10 replies to this topic

[tpower]

Hey guys,

A recent MRI scan revealed that I have a atrophied brain. I should also mention that I used to have hypochondriasis. I was thinking the oxidative stress induced by my adrenal glands during those months did the deed. I was hoping that I could make my brain full again via proper nutrition, exercise, and medication/supplementation. I do not exactly want to upregulate IGF-1 within a short span of time; I'd very much prefer to take my time and take things slowly, and upregulate BDNF and other brain related factors. (due to cancer concerns) Well, I guess the question is, what supplements and what kind of regimens would you recommend me take? I'm going to list possible substances that could possibly aid me in my pursuit of the 'fuller' brain, so that it'll be easier for you guys (hopefully) to tell me what I should take. Thanks.

Lithium orotate
Citicholine
Tianeptine
Piracetam
Idebenone
Hydergine
ALCAR/Arginocarnitine
R-Lipoic Acid
Benfotiamine
Methylcobalamin
Inosine
Fish Oil
Borage Oil
Bacopa
Curcumin
Deprenyl
Taurine
B12
DMAE
Silymarin
Ashawaganda
Lion's mane mushroom
Royal Jelly
Pregnenolone
Galantamine
Centrophenoxine
Dilantin
Rhodiola
7-keto
Phosphatidyl Serine
Milk thistle
Cerebolysin
Tianeptine
Topiramate

Edited by shepard, 19 October 2008 - 02:25 AM.
Details removed to protect privacy of poster.

[Mr.Bananas]

The first thing to add would be fish oil, unless you already eat (fat) fish a couple of times a week, other than that, im not able to recommend anything, i dont have the qualification to do so.

[Brainbox]

Recently my life got really f'ed up with what many doctors believe is a psychosomatic disorder. Anyway, I had a serious case of hypochondriasis which probably led to a severe case of ...

Would it be possible that your doctor is right? Anyway, a good diet and exercise is what I would recommend.

[Zoroaster]

What did the doctors say about your brain scan? Do you have any evidence that your brain has actually shrunk, like a previous scan to compare it with? There's a lot of natural variation in brain size and maybe yours is just way out on the small end. Which isn't anything to be worried about. Brain size isn't a very good predictor of intelligence anyway. I just have a hard time believing that oxidative stress over a 4 month period of time could have any kind of significant effect on the size of your brain.

Furthermore I'm not aware of any supplements that have been shown to increase brain size in adults. There is some evidence that EPA supplementation may increase brain size in developing children, but once you've reached adulthood your brain-size is pretty well set as far as I'm aware. But once again, I'm not sure your brain size is something you should be terribly worried about.

[dr_chaos]

Recently my life got really f'ed up with what many doctors believe is a psychosomatic disorder. Anyway, I had a serious case of hypochondriasis which probably led to a severe case of peripheral neuropathy, which subsequently fed the fire and propagated a never-ending cycle of fear and physical malaise.

I think that this sounds really strange, too. Apart from that alpha lipoic acid is fine or periphery neuropathy. There is an german study in diabetics that proves benefits in diabetics:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/17065669

[Matt]

I've been through Neuropathy, twice! Both drug toxicity induced (flagyl and Cipro)... so I know what you're going through. Fortunately with a good diet and some of the supplements you already mention both times it went away but took many months.

But dude you can't actually get 'severe neuropathy' from just worrying about stuff or having hypochondria. What you can get however is neuropathy-like symptoms which pass after acute anxiety episodes are over.

Edited by Matt, 02 July 2008 - 10:53 PM.

[FunkOdyssey]

Yeah, I don't see how you could imagine severe neuropathy. At the risk of feeding the flames of hypochondria, what other symptoms have you experienced? There are few doctors that are willing to honestly admit they have no clue what is wrong with you. If they can't find a physical cause, they reason it must be in your head to protect their ego.

[mystery]

Well, I guess the question is, what supplements and what kind of regimens would you recommend me take? I'm going to list possible substances that could possibly aid me in my pursuit of the 'fuller' brain, so that it'll be easier for you guys (hopefully) to tell me what I should take.

What do you mean by "fuller" brain? Are you trying to improve mental function, learn something, or make your brain larger in the hopes that this will do something? I'm sorry if that sounds like a dumb question, but you really need to clarify your goals. What evidence do you have to support your claim of experiencing brain "atrophy"? Do you have any specific problems related to brain function that you are trying to deal with, like learning, memory, social problems, ect?

I've experienced an episode of hysteria. I was convinced that something was wrong with me that was drastically impacting cognitive function. No supplement really ever helped. I had unrealistic expectations of myself and how I should be able to perform. I'm now finding that I have no desire to achieve in ways that used to mean everything to me.

Here's my suggested regime; take it for what it's worth. Clear your mind of everything relating to supplements and the brain. Just take it easy for a while and relax, or do something that you like. Drink lots of water, eat a variety of healthy food often, get plenty of rest, and try mild exercise. Maybe take a multi vitamin/mineral if you like. Try and discover what your interests are. Try to find any mentally intensive tasks that you really enjoy. IMO no supplement will ever impact the brain as much as doing this, provided there are no serious disorders that can be treated. If you've gotten a phsysical exam with a complete blood workup, then this is unlikely. You could try supplements to improve blood and oxygen supply to the brain like ginko, or vinpocetin to see if they help. Also maybe try fish oil or flax seed oil which should help supply the brain with the necessary fats.

[tpower]

Thanks guys for responding.

All right, I admit that increasing brain volume is probably an unrealistic and unnecessary goal; however, I feel that my cognitive abilities have in fact, decreased after this bout of (possible?) hypochondriasis.

I have a more worrying problem at hand though. I still have what I feel like inflammation inside my chest cavity, near my bronchus and bronchial tubes. It worsens especially when I pay most attention to it and when I take in a breath of air (especially during the part when I suck in air). My most recent ESR values are around 4 to 5 times my baseline level at 5, so it's all quite disconcerting for me. For those who have the medical expertise, could I (I guess my brain) consciously create inflammation? Isn't inflammation an autonomic response? Personally I've done an full-body MRI and a few chest X-rays. Chest X-rays revealed greater prominence of the blood vessels but no tumors or anything like that.

Just want to maintain my credibility in light of all the responses above. Moderator may want to move this thread elsewhere as well.

Edit: changed the wording a bit for clarification.

Edited by tpower, 04 July 2008 - 02:05 PM.

[Zoroaster]

I don't know if I count as someone who has "medical expertise" but I've studied inflammation and the various tests for inflammation pretty extensively in several classes and I might be able to offer some help. First off, I know that ESR values are highly variable in healthy people and are not considered a very good measure of run-of-the-mill inflammation. Even if they were, 20-25 is higher than normal but its not inordinately high for a one time test. Your level of hydration and your diet can have a fairly large impact on your ESR at any given moment. If you were testing that high on a regular basis it might be cause for some minor concern. But most of the time if you have a real problem you're looking at values more like 80-120. If you're worried about inflammation you should probably get your CRP checked as that's considered a much more accurate and sensative test of acute-phase inflammation.

So if you do have inflammation in your bronchiols it would have to be pretty minor and if its that minor than you shouldn't really be able to feel it. I'm pretty sure there aren't a ton of sensory neurons in your lungs. I had Tuberculosis two years ago and I didn't even feel my lung inflammation. If what you're talking about is just a feeling like your breathing is laboured and a tightness in your chest I've experienced that many times in my life. I went to see a doctor several times about it and everything was always normal. Turns out it was due to some anxiety issues. I wouldn't say I have a disorder but during more stressful periods of my life I tend to experience a fullness in my chest and I sometimes feel like its hard to breath. This has even progressed to minor anxiety attacks where I've felt like I'm gasping for air. So now I take anxiety meds occasionally as needed and the feelings go away. I'm not saying that's your problem but honestly at your age, anxiety is probably the most common cause of that type of feeling.

If I were you I'd just try not worrying about it for a while and if it doesn't go away and you're worried about some kind of lung infection then get a few more specific tests performed. But I wouldn't close the door to some kind of emotional issue being behind all this. And incidentally, you can will minor inflammation upon yourself. I've seen it before. Once again I'm not saying that's what's happening but it is possible. And of course take all of my above advice with a grain of salt since I'm just some schmoe on the internet. On an issue like this you're likely to get better advice from your doctor than you are from anyone on this forum.

Now as far as your decreased mental abilities, that's an issue where you'll get much better advice around here than from your MD. If you're just looking for a general mental boost, there are plenty of threads around here to help you out. Good luck getting it all figured out.

[Mixter]

Unspecific chest pain might also be the following, perhaps you should have these three ruled out:

- Orthopaedic problems with your spine

- Esophagitis (sometimes hard to detect, but easy to treat w/ antacids)

- Benign arrythmia with no serious risks or effects on lifespan, such as mitral valve prolapse, which may be hard to detect (doppler ultrasound and EKG while cycling), but could be treated symptomatically if the feeling bothers you


Regarding cognitive problems, these can very well be just
due to the chronic pain you're feeling in your chest region.

Chronic pain, if untreated, is well known to cause other negative
changes in the body, it could manifest as other psychosomatic
problems, and even get you in a depressive state and take your
mental energy... if you ruled the above out and still have unspecific
pain, e.g. self-perpetuating pain with no detectable cause, you may
want to go for acupuncture or similar techniques.

Finally, if what you feel is due to orthopaedic problems, it may be
limiting blood flow including to your brain. If you can rule out
common problems like the above, it certainly won't be bad to ignore
the pain for now and start an intensive aerobic exercise program...

Edited by mixter, 05 July 2008 - 10:53 AM.