Fighting back against cognitive dysfunction/dementia and CTE.

FOODS

In determining exactly what foods can be beneficial towards cognitive recovery I conducted research with regards both historical application of flora and fauna for herbal or plant-based derivative. I will expand on what food has relevance to which aspect of the body or brain function. Food is essentially our bodies main energy source in not only charging our everyday ability to function, it also wholly depends on what we consume as to exactly how or what brain or body function we decide to make use of on any given moment.

Initially my focus was drawn to the historic use of herbs or plants in the creation of teas or herbal remedy for ailments, I identified one such historic individual dating back to 234- 149 BC by the name of Marcus Cato De Rustica who created what he could from what he had available. One of those food products was cabbage or what he called brassica oleracea. He specifically stated that cabbage and its boiled waters could be used in the prevention of inflammation or gastrointestinal disorder. In considering this I decided to research the possibility of this in modern uses with all the technology we have today. Cabbage is part of a group of vegetables more in more modern terms called cruciferous vegetables which ultimately have beneficial compounds such as vitamin C and K. You may ask what relevance this has towards CTE, if you have considered my research you will understand that an impact point on the head such as heading the ball in the same way over a repeated period of time will ultimately lead to inflammation however minimal, it is still inflammation. The harm that occurs from that inflammation leads to the body developing harmful free radicals that actually cause additional damage.

So why cabbage, well it is high in antioxidants, antioxidants are scientifically proven to aid in removing free radicals which reduces the harm of inflammation based injury from spreading, so as part of any recovery programme after gameplay or trauma I would recommend you consider the following. Effect of polyphenols extracts from Brassica vegetables on erythrocyte membranes (in vitro study) - ScienceDirect

The compounds found specifically in cabbage include sulforaphane which is an anti-inflammatory Brassica-Derived Plant Bioactives as Modulators of Chemopreventive and Inflammatory Signaling Pathways (nih.gov) taking into further consideration the testing method as identified within my research, you will assess whether to take the risk associated with the invasive testing programme. Further research towards the beneficial compounds in cabbage have further evidenced fightback against reducing cancer related compounds.

What do I hope you take away from this, if you opt to undertake the invasive testing method contained within the research I would advise increasing intake of cabbage based product not only to build up your own immune system response, but also prevention of incurring additional harm from the process. The reduction of harm from radiation as per the tracers on the research suggestion. Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer Prevention - National Cancer Institute

If you then factor in taking part in a sporting event, again it would be a suggestion to consider drinking cabbage juice pre match play, and then continuing that intake after play/match/fight. This will ultimately aid in reducing stress placed on the body and muscles which lead to inflammation after intensive workout.

One cup of cooked cabbage particularly red cabbage can give you 30% of your daily vitamin C intake whilst also providing 81.5 milligrams of Vitamin k. Imagine if the hospitals adapted this towards rehabilitation treatment, or sports clubs or associations increased this within their own menus. Fighting back one step at a time in sharing knowledge and research.

RECIPES THAT SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ON COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT/NEURON REPAIR

In order to expand on the different food sources that I believe would aid in the bodies natural ability to protect itself, will also aid in that immune building system response. The ever-increasing reliance on biopharmaceuticals in the US has estimated costs of 2 Billion dollars in the single creation of a new drug one such research article here Average cost of developing a new drug could be up to $1.5 billion less than pharmaceutical industry claims | LSHTM In watering this down to through the relevant channels in the UK it is further estimated that prescribed drugs even if available on the NHS will continue to increase as that underlying cost is passed on to the consumer, (great research piece here) Access to new medicines in the English NHS | The King's Fund. We see more recently these costs are being passed onto the consumer ultimately, so what can we do to ensure we have the best opportunity at fighting back without the need for reliance on these prescribed drugs.

As part of my seminars, I will provide detailed analysis and endeavour to breakdown the human bodies internal systems and explain the how, why, what we can do to achieve maximum structural resistance against disease or specifically cognitive dysfunction.

I will as part my blogs provide recipes with specific focus and some analysis for you to assess and determine if they suit certain needs. I found it best to prepare the night before the meals for the following day and box/bag it up, and yes to save on recycling if you buy one large yogurt like a Skyr yogurt as evidenced here : Arla Skyr - Take on the day | Arla UK (arlafoods.co.uk) you would be reducing your carbon footprint in reusing. I also understand that there will be vegan alternatives and you will no doubt appreciate I cannot cater for every dietary eventuality. I do hope you would have a go with an open mind because we must change our behaviours towards simple reliance on prescribed drugs or sole reliance on vitamins which are good, but will only take us so far.

Starting with Breakfast

BREAKFAST: One Skyr yogurt with added apricots, blueberries and a scatter of chia seeds. Why you might ask:

Yogurt is microbial in nature and aids in fighting back against cardiovascular disease its one that I believe builds the bodies microbiome. This form of yogurt specifically has a high protein content, reduced sugar and fat free and they strive to continually improve their products all the time. The less sugar the better as sugar is inherently bad in many ways for developing further cognitive related disease. Sugar should be cut out in its raw form as there are other substitutes you can also find for sugar replacement. Arla Skyr - Take on the day | Arla UK (arlafoods.co.uk) . Apricots and Blueberries have beneficial effect to reducing inflammation because they have a high antioxidant level which in turn reduces free radicals (free radicals that lead towards additional cognitive dysfunction issues). Apricots specifically are high in flavonoids which again reduce oxidative stress which is part and parcel of inflammation from a related injury such as head trauma.

So why use Chia seeds, chia seeds are high in the essential fatty acids the brain needs, if you consider the brain as being a huge fatty substance that is separate from that of the muscle groups it needs oils to function like a well-oiled machine. One of those is Omega 3 which has more benefit than some wild salmon. In simply making that change alone you would be contributing towards prevention of the overfishing plundering of our natural oceans. Chia seeds also have fibre content some claim more than a banana. With the slow energy release that occurs within the day automatically aids in fighting back against inflammation. I would suggest you try not to soak them beforehand as the protective layer of the seed called chlorogenic acid which actually aids again in antioxidation.

Breakfast in my view is the most important meal of the day as it sets you up for the rest of the day and keeping those energy levels high is paramount to keeping and maintaining a positive combative mindset in fighting back against cognitive decline/dysfunction.

OK, so what drink would I recommend with your breakfast, well coffee has its natural caffeine which as you may know is the stimulant aspect found within a coffee bean. Again, the same protective coating chlorogenic acid is again found in the coffee bean so roasting destroys a large proportion of the beans beneficial properties. Research article Skipping the Roast: The Top Benefits of Unroasted Coffee Beans - Intercontinental Coffee Trading Inc. (ictcoffee.com). It takes on average at least one hour for the caffeine to settle within your system which promotes cognitive function. If you consider this research report A review of caffeine’s effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance - ScienceDirect it evidences in some capacity that intake of caffeine before sporting performance can inhibit the adenosine receptor which can aid in dopamine release during an event. However, it appears it can indirectly affect people in different ways.

You will observe within this research article specifically at section 3 it addresses cognition effect of coffee on the brain function both lower and upper extremity. One takeaway I would glean from this is that one/two/three cups of coffee every 8 days is highly likely to achieve a desired effect rather than drinking it every day. Again it is for you to assess as we are all built different and as the findings state here it can affect people differently. The idea is that is you try it and log the results.

What alternatives are there other than caffeine beverage, I considered Cherry juice and a study that was performed by a university in Delaware.

They found increased intake of cherry juice on specific age groups increased cognitive memory recall by 5%, a 4% reduction in movement speed whilst increasing a 23% reduction of errors on a memory-based objective. The study went on to mention that out of 37 adults over an assessment period of 12 weeks did improve spatial recognition mildly and overall improved cognitive ability. I believe this would again be due to the oxidative stress levels reduction which in turn reduces inflammation-based damage. If you have read my research you will understand what occurs within the brain as a result of increased inflammation damage to the brain or other associated trauma resulting from head impact.

I would like to add that none of the products I may promote in my blogs sponsor me, however should they appreciate the research I am doing and would like to sponsor me in my seminars with those products please contact me directly.

Imagine the food created at club level prior to a sporting event was tailor made to build up an athletes immune system response, then after the event, food specifically tailored for recovery and repair. Menus in all its forms should be adapted to cater for these pre match events and after.

I have devised a unique formula over the seven years of research and will be placing this up for sale on Ebay in due course. I need to raise capital towards buying the final piece of life saving equipment that will help me in my business. The nootropics available in Europe and the US right now have some quality products, but none of them have my specific set of ingredients. With market investment in Nootropics set to increase in revenue between now and 2026, the estimated projections are 5.26 billion in the US alone, I hope you consider placing a bid for the formulae, the right purchaser with the right manufacturing set up could go straight in with product testing saving time and costs.

If you can imagine a sea of possibilities between two areas of land, only together can we each put a pebble on that ocean floor towards building a bridge. Together it is achievable, and together we can make that impact.