The Glymphatic System
Did you know your brain detoxes? It does! This drainage pathway is called the glymphatic system.
The brain is supposed to drain three pounds of toxins each year. But when your toxin bucket is too full that doesn’t happen. Instead you get brain inflammation. In the holistic health realm, many practitioners believe brain inflammation is the root cause of anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depression. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard from clients that their antidepressants (and they’ve tried many) aren’t working. This is because depression isn’t due to a neurotransmitter issue but to inflammation.
Neurotransmitters are the body's chemical messengers. They are the molecules used by the nervous system to transmit messages between neurons, or from neurons to muscles. There are billions of neurotransmitter molecules at work to keep our brains functioning, managing everything from our breathing to our heartbeat to our concentration levels. They can also affect a variety of psychological functions such as fear, mood, pleasure, and joy. The seven main neurotransmitters are acetylcholine, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, histamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin; they do the bulk of the work keeping the brain and body working in tandem.
Back to your brain. The brain is all fat. According to a PubMed study, “The human brain is nearly 60 percent fat. We've learned in recent years that fatty acids are among the most crucial molecules that determine your brain's integrity and ability to perform… “
What this means is that trendy low cholesterol, low fat diets aren’t doing your brain any favors. If you cannot move fat soluble toxins (ex: hormones, pesticides) out of your body, they begin to affect the adipose tissue, the brain, the liver, and the lymph. When your brain is struggling to operate optimally under the weight of multiple toxicities, how can it regulate neurotransmitters?
If you’re one of the lucky few that suffers with mental illness and your SSRI works, I am truly happy for you. But if you’re in the majority, know that the mental health system in this country is broken. Instead, begin to consider root cause healing. Look into your past—is there trauma? Was there closure/healing? Look at your environment—is there mold in your home or at work? Consider the toxins and VOCs you come into contact with daily either through your cleaning products, personal care products, through building materials, and things like dry cleaning, smoking, and vaping.
What can you do to remove fat soluble toxins from your brain? Open your drainage pathways, get things moving (meaning have 2-3 bowel movements/day) and take binders which bind to the toxins and bring them through the digestive tract to be eliminated.