Inflammation is the human body's natural response to injury, infection, or illness. However, too much inflammation can affect your overall health and wellness, especially when you have inflammation in the brain. Brain inflammation can even affect your mental and emotional well-being. Understanding the causes and symptoms of inflammation in the brain can help determine the best treatment option. Dr. Santosh Kesari describes that brain inflammation can be due to various reasons, including toxins like tobacco or alcohol, diabetes, hypertension, infections, trauma, aging, diet, and stress.
"Some inflammation is acute, short-lasting, and possibly reversible but other types of inflammation are chronic and continue to cause brain damage," Dr. Kesari states. "These may be cumulative and not readily reversible, such as Alzheimer's disease." With an overactive immune system, such as in people who have multiple sclerosis or encephalitis which is inflammation in the brain, several people may already be genetically predisposed to experience brain inflammation. Severe inflammation can lead to a variety of symptoms, it may also result in coma, brain damage, or death. The following 7 signs and symptoms may indicate inflammation in the brain. Make sure to seek immediate medical attention if brain inflammation is suspected.
Brain Fog
If we're talking about chronic inflammation caused by exposure to toxins or due to poor lifestyle habits, brain fog, as well as decreased cognitive abilities, can be some signs and symptoms of inflammation in the brain. You may ultimately lose your train of thought constantly when you have brain fog and you'll frequently have trouble focusing on your regular tasks and daily activities. As Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of 365 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power, states, restricting dairy consumption or foods that can cause inflammation, smoking, and alcohol, may help improve these signs and symptoms of brain fog.
Mood Changes
As soon as your brain is inflamed, you may also experience signs and symptoms of depression. This type of brain inflammation is generally associated with poor lifestyle habits. As a nutritional therapist and health coach, Christina Tsiripidou informs us that eating meals that are high in proteins or altered proteins as well as low in veggies and fats, can contribute to brain inflammation. Not getting enough sleep and stress can also make these signs and symptoms worse.
Fatigue
When your brain has inflammation, you may not only experience brain fog but you may also experience fatigue which commonly accompanies it. According to Caleb Wellness, Health and Backe Expert for Maple Holistics, small modifications in diet and lifestyle habits can be very powerful. Besides curbing your sugar and caffeine intake, it's important to eat foods which are full of B vitamins and fatty acids. "Besides providing you with a much-needed energy boost, these types of foods also function by minimizing inflammation, which has been linked to increased brain fog and other health issues," Backe says.
Headaches And Migraines
Occasionally, headaches and migraines can be caused by poor lifestyle habits, but sometimes, it may also be brought on by more serious health issues that may require immediate medical attention. By way of instance, acute headaches can be an indication of inflammation and even swelling in the brain. As Dr. Kesari says, "This is very uncommon and it is generally associated with other neurological signs and symptoms typically due to either mass lesions or illnesses." Often times, you also can't really tell if a headache is brought on by a much more serious health issue, so he proposes that you should ultimately consult with your healthcare professional if your headaches last more than usual and they seem unusual.
Neck Stiffness
Another more serious sign and symptom of brain inflammation is neck stiffness. As Dr. Dean states, this too can indicate swelling in the brain. Meningitis and encephalitis, which are disorders that cause inflammation around the brain and spinal cord, are often caused by viruses or bacteria. If you're experiencing neck stiffness accompanied by fever, along with headaches or migraines, make sure to see your healthcare professional right away as this may suggest a serious health issue.
Nausea or Vomiting
Encephalitis may give you feelings of nausea, Dr. Dean says. The usual cause of this type of brain inflammation is a viral infection, such as the herpes simplex virus. In reality, brain inflammation due to herpes constitutes 10 percent of all cases of encephalitis in the United States annually. Other common signs and symptoms include a stiff neck, general weakness, and nausea or vomiting. Make sure to talk to your healthcare professional if you notice any of these signs and symptoms.
Vision Problems
Healthcare professionals can test your eyes and detect early signs and symptoms of a stroke, a brain tumor, or even Alzheimer's disease, among other health issues associated with brain inflammation. The brain and the eyes are connected. It is not surprising that when your brain has inflammation, your vision can also ultimately be influenced, Dr. Dean says.
If you're experiencing any of these signs and symptoms, talk to your healthcare professional. According to Dr. Kesari, the treatment depends on the signs and symptoms. Brain imaging, blood work, and spinal fluid analysis may be needed based on the clinical presentation. For severe symptoms, inflammation is treated with different immunosuppressive treatments including steroids, IVIG, plasmapheresis, and Rituxan. When the source of chronic brain inflammation is lifestyle-related, adjustments to diet, working on stress and also the elimination of habits, such as smoking, may ultimately help.
Acute and chronic brain inflammation has been associated with a variety of signs and symptoms, including depression, cognitive, and other mental health issues. Inflammation in the brain can even cause a variety of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. Inflammation is an essential function of the human body, however, too much inflammation, especially in the brain, can alter our overall health and wellness. Make sure to talk to your healthcare professional if you experience any unusual signs and symptoms associated with brain inflammation. - Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight
In honor of Governor Abbott's proclamation, October is Chiropractic Health Month. Learn more about the proposal.
Inflammation is the human body's natural response to injury, infection, or illness. However, too much inflammation can affect your overall health and wellness, especially when you have inflammation in the brain. Brain inflammation can even affect your mental and emotional well-being. Inflammation in the brain is associated with neurological disorders. The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal and nervous health issues as well as functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or chronic disorders of the musculoskeletal system. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topic Discussion: Chronic Pain
Sudden pain is a natural response of the nervous system which helps to demonstrate possible injury. By way of instance, pain signals travel from an injured region through the nerves and spinal cord to the brain. Pain is generally less severe as the injury heals, however, chronic pain is different than the average type of pain. With chronic pain, the human body will continue sending pain signals to the brain, regardless if the injury has healed. Chronic pain can last for several weeks to even several years. Chronic pain can tremendously affect a patient's mobility and it can reduce flexibility, strength, and endurance.
Neural Zoomer Plus for Neurological Disease
Dr. Alex Jimenez utilizes a series of tests to help evaluate neurological diseases. The Neural ZoomerTM Plus is an array of neurological autoantibodies which offers specific antibody-to-antigen recognition. The Vibrant Neural ZoomerTM Plus is designed to assess an individual’s reactivity to 48 neurological antigens with connections to a variety of neurologically related diseases. The Vibrant Neural ZoomerTM Plus aims to reduce neurological conditions by empowering patients and physicians with a vital resource for early risk detection and an enhanced focus on personalized primary prevention.
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