By Dr. Bart Precourt, D.C.
Have you ever run into someone at the store, someone you know, a neighbor, a co-worker, and forget their name? Try to introduce your spouse or friend to your co-worker, but can’t come up with their name?
Or, maybe you find yourself in the middle of a conversation and struggle to find the right word to use? It’s on the tip of your tongue, yet it just won’t come out. Do any of these sound familiar? Do they make you wonder if you are starting to lose it?
Let me assure you, you are not alone! In fact, I get a lot of emails on this subject, probably because it creates fear and anxiety that it may be a more serious condition. I want to alleviate some of those fears and give you a few simple ways you can turn this problem around quickly!
So back to the topic of forgetting names and words. (You see, I didn’t forget.) What does it really mean? What’s the cause and, more importantly, how can it be addressed?
If you break it down to its simplest form, it means that your brain is hungry and tired; it’s like the brain is hangry and reacting like a hangry person would react. It’s run out of a very specific nutrient called RNA. If you think way back to biology class, RNA is ribonucleic acid.
To be a little more technical, ribonucleic acid enables you to make more DNA. Again, remember back to your biology class. Another symptom that you may need more RNA is that you always have cold fingers and hands, and maybe your body temperature runs a little low.
The great news is that there are a couple of foods, or a supplement if you prefer to go that route, that give your brain the RNA nourishment it needs. No more hangry brain.
If you’re looking for a couple of easy, natural ways to get RNA, consider adding sardines or nutritional yeast to your diet.
Not only do sardines increase the way your brain functions, but it increases your short-term memory, and helps name recognition. It also is one of the best anti-aging secrets out there. It does this through protein synthesis, which means that it helps break down and build up new protein molecules in your body.
And by “add to your diet,” I don’t mean a couple of sardines a month. Ideally, you could add sardines to your diet every day.
As far as nutritional yeast goes, you can’t go wrong with it and its cheesy flavor. Great addition to salads, steamed veggies and almost anything where cheese would be a good fit. Again, don’t use it sparingly or only once or twice a week. Use it every day. Every. Day. It’s brain food.
There’s also a supplement that I frequently use in my clinic. This is good for people who won’t be eating sardines regularly. Personally, I love them, yet my wife won’t touch them. The product I use comes from Standard Process, it’s called “Ribonucleic Acid (RNA).” It’s made from nutritional yeast and other whole foods. I often suggest taking what may seem like a lot: nine tablets a day for one week.
The interesting thing is, when people add both or either of these to their diet (foods or a supplement), they notice changes in a week! So, forget the forgetting! Of course, check with your doctor for the proper dosage for you.
This type of short-term memory loss is completely different than having brain fog or other memory issues. To address either of those issues, start by getting both sugar and gluten out of your diet. Unfortunately eating a little bit of gluten is like being a little bit pregnant, there really is no such thing. Gluten free means at least 100 days of 100% gluten free, it doesn’t include any “cheat” days. We’ll look at this topic in more depth at a later time.
Keep in mind we are designed to be healthy, yet sometimes we get in the way. We get in the way with what foods we do or don’t put in our bodies, how we do or don’t move and even how we think. Make sure that you do something deliberate today: something for your mind, something for your body, and something for your overall wellness.
A healthcare practitioner since 1997, Dr. Bart Precourt is a Doctor of Chiropractic, an acupuncturist and a nutritional consultant. For more than 20 years, he has helped people achieve healthy, sustainable lifestyles. To learn more, please visit www.bartprecourt.com. He currently practices at Balance Health studio, www.balance30a.com.
Author: SWal Life
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