Brain Fog

Do you know that feeling when you just can’t seem to think or figure out what to do next? Or you can’t remember a name, a phone number, or an address?

These are all symptoms of brain fog that can plague everyone once in awhile. But what happens when these symptoms become more frequent or start to occur daily? Let’s look at what brain fog is, its symptoms, causes, and how to treat it.

What Is Brain Fog?

Brain fog is the inability to think clearly or remember things that you would normally easily recall. Although there is no published definition of brain fog, people describe it as not being able to think clearly and access information that would normally be easy for them to recall. It’s a feeling of mental fog clouding a person’s ability to think and function making people feel detached, discouraged and sometimes even depressed. Brain fog is not yet acknowledged as a clinical diagnosis because it’s more of a subjective feeling rather than something easily tested for.

Dr. Minkoff on Brain Fog

Dr. Minkoff Discusses Brain Fog, its causes and treatment.

Symptoms of Brain Fog

Although symptoms of brain fog can vary from person to person, they may include the following:

What Causes Brain Fog

There are many causes of brain fog. The following is a list of the most common causes:

• Lyme Disease
• Stressful lifestyles
• Neurological Disorders
• Heavy metal toxicity
• Lack of quality sleep
• Hormonal changes
• Inflammation
• Dehydration
• Kidney problems
• Bowel toxicity / Gut Dysbiosis
• Adrenal Fatigue
• Candida overgrowth
• Thyroid imbalances
• Epstein Barr Virus
• Poor nutrition including ingestion of sugar and processed foods

• Misalignment of the spine
• Mold, pesticides, and environmental toxins
• Food additives such as msg, aspartame, and others
• Poor blood circulation throughout the body
• Low oxygen levels
• Fungal infections
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Food allergies
• Bacterial infections
• Viral infections
• Parasites
• Gastrointestinal Disorders
• Autoimmune diseases
• Diabetes

Brain Fog and Lyme Disease

Brain fog and Lyme disease often go hand in hand. Brain fog is a common symptom of lyme disease and appears to be a toxic reaction to the disease. Lyme disease is caused by infection of a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacterium are called spirochetes. Lyme disease is transmitted by deer ticks and sometimes by mosquitos. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the US every year.” This number may actually be quite low due to the fact that many people are misdiagnosed with other diseases because lyme disease mimics other diseases.

Lyme disease can affect any organ of the body including the brain and central nervous system. If undiagnosed and not treated immediately, the bacterium spread throughout the body and often go into hiding in different areas, including the brain. Because lyme disease burrows into the brain to protect itself from being eradicated, brain cells produce cytokines which tell the immune system to send healing cells to the brain to help fight the infection. As the cells flood the brain, inflammation results, causing brain fog. In addition, another chemical present in brain infections called quinolinic acid contributes to brain fog.

Another reason Lyme disease causes brain fog is that it compromises the immune system and the body’s intestinal flora. Other infections take hold and cause the immune system to fight harder and harder to heal the body, causing inflammation throughout the body. There is also very often a buildup of toxins in the bloodstream due to mold or yeast overgrowth. Finally in some cases of untreated Lyme disease, infection may result in inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain, called meningitis. All of these factors contribute to symptoms of brain fog.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Brain Fog due to Lyme Disease

Because Lyme disease is so widespread and often misdiagnosed, every patient seen at LifeWorks Wellness Center is screened for the disease. This is done in a number of ways:

• Discussion of the possibility of having Lyme disease whether it is from a tick bite or a mosquito.
• A detailed physical exam using biofeedback called Autonomic Reflex Testing.
• A blood test for Lyme disease – including examining the blood under a microscope to see if there are spirochetes present.
• Examination of the patient’s blood in specialty labs that do much more detailed analysis for the presence of Lyme disease than conventional test labs.

Lyme disease treatment can be complex due to the way it infects the body. Over time many other problems occur due to the Lyme disease infection such as a compromised immune system, persistent and worsening brain fog, viral infections, nutritional deficiencies, chronic fatigue and pain, neurological diseases, and other symptoms. Because of this a whole wellness approach to treatment is necessary to eradicate the disease and regain a person’s health and well-being.

World Renowned Treatment for Brain Fog

LifeWorks Wellness Center in Clearwater, FL is considered one of the top Lyme diseases clinics in the nation. People come from all over the nation to be treated for Lyme disease and we have many patients fly in from around the world for treatment. Dr. David Minkoff is considered a world-renowned Lyme disease expert with over 15 years of experience in treating the disease. He has even developed a uniquely effective program for treating stubborn Lyme disease infections, while also simultaneously strengthening and rebuilding the patient’s immune system and overall health.

At LifeWorks, the treatment protocol includes the administration of ozone therapy in combination with other modalities: Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF) and Pulsed Magnetic Field Therapy (MAS Mat) are offered to patients with a lot of pain as one of their symptoms; IV Therapy is very beneficial for boosting the patient’s immune system; Glutathione supplementation is used for detoxification, repair of injured nerves, and improvement of symptoms of brain fog.