I painted my office this weekend and was fully prepared to suffer the consequences of breathing in toxic VOCs from the paint (even though I was using low VOC paint). And on top of the fact that I get my allergy shots on Thursday and they usually kick me around for a few days. But even worse than the affect of the shots and breathing in paint fumes is the fact that I have to breathe in my neighbors dryer sheet fumes nearly every day of the year. Of course while painting I need to have the windows open. But even if I walk out to get my mail the air is HEAVY with the VOCs, they seem to be running their dryers constantly. I truly believe that fragrance is much worse than second hand smoke because of the obsession of using it in nearly everything. You can't even walk into a store without being bombarded with TOXIC fumes. I no longer receive scented store ads but that's because I had to request non-scented correspondence.
But what is behind illness related to toxins? Toxins affect and damage the brain. Today we’re seeing an explosion of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Lou Gehrig’s disease that are occurring at much earlier ages than previously. Chronic fatigue syndrome also has neurophysiological symptoms and brain imaging studies showed that CFS patients are dysfunctional in their ventral anterior cingulate cortex function, and other brain abnormalities. CFS has much in common with the neurodegenerative diseases.
All disease exists on a spectrum of severity from mild to full blown. So for every diagnosed case of disease there are many hundreds of cases that are just beginning, mild, or interfering with life somehow. This holds true for neuro disease and for illnesses like CFS.
In Parkinson’s disease for example damage can occur in the peripheral nervous system, autonomic nervous system, and in the nerves of the heart. People with Parkinson's have dysfunction in the ability to detoxify harmful elements and their mitochondria have low energy output and high free radical generation. Sound familiar?
Like CFS, Parkinson’s is also an inflammatory disease. Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease are linked to other inflammatory conditions including:
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune diseases
- Obesity
- Consumption of omega-6 fats (these fats found in junk/processed food are inflammatory)
- Trauma
- Exposure to certain toxic metals
- Infections
Infections, trauma, obesity, toxic metal exposure and pesticides/herbicide exposure all intensely activate the brain’s immune cells the microglia for very long periods. In fact it’s now known that exposure to pesticides and herbicides is the leading environmental cause of Parkinson’s disease. All of us are getting dangerous doses of very harmful chemicals every day particularly if we bug spray our homes, play on contaminated golf courses or work in buildings treated by pesticide services. And the damage is cumulative. So if you get a low single pesticide dose that doesn’t cause brain damage but then are exposed to another low pesticide dose in the future the two together will cause extensive damage to the part of the brain that one sees damaged in Parkinson’s disease.
The multiplying of toxicity is called “synergism.” All the pesticides, herbicides and chemicals exposure that you have daily is what is causing this enormous burst of cases of neurodegenerative disease. I talk about the cumulative effect of stressors over time leading to damage of the nervous system, the adrenals, and the immune system. It’s the same deal. People who have Parkinson’s disease also have weak detoxification enzymes in their neurons and liver so when they are exposed to toxins the poison is not detoxified instead it enters the brain causing damage. They also have low levels of glutathione in their cells, especially brain cells. Glutathione is the body’s major antioxidant that protects all cells, especially brain cells and is found in the cell mitochondria where 95% of free radicals are produced.
"Clinical evidence links low glutathione levels to the most common illnesses of our time as well as newly emerging diseases." Dr. Jimmy Gutman, MD, FACEP It’s suspected that people with low glutathione levels have the greatest risk of developing Parkinson’s and we know that low glutathione levels are also seen in CFS. Glutathione is a major protector against mercury toxicity so if you have low glutathione levels you have a much higher risk of mercury damage to your brain and of developing diseases like Parkinson’s.
Factors that can lower brain glutathione include:- Brain injury
- Strokes
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune diseases
- Environmental toxins
- Infections
- Elevation of brain glutamate levels
All of these increase free radicals and lipid peroxidation products in the brain. Lipid peroxidation is a free radical process that causes cell damage. Your brain needs a constant low level of glutamate in order to manufacture glutathione but when glutamate levels become too high it actually depletes glutathione and increases the production of free radical and lipid peroxidation products and brain inflammation.
Excitotoxicity is the process by which nerve cells are damaged and killed by glutamate and similar substances such as toxins. Both inflammatory immune overactivity and excitotoxicity are known to play important roles in all neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s dementia. Normally immune cells in the brain (microglia) are inactive, but when attacked they become active immune cells secreting large amounts of inflammatory cytokines that damage brain cells (neurons), brain cell connections (dendrites) and the connections called synapses.
Inflammation triggers excitotoxicity. Inflammatory immune cytokines are able to increase the brain’s sensitivity to excitotoxicity. It makes sense then that when exposed to a toxic VOC you are using up your brain store of glutathione in order to protect against that toxin. In the case of the neurodegenerative diseases, inflammation appears to be the trigger. Inflammation is also an important factor in CFS.
Here are some steps to take to combat inflammation, decrease cell damage, heal your cells and increase your glutathione levels.- Eat a real whole food diet incorporating a variety of foods but primarily plant foods.
- Wash all produce to remove pesticide residues.
- Decrease animal fats in your diet, they are high in pesticide residues, and omega-6 fats that will increase brain inflammation.
- Drink only filtered or distilled water that has added magnesium.
- Stay away from fluoride; fluoridated water, toothpaste, fluoride treatments.
- Have dental amalgam fillings removed.
- Avoid eating fish high in mercury.
- Increase antioxidants in your diet to reduce inflammation, increase brain energy, improve brain blood flow, reduce free radical damage, and promote repair of damaged brain cells.
- Take a high quality well-compounded multivitamin/mineral in capsule form.
- Natural vitamin E and tocotrienol.
- Vitamin C (as magnesium or calcium ascorbate) increases brain energy and stimulates the generation of neurotransmitters.
- Grape pip from the seed of the grape contains anthrocyanadins that inhibit free-radical damage, strengthen blood vessels and suppress microglial activation.
- White tea extract contains highly protective brain chemicals called catechins including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). White tea extract has a higher concentration of catechins and is free of fluoride and aluminum.
- CoQ10 is used by all cells to produce energy.
- L-carnitine has been shown to improve neuron function, protect neurons against excitotoxicity, increase the level of braingrowth factors that promote brain repair.
- Bioidentical hormones for menopausal women: estrogen (estriol) is protective of brain cells, even against excitotoxicity and inflammation.
- Hesperidin is a flavonoid found in many fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits that offers very powerful protection against a damaging free radical called peroxynitrite.
- Curcumin and quercetin are flavonoids that are very powerful anti-inflammatories that reduce microglial activation and excitotoxicity.
- DHA is a component of fish oils found in a pure state from algae. DHA is used by the brain to function and also for protection. DHA protects against excitotoxicity, reduces inflammation, calms microglia, and repairs the injured nervous system.
- Silymarin has been shown to significantly calm microglia.
- Magnesium Citrate/Malate protects the brain from inflammation. It raises glutathione levels, reduces excitotoxic damage and improves blood flow to the brain.
- N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) increases brain levels of glutathione. Take 500 milligrams twice a day.
- Lipoic Acid is a powerful antioxidant found in all cells. It raises glutathione levels and increases brain energy levels.
- Melatonin is one of the brain’s most important protective antioxidants that also dramatically increases other her protective antioxidant enzymes in the brain. Aging causes brain levels of melatonin to fall.
- Vitamin D-3 deficiencies play a major role in neurodegenerative diseases. D-3 protects against inflammatory cytokines and against excitotoxicity. It calms microglial overactivity reducing brain inflammation.
- Regular exercise reduces brain degeneration and promotes brain healing. Excessive, intense, and compulsive exercise worsens brain degeneration increasing free radical and lipid-peroxidation generation. Go for moderate exercise like brisk walking, weights, and yoga.
- Adequate rest and restorative sleep.
- Regular mental activity and exercising your brain by learning new things.
- Having fun, spending time with friends.
- Spiritual devotion.
I truly believe that healing your brain is part of recovering from CFS.
I painted my office this weekend and was fully prepared to suffer the consequences of breathing in toxic VOCs from the paint (even though I was using low VOC paint). And on top of the fact that I get my allergy shots on Thursday and they usually kick me around for a few days. But even worse than the affect of the shots and breathing in paint fumes is the fact that I have to breathe in my neighbors dryer sheet fumes nearly every day of the year. Of course while painting I need to have the windows open. But even if I walk out to get my mail the air is HEAVY with the VOCs, they seem to be running their dryers constantly. I truly believe that fragrance is much worse than second hand smoke because of the obsession of using it in nearly everything. You can't even walk into a store without being bombarded with TOXIC fumes. I no longer receive scented store ads but that's because I had to request non-scented correspondence.
But what is behind illness related to toxins? Toxins affect and damage the brain. Today we’re seeing an explosion of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Lou Gehrig’s disease that are occurring at much earlier ages than previously. Chronic fatigue syndrome also has neurophysiological symptoms and brain imaging studies showed that CFS patients are dysfunctional in their ventral anterior cingulate cortex function, and other brain abnormalities. CFS has much in common with the neurodegenerative diseases.
All disease exists on a spectrum of severity from mild to full blown. So for every diagnosed case of disease there are many hundreds of cases that are just beginning, mild, or interfering with life somehow. This holds true for neuro disease and for illnesses like CFS.
In Parkinson’s disease for example damage can occur in the peripheral nervous system, autonomic nervous system, and in the nerves of the heart. People with Parkinson's have dysfunction in the ability to detoxify harmful elements and their mitochondria have low energy output and high free radical generation. Sound familiar?
Like CFS, Parkinson’s is also an inflammatory disease. Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease are linked to other inflammatory conditions including:
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune diseases
- Obesity
- Consumption of omega-6 fats (these fats found in junk/processed food are inflammatory)
- Trauma
- Exposure to certain toxic metals
- Infections
Infections, trauma, obesity, toxic metal exposure and pesticides/herbicide exposure all intensely activate the brain’s immune cells the microglia for very long periods. In fact it’s now known that exposure to pesticides and herbicides is the leading environmental cause of Parkinson’s disease. All of us are getting dangerous doses of very harmful chemicals every day particularly if we bug spray our homes, play on contaminated golf courses or work in buildings treated by pesticide services. And the damage is cumulative. So if you get a low single pesticide dose that doesn’t cause brain damage but then are exposed to another low pesticide dose in the future the two together will cause extensive damage to the part of the brain that one sees damaged in Parkinson’s disease.The multiplying of toxicity is called “synergism.” All the pesticides, herbicides and chemicals exposure that you have daily is what is causing this enormous burst of cases of neurodegenerative disease. I talk about the cumulative effect of stressors over time leading to damage of the nervous system, the adrenals, and the immune system. It’s the same deal. People who have Parkinson’s disease also have weak detoxification enzymes in their neurons and liver so when they are exposed to toxins the poison is not detoxified instead it enters the brain causing damage. They also have low levels of glutathione in their cells, especially brain cells. Glutathione is the body’s major antioxidant that protects all cells, especially brain cells and is found in the cell mitochondria where 95% of free radicals are produced.
"Clinical evidence links low glutathione levels to the most common illnesses of our time as well as newly emerging diseases." Dr. Jimmy Gutman, MD, FACEP
It’s suspected that people with low glutathione levels have the greatest risk of developing Parkinson’s and we know that low glutathione levels are also seen in CFS. Glutathione is a major protector against mercury toxicity so if you have low glutathione levels you have a much higher risk of mercury damage to your brain and of developing diseases like Parkinson’s.
Factors that can lower brain glutathione include:
- Brain injury
- Strokes
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune diseases
- Environmental toxins
- Infections
- Elevation of brain glutamate levels
All of these increase free radicals and lipid peroxidation products in the brain. Lipid peroxidation is a free radical process that causes cell damage. Your brain needs a constant low level of glutamate in order to manufacture glutathione but when glutamate levels become too high it actually depletes glutathione and increases the production of free radical and lipid peroxidation products and brain inflammation.Excitotoxicity is the process by which nerve cells are damaged and killed by glutamate and similar substances such as toxins. Both inflammatory immune overactivity and excitotoxicity are known to play important roles in all neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s dementia. Normally immune cells in the brain (microglia) are inactive, but when attacked they become active immune cells secreting large amounts of inflammatory cytokines that damage brain cells (neurons), brain cell connections (dendrites) and the connections called synapses.
Inflammation triggers excitotoxicity. Inflammatory immune cytokines are able to increase the brain’s sensitivity to excitotoxicity. It makes sense then that when exposed to a toxic VOC you are using up your brain store of glutathione in order to protect against that toxin. In the case of the neurodegenerative diseases, inflammation appears to be the trigger. Inflammation is also an important factor in CFS.
Here are some steps to take to combat inflammation, decrease cell damage, heal your cells and increase your glutathione levels.
- Eat a real whole food diet incorporating a variety of foods but primarily plant foods.
- Wash all produce to remove pesticide residues.
- Decrease animal fats in your diet, they are high in pesticide residues, and omega-6 fats that will increase brain inflammation.
- Drink only filtered or distilled water that has added magnesium.
- Stay away from fluoride; fluoridated water, toothpaste, fluoride treatments.
- Have dental amalgam fillings removed.
- Avoid eating fish high in mercury.
- Increase antioxidants in your diet to reduce inflammation, increase brain energy, improve brain blood flow, reduce free radical damage, and promote repair of damaged brain cells.
- Take a high quality well-compounded multivitamin/mineral in capsule form.
- Natural vitamin E and tocotrienol.
- Vitamin C (as magnesium or calcium ascorbate) increases brain energy and stimulates the generation of neurotransmitters.
- Grape pip from the seed of the grape contains anthrocyanadins that inhibit free-radical damage, strengthen blood vessels and suppress microglial activation.
- White tea extract contains highly protective brain chemicals called catechins including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). White tea extract has a higher concentration of catechins and is free of fluoride and aluminum.
- CoQ10 is used by all cells to produce energy.
- L-carnitine has been shown to improve neuron function, protect neurons against excitotoxicity, increase the level of braingrowth factors that promote brain repair.
- Bioidentical hormones for menopausal women: estrogen (estriol) is protective of brain cells, even against excitotoxicity and inflammation.
- Hesperidin is a flavonoid found in many fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits that offers very powerful protection against a damaging free radical called peroxynitrite.
- Curcumin and quercetin are flavonoids that are very powerful anti-inflammatories that reduce microglial activation and excitotoxicity.
- DHA is a component of fish oils found in a pure state from algae. DHA is used by the brain to function and also for protection. DHA protects against excitotoxicity, reduces inflammation, calms microglia, and repairs the injured nervous system.
- Silymarin has been shown to significantly calm microglia.
- Magnesium Citrate/Malate protects the brain from inflammation. It raises glutathione levels, reduces excitotoxic damage and improves blood flow to the brain.
- N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) increases brain levels of glutathione. Take 500 milligrams twice a day.
- Lipoic Acid is a powerful antioxidant found in all cells. It raises glutathione levels and increases brain energy levels.
- Melatonin is one of the brain’s most important protective antioxidants that also dramatically increases other her protective antioxidant enzymes in the brain. Aging causes brain levels of melatonin to fall.
- Vitamin D-3 deficiencies play a major role in neurodegenerative diseases. D-3 protects against inflammatory cytokines and against excitotoxicity. It calms microglial overactivity reducing brain inflammation.
- Regular exercise reduces brain degeneration and promotes brain healing. Excessive, intense, and compulsive exercise worsens brain degeneration increasing free radical and lipid-peroxidation generation. Go for moderate exercise like brisk walking, weights, and yoga.
- Adequate rest and restorative sleep.
- Regular mental activity and exercising your brain by learning new things.
- Having fun, spending time with friends.
- Spiritual devotion.
I truly believe that healing your brain is part of recovering from CFS.