January is Alzheimer’s awareness month. There are currently over 747,00 people in Canada who are suffering from this disease and the number is only expected to grow. Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that often develops very slowly over multiple decades. During the pre-clinical stage of this disease, there are very few to no noticeable symptoms which makes early diagnosis difficult. Unfortunately, people often find out about their disease when it’s too late.

We know that chronic inflammation of the brain is one of the primary causes of Alzheimer’s. But what is chronic inflammation? It’s when your body keeps sending defence cells to certain areas even if there is no outside danger. Chronic inflammation can lead to fatigue, muscle and joint pain, insulin resistance, eye problems, skin issues, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and cancer. Symptoms that might indicate inflammation of the brain are:

• Brain fog
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Anger
• Memory loss
• Fatigue
• Depression

Now you might wonder, how do you combat or prevent chronic inflammation? The answers might bore you, but they demand repetition both in theory and practice.

The first step is to cut back on inflammatory foods and load up on anti-inflammatory foods.

I know, I sound like a broken record! Turning healthy eating habits from conscious decision to automatic action is the ultimate way to bolster every area of your health. Here are 2 easy recipes for the main meals of everyday:

Alzheimer’s is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors that affect the brain over time. You might not have much control over your genetics, but altering your lifestyle to improve your brain health is something you can definitely do! If you suspect that you might be suffering from inflammation of the brain, try implementing changes to your lifestyle one step at a time to identify what works for you and what doesn’t.

With that being said, inflammation must be treated on a case-by-case basis because everyone’s body reacts differently to certain triggers. If you feel a distinct lack of cool, calm, and collected, brain inflammation may be why. For more clarity on your symptoms, we’re a phone call, email, or booking away.