BRAIN FOG: What has helped?

[margib]

Hey, everyone. Just wanted to say that while my brain fog has come & gone for many years, it was never all that "bad" until my crash last spring. At that point, it was debilitating, almost worse than the fatigue. I was quickly put on homeopathic drops for brain fog & after 6 weeks, it has not reappeared the way that it was. Best to all,

 

[BEG]

So many great ideas here. My fog is all about not enough oxygen. When Paul Cheney was into oxygen therapy, I got the tanks and the canula (sp? the nose things), and my specialist told me where to put the settings and how long to use it. I promise you, my head was clear and I never had a headache. Did not keep it up because oxygen fell out of favor.

Secondly, these positions will help me. I'll lie on the floor with my legs straight up a wall and my behind right against the floor board. Or lie on the floor with your knees bent and put your legs over a stool or whatever that thing is called that sits near a chair and has the same fabric and you put your legs on it. Brain fog. Guess it's time to hit the floor.

 

[Freddd]

I agree with you Kelly--having just eaten a baked potato. Carbs are bad for us as we have dysbiosis and yeast. Danny!s reactions prove it. But carbs are comforting and boost mood and low carb diets cause irritability. Arg.

I should add that fitful sleep is a big one. In winter here I sleep very poorly because the heat pipes make periodic loud cracking sounds. I wake and don't fall back easily. For the last week I've slept 4-6 hours a night. And at some point it gets so I feel too wired/tired to nap. And I feel much worse and my memory worsens.

I recently read that when they tested spouses of snorers the spouses were waking multiple times a night tho they didn't remember. They were chronically sleep deprived. When their mates' snoring was properly treated their own sleep and energy improved dramatically. The thing is that they didn't even realize they were sleeping so poorly. I think many of us sleep poorly. I am very sensitive to noise.

Hi Jenbooks,

In winter here I sleep very poorly because the heat pipes make periodic loud cracking sounds.

This reminds me of something that happened when I was first married. I grew up with steam heat and literally never heard it. My wife grew up with forced air heat. About 3 weeks after we were married she shook me awake in the middle of the night saying she heard "strange noises". I listened and didn't hear a thing. I got up and walked around and not a creature was stirring, not even the cat. I got back in bed and went back asleep. A few minutes later she woke me again with "There are the strange noises again". Again there wasn't a sound and I went back to sleep. Finally she awakened me again to "those strange noises". I told her that I didn't hear any strange noises at all. She said somehting like "Don't you hear those whistles and clanks? Those are the strange noises". I said "Those aren't strange noises, it's just the heating system coming on for the first time and clearing air from the system".

A few years later we moved out west and into a brand new apartment with forced air. Then it was my turn to wake her up about strange noises, the "whoomf" sound and strange whirring sounds as the forced air heat came on. It took me months to get used to those strange noises.

I've got to say that mb12 and methylfolate normalized my sleep and restored dreaming. I sleep very well now after decades of poor sleep and all kinds of sleep disorders.

 

[tahoma]

helps my brain fog

I just went through a god-aweful numerous months-long stretch of bad brain fog. I currently do not have it, and can attribute that to several things I've been doing...

Lovenox for hypercoagulation
Zinc
Betaine HCL and Digestive enzymes
STOPPED DRINKING COFFEE (I think this was the main reason it improved)

Do you drink coffee?

T

 

[SaraM]

B12 protocol was the only thing that helped me.

 

[Min]

The one thing that really helped my brain fog was doing the Guaifenesin protocol. I'm not pushing the protocol as it's hard to do and didn't help with any other symptoms; I understand that Guaifenesin thins the blood so that it may have just been improving blood supply to my brain.

 

[Jenny]

Hi Min

It's interesting you saying that guaifenesin thins the blood. I tried the full protocol for 8 months, and then had a brain haemorrhage. (I was lucky in that I made a full recovery.)

I contacted Dr Amand asking if it was a blood thinner - he said no. But on reading more, there did seem to be evidence that it was.

Jenny

 

[Min]

Wow Jenny, that's awful - I'm so glad you made a full recovery.

 

[alice1]

alice1

I also have brain fog and some days I won't get in the car to drive.
My allergies can trigger it and then I'll try an anti-histamine or on days were I have both bad fatigue and brain fog I take half a pill of Allertek which is also for Narcolespsy(sp) and that does help.
Any other suggestions are so welcomed.

 

[klutzo]

Cheny on why we NEED Klonopin

Hi Danny,
Check out:
http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=8021

I hope the link works. It doesn't show up here the way I typed it! I remembered reading this long ago and wondering if my Xanax would work almost as well to protect me from brain neurotoxicity and seizure-like states, not to mention Alzheimer's. Klonopin, and all other quinine derivatives, make me stop breathing. I don't know if Cheney still feels this way or not, but he certainly was adamant about it at the time.

klutzo

 

[_Kim_]

B12 protocol was the only thing that helped me.

I'm discovering this now. For me, it's 2 elements from the protocol that are making a difference in the brain fog: SAMe and Country Life active B12 Dibencozide.

I'd done something really stupid last week - I shoveled snow. And 2 hours later I started to relapse. I rested and rested some more, but still had really bad brain fog. Today, I tried a second dose of SAMe mid-day with more of the B12 and within a short time, the brain fog lifted. A lot!! I wish I would have thought of that a week ago, but...still learning.

 

[dmholmes]

Hi Danny,
Check out:
http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=8021

I hope the link works. It doesn't show up here the way I typed it! I remembered reading this long ago and wondering if my Xanax would work almost as well to protect me from brain neurotoxicity and seizure-like states, not to mention Alzheimer's. Klonopin, and all other quinine derivatives, make me stop breathing. I don't know if Cheney still feels this way or not, but he certainly was adamant about it at the time.

klutzo

I've been on Klonopin for 6 years, helps the neurotoxins but never did anything for my brain fog.

 

[klutzo]

neurotoxins cause fog for me

Hi David,
I am sorry Klonopin didn't help your fog.
I guess I was coming at this from my point of view as someone with Lyme. In Lyme, when borrelia brain neurotoxins get high from die off, it definitely makes the fog roll in big time, not to mention it's even uglier cousin, lyme rage. In Lyme, the neurotoxins and the fog usually go together. For one example, that is how I was able to tell what dose of L-Glutamine was right for me. I raised the dose until it caused brain fog, at which point I knew it was being converted into quinolinic acid, which is bad, so I backed off a dose.
After reading your post I can see how that connection might not be true in CFS. I should have thought of that before I posted the link, but my brain doesn't always work so good these days, sorry.

klutzo

ETA that I just re-read several articles on glutamine and it does indeed help with "brain clarity" and neuro-degenerative diseases, by raising levels of neurotransmitters. To what degree that would include helping fog, I don't know. For me, fog is primarily caused by two things: not sleeping enough and/or overstimulation which causes my brain to "freeze" or scatter thoughts around haphazardly.

 

[Countrygirl]

Glutamate

Hi Klutzo,

You take Glutamate ?? I have read in Dr Amy Yasko's treatment advice pages for autism and M.E. that Glutamate must be avoided because it acts as an excitory neurotoxin and will worsen symtoms. (Full explaination on her website.)

Has anyonehere tried her protocol successfully ? It would be very interesting to know.

Best wishes,

C.G.

 

[klutzo]

L-Glutamine

Countrygirl,
Good God No! I do not take Glutamate. I take L-Glutamine, an entirely different animal. Look it up on Google and you'll see why I take it. It is the primo thing for leaky gut, gastritis, etc.

I have horrible bile reflux gastritis ever since they removed my gallblader, and L-glutamine helps more than all 3 of the drugs I take for it. It is also supposed to help immunity, but I'm not sure how. However, getting the dose right is very important. Too much changes it into the neurotoxic form, and the clue that you have taken too much is brain fog. Then you back off the dose.

I recently read one of the Big Kahuna doctor's lists of recommended supps. somewhere on this site and L-glutamine was one of the must haves, but I can't remember where I saw it or which doctor it was. I do remember the poster stating that all CFSers are deficient in L-glutamine. Sorry, I have major brain damage from the car accident that brought on my Fibro, and my memory isn't so hot.

klutzo

 

[klutzo]

L-glutamine

Dear CountryGirl,
I finally found time to look this up for you. This article was the best one I found that explains what L-Glutamine does and also explains the difference between it and Glutamate and MSG, which are all different. Hope it helps:

http://healthandfitness.com/shop/sns/glutamine.asp

Until I read this, I had forgotten how much it raises growth hormone, a huge help for those of us with fibromyalgia.

Regards,

klutzo

 

[Hysterical Woman]

Freddd/Zinc

Hi Danny,

The things I have found helped with brainfog I'm presenting in the order tried.

1. Methylb12 1-20mg sublingually daily
2. Adenosylb12 3mg daily to weekly
3. Zinc - increase to 65mg from 15mg
4. SAM-e 200-400mg/day
5. L-carnitine fumarate - 125-500mg/day
6. methylb12 50mg single dose sublingual or 7.5mg SC injection daily or more frequently
7. Adenosylb12 51mg single dose or 18mg single dose in conjuntion with 7.5mg SC mb12 injection weekly

Each of these things progressively relieved brainfog. As far as I know I have none remaining. Prior to starting mb12 6.5 years ago it was continuous and thick for 16 years.

Thanks for your great list. You probably have this posted somewhere else, but could you please tell me what kind/brand of zinc you take?

Thanks,

 

[Freddd]

Thanks for your great list. You probably have this posted somewhere else, but could you please tell me what kind/brand of zinc you take?

Thanks,

Hi Weldman,

Currently I'm taking Country Life 50mg Zinc.

• Vegetarian
• Target Mins
• Dietary Supplement
• Kosher

Target-Mins are complexed with specific carriers for optimum mineral transport. Zinc (as zinc citrate, histidinate, picolinate, alpha-ketoglutarate, aspartate http://www.iherb.com/Country-Life-Zinc-50mg-180-Tablets/6385?at=0

I can't say that I have ever noticed any difference from one brand or kind of zinc to another. I also get 15mg of zinc a day from the Calcium Citrate/magnesium/minerals I take from Costco Kirtland.

 

[garcia]

Countrygirl,
Good God No! I do not take Glutamate. I take L-Glutamine, an entirely different animal. Look it up on Google and you'll see why I take it. It is the primo thing for leaky gut, gastritis, etc.

Although glutamine and glutamate are different substances, they are closely related and one can be converted into the other inside the body. In particular the amino acid glutamine can raise glutamate levels. Many PWCs are sensitive to this so don't take glutamine directly (on the whole sicker people will have more problem with glutamine).

I can't take glutamine on its own (raises glutamate), but I can take e.g. whey protein (which contains some glutamine) without any problems.

 

[klutzo]

L-glutamine, and different forms of glutamate

Hi Garcia,
If you read the article in the link I provided a few posts back, I think you will find that the glutamate created from gluatamine (along with the GABA created which counteracts it's excitatory effects) is not the same glutamate that causes problems. At least that is what the article explains about half way down the page. The whole thing is worth reading though.

Either way, glutamine is the only reason I can eat food without doubling over in pain, or sleep at night without bile reflux burning my stomach until I scream, so I will continue to take it. I used undenatured whey for two years and it did nothing. I have not seen a whey product without glutamate in it either. Long term use of whey can injure the kidneys, so nothing is without risk. We are all different, and several of the specialists recommend glutamine, esp. those who focus on fixing leaky gut. It helps immunity in several ways, it helps the nitrogen problem, it helps raise our low growth hormone, it helps us heal after surgery, it helps gastritis, it heals leaky gut, calms IBS, and more.

If you take it and get brain fog, then you are converting too much to glutamate and should back off the dosage. That is how you can tell if there is a problem for you. That was my original point when someone first brought this up. CFSers are not taking the body building dosages that can do that anyway, or shouldn't be. From what you said, it sounds like you only need a small dose. Some people get great help from gluatmine at only 2 grams per day, about 1/2 tsp. daily. That much raises growth hormone over 400%!

regards,
klutzo