Blood flow is critical for life. It transports nutrients, including oxygen, to every cell in your body and flushes away toxins. Even though your brain, which weighs about 3 pounds, makes up only 2% of your body’s weight, it uses 20% of the oxygen and blood flow in your body. Anything that impairs blood flow or damages your blood vessels hurts your brain and your mental well-being. On brain SPECT imaging scans, low blood flow is associated with depression, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, hoarding, murder, substance abuse, seizure activity, and more. 1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Over 90% of teenagers do not get the recommended level of exercise, which could be one of the major reasons why mental health issues among teens have skyrocketed in the last 30 years. Drinking more than 2 cups of caffeinated beverages a day reduces blood flow to the brain. Smoking constricts blood flow to the brain.
On brain SPECT scans, the brains of smokers tend to look older than they are. In particular, drinking alcohol lowers blood flow to the cerebellum, an amazing part of the brain that is associated with physical movement, which means it can make you less coordinated. Plus, people who drink every day have smaller brains. Coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, and heart arrhythmia are all indicators that cerebral blood flow is decreased. High levels of LDL cholesterol, and in particular having a high content of small LDL particles, is a sign that blood flow isn’t optimal. High GlycoMode blood sugar formula pressure negatively impacts blood flow to the brain. Experiencing a stroke indicates that blood vessels are already damaged or vulnerable to trouble. If you have blood flow problems anywhere, it likely means they are everywhere, including in the brain. High blood sugar levels, associated with diabetes and pre-diabetes, cause blood vessels to become brittle and more likely to break, delaying healing and causing disease complications.
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that lowers overall blood flow to the brain, especially in the areas that die first in Alzheimer’s disease. If you want to keep your brain healthy, your mind sharp, and your mental health strong for as long as possible, you need to keep your blood flowing freely. If you have any of the lifestyle factors that lower blood flow, work to change your habits, and if you have medical conditions that impact blood flow, don’t hesitate to seek treatment. Here are 3 additional ways to boost blood flow. 1. Spend 10-20 minutes a day in prayer or meditation. Both prayer and meditation have been shown to improve blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, decrease anxiety, and improve mood. HBOT is a simple, non-invasive, painless treatment with minimal side effects that use the power of oxygen to enhance the healing process and reduce inflammation. Before-and-after SPECT scans from a 2011 study showed remarkable overall improvement in blood flow following 40 sessions of HBOT. Nutraceuticals with research-based evidence to help maintain healthy blood pressure and increase blood flow include ginkgo biloba, cocoa flavanols, omega-3 fatty acids, green tea catechins, and resveratrol. At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging and lab testing as part of a wrap-around evaluation and treatment plan to determine the root causes of your symptoms. We believe in using the least toxic, most effective therapies and strategies to optimize your brain function and feel better again.
Starch is a carbohydrate found in foods like bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes, and it quickly raises blood sugar and insulin on Keto. Resistant starch acts more like fiber, but foods containing it still come packaged with regular starch. This guide explains how starch works and the best low-carb alternatives. Going Keto means cutting carbs from your diet. The forbidden carbs fall into two main categories: sugar and starch. This article is about starch. Starch, which is just a cluster of sugar molecules, is found in foods like rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, yams, and carrots. Since the Agricultural Revolution about 12,000 years ago, starch has dominated the human diet. Once we started growing crops, we hung up the hunting spears. But 12,000 years is nothing in evolutionary terms. In the millions of years before agriculture, hominids evolved to flourish without a steady supply of carbs. We evolved, in other words, to cycle in and out of ketosis.