Healing The Myelin Sheath

​I wanted to touch on a few aspects concerning healing the brain. There are collections of symptoms that, in our day and age, are considered diagnoses (Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lupus,
Epilepsy), but what we often forget to look for is the root cause. It comes down to detoxing metals and chemicals, ridding the body of immune challenges, and repairing the myelin sheath. If it is an autoimmune condition, we look at gut-restoring supplements to heal the gut lining, improve digestion, and balance the microbiome. However, how can we fully recover if we do not handle our environment, clean it up, and discover the contributing factors that continually bombard the brain?

​This is a tough subject for me to write about, as it hits so close to home. I have spent the past few years working on my brain, only to find that my environment keeps pushing me down. Keep in mind as you
read this that every person is different, every body has its own challenges. Just because I have particular and unique requirements to care for mine, you also have individual requirements to care for yours. 

When I look back and try to sift through the experiences and data surrounding the symptoms that reflect brain function, I have become my own detective and advocate. We all have to do this. There is not another person or doctor out there that can fully understand our situation as much as we do. Yes, they can run tests and suggest their recommendations and treatments, but ultimately, we have to figure out whether those treatments are working, if the symptoms are improving, or if they are giving us additional side effects.

The moments I have felt the best, I have had a combination of a clean environment and brain supplements, cycled, so my body doesn’t go into homeostasis (where they stop working). I focus on digestion to break down enough protein, fats, and veggies to be used as medicine in the body. I ensure my liver and gallbladder function properly to digest those healthy fats for the brain. Myelin is a fatty protective covering for the nerves and aids signal communication. When Lyme/Borrelia eats away the myelin, or when it is damaged by mercury or mycotoxins (neurotoxins from mold), it will be difficult to repair the myelin without healthy fats in the diet.

Some Lyme doctors suggest a low-fat diet to starve the fat-loving Lyme bacteria. That is one approach that seems valid. But when the Lyme is pushed down enough, the brain and nerves will need essential fatty acids to repair. DHA, grass-fed butter, cold-pressed olive oil, coconut oil, and organic avocado are great fats for the brain. Variety is key. Grass-fed butter has over 50 types of fats in it alone. And you’ll need the protein for neurotransmitters.

The supplements I cycled to repair the brain for a time were Neurotrophin PMG, NeuroSyn, Neuroplex, and Oat Straw. N3 Relaxa is another excellent repair option if your bowels tolerate Senna. For those whose bowels lean toward constipation, N3 Relaxa would be ideal. Sometimes I like blending a few liquid nervine herbs such as Blue Vervain, Valerian, and Oat Straw or Milky Oats.

Protein is an essential part of the diet, as neurotransmitters comprise amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Protein can be gleaned from a diet rich in grass-fed beef, pastured chicken, wild-caught fish and plant sources, such as nuts, legumes, and certain grains. However, I highly recommend an animal source versus grains when there is brain dysfunction, as grains are inflammatory to the gut and the entire system. To have a complete protein as a vegetarian, for example, you could pair beans and brown rice, but the brown rice will inflame the body (including the brain) and are very difficult to digest. Ninety of all neurotransmitters are manufactured in the gut, so we need a healthy gut to have a healthy brain. If your brain is damaged, I suggest an animal protein diet over a vegetarian diet, but one rich in various colorful vegetables. Three-quarters of your plate should be veggie, with ¼ protein and fat. When going through a major healing period, the protein ratio can be increased to allow for more amino acids for repair. Fun fact on grass-fed beef: Did you know that beef contains the highest amount of carnitine than any other protein source? Carnitine helps push fatty acids into the mitochondria to create ATP and reduce inflammation in the brain.

Brain fog, anyone? The thyroid is also essential for brain function, as the thyroid impacts all areas of the body, including digestion, heart, and endocrine glands that manufacture sex hormones and other hormones that regulate normal body processes. I have found a direct correlation between thyroid function and brain health, so ensure you get your thyroid checked periodically if under 40 and yearly if over 40. Doctors use a “normal range” and an “ideal range” more specific to thyroid function. Check TSH, free T3, free T4, and reverse T3. The first time you have the panel done, it is vital to check for antibodies to rule out Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune condition where the body (or critter) attacks the thyroid gland, reducing its function. Be sure to ask for the following two antibodies: TPO (thyroid peroxidase antibody) and thyroglobulin antibody. If you have an autoimmune condition in the brain, there is often an autoimmune condition of the thyroid or other areas of the body.

White refined sugar and anything that breaks down quickly into sugar is not the brain’s friend, as they can cause widespread inflammation and feed critters. Studies have been done on MS patients after cutting out sugar for a period of time; the lesions reduce considerably. For some with a brain injury, even fruit can be problematic at the beginning of the healing process. You will feel so much better being off sugar and grains; your energy will improve, you’ll be able to think more clearly, and you’ll feel happier because sugar and wheat tank the mood. Grains include wheat (bread, pasta, cereals, pastries), corn, rice, soy, oats, etc. Even gluten-free options are highly inflammatory and should be avoided.

Once we have a good dietary foundation and digestion improves, we begin detoxing the brain to heal. It is essential to start opening channels of elimination first before any detox process can begin. Are your bowels moving 2-3 times a day or more like 1-2 times per week? This is a crucial symptom of how healthy your gut is. It would be best to have a healthy, easy-to-pass, fully-formed snake-like BM after every meal. If you are not, your gut is imbalanced, or another organ may contribute, such as the liver, gallbladder, thyroid, or kidneys. Are lymph, liver, and kidneys functioning how they should be to handle a detox? Are you exercising? An excellent cardiovascular workout can also move the lymph if the cells bounce. Once these lower elimination channels are open, we can look at brain detoxification. It can’t drain the brain at the top of the funnel if the funnel is clogged below.

We look at the heavy metals that could impact brain function, whether there is an autoimmune component, and any immune challenge attacking the brain or myelin, including bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic resonance. Keep in mind we do not make diagnoses, and we do not treat the body in any way. We are simply using muscle testing as a biofeedback mechanism to determine nutritional deficiencies in the organs and systems of the body. This is how we get to the root, by peeling back the layers to get to the root. By resonating a frequency with the body, like a sonar ping, if the ping comes back, we know there is something similar or equal to that frequency in the body.

I have found some pretty fantastic toxin and metal binders such as ACZnano (microporous zeolite, not all zeolites are created equal, be careful when choosing one) and from the Cellcore line: Biotoxin Binder
(mold, toxins, metals), ViRad Chem Binder (Lyme, viruses, toxins, metals), and HM-ET Binder (heavy metals, environmental toxins). Cellcore and ACZnano cross the blood-brain barrier to pull heavy metals and toxins. I have scores of supplements, herbal tinctures, and homeopathic blends to open these channels of elimination. However, every body typically needs something specific to their situation. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all program.

If we don’t eliminate mercury, for example, the body will never be able to handle Lyme fully. Lyme loves mercury, and mercury loves the brain. If we don’t handle the moldy environment, we will constantly be bombarded with neurotoxins. Mold doesn’t necessarily mean you have mold in the walls; it could mean leaving food too long in the fridge or not doing the dishes quickly enough after a meal. Damp workout clothes, sitting in a heap for a couple of days, can grow mold. Finally, we have to eliminate the stressor to heal fully. Otherwise, we are just biding our time with band-aids.

B vitamins are also crucial for brain health, heart, adrenals (stress), immune function, and digestion. I often find that clients with autoimmunity or major gut or digestive issues also have the genetic SNP called MTHFR. This is the inability to absorb B vitamins. It just means there is a kink in the pathway that we can correct with methylated B vitamins. It is possible to change how our genes express themselves, particularly with this pathway.

It’s not an easy road, and I’ve had many ups and downs, but I learn something with each situation I face. “Detective Connie Kelly” goes to work and figures out a solution (I had to laugh when my aunt called me that). Sometimes I’ve had to return to the drawing board and rethink my strategy. But isn’t it worth it to take the time to feel good? Isn’t it worth it to be able to live and enjoy life?

I certainly do not claim to have all the answers, and I continue to push forward, learning as much as I can about the brain, mold, Lyme, neurotoxins, and immune challenges to heal my body. And who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to help someone else along the way.