The AlzFighter Process: Category 8: Stress Management/ Avoiding systemic Inflammation

Alzheimer's disease, Anti-Inflammatory, Brain Protection, Prevention, Stress Management, Systemic Inflammation

Stress Management/ Avoiding systemic Inflammation:

We, as human beings, love good times. If we could all live the life of a perpetual stress-free dream vacation that never ends, that would be great...But newsflash!! life is never carefree for long. Stress! It is an unfortunate fact of life, especially in a post covid world. It is in many ways unavoidable, yet there are ways to cope with and manage stress. First things first, though - How are stress and systemic inflammation related or connected to the development of cognitive decline?

There have been many studies on this topic, and there is much evidence pointing to a strong correlation between systemic inflammation and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. While the data does support a correlation, it does not suggest direct causation specific to Alzheimer's. On the other hand, there are a few newer studies that do suggest that systemic inflammation does directly cause the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Regardless of the final verdict being, a direct or indirect factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease/ cognitive decline, systemic inflammation, and stress are unhealthy in general for the human body. Our bodies are just not made to function optimally under a constant state of stress.

Homeostasis:

Our bodies are amazing machines with multiple dynamic and interconnected mechanisms that all work together to manage whatever life throws at us and quickly move us back into a balanced state. This is what we refer to as homeostasis- our body's internal return to balance mechanism. Anything that injures us or throws our system out of balance is corrected. Did you cut your finger? No problem; our body springs into action almost immediately, sending resources to stop the bleeding, protect the wound, ward off any pathogenic bacteria and begin repairing the cut. Acute or short-term stress is normal, and the body's inflammatory

response is the mechanism for healing; inflammation is a complex and ever-changing response of our bodies to some sort of cell injury. As one can imagine, injury can come in multiple forms, such as infection, unhealthy diet, physical or emotional trauma, or even exposure to environmental toxins. However, when this becomes chronic or a long-term state, this is when stress leads to disease.

What happens to the body in a state of stress? Multiple mechanisms are involved, but key factors include chronically and excessively elevated cortisol levels, insulin resistance, auto-immune responses, etc. While we could spend time discussing the details of these various mechanisms, we focus on avoiding these harmful effects/ diseases.

Taking action: Steps to effectively manage stress and the effects of Chronic Stress: Examples:

1. I will check with my doctor to check if these diet changes are ok – If yes, I will start to eat more fresh leafy vegetables and more Salmon. I will also make daily turmeric, black pepper, and ginger-loaded tea with a dash of heavy cream and organic honey.

2. I will eliminate, whenever possible, any inflammatory foods from my diet, i.e., red meat, any processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, lunch meats, and cured meats; any refined grains like white bread, white rice, pasta, and breakfast cereals; any snack foods such as chips, cookies, crackers, and pastries; any Sodas and other sweetened drinks; and fried foods.

3. I will practice mid-day and nightly anti-stress meditation breaks of 2-5 minutes each to take a moment to reset myself and reduce stress

4. I will take a 30-minute walk every day.

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Core reference: Systemic and neurological inflammation have been linked to dementia (McGeer & McGeer, 2019, p. 217) ;("Chronic colitis exacerbates NLRP3-dependent neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in the middle-aged brain," n.d.); ("Neuroinflammation represents a common theme amongst genetic and environmental risk factors for Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases," n.d.)

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