Brain fog isn’t an “official” medical diagnosis and is often described differently between individuals. It’s a fairly common feeling characterized by a wide range of specific or nonspecific symptoms and has a multitude of causes. The challenge of getting brain fog relief is figuring out the root cause of your issue.
Brain fog is a broad term that a variety of symptoms and recognizing them can be the first step in managing brain fog:
Considering the wide range of definitions for brain fog, there are many causes of the condition:
Many times we find patients don’t even know they are suffering from brain fog until the symptom goes away and they feel like a vail is lifted giving them clearer thought process and more energy. Getting down to the root cause of your specific brain fog and not using a general diagnosis is critical to success. A lot of times a multimodal plan is needed for success.
Commonly, brain fog is treated with medication to modulate brain chemistry, especially for those whose brain fog presents as anxiety or depression.
While medication may be necessary in some cases, Western Medicine often uses it as the first step in treating symptoms of mental health. Even if the gut-brain connection is understood by practitioners, it is certainly not taken seriously enough to be considered in the line of treatment for brain fog and other conditions.
At Active Edge, we will work with you to identify your causes and triggers for brain fog. Through bloodwork, urinalysis, and muscle testing, we will evaluate the gut to identify possible inflammation, infection, and disease that should be addressed to heal the gut-brain imbalance. Sometimes brain fog may have a muscular trigger. If certain muscles have been tight and out of balance for a while, we find that releasing them via massage can cause clarity of brain fog.
Two major issues cause imbalance to your gut health– infection and food allergies.
Gut infections are generally caused by overgrowth of yeast or an imbalance of bad bacteria to good bacteria. Common causes include antibiotics, high alcohol consumption, high carb diet, and long term hormonal birth control use. Brain fog is one of many symptoms your body might use to alert you that something isn’t right.
Food allergies or sensitivities can cause a lot of damage that many people are unaware of as well. These allergies and sensitivities will vary depending on genetics and susceptibility.
Food allergies or sensitivities can cause a lot of damage that many people are unaware of as well. These allergies and sensitivities will vary depending on stress, genetics, and other environmental susceptibility.
Through functional medicine, Active Edge can help you find the culprits that are affecting YOUR gut. Our goal will be to restore the balance of your intestinal flora, reduce inflammation and help you avoid problematic foods. Simple tests followed by diet change and adding key supplements can make a huge difference in your gut and eliminate brain fog as well as some other issues you may not have noticed.
Depending on your case of brain fog, chiropractic care may be involved as well. Sometimes, brain fog is a result of skeletomuscular imbalance which chiropractic care can help correct.
Our program recognizes the interconnectedness of physical and mental well-being, offering a holistic approach to address brain fog while improving overall health.
As Doctors of Chiropractic, our education is based on the foundation that our bodies are intelligent and interconnected. Our curriculum includes more nutrition education than medical doctors and some of the most in-depth training in anatomy, microbiology, diagnosis, and vertebral subluxations. We recognize the importance of all systems functioning well together, focus on prevention, and continue to refine our knowledge to heal problems from the inside out.
With studies under some of the Functional Medicine greats including Bob Rakowski, Jeffery Bland, Mark Hyman, and Jeff Bryst, our doctors have spent countless hours enhancing their coaching techniques, studying bioavailable diagnostic tests (blood, hair, skin, nails ), and gaining in depth knowledge of supplements, tinctures, essential oils.
We apply both functional medicine and physical techniques to enhance neurological communication and help patients’ bodies heal themselves from brain fog. We also recognize emotions as a part of the process and utilize other tools to help shift the frequency of cell vibration to higher, more healing frequencies.
Our wide range of knowledge helps us see the whole body picture and provide the most comprehensive care to find the root of dysfunctions of brain fog. Patient’s often feel positive improvements in pain reduction, increased range of motion, enhanced energy, and more, as they implement the tools they need for healing naturally and holistically.
The primary difference for brain fog is both the timing and consistency of feeling of tired or having a lack of focus. While everybody may feel the “2:00 PM crash” of tiredness after the lunch hour, if you are tired all day long and feel this way most days rather than once in a while, that could possibly be considered brain fog. People commonly will stated they have a vail like feeling around them and maybe can’t even put a finger on the exact feeling. However once lifestyle changes have been made they suddenly feel like the “vail has been lifted”.
Since brain fog can be described in a variety of ways and has no official diagnosis, there are many conditions that can resemble the symptoms of brain fog.
These range from mental conditions like ADHD or depression, gut related conditions like Celiac disease or Gut Dysbiosis, Cirrhosis of the liver from alcoholism and too much drinking, Hypothyroidism or kidney failure, Lupus or Lyme disease, or sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea.
Positive habits like getting 8 hours of sleep, drinking enough water, eating a balanced diet, taking appropriate supplements, exercising, getting outside in nature, and reducing stress all can help reduce brain fog.
Getting outside during the morning and evening sunrise/sunset, going bare foot on the earth, meditation and yoga are both great to help you control your thoughts, breathing, and concentration. Playing brain games like Sudoku, various types of puzzles, or other mentally challenging exercises can help you increase your cognition skills. Spending less time on electronic devices especially within 2 hours of bedtime.
At this point, you are feeling better than you ever thought you could as you are feeling energized and thriving. You have learned a lot about your body, you are moving more efficiently, you understand your body’s cues, and you have a good idea of what to do with these cues. This means you get to try new things, achieve new goals, and conquer new challenges! As you do, we will be here as your resource, as needed, to help you nourish, boost, and refresh your health.
Pain is generally the last symptom to show up and the first to go away. This means that by the time you realize there is a problem, there has been a problem for a long time. Especially for chronic or recurring issues, understanding how you got to where you are is so important for getting to where you want to go. In this stage of your journey, you will resolve underlying dysfunction, remove cheats, and retrain habits. As we aid you in activating your body’s natural healing potential, we will help you regain movement, energy, and body function both inside and outside. Throughout this process, you will start to feel greater ease and inspiration as you restore communication and efficiency in your body. Together, we will constantly assess, observe, and reassess your body’s responses to boost your results.
You are your own person, with your own collection of life events which brought you to where you are today. You deserve to be heard, seen, and treated as the individual you are. Your journey begins with your Discovery Evaluation. This first visit includes your exam which works to uncover the root of your issue(s), new patient diagnostics, and, of course, your first treatment. This is how we will help you begin connecting the dots and feeling better. After your first treatment, we will ask you to observe your body’s responses– good, bad, or indifferent. There is no wrong answer as this is just starting point information and direction for moving forward. In your second visit, we will review this feedback and your diagnostics to further identify potential underlying causes and compensations. We will combine everything we have learned about you, consider your goals, and together create a plan to resolve your concerns from the roots up.
