Your brain needs a lot of energy to function and 80 billion neurons each produce 70 millivolts of bio-electrical energy. This creates 14 million volts of electrostatic potential across the neuronal membrane – four times more than the electrical force-producing lightning during a storm.
ELECTRICAL FACTS
The brain is 2% of our body weight but uses 20% of our energy. Even when we sleep the brain is active, co-ordinating trillions of cells and biological processes. Neurons continuously transmit and process information using electrical signals, generated by a flow of potassium and sodium ions.
The brain has two types of neuronal tissue, white matter, and grey matter. Grey matter needs more energy and forms our ‘human’ thinking brain (neo-cortex). Shortages in bio-electricity impact these power-hungry executive brain functions, making it hard to think clearly and driving primal fear based reactions, and instant gratification.
ENERGY DEFICITS
The evolution of grey matter helped us think faster, but it was at the expense of energy storage. So we either maintain a steady flow of nutrients to meet energy demands, or the brain is ‘forced’ to prioritize needs. Imagine a reduced power supply in your home: you can either have the lights on or use the washing machine, but not both – how many days can you live without light or the use of your washing machine before things become difficult.
Focus: attention requires energy, to suppress distracting thoughts and external stimuli.
Cognition: energetic shortfalls create mental blocks, anxiety, confusion, and indecisiveness.
Mood: feeling motivation, desire or joy needs neurotransmitters, which require energy.
Memory: remembering is a high-energy task; age-related memory decline is energetic.
Lethargy: the body reduces unnecessary tasks, including your ability to stay awake.
Immune: inflammation and energetic-stress reduce regenerative functions.
Weight-gain: desperate for energy; appetite increases to shore-up the energetic gap.
Accumulating Issues
Missing minerals, inflammation, and accumulated toxicity reduce bio-electrical energy with -wide ranging effects. Unlike appliances, we cannot plug the brain in when it needs more electricity. Prolonged energy deficits reduce the brain’s ability to clear waste, neutralize oxidation, and replenish nutrients.
Accumulating toxicity and impaired immune function makes the brain degenerate faster than it can be repaired. Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s are labels for the symptoms of chronic degeneration and damage, seen in older adults. In children, the labels of AA, ADHD, and Autism are linked with energy-shortages limiting the brain’s ability to function and develop.
Enhancing Energy
To create a constant flow of bio-electricity the body needs to be clean, rested, active, and nourished. The human body, to begin with, is electrical and needs electric substances to electrify it.
Eat well: Foods that are alkaline with electrifying minerals, such as fruits; blueberries, raspberries, which fight oxidative stress and free radical damage that cause memory malfunctions. Bananas.
Eat light: digestion takes energy; juices and smoothies are much easier to digest.
Drink lots: spring water washes out waste, and keeps nutrition flowing, drink often.
Rest Well: sleep refreshes the whole body, cleans the waste, and resets the brain.
Stay Active: movement is critical to generating energy, we produce what is needed.
Play Games: board games, mental challenges and mind puzzles exercise the grey matter.
Eat Herbs: Herbs have a tendency to go straight to the brain, electrifying the system.
Until next month.
