Category:Neurological problems

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The brain is clearly the central computer, which controls all the functions of the body. It is the most metabolically active and biochemically complex area of the body, which means that when something goes wrong with the body, the brain is often the first thing to be affected and the last thing to improve. Therefore, the initial approach to treating any problems of the brain is exactly as in Your very good health!.

The brain weighs 2% of body weight but consumes 20% of all oxygen and 25% of all glucose supply in the body. There is a metabolic furnace in there! Energy supply to the brain is essential for the brain to function normally - so the next step for brain problems is to ensure good energy delivery - see Brain fog - poor memory, difficulty thinking clearly etc.

Good energy supply means good provision of ATP. ATP is also a co-transmitter - what this means is that without ATP other neurotransmitters are less effective or cannot work. So the treatment of any problem associated with poor levels of neurotransmitter, whether this is depression, anxiety or Alzheimer's disease, will be much improved by ensuring good energy supply to the brain! Again see Brain fog - poor memory, difficulty thinking clearly etc and The science underpinning ATP as a neurotransmitter

The brain communicates with the rest of the body via the nerves, hormones and the immune system. Any problem with the brain will have knock on effects for these other departments.

The peripheral nervous system is arbitrarily split up into motor nerves (i.e. those nerves which tell the muscles of the body to do things), the sensory nerves (i.e. those nerves which bring information from the body back to the brain, such as information from the eyes, ears; taste, smell, touch, pain, heat, vibration sense and so on) and autonomic nerves. The autonomic nervous system is what does things automatically and largely without conscious control, such as heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, gut movements, sexual arousal and so on.

It is a nonsense to try to split problems of the brain into neurological and psychological. I certainly don't in my approach. The key is to look at the whole body and brain, identify causes of problems and recognise that certain diseases have certain problems that go with them.

There is a general approach which I would apply to the treatment of all "brain problems" and certain "extras" which apply to specific problems. I still do not know all the answers to all the problems, but very often patients work things out for themselves. There is nothing like having an illness to give one a good incentive to find the answer! Indeed much of my medicine has been learned from patients doing their own research and trying different things.

Get a diagnosis

This is always the starting point! You need a consultant neurological opinion first. You may not be able to get a specific diagnosis but progressive pathology does need excluding. Always think of anatomical lesions. The early symptoms of tumours or other such problems are often subtle. With any progressive neurological problem MRI scan is essential part of the work up.

The early symptoms of problems are often Brain fog - poor memory, difficulty thinking clearly etc

This is the place to start in the treatment of all neurological diosorders.

Once you have a diagnosis - start working out the causes.

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