World Brain Day 22.7.2014
Our Brain Our Future
Dr.M.A.Aleem.M.D.D.M., (Neure) HOD and professor of Neurology KAPV Government Medical college. MGM Government Hospital Trichy -620017. Cell: 94431-59940 E-mail: drmaaleem@hotmail.com
Introduction:-
On 22 July, the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) launches the first “World Brain Day” an event dedicated to bringing more attention to the importance of brain health and the prevention of brain diseases, a largely underestimated health problem. Indian Academy of Neurology (IAN) supports the awareness-raising campaign. Brain disorders, comprising mental, neurological and substance-use conditions, constitute 13 percent of the global burden of disease, surpassing both cardiovascular disease and cancer. Many of them are preventable and treatable, but diagnostic and therapeutic resources are unequally distributed globally.
`The complexities of the brain and of neurological diseases often become a barrier for public awareness. Our most important goal with this novel campaign is to present brain health in all its aspects and social dimensions and sensitize the public to its significance. In doing so, we want to support those affected by brain disease and in particular neurological diseases and inform the broad public about the importance of prevention,” says Dr.M.A.Aleem Professor of Neurology KAPV Govt Medical College and President Trichy Neuro Association. It’s time to act. This is why we are taking this initiative to promote better brain health globally.
The burden of brain disorder and neurological diseases is largely underestimated, however, according to Dr.M.A.Aleem professor of Neurology KAPV Government Medical College. “Stroke and traumatic brain injuries are two most important causes of disability in India, one to two percent of the global population suffers from some kind of disability related to traumatic brain injury. Worldwide, stroke is the second commonest cause of death after ischaemicheart disease and ahead of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. According to WHO data, neurological diseases alone are responsible for between 4.5 and 11 percent of all burden of disease, depending on whether you look at low – or high-income economies. This is far higher than the number of respiratory ailments, gastrointestinal disorders or malignant tumours.”
Neurological diseases are a major cause of death. According to the WHO, they account for 12 percent of deaths worldwide a figure that varies according to levels of economic development. Lower-middle-income countries are the hardest hit. They account for nearly 17 percent of deaths attributable to neurological causes because both infectious and non-communicable neurological diseases contribute to mortality. Of all neurological illnesses, stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders are by far the commonest cause of death, accounting for 85 percent of all fatalities.
Yet the incidence of many neurological conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s or stroke will skyrocket as population’s age. According to the WHO, the number of disability – adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to neurological illnesses – years lost due to premature death combined with the equivalent years of health life lost through poor health or disability – is expected to rise from 92 million worldwide in 2005 to 103 million 2030. This represents an alarming 12 percent increase. For demographic reasons alone years of life lost in connection with Alzheimer,s and other forms of dementia in particular will rise most dramatically by around 66 percent. The lion’s share – more than 55 percent – of equivalent years of life lost through neurological disoreders is attributable to cerebrovascular illnesses such as stroke and intracranial haemorrhage. It is estimated that in 2015, 50 million healthy life years will be lost due to stroke alone.
Having a healthy brain and nervous system is vital to being able to think clearly, without which our active will lacks intelligent guidance and is weakened.
Neurological illnesses can occur across the entire life span. They manifest as autism and attention deficit problems in children, multiple sclerosis and insomnia and seizures in adults, and Alzheimer’s and parkinson’s disease in the aging population.
Whereas we are often not aware of the disturbances in our metabolism that precede the appearance of the signs and symptoms that occur with cancer or high blood pressure, in neurological disorders we become aware quite early that something is not right. We may observe that our child is delayed in developing speech or stops speaking; we may notice one of our legs is not moving right ; or we may find that our parent is having serious memory impairments.
Why are these events and illnesses happening with increasing frequency today? There are a number of key reasons.
One reason is that we live in a toxic world. The great majority of chemicals we now take in daily were not on the planet 30 years ago. Many of these accumulate, especially in our fatty tissue, and slowly incapacitate our nerves. These toxins become neurotoxins, damaging the nervous system. The brain is essentially composed of fats in its structure. Its healthy function depends on an intake of good fats – eggs, coconut oil, and others – to function optimally. This high fat content enables our brains to float in the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes it, similar to the way oils float on water. It is this quality that enables us to think clearly, reflect on life develop insight and intent, and plan for the future.
The accumulation of environmental toxins impairs these functions. It is important to limit your exposure to these chemicals as much as possible, and take steps to eliminate them from your body. You can do this by eating good fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds, fish oil are good examples) by sitting in infrared saunas, and by properly disposing of the commercial home and yard products you have on hand and purchasing nontoxic replacements at health food or other “green” stores. (Note that it isn’t only the pesticides to watch out for; common household cleaning and laundry supplies are filled with chemical toxins.)
The toxins you are exposed to also include heavy metals, especially mercury which destroys nervous tissues. The sources of mercury today are dental metal amalgam fillings, many fish coal burning and most vaccines. The mercury in vaccines is strongly implicated in our autism epidemic. What can you do? Thoughtfully consider the pros and cons of vaccinating your children and yourselves, eat northern ocean fish, and consult a dentist who is aware of the dangers of the dangers of mercury fillings.
There is an old saying in natural healing: all disease begins in the gut. There is truth in this. Due In large part to the epidemic of fear of illness, and our adversarial relationship with nature, we go to great lengths to kill any microorganism that we blame for out illnesses. This has led us to the overuse of antibiotics, which leads to immune impairment and severely disrupts the balance of healthy microflora in the intestines. Use of antibiotics permits overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria and other microorganisms, damage to the intestinal walls, and subsequent absorption of the toxic microbes into the body. The intestines are out second brain. Over 90% of all detectable neurotransmitters in the body are produced in the small intestine. We need healthy bile flow to excrete many of these neurotoxins.
Therefore, care for your gut : eat slowly, take enzymes or apple cider vinegar in water before eating to prime the pump, limit your use of antibiotics to only the most serious conditions, take probiotics (beneficial bacteria) , learn healthy breathing, take green clay orally in water, and use topical castor oil packs to improve liver, lymphatic and intestinal function.
Chronic infections also play a huge role in the development of neurological illnesses today. These include Lyme disease, viral conditions, fungal infections (which have increased exponentially due to overuse of antibiotics) , mercury toxicity, and disorders related to mold exposure. In addition to dampness in homes, wireless technology and the impaired wiring in old and new homes; all these factors can lead to a thousand times the overgrowth of mold.
When absorbed into the body, most of the toxins discussed here damage what is called the blood-brain barrier. This is a very thin layer of protective cells that keep toxins from seeping into the brain and doing harm. In most people today, this barrier is damaged. Most of the chronic neurological disorders of today originate physiologically in this damage.
Another area of toxic exposure, and one that is increasing at an alarming rate today, is electromagnetic radiation to the head. The number one source of this radiation is cell phones and cordless phones, the use of which we now accept as normal. We live in a culture of convenience, and we are paying the price for this. It is time to change. Studies in Germany have demonstrated that children who live within 300 meters of a cell phone tower have abnormal EEGs. New research in Sweden indicates that children and teenagers are fiver time more likely to get brain cancer if they use cell phones. In addition, the way many homes are wired today increases the electrical currents that go through our brains while we are in buildings. This is more damaging when we are asleep.
What can you do? Limit cell phone use to emergencies and essentials. Use corded phones rather than cordless phones. Avoid microwaving foods. Avoid wireless technologies, especially Blue Tooth. Use high speed internet that can be unplugged at night. Turn off the electricity to the bedroom at night if you can. Clean up hidden mold in the house.
Beyond the accumulation of toxins that we have deluded ourselves into believing is a normal part of life in this excessively materialists and comfort culture, there are deeper reasons for our epidemic of chronic neurological disorders.
The psychological conflicts in previous generations become the biological conflicts in children, and we are all children. It can be that a child with autism is not speaking because someone in the family tree from an earlier generation is not spoken about. The autistic child is like a black hole; he attracts everything to himself but cannot emit a single word. The same family tree issues can hold true in other neurological illnesses of today, or it may be a present lifetime issue. Someone who develops multiple sclerosis, for example, has often experienced a deep devaluing of self. These problems often originate in the preverbal times of life, especially between conception and one year old, and even before conception, in what we inherit from our ancestors. We can access and heal these unconscious memories in many ways.
As you can surmise, the healing of our neurological impairments and illnesses will require a concerted effort by all of us in many areas of life. Though this includes addressing the specific contributing causes mentioned in this article, healing also includes widening our fields of perception and actions to include homeopathic and anthroposophical treatments-oral and topical remedies, color and sound, and movement therapies like eurythmy-to activate more subtle forces in healing.
In addition, let us be mindful that sometimes our healing requires us to learn to live with an illness rather than to cure it. I recall a patient with multiple sclerosis who transformed from a cold businessman to a warm loving man as his illness progressed to become more debilitating.
It is time to wake up! The economic events of our time shake up our complacency and assumptions. We need healthy brains and a change of perception toward our illnesses in order to have the necessary mental clarity, the receptivity to the whispers of higher suggestions, and the will to make constructive therapeutic movements toward healing our neurological illnesses of today.
Introducing World Brain day is also meant as a wake-up call to political decision-makers. Despite the huge burden they cause, neurological conditions are largely absent from the national and international health agendas. Not only do neurological diseases cause individual suffering they also have much greater social and economic relevance than people often assumed.
Brain disorders are costly The burden of neurological disorders continues to be underestimated while in fact they should be treated as one of the highest-level healthcare priorities. The message we are sending out with the first World Brain Day in this respect is clear: Political and funding priorities need to shift, governments and international organizations need to prioritize brain health.
Much of this burden is preventable. One of the important actions required in the field of prevention are immunization programmes for the prevention of neuroinfections and the neurological consequences of other infections. Other diseases such as stroke can be prevented through a comprehensure, cholesterol, smoking healthy diet or diabetes. More than 100 million DALYs could be gained by effective strategies to reduce the burden of stroke and traumatic brain injury alone.
There is no health without brain health. Our brain is our most amazing and complex organ, and its functioning is most closely linked to the health of the whole human being,” according to Dr.Raad Shakir, President of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN). “However, there is a lack of awareness in the public and among decision makers for the essential role of the brain and its health. This is also true for the individual and collective burden arising from brain diseases and in particular from neurological diseases. It is becoming increasingly clear that these disorders, such as stroke and dementia, are projected to rise at a rate that could overwhelm our health care systems. Hence a new emphasis has to be developed on prevention. Neurologists are the guardians of the brain and need to take the leading role in advancing new approaches in stemming the tide of neurological diseases. Dr.chandrashekhar Meshram president Indian Academy of Neurology addresses this appeal to the public at the launch of WFN’s first “World Brain Day” on 22 July. The theme for this year is” our brain – our future “
In this 1st world Brain Day, Dr.M.A.Aleem as a neurologist from the developing world requesting the world Health organization [WHO] to separate Neuro health from mental health and keep Neurosciences as a separate entity under the World Health Organization to promote and strengthen the Neurological awareness care, Management and research activity worldwide
So it’s time to act. Let’s get together to promote better brain health globally. Our Future - Our Brain. Says Dr.M.A.Aleem.
Facts of the human brain
1. Brain is the most amazing and complex organ in the human body.
2. The human brain consists of millions and millions of electrical wires which are known as axons
3. This distance is the equivalent of travelling around the earth four times in a row! It is thought that there are about eighty billion neurons within the human brain. There are about ten trillion connections between these neurons whish help us to read, write watch, learn, plan, think, feel, move and solve problems on a daily basis
4. One in three of us will get dementia or stroke during our life time. This can occur at any age-any time-anywhere! Both these disorder are preventable-treatable for the most part.
5. Diseases affecting the brain include stroke, Epilepsy, Depression, Tumore, Traumatic Injury, Alzheimer,s Disease, Infections, Headache, Sleep disorder and genetic disorders.
6. Diseases affecting the brain are single most important cause of disability in the world.
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