August 25, 2022

In my last article on Leaky brain, I talked about one of the causes of leaky brain being leaky gut. The other was wheat which produces Zonulin and attacks the barriers of the gut as well as the brain. Some of the other things that can cause a leaky brain are:

  1. Gut Dysbiosis which is caused by infections in the gut. Turns out the gut and the brain are connected such that a gut infection could cause a brain infection. 

  2. Autoimmune Disease is also the result of having a leaking gut. In fact, recall that the only way you can have an autoimmune disease is if you have a leaky gut. That being the case it makes sense that we also have a leaky brain when we have an autoimmune disease. The only question is, which came first?

  3. Mental health conditions – caused by stress hormones like cortisol that are chronically high or environmental toxins like glyphosate that disrupt serotonin causing intense anxiety. 

  4. Vagus Nerve Dysfunction – the brain sends signals via the vagus nerve to organs and vice versa. If the brain is leaky the signals are weak, resulting in the dysfunction of the organs.

Some examples include:  

  • Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

  • Indigestion or GERD

  • Depression and anxiety

The following disease states complicate matters even further:

  • Bacterial infections deteriorate the BBB allowing bacteria into the brain where they do not belong. Bacterial meningitis is one example.

  • CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) is a progressive, multi-system, multi-symptom illness characterized by exposure to biotoxins along with mold toxins that attack the brain. Yuk!

  • Excess glutamate (sugar) over-stimulates nerves causing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to break down which causes more permeability and therefore more chances of brain infection. Alzheimer\’s is now being called a brain infection. Sugar has also been linked to Alzheimer\’s.

  • Free radicals, which age us and cause inflammation, also further damage the BBB. 

Fascinating fact – Free radicals are produced all day long except from sundown to midnight IF WE ARE ASLEEP. In other words, if you want to revive your body, and especially your brain, be asleep from sundown to midnight and your body will naturally restore itself. Unfortunately, in our society people rarely go to bed before 11 or 12 o’clock so they miss this incredible opportunity for rejuvenation. People often ask me my secret for being so youthful. Hint: I am in bed by 8:00 and asleep by 9ish. 

  • Diabetes produces oxidative stress and inflammation. Huh? It is caused by inflammation from too much sugar which causes inflammation. This vicious cycle begins with polluted sugar. 

  • Elevated homocysteine, in individuals living with heart disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease, and those who survive a stroke, also have a more leaky brain.

  • High-fat, high-calorie diets and obesity deprive the brain of oxygen (AKA hypoxia) further damaging the BBB’s tight junctions. In other words, polluted foods cause leaky brain.

  • Liver damage, often from high fructose corn syrup, which is in nearly every processed food, releases a signal called MMP9 into the bloodstream that attacks the Blood Brain Barrier increasing the likelihood of brain infection. More polluted food. 

  • Quality sleep is needed for the uptake of nutrients and the offloading of toxins. This will decrease inflammation.

All This Infection!

So what’s a body to do? All of the things listed above have one thing in common, attacks on the brain from polluted foods that destroy the Blood Brain Barrier. We can fight off the biotoxins, bacterial infection, and free radicals with a good night’s sleep and regular exercise if we protect the brain by eating clean food. 

Although most of these toxins come from our food, some also come from medications and others from the environment such as mold. The best example of a toxin is sugar. We eat way too much of it. Not only is it addicting, causing us to eat more and more of it, it literally attacks the brain allowing biotoxins and infections to pass through the blood-brain barrier and inflame the brain.

If it is so dangerous, why is there so much sugar in our food? In today’s marketplace manufacturers of foods have discovered that if you put sugar in something we are more likely to eat it so you will find deadly levels as well as deadly types of sugar in almost every packaged conventional US food. The best example and the one with the most horrific impact is high fructose corn syrup. (I know I keep saying that).

The antidote? Clean eating. Click here to view my clean eating protocol. Stay tuned for more information on Leaky Brain.