Foods and Supplements That Are Good for Brain Health
What is the difference between folic and folate, perhaps the acronym MTHFR is familiar as reading about common genetic mutations that affect so many of us is an admirable past time?
Certainly, we understand that vitamins are good for us and we might load up on Vit-C for a cold, Vit-E for our skin, and Vit-B for… just general well-being. It is fact, since James Lind, a Scot in the Royal Navy discovered in 1753 that citrus fruits or ascorbic acid prevented scurvy the British navy has routinely given lemon juice to its sailors.
Or so we thought…
How did we discover healthy foods?
James is often credited with this discovery because at the time the Royal Navy was likely the most prestigious and powerful organization in the world. They quite literally controlled fast tracts of the world and this included the flow of information. Experts today have so many sources such as the pharmaceutical journal where Gavin Menzies argues that of course the Chinese must have known about this seeing they in fact discovered the world in 1421 but instead of lemons they used soy for its high Vit-C content.
So it has been known for hundreds of years that vitamin deficiency can cause health issues and if prolonged serious ones. In turn, it has been proven that vitamins can be used as medicine to heal serious illnesses. A person called Jack had Crohn’s disease, a terrible illness that can require surgery who did not appear ill often but when ill could be called fondly Silly Jack. Aside from a tenacious approach to life, Jack was on a Vit-B12 injection program. When he came back to the farm from his treatment well Jumping Jack Flash might have been a better name. More than once his appearance and level of activity including cognitive function were so enhanced it made one want the same!
Who knows what’s really healthy?
So a good question is who does a person go to in order to get advice on vitamins because there is plenty of advice out there. Do we consult a doctor or even a surgeon like James Lind, perhaps a nutritionist is an easier and more relevant approach? Then again, there are many supplements that you can take on your own hand. Coping with all these decisions might be hard, so you can read more here to understand how to choose the right supplements to deal with different health issues.
Now, let’s imagine a person called Jamie, suffering from MTHFR or folate deficiency, they started their journey with consultants, doctors then specialists; eventually finding it sounds almost by accident that the cause of malaise was folate deficiency. Never counting herself depressed she had simply known that they were wrong and attributes her passion for life now, as having discovered her balance, her new normal.
What is important about Jamie’s story is she innovated, she did not take no for an answer. Her motivation was self-healing, not a product to take to market but as people she knew watched her, they became interested. Her newfound passion for life drew people and a market to her.
Of course, it was not that simple, her motivator had been her own cost factor that caused her to ask her doctor could she make her medicine herself. With the affirmative answer in hand that is exactly what she did with her doctor even becoming one of her first clients.
What about custom-made medicine?
Why on this day would a person consider making their own medicine? Of course the answer is cost. These medicines are not covered by medical insurance as they are new and for reasons best left to economists, approvals take time. If your interested Hazel Henderson a self-described ordinary housewife challenged the whole profession in chapter 8 of her book: My Politics of the Solar Age. Titled Three Hundred years of Snake Oil Hazel shows how theories of economists are largely improvable hypotheses quite different from those of other sciences.
One could argue that Jamie’s story proves this when because of the cost and lack of insurance she finds her own solution and creates her own market! The market began with interest and support from her community, who benefited from her increased production, it’s initial intention was to cover her own needs for longer.
Perhaps you occasionally feel like Silly Jack who can’t remember your name or want to feel like Jumping Jack Flash the code breaker again. Whatever your motivation it is suggested that you do your own research. We could all benefit from more self-determination and analysis of our self-state because no matter our opinion on Naturopathy, Medicine, or Economics for that matter. We would all rather feel like a Jumping Jack Flash than Silly Jack!
