The Causes of Brain Fog, Anxiety and Panic Attack - The Causes of Brain Fog.

Brain fog, attention deficit disorder ADD, PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders ADHD, anxiety panic attack, chronic nervous tension, sleeplessness, hyperactivity, hyper mental activity, sugar cravings, always feeling cold or having cold hands, Reynaud's Phenomenon and general nervousness are generally related problems. Their common denominator is often stress or modern day malnourishment.

Brain fog, anxiety, panic attack and all of the other problems mentioned above are becoming very, very commonplace in our modern world. They are not ailments but are the effects of other organ imbalances. In time they can become ailments.

Traditional herbal theory suggests that these problems are brought about simply and fundamentally by intense mental and/or intense emotional overwork, consistent long term poor food choices (hormone & chemically treated fast foods and convenience foods or food poisoning), the depletions of pregnancy and childbirth, or all of the above. These situations deplete the body of energy. Brain fog or anxiety and panic attack are also accompanied by perpetual tiredness and fatigue.

A soldier in battle is in a constant state of tension due to fear. This is extremely draining. A soldiers energies get depleted rapidly if this tension is not abated. The spleen becomes depleted and all the symptoms of stress set in. That post traumatic stress disorder PTSD is rampant among military personnel is not a surprise.

Brain fog and other Stress related symptoms are not just a nervous system problem. All parts of the body are inter-related therefore it is not possible to affect just one system in isolation of all others.

All parts of the body are fed and maintained by our digestion. Our digestive processes turn food into blood which feeds the entire body through the bloodstream.

All parts of the body are therefore dependent on digestion. Then it is not illogical to presume that if there is a digestive organ depletion that it will affect the blood which in tern will affect the rest of the body in general. And, depending on the what is lacking in the blood because of the specific organ depletion certain body parts in particular will be affected.

The nerves are a dependent organ. They do not feed themselves they must be fed. According to traditional herbal theory, the nerves are fed by the Spleen and Stomach. Simple deduction would suggest that these organs will have some bearing on Brain fog, anxiety and panic attack. This will be better explained below.

Note: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD (where do they keep coming up with these meaningless and complicated names for an otherwise simple problem) is included in what is being explained here. The name just sounds a little fancy but there are only so many possibilities for any particular problem. Whether it is a car accident, a loss of a loved one or experiences on a battle field; the body can only react in a finite set of ways in varying degrees of intensity. There is nothing really new under the sun or in the human body! The intensity of fear, which is just another word for stress has a very standard modus operandai. In other words, stress is stress is stress; it only varies in its intensity but the effects are the same.

In order to understand brain fog, anxiety, panic attack, ADD, feeling cold, craving sugar and so on it is important to understand the effects of stress. And, to discuss stress, it must first be defined.

"Stress" as such, is an engineering term often used to express the work that is being done by structural components. When these components are working beyond their safe limit they are said to be "over stressed." Should these components continue to be overworked or worked for too long, it won't be long before the structural member will fail causing damage to the overall structure. The exact same principle can be applied to internal organs or living beings that are overworked. In time this manifests as a form of tiredness or depletion. In this tired/depleted state the organs, of course, are still working or we would die but, they can only work at a lesser capacity or slower rate as they try to recuperate.

Modern life is stressful. We feel it emotionally due to emotional strain or, mentally due to intellectual strain but in addition these two can produce physically manifesting conditions as well. Many people are described as "looking like nervous wrecks." Feeling stressed is just one component of the problem. Emotional and Mental stresses draw and deplete more energy than mere physical work. In fact physical activity can be used to relax emotional and mental stress. While our energy reserves are full we can cope with situations more in stride and with more resilience, but if we are already tired or strained the same situations are much more taxing.

To explain this still further - In principle; should one perceive that they are overwhelmed with "too much," in relation to their capacity to cope, they can be said to be stressed. This principle applies whether the situation is mental, emotional or physical.

As a basic principle - in order for anything to be able to work, it must have energy. When someone is stressed their body's ability to produce, store and distribute the necessary energy to properly function has been impaired. Every physical organ as well as our emotional and mental faculties need energy to function. Prolonged stressful situations are exhausting because they consume energy very quickly.

The normal origin of bodily "energy" is the food we eat and the air we breath. The organs that initially transform this energy into a usable substance for the body are the stomach assisted by the Spleen. These organs have different functions but their functions compliment each other. Every organ lives of the energy they extract. The more energy, the better they can cope with the work load we give them. If this process is impaired or otherwise inhibited every organ also suffers due to lack of energy.

A lacking in energy among the organs can best be compared to the despair of being starved among a community of workers. This starvation is not on a food level but, on an energy level. Many who have produced this depletion are actually eating quite heartily. Yet their organs are functioning at less than optimum levels. The result is impaired digestion and elimination. Wastes stay in the blood stream displacing oxygen and give rise to general and perpetual tiredness, fibromyalgia, bloating, brain fog, and a myriad of other seemingly unrelated problems. Because of the lack of energy, any activity becomes an ‘overwork’ situation because there is too much to do and not enough energy to do it with setting in panic in some. In time the organs that extract the energy become themselves tired or depleted.

Stress itself is like a form of fear that puts the body into "fight or flight mode. Over a prolonged period in this state  the kidneys and the adrenal glands in particular become exhausted.

It should also be remembered that many people eat poorly and in their attempts to satisfy their energy needs they may instinctually over eat because the organs that deal with food also regulate appetite and can trigger hunger. Some believe hunger to be strictly of neurological origin but, in herbalism it is considered organ related. In herbalism the brain is regarded more as a relay between all body parts - a coordinator. It has an area allocated for every body part within it but it does not and cannot rule over the organs - the heart does this. The brain is like a coordinating central government that tracks activity and sends messages, while the organs are a very free regional government that makes local decisions while closely interacting with the other organs - the Heart being their King and ruler.

Anyone who has ever felt hunger feels it in the area of the stomach therefore it is not unreasonable at all to presume that the basic need for food is triggered from here.  So it shouldn't be too far a stretch of the imagination that if a ravenous appetite or a fluctuation from being very hungry to having no appetite at all might have something to do with the stomach and spleen. It is therefore easier, simpler and more efficient to control appetite from here rather than altering the brain functions themselves. In the end the brain is a "maintained" organ - it cannot dictate. It is maintained by the digestive organs and what they do directly affect the brain.

The stomach and spleen digest and convert the "more liquid parts of foods" into sugars called glycogen. This is a crucial process. Every organ - especially the brain - needs this "sugar." Not only is it the main way that foods become usable to the body, they also become a main energy source for the body. This is why a little bit of refined sugar provides a short term energy boost. And, conversely why, because of its need for energy the body at times creates a sugar craving. Therefore as previously mentioned, since the stomach and spleen are dealing with food they affect appetite and cravings since the conversion of this food into sugars (glycogen) takes place here then they are also responsible for sugar cravings. And, it follows that to help control a sugar cravings or the appetite it is important to support the stomach and spleen.

The Spleen in addition to being the converter of the finer digested matter into blood is also the body's furnace and the source of bodily electricity which all organs need to function properly. The energy provided by the glycogens and that provided by the "bodily electricity" are fundamentally different in nature. The finer part of what is being digested goes through the spleen to become blood. The energy is carried by the blood to the rest of the body and especially the other internal organs. When this power is decreased the extremities feel cold - not because of a lack of circulation - but because this energy is lacking. This is important because it explains why so many of those who are stressed also feel lethargic, tired and cold in addition to having brain fog, ADD, ADHD, etc.

By depleting the spleen the energy required for the activities of life is being under-produced. This forces the body to make a choice - whether to use these vital energies to maintain the main physical body functions or to keep our faculties fully sharp and keen. The emotional and mental faculties being less vital lose out. The energy required for thinking becomes less abundant - Brain fog and the other symptoms sets in. The body realizing its dilemma starts to panic (thoughts race, anxiety, panic attacks start, the heart palpitates, etc.) as what it needs to properly maintain its nerves and blood is also in short supply.

Very little is ever said about the nerves when we are nervous. In Traditional Herbal theory the nerves are maintained by the stomach and spleen making them the center of the nervous system. There is a substance that is extracted by the stomach and spleen that has bee called "nerve spirit" by the old herbalists. This substance is extracted and is stored in the nerves and bones. When the body is stressed and needs this reserve energy substance it is taken into the blood from its storage place. This weakens the nerves and in due time their capacity to relay electricity become burdened. Nervous tension sets in. if not corrected this situation can become chronic. In years past people would go to sanitariums for proper rest to recuperate form this condition.

Brain fog, anxiety panic attack, sleeplessness, nervous tension, hyper mental activity, sugar cravings, always feeling cold or having cold hands are born out of the impaired bodily functions mentioned above brought about by the circumstances of modern life. The fancier terms used to describe this grouping of problems are attention deficit disorder ADD, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders ADHD, anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder. These terms do not describe the actual problem at all - only the end result.

These problems can also occur while very young so most people who have these stress related problems think that they are getting senile while still in their twenties. Many people - very young people included - find it difficult to cram more information into their heads after intense studying or mental work. They have a hard time remembering what they had just said or did just a few minutes earlier. They say that "their memory is shot" but in reality their memory is fine, it is just being made to function with much less power. Once the energy is restored to the body the memory works fine again. Or they haven't eaten proper food in so long that their organs could not produce enough useable energy and the organs strained to sustain them to the point of depletion.

When adults eat improperly the effects are bad enough but, when children are not fed properly the effects are far more devastating. A young growing body needs more energy than when it is fully grown. Today less and less people cook fresh food from "scratch" for their children opting instead for fast food, convenience foods or microwaved foods. This "modern malnourishment" coupled with abnormal and undisciplined sleeping habits greatly contribute to creating childhood ADD not to mention childhood obesity. Interestingly all of the symptoms of stress are present with ADD of any age.

A muscle that is overworked gets tired making it difficult for it to continue working. It must be rested and fed in order to be restored for more work. The spleen is also sometimes overworked satisfying the bodies sometimes abnormally high energy demands due to stress and gets depleted. It needs to be rested and fed to be restored. Exstressor is food for the spleen.

In addition to this many children also have parasites. Parasites alone can also produce several of the classic fidgety ADD symptoms. The age old external symptoms of parasites are:

The presence of these symptoms are distinct and separate from those caused by a simple spleen depletion. A good remedy for parasites would be beneficial and may or may not require the use of Exstressor - most likely not.

The best remedy for parasites can only be made at home - fresh. Very few of the store bought remedies for parasites actually work completely. The main ingredient is wormwood herb. Contrary to popular belief/myth Wormwood herb is not very useful in a capsule or a tincture for the purpose of removing parasites. It needs to be infused for 15 minutes in a good white wine. The infusion removes most of the alcohol and the final infusion needs to be stored in the refrigerator.

What is being made here is NOT, I Repeat NOT Absinthe - Absinthe is a liqueur made by an entirely different process.

"Wormwood Wine" is a simple recipe for Vermouth. The strength of the infusion and dosage depends on whether a child or an adult will be taking it. It takes a good diet and two weeks for the infusion to work. But the results are very noticeable and lasting.

There is also another possible way of producing racing mental activity, brain fog or anxiety panic attack. These can be brought about by the narcotizing effect of having various toxins in the blood stream.

As previously stated the heart is considered the king of the body. (This is a complex topic that we will not elaborate on here) In traditional herbal theory when these toxins pass through the heart they effect the brain creating the fogginess or a hyper fast mental activity. These toxins should normally be eliminated by the digestive and eliminatory organs but when the energy is low these organs find it difficult to completely remove the wastes from the blood. These toxins depending on their nature can thin or thicken the blood. Thinned blood flowing a little quicker - thicker blood flowing a little slower. Just like a fraction of a degree in temperature deviations from normal body temperature will affect the body - the body will notice even minor changes in the bloods viscosity.

Does this have an effect on the body and mind? Well you be the judge. Alcohol, caffeine, opiates, heavy meats and sauces, preservatives, sulfur bases preservatives, or similar substances in the blood stream all have well known effects. The fats in some meats and cooked oils thicken the blood. Their undigested fats in the bloodstream are better known as cholesterol - thickening the blood. Alcohol inebriates by thinning the blood. Some artificial female hormones thicken the blood to produce blood clots, cysts and tumors. There are many other familiar examples. To learn more about helping remove toxins from the blood click here. When the body becomes incapable of disposing of these substances the effect can understandably be mental and emotional as well as physical. Producing PMS, post partum issues as well as brain fog, racing thoughts anxiety panic attack and so on.

There is also another possibility for brain fog. Many people already being incredibly tired by the demands of a stressful life find themselves incredibly fatigued for the reasons explained above. They, in a desperate attempt to function normally, use stimulants to take them through the day but rather than strengthen their nerves stimulants ultimately further depletes them. Their is an erroneous belief that stimulants boost energy. But, how can they? The do not contain energy, they instead make the body consume the already diminished supply of energy in the body at a faster rate. When the stimulants wear off the person feels even more depleted than before. And in addition the adrenals have become exhausted by their constant energy drain due to over-activity - the brain fog can become even worse. See effects on Kidneys.

Cleaning up the diet is essential and virtually a free long term solution to these problems. There are also natural products that are also helpful. Balancing the blood's electrolytes using a simple colloidal mineral on a short term basis can help to restore the balance quicker. Of course, whatever feeds and supports the Spleen and Stomach back into normal functions will of course work the quickest. See Exstressor.

You cannot increase energy by consuming it faster. The body's ability to produce, store, and distribute energy must be restored to help these problems while addressing the entire category of problems that include:  Brain Fog, Attention Deficit Disorder ADD, Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder ADHD, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, Anxiety Panic Attack, Sleeplessness,  Hyperactivity, Hyper Mental Activity, Sugar Cravings, feeling generally cold of having cold hands also known as Reynaud's Phenomenon, General Nervousness, and Stress.