Too often people say that the cause of memory loss is a genetic thing, especially when it is related to alzheimer’s. But while it is true that some people have a propensity for afflictions of the brain, such as alzheimer’s and memory loss, much can be done to avoid or avert these conditions in most people, even when there is a genetic weakness.
The causes of memory loss are many and varied. It is not usually just one factor which has brought about the condition, but a combination of factors.
Note: We are not addressing those people who have memory loss because of a bang on the head or a brain injury. Those people will be well aware of what caused their condition, and they would be best advised to go for specialist treatment and rehabilitation through a registered health practitioner.
This article is directed to all those people who have had a noticeable decline in mental function over a period of time, or perhaps memory loss since a specific event which has affected the person emotionally. The suggestions given here are meant as a ‘self-help’ guide, a kind of home compendium of some of the main causes of memory loss, with some tried remedial measures: you can study and evaluate these with your health professional, and then try them out to assess their effectiveness on your own personal condition.
Remember, though, that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ – generally speaking, it has taken time for your brain to weaken, and it will take more time, again, for you to rebuild a healthy brain. You CAN remedy the situation, and the best way to start is by ridding your life and your diet of the causes of memory loss.
POOR IMMUNE FUNCTION – CANDIDA
Poor immune function is probably one of the most common causes of memory loss: many people suffer from candida when their immune system is operating below par. Candida is a yeast which naturally occurs in the digestive system. It is kept in check by a healthy body, but it creates many toxins when it is given conditions where it can proliferate in the bowel, and these toxins affect the brain adversely. Memory loss is a symptom of an on-going candida condition.
When your body gets out of kilter because of a diet which is too acidic, too stodgy, or is deficient in necessary roughage, vitamins and minerals, or you drink too much alcohol, or your intestines become clogged, or you are exposed to environmental poisons or radiation, or an emotional crisis tears you apart, then your immune function becomes weak: this is when candida albicans can get out of hand.
Some common candida symptoms are. beginning with memory loss: poor general health, headaches, feeling of inertia, bone pain, constipation OR diarrhea, weak eye sight, vertigo, and poor balance, although you might have some, or all, or none of these accompanying your symptom of memory loss.
It is easy to cure candida: All you have to do is starve it of the foods it thrives on. If this is combined with a diet which detoxifies the body, then your health will recover, and thus your memory will improve.
CANDIDA DIET/IMPROVING MEMORY LOSS
IMPORTANT: If you feel at all unwell whilst you try this anti-candida diet, then quit the diet and go back to see your health adviser. However, it can be rather trying at the beginning of the diet, as the candida yeast will demand those sugars and foods which feed it, especially when you are starving it of these items. If you can resist the temptation to eat those foods which candida loves, then after a week or so on the diet, your candida infection should be more or less under control.
The best way to combat candida and rebuild your immune system is to starve it of all sugars for a while. This means adopting a very radical approach which involves more than being gluten-free. You need to cut out all wheat flour products – no bread,cake or pastries, as these are all converted to sugar too quickly: wheat flour, and many other flours, can cause the candida to thrive whilst your immune system is poorly functioning. Cut out sweets, including all sweet drinks, juices, fruit and honey for a time. Dairy products are also best avoided; the lactose in milk, including soy milk, also feeds candida. All leafy greens are just great, as are most vegetables, but cut down on those potatoes and kumara, or sweet potato, and carrots for a while, as these carbohydrates are converted to sugar very quickly in the digestive system, and this gives the candida plenty to thrive on.
Brown rice is generally good; however, if your condition is chronic, then you will need to exclude all grains until you improve. Taking olive oil, rice bran oil or some other good quality cooking oil with your brown rice, and poured over your salads and cooked greens, helps slow down the process of sugar conversion in the body: it is nourishing, and inhibits the candida, because candida doesn’t like oils. Taking garlic with your brown rice and oil also helps inhibit candida overgrowth. Use garlic and oil at every meal until you are better. Even after you are better, good oils,garlic, brown rice, salads, and cooked greens should form the bulk of the diet to avoid getting a candida imbalance which causes memory loss.
PROTEIN: A protein-rich diet is very effective in combating candida infection.You must have adequate protein in the diet – candida sufferers are often on vegetarian or low-protein diets where grains are used to substitute real protein. Try to eat protein at every meal. Oily types of fish are just the very best – salmon, mullet, sardines, tuna, but free range eggs, almonds, free range chicken and beef, are all good sources. Nuts are sometimes best left until you begin to recover, but you can experiment with these after you have given yourself a week or so without, to see what their effect is. Once you have followed this anti-candida diet for a few days, you can recognize what foods are best to avoid when you try them again, as you usually get symptoms of candida fairly soon after eating them.
Avoid taking protein foods such as soy bean tofu, soy bean miso, and cheese, as these are all fermented foods which encourage candida.
Eat salad foods at every meal. Celery is very effective in helping to combat candida, as it has plenty of roughage to cleanse the bowel. It is a very alkaline food which makes for a healthy body and immune system. It also has an antiseptic effect which inhibits candida and other bacteria. Celery is a great cleanser and helps to build healthy blood, whilst being excellent for the brain. Sprouts are a great food, but you have to be careful with these as yeast begins to grow on the sprouts while they are germinating: they must be washed well – I think these are best left out until you have recovered somewhat. Lettuce must also be washed well. Avoid tomatoes for a while – they are just too sweet. Avocado is best avoided for the first few few weeks until you have strengthened your immune system, as they begin to ferment very quickly and therefore feed the candida if they are over ripe.
The other thing which you must starve the candida of is any food or drink which contains YEAST. Candida is a yeast, and it gets a huge boost when you feed it things like alcohol, or vinegar, or sauces, or even vegetarian products like soy bean miso, tofu,or soy sauce: all these are fermented. Just a taste of another yeast really sets off the candida growing again. Mushrooms need to be avoided, as the yeast on mushrooms encourages candida overgrowth in your intestines.
If you suspect that candida albicans might be the cause of your memory loss, then the above suggestions should be helpful. Remember to eat enough while you are on this diet – there is NO NEED to go hungry. Have a salad ready, maybe with boiled eggs or fish added to it, and some brown rice, already cooked, which you have put in the fridge. You can snack on these super healthy foods, throw a few almonds in with cooked broccoli or spinach, throw on a bit of olive oil, a taste of garlic, and you are ready to go.
Avoiding all yeast foods and sugars will help your memory loss if candida, or sluggish bowels, is the problem. The bulk of salad foods, cooked greens and brown rice which you eat with your protein will provide good roughage to get your bowels clear of effete matter, get them functioning normally again and provide the very best nutrients to feed your body and your brain.
CALCIUM ASCORBATE, OR ESTER C are the non-acidic Vitamin C types you should look for in treating candida. These are the most effective of all available supplements which counteract candida albicans, and thus they are helpful in restoring your memory. They also help keep an alkaline state in the body which is another important factor in treating candida. Do not use the ordinary, sour tasting Vitamin C, as this does not help candida, but actually feeds it. Calcium ascorbate in doses of 1000mg can be taken once, or twice, or even three times a day to combat candida and help your memory grow strong. Cut the dose back after a few days, once the bowels have been cleared.
ACIDOPHILLUS: This is the name of one of the beneficial bacteria in the intestines. Acidophillus helps keep the candida in check, so it is very useful in tackling the cause of your memory loss. Having a healthy amount of acidophillus in your bowel also helps you to process your food more efficiently, thus more nutrients are provided to the brain, helping to counteract memory loss. It is important to find a product which is suitable for candida sufferers, though. Make sure there are no added sugars or lactose added to the acidophillus which you buy. Otherwise it is best to do without.
BOWEL CLEANSE or COLONIC CLEANSE: It is a good idea to go to a colonic clinic to get this professionally done at first. After that, you can learn how to use an enema so that you can clean out your system regularly. This is especially important in the beginning of treatment, when toxins will be released from the liver because of the healthy change of diet you have implemented. Washing out the colon is an important measure to take in getting rid of all the gunk in your bowel: keeping the bowel clean is a priority in helping to build a good memory.
Candida does affect very many people, and most people, given the quantity of processed food which we all consume, have sluggish and clogged bowels. These things are probably the most common causes of memory loss, so the above dietary and cleansing suggestions really are worth a try.
Some other causes of memory loss are:
Emotional exhaustion, lack of sleep, anxiety, and depression: these can all contribute to a state of memory loss. Good nutrition, such as the basic wheatless anti-candida diet out-lined above, should help most people with these conditions. Also, YOGA NIDRA and DEEP RELAXATION and YOGA BREATHING are useful in minimizing these negative mental states. See my post on YOGA NIDRA.
Radiation from cell phone towers, cell phone use, electrical transformers which are too close to your house, overhead power lines near your house, radio transmitters, even TV aerials above your sleeping space, can all affect your memory and your nervous system generally. Having a radio close to your head at night will interfere with your brain patterns and affect your memory: I read once that Paul Simon won’t sleep with a radio or a TV anywhere near his bedroom, even if it they are not going. This is because of the negative effect radio and TV waves have on the brain and memory function.
Alcohol and marijuana addiction: the effect of both these drugs is well known to be deleterious to the physical health, and to the mental health. Marijuana has a potent weakening effect on memory.
Exposure to chemicals can cause serious undermining of the mental functions, including memory loss. It takes time to recover if you have been affected by chemical poisoning. Chemical poisoning usually causes a condition of candida, as foreign chemicals tend to kill off the good bacteria, the acidophillus, in the digestive system.
Allergy to denture plastic/acrylic: Many people are sensitive to plastic materials: these materials, which are prolific in our environment, are one of the causes of memory loss. Unfortunately, many people also carry plastic about in their mouths, in the fabric of their denture. This plastic starts to break down after a couple of years or so, and chemicals from the plastic denture are absorbed into the body. This affects the brain and is one of the probable causes of memory loss in people who have dentures. Also, candida yeasts and other bacteria can thrive in the denture plastic, especially when it becomes older, and these bacteria also cause memory loss. Read the article on Dentures which appears just before this article.
Lack of certain essential elements in the diet such as iron, B vitamins, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, Vitamin A,Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, iodine, silica, manganese, selenium to name a few of the important ones, are essential to a healthy brain whose memory is functioning well.
