behavioral issues, mood disorders, or “foggy brain” or cognitive and memory issues”.*
Also helpful in bringing down inflammation and increasing immunity is castor oil packs.
Place the pack on your abdomen for any digestive issues or lower back area (liver region) to aid in the processing of hormones which is a major role of the liver.
When rubbed directly onto the skin, the ricinoleic acid is better able to penetrate deeper into the layers of the skin, helping to relieve inflammation in the tissues.
When purchasing castor oil it’s important to buy cold pressed organic castor oil with no fillers. It is not intended for internal use just as a topical application.
